Disney may be one of the biggest entertainment companies in the world, but they have been on a recent losing streak, which only makes things worse after their $200 million movie’s Oscars snub. Although Disney has had the likes of Marvel and Star Wars to rely on in recent times, 2023 proved to be one of their worst years yet. Disney had no movies gross $1 billion at the 2023 box office, proving the company is struggling. Between a poor year for the MCU, tired franchises, and limited new ideas, 2023 wound up being a massively disappointing year for Disney.
There may be an opportunity to turn things around, with Disney having some potential big box office movies in 2024, yet one area remains in trouble. Animation is arguably Disney’s most famous department, yet this is where they have been struggling the most. Pixar has had mixed success over the last few years, but Walt Disney Animation Studios has failed to impress in 2023. While the studio has released some of the most classic animated movies of all time, they have faced stiff competition which has led to them falling behind and facing another Oscar snub.
Wish’s Oscars Snub Continues Disney’s Poor Animated Movie Awards Streak
Wish was Disney’s big, animated release of 2023 and, alongside its poor financial performance, it was also snubbed at the Oscars. Despite its $200 million budget, Disney’s Wish flopped at the box office in its opening weekend and was never quite able to recover, barely making back its budget. Box office performance doesn’t prove a movie’s quality, but Wish being snubbed is the second year running Walt Disney Animation Studios have been without an animated nomination at the Oscars. Pixar’s Elemental completed an impressive box office comeback and was nominated for Best Animated Feature, something Wish was unable to replicate.
With so many great animated movies, a nomination was always going to be tough for Wish, especially as the likes of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem and The Super Mario Bros. Movie were also snubbed. Wish‘s reviews were mixed compared to critically acclaimed movies like The Boy and the Heron and Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, proving that Disney needs to make big changes to overcome their animated losing streak. In years gone by, the studio has struggled for award nominations, as big movies like Ralph Breaks the Internet, Frozen II, and Raya and the Last Dragon were all ignored.
Once Upon A Studio’s Oscars Snub Shows Disney No Longer Dominates The Shorts Either
Once Upon A Studio is an animated short celebrating Disney’s 100 years, yet its snub proves how little dominance Disney has in the Animated Shorts category these days. Disney celebrated its 100th year in 2023 and Once Upon A Studio was a tribute to some of their success over the century. Despite featuring iconic characters, the short didn’t even receive a nomination for Best Animated Short Film, emphasizing Disney’s shortcomings. Walt Disney holds the record number of nominations and wins in the category, even winning the award eight years straight, yet in recent years, Disney has been struggling for recognition.
The last time Disney won the Best Animated Short award was in 2018 for Boa, meaning it will be over six years without an Oscar in the category. Given how dominant the studio once was, their lack of nominations and victories in recent years show improvement in the competition, but also Disney’s inability to evolve. Walt Disney holds the record number of Oscar wins for a single person, but his studio hasn’t been able to keep up its success in the modern era. While Disney does still produce some animated gems, they are no longer the undisputed leader of animation.
Illumination Is Bound To Repeat Super Mario’s Box Office Success & Beat Disney Again In 2024
The Super Mario Bros. Movie helped Illumination beat Disney at the box office in 2023, and the animation studio’s dominance will continue in 2024.
Why Has Disney Animation Struggled So Much Of Late?
Disney’s animated troubles come down to several factors, with the biggest issue being the improvement in competition. Disney’s main competition for the past few decades has mainly been DreamWorks Animation, but the likes of Sony Pictures Animation and Illumination have vastly improved, giving Disney more opposition. Unlike Pixar, Disney’s core animation branch has mainly focused on creating new IPs, while its competition has made several sequels which tend to be more popular. When Disney focuses on franchises, it has proven successful with the Frozen franchise breaking box office records, including Frozen II becoming the highest-grossing animated movie of all time.
Encanto may have been Oscar-nominated, but Frozen II was Disney’s last big financial hit, showing their struggles to find the right balance between financial and critical success. Some of their latest films have simply struggled with their plot, as neither Strange World nor Wish made much of an impression in terms of overall reviews. While Disney tries to stay original and creative, many other studios are simply doing things bigger and better, highlighting the studio’s struggles. Disney‘s recent films haven’t been outright bad lately, but other animated projects have simply been better, creating this losing streak at award ceremonies.
