Once hailed as the golden kingdom of family entertainment across the globe, Disney has increasingly found itself at the center of online backlash and cultural controversy in recent years.
From accusations of “racism” and “tone-deaf” storytelling to criticism over creatively stagnant live-action remakes like Snow White and Moana, the studio’s once-unshakable reputation has begun to crack.
Highlights
- As Disney weathers explosive backlash in recent years, multiple experts have weighed in, sharing their perspectives on the growing controversy.
- Accusations of “racism” and “soulless” adaptations have intensified audience skepticism, particularly toward live-action remakes of classics like ‘Snow White’ and the upcoming ‘Moana.’
- Experts point to repetitive storytelling, rushed remakes, and franchise fatigue as key factors driving Disney’s recent backlash.
Each new adaptation now seems to arrive with less excitement and more skepticism, as audiences express fatigue with Disney recycling its classics without sensitivity or originality.
“Misappropriating other cultures for personal enormous profit is a big issue with the corporation,” commented one social media user.
Image credits: Disney
The entertainment giant has faced some of its most significant box office setbacks in the 2020s.
In 2023, The Marvels, Wish, and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania were all widely labeled financial flops upon release.
While the Ant-Man sequel narrowly avoided a final net loss in updated financial filings released in 2025, the damage to audience confidence had already been done.
Image credits: Disney
The criticism intensified in 2025 after several live-action projects were brutally slammed online.
Snow White, starring Rachel Zegler and Gal Gadot, was labeled a financial “bomb,” and the backlash only got worse following the teaser announcement of the live-action Moana remake.
Both projects were slammed by viewers over what they perceived as “racist” changes to the characters.
Image credits: Disney
Zegler’s casting sparked heated debate, with critics arguing the character was traditionally described as having “skin as white as snow.”
Meanwhile, fans took issue with the Moana teaser, noting that lead actress Catherine Laga‘aia’s hair appeared noticeably less curly, styled into loose waves rather than the frizzier curls associated with the animated character.
The media giant has been hit with multiple accusations of “racism” over changes to classic characters, along with criticism of “soulless,” repetitive storytelling
Image credits: Alexei Hay
Shedding light on why Disney’s recent live-action remakes are increasingly failing to resonate with audiences, Dr. Alexander Sergeant, an expert in popular cinema and animation, lecturer at the University of Westminster, and co-host of the Fantasy/Animation podcast, spoke to Bored Panda.
Sergeant claimed that “it is always new stories that particularly resonate with audiences, not repetitions of old ones.”
However, he also noted that “new stories are much more difficult to sell to audiences,” which is why media companies often rely “so much on sequels, genres and stars to help ‘pre-sell’ a film’s expectations in its marketing campaign.”
Image credits: Disney
“In times of commercial strife, which the Disney corporation is currently facing, it is always more tempting to rely further on these commercial techniques, rather than take chances on new ideas and stories that may not land with audiences.”
Another factor cited for the decline in audience reception in recent years is the sheer frequency with which Disney has been releasing new projects.
Dr. Christopher Holliday, Senior Lecturer in Liberal Arts and Visual Cultures Education at King’s College London and co-host of the Fantasy/Animation podcast, told Bored Panda, “In the case of the new Moana, the original film is less than a decade old, and so its revision into a live-action version by the same studio and featuring some of the same cast for many encapsulates the fine line between renewal and difference.”
“This latest adaptation signals either creative bankruptcy or clever commercial strategy on the part of Disney.”
Both experts also weighed in on the ongoing accusations of “racism,” echoing criticism circulating online, with one user commenting, “Coming from Disney, it’s definitely racism anyway!”
Dr. Sergeant explained, “the audience is ideologically opposed to the idea of including a more diverse set of characters within existing story worlds.”
Image credits: Disney+
Meanwhile, Dr. Holliday attributes part of the backlash to Disney’s own legacy, arguing that the media giant’s “animated features set something of a visual template as to how Disney princesses looked and what they sounded like, which is very difficult for audiences to then reconcile with these new representations and performances.”
According to media experts, “the audience is ideologically opposed to the idea of including a more diverse set of characters” as seen in the backlash surrounding Snow White
Image credits: Disney
Many longtime fans have also expressed frustration with what they describe as “soulless” plots and repetitive storytelling, criticizing the lack of fresh content for new generations of viewers.
One Reddit user wrote, “I know they're a soulless corporation, you don't need to bash it into my skull about it. I'm not gonna… defend literally every single thing they do. I mean their recent stuff has been absolute garbage.”
Another critic added, “Disney has been selling you the same cartoon for years! They are a great deceiver! If that was the only problem with Disney.”
Image credits: Disney
Addressing these criticisms, Dr. Sergeant echoed the sentiment that consistently “making fresh, new, interesting stories” is inherently “really difficult.”
He further explained, “The ephemeral alchemy of creativity needed to make a ‘great film’ cannot be bottled and, right now, Disney simply don’t have it… Disney animation has looked far more like it does now - producing relatively run-of-the-mill products that some audiences like, and others don’t.”
Image credits: Marques Kaspbrak/Unsplash
Another aspect widely attributed to Disney’s so-called “fallen kingdom” is the declining ability of its projects to draw audiences into theaters, ultimately impacting box office numbers.
This trend has become especially pronounced since the early 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, which significantly disrupted the theatrical experience.
In response, the entertainment giant shifted much of its content to Disney+, fundamentally changing how audiences consume its films.
While Disney still dominates the entertainment industry, statistics show that its theatrical performance has been volatile in recent years
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Dr. Holliday agreed, stating, “The rise of online platforms has undoubtedly changed how audiences see the value of animation, and indeed cinema as an industry… The desire for audiences to see the latest animated feature at home… prompted a visible change in viewing habits, coupled of course with rising ticket prices and the accessible nature of seeing content on demand.”
He further added, “Disney+ first gained traction during the pandemic when popular studios were forced to release their features quickly via online platforms… We are still seeing the fallout from an industry acclimatizing from cinema-first to streaming-focused release patterns.”
Image credits: Disney
From an industry perspective, when asked about the core reason behind Disney’s recent creative downturn, Dr. Sergeant cited a “lack of investment, lack of confidence, [and] lack of belief.”
Meanwhile, Dr. Holliday argued that “audiences are simply more discerning in what they want, and it is becoming harder and harder to get it right.”
Image credits: Disney
He concluded, “Whether Disney elects to continue down a road of familiar characters and stories, or whether it takes the leap into original features with the risk-reward that such a strategy offers, is a question that the industry must continue to wrestle with.”
"I wish they could do more original stories instead of remaking the old ones," wrote a tired social media user
