Posted on 02/21/2024 8:18:29 AM PST by SeekAndFind
Which is more important for a movie: a compelling story or ideology?
If you found yourself among those with an internal monologue, you likely answered “compelling story.” If so, I’m sorry to inform you that this means you are a mouth-breathing troglodyte — at least according to the folks over at Disney.
Responding to recent criticisms of Disney and its CEO Bob Iger, an executive at the House of Mouse suggested to Puck writer Matthew Belloni that moviegoers’ latent bigotry is to blame for the studio’s many flops in recent years.
“Everyone says, ‘It’s the movies, stupid,’” the unnamed executive said, “which is an easy thing for people to say.”
“More appealing movies are a great way to jump the political issues. But more and more, our audience (or the segment of the audience that has been politicized) equate the perceived messaging in a film as a quality issue,” the executive continued. “They won’t say they find female empowerment distasteful … but they will say they don’t like those movies because they are ‘bad.’”
He concludes, “‘[M]ake better movies’ becomes code for ‘make movies that conform to regressive gender stereotypes or put men front and center in the narrative.’ Which is what you’re seeing now, and what Bob [Iger]’s pivot is about right now.”
The simple fact of the matter is that, overwhelmingly, people don’t actually care if their entertainment is ideological, but they do care if it sucks — which many of Disney’s recent releases do. Disney’s lackluster success in recent years has little, if anything, to do with their products being ideological. It has everything to do with the elevation of ideology over storytelling.
Suffice it to say that Disney’s ideological messaging over the last several years is a cultural cancer that deserves to be booed, jeered, and boycotted, but the reality is that people don’t mind patronizing a business with which they disagree so long as they receive a quality product, which Disney movies no longer appear to be.
Prioritizing “the message” while neglecting the mechanism that effectively conveys it is why people have checked out. Countless movies successfully launder ideology into the masses while not compromising on the story.
Recent releases like “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer,” and even classic films like “Casablanca” (Rick fought for the Republicans during the Spanish Civil War, after all), have clear left-wing sympathies, but that isn’t why they were so successful.
They were largely successful because their stories were compelling and insightful and took precedence over “the message.”
Disney could very easily correct course and, once again, delight people instead of patronizing them. It simply requires understanding what stories are for and who they are meant to serve. But this would require self-awareness and respect for those who helped them become the monolith they are; the studio has neither and has chosen to bronze the gold bar that was its cultural carte blanche.
So at this point we’ve given up all hope of popular entertainment that caters to conservatives - we’re down to just hoping for left-wing oriented entertainment that isn’t so boring.
“So at this point we’ve given up all hope of popular entertainment that caters to conservatives - we’re down to just hoping for left-wing oriented entertainment that isn’t so boring.”
Yes.
We were busy taking care of ourselves while the left took over the educational system and entertainment. We’re outmanned and out gunned, (in a social sense).
When their terrible story telling was agenda driven politically and pushing disgusting lifestyles as normal, it sure as hell was political.
Sone would call that GASLIGHTING. I sure do.
Writers that can’t writ ,directors that can’t direct , they’re also told to not read the comics to find out what’s going on then they attack the ticket buying customers ,LOL What a disaster
The real problem for America is Disney’s politics, not the availablity of entertaining stories.
Dakota Johnson’s acting hasn’t improved. She’s simply walking cardboard in Madam Web.
And the story stinks. The dialogue and delivery are cringe worthy.
The two are intertwined.
“Put a chick in it and make her gay!”
If the Disney corporation were a human being, it would be a black Megan Rapinoe.
I think Disney needs to go MOAR GAY! and MOAR Left!
Not until one of these big media companies completely go under will any of them take a step back and reassess.
It’s crappy movies and crappy politics. Remaking every success with new diverse actors, and directors who can’t make you care about the characters hurt among the apolitical. Telling parts of your audience they are bigots, homophobes, transphobes is no way to bring them back. Do both together and we see what’s happening to Disney.
Now, add in when young parents feeling that way. Disney won’t get the business of their kids in the future either. Amongst my slightly political Gen Y and Z acquaintances, none are planning Disney World trips, or Disney movies. They don’t have Disney plus among their streaming services. One won’t even allow any Disney toys to be given. Admittedly, the young ones I know are conservative Christians who take their faith seriously.
The people I see most tolerant of Disney right now are the over 50 apolitical crowd, who have fond memories of Disney.
No.
Putting politics into any film means you have abandoned any attemtp to simply tell a story. Also, women cannot tell compelling stories. Mebbe one out of a million can, the rest are affirmative action hires.
Disney decided two things a while back: to bludgeon everyone with their ideology and to normalize pedo.
It’s crappy movies and crappy politics.
There is no shortage of people on soapboxes pushing their agendas. Music and movies have been a way to escape daily pressures and drama.
Just shut up ‘n play yer guitar.
Was that more sarcasm?
The entertainment business is very much like the bakery business.
If you make what people want to buy then you do well.
But if, for instance, a bakery starts making mustard filled doughnuts and no one buys them is it the fault of the public or the bakery?
Ditto with Disney.
They produce a product that few people want to buy. They’ve been riding on their reputation but that reputation is wearing thin.
Politics influences the stories.
I agree.
That’s correct.
Sexual weirdos don’t have the same heroes and villains the rest of us have, so their ‘stories’ are creepy.
Disney can’t get past that because Disney’s choice of hired writers write for each other NOT for the general population.
And because sexual weirdos are around 3 to 4% of the population it doesn’t ‘matter if ALL of them watch the movies those movies will fail.
There’s a similar story with the way Madison Ave Ad Agencies advertise to the weirdo community and often use their ads to push ideas that damage the company paying for the ad. Bud LIght is an example. But there are many ‘once loved’ companies that now are folks we tolerate because we need the products they sell. In fact if you’re young you probably can’t even understand the concept of a ‘much loved company’... They don’t exist anymore. Same with newspapers. Communities used to be proud of them.
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