This isn’t the first instance of Disney removing ‘woke’ bits from its works recently, which may or may not suggest that the studio might realize that pandering to the ‘woke’ crowd might not be the best recipe for a good film.
Last month, the “Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur” animated series episode that focused on a transgender character also got shelved from the Disney Channel, with artists who worked the series claiming it was “because of which party that won the recent election,” Polygon noted.
These developments occurred after a number of Disney’s productions that were deemed ‘woke’ by a not-inconsiderable portion of the audience flopped, with the company’s losses being estimated at around $900 million last year.
Some of Disney’s more notable box office failures included Strange World and Lightyear, two animated series that both featured same-sex romance and relationships.
Disney’s 2023 The Little Mermaid live-action remake, whose titular protagonist was played by a Black actress even though the character in the animated original was White, also failed to meet the studio’s expectations despite not flopping at the box office.
To be fair, it is difficult to tell whether Disney’s woes are the result of the ‘woke’ agenda, the quality of its recent productions, or both.