Disney Headlines for February 6th, 2022
This week’s Disney Headlines look a lot like the past two weeks of Disney Headlines. We’ll talk more about the Seven Dwarfs and Encanto!
We’ve also got some news about why Disney fans must learn what an NFT is.
The Top of the Pops!
Remember two weeks ago when We Don’t Talk about Bruno climbed higher on the Billboard Top 100 than any Disney song since the 1990s?
Remember how We Don’t Talk about Bruno rose again last week to become the highest-charting Disney movie song ever?
Source: Disney
We can add a third remarkable feat to the ditty’s list of accomplishments. It’s now the first Disney movie song to hit #1 on the Top 100!
Err, wait a minute. Here’s what I hate about Billboard charts. There’s always an asterisk or a correction or something.
Those previous reports weren’t accurate. A Disney fan pointed out that A Whole New World from Aladdin previously soared to #1 in 1993.
So, We Don’t Talk about Bruno is neither the first Disney song to reach #1 nor the highest chart hit. Well, I guess it’s the latter…but in a tie.
This isn’t going well. Let me start over. Forget a lot of what I said the past two weeks.
Billboard historians, which is to say people on Reddit, combed the old Top 100 charts.
They discovered that We Don’t Talk about Bruno is the second song from a Disney movie ever to reach #1 on the Billboard Top 100.
Disney’s Chart History
No Disney tune had done this in nearly 30 years, as the last time it happened was during the height of Aladdin…and I mean the original animated movie, not the 2019 Guy Ritchie remake.
I’m pretty sure about all this, as Billboard’s the one who tweeted it:
.@EncantoMovie's "We Don't Talk About Bruno" is the 1,133rd No. 1 in the #Hot100's 63-year history, and the second from a @DisneyAnimation film, after @PeaboBryson2 & @IAmReginaBelle's "A Whole New World" from @disneyaladdin in 1993.
— billboard charts (@billboardcharts) January 31, 2022
By the way, that’s not the only remarkable Billboard feat that Encanto managed.
Another song from the soundtrack, Surface Pressure, has also reached the top 10.
This makes Encanto the first Disney movie to feature two Top 10 singles. I honestly have no idea how The Lion King never managed that.
Remarkably, that may not be the last one, either. The Family Madrigal is currently sitting at #20 this week!
Encanto also has an outside chance to break Frozen’s record of most weeks at #1 on the Billboard 200 Albums. It’s currently back at the top after a week spent at #3.
I guess what I’m saying here is that people really love the Encanto soundtrack. And why wouldn’t they? It’s incredibly catchy!
The Seven Dwarfs Discussion Continues
Peter Dinklage’s complaint about Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs broke only a few hours before deadline last week.
So, I’m not surprised that people are still talking about it a week later.
Photograph: John Russo for the Observer
Perhaps the most interesting comment came from former WWE wrestler Dylan Postl, previously known as Hornswoggle.
His WWE character infamously proved via paternity test that the owner of the WWE was his father. It was obviously not real and played for laughs.
I mention this because Postl continues to work in professional wrestling under a slightly different name, Swoggle.
Since leaving the multi-billion company, he’s experienced the struggles that independent wrestlers face in earning a decent living.
Photo: WWE
For this reason, Swoggle’s criticism struck me as interesting. He said:
“What I do have a problem with is Dinklage putting himself on a pedestal and looking down on jobs that countless dwarfs in the entertainment industry would love to fill.”
Swoggle’s comments suggest that Dinklage may have lessened the chances of other size-challenged actors in finding work.
Now, Disney has indicated that they’re taking a different approach with the Seven Dwarfs, which I take to mean CGI.
Still, that’s an interesting thought that Dinklage’s statement might cost seven worthy actors a chance at a career-making role.
For its part, Disney has taken a duck and cover approach here. The studio took the unusual step of promising something different. Since then, it’s gone into radio silence.
As a reminder, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs hasn’t even started filming yet.
Disney suggests a 2023 release date, but that strikes me as ambitious.
So, we won’t know for a while whether it treated the Seven Dwarfs with respect.
Iger Spills the Beans
Former Disney CEO Bob Iger continues to make the rounds as he performs what is tantamount to a series of exit interviews.
Never one to shy away from the media, Iger garnered the most attention for his description of Disney’s dealings with Netflix.
Photo: Masterclass
The former studio boss indicated that Disney licensing its films to Netflix was akin to selling nukes to the enemy. It’s a harsh but accurate evaluation.
That’s a discussion of the past, though. Disney has long since committed to its own digital streaming service.
Photo: Chesnot/Getty Images
In fact, as Iger tells it, Disney will prioritize another digital project over the next few years.
The 70-year-old entrepreneur seems like a strange evangelist for the topic, but Iger believes firmly in the future of NFTs.
Photo: BBC/BEEPLE
What’s an NFT? I mean, the answer depends on who you ask, as it’s a somewhat nebulous concept at the moment.
Still, the most conventional definition of an NFT is a digital piece of art that utilizes blockchain technology to protect value and scarcity.
MickeyBlog covered Disney’s first foray into NFTs last November. Iger views them as the modern equivalent of baseball cards, only without the gum.
If you didn’t know that baseball cards used to have gum, I just proved that I’m much older than you.
Anyway, Iger envisions a day when people proudly display their digital Disney collections the same way we pack our shelves with Funko Pop!s.
Disney would be insane not to mine this thriving new market from a business perspective.
Creating an NFT only takes a short time but can be highly lucrative. They take little time to develop but can sell thousands of copies in minutes.
I have amateur artist friends who have spiked their income with NFTs. So, I fully believe Disney will commit to NFTs.
