Legendary Disney director John Musker has accused the Walt Disney Company of prioritizing political messages over story in its recent films.
Musker, who has co-directed some of the studio’s most popular films in recent decades, including “The Little Mermaid,” “Aladdin” and “Moana,” commented on Disney’s current state in a recent interview, saying the company needs to focus on characters and stories above all else, rather than pushing a woke message.
“I think they need to change course a little bit in terms of putting the message behind entertainment, behind compelling stories and compelling characters,” Musker said. Spanish outlet El País Last week I was at the Animayo International Summit in Gran Canaria.
The director, who also directed 2009’s The Princess and the Frog with co-director Ron Clements, addressed the topic of Disney being “woke,” bringing up criticism that the film, which depicts a black princess, is “woke.”
“I understand the criticism, but we weren’t trying to be woke,” Musker said, commenting that movies these days seem to prioritize message over story.
“The classic Disney films weren’t set out to send a message; they wanted the audience to be drawn into the characters, the story, the world, and I think that’s still at the core of Disney,” Musker said. “You don’t have to eliminate the agenda, but you have to create relatable, compelling characters.”
Disney has faced significant backlash in recent years from critics who claim the media giant is pushing a conscious agenda.
The company’s executives have repeatedly clashed with conservative lawmakers, particularly Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.
The company has seen box office failures like the 2022 pro-LGBTQ film “Light Year,” massive staff cuts and the loss of 2.4 million subscribers to its Disney+ streaming service.
Musker noted that Disney’s political agenda was less aggressive in its heyday in the 1990s and 2000s, but the company has had to change some content for the sake of political correctness.
He told El Pais newspaper that he had to change the name of the city of Baghdad to “Agrabah” from “Aladdin” because of the Gulf War that was happening at the time.
“Because of the war, we weren’t even able to go there to do research. Our major research was done at the Saudi Arabia Expo at the Los Angeles Convention Center,” Musker said.
Fox News Digital has reached out to Disney for comment.
