Disney Headlines for April 12th, 2023
This week, Bob Iger meets with Congress, The Walt Disney Company hires a Chief Brand Officer, and Star Wars reveals a new plan.
We’ll bring you the latest updates in this week’s Disney Headlines.
Iger Discusses China
Image: Disney
When Kevin Mayer lost the Disney CEO gig to Bob Chapek, he discovered a soft landing spot. At least, it appeared that way at the time.
Mayer earned a new role as CEO of TikTok. Alas, the reality of running TikTok didn’t mesh with how it appeared on paper.
Photo: TheWrap.com
TikTok functions as a subsidiary of ByteDance, a Chinese company that has angered the American government.
For years, American politicians have recoiled at the invasive nature of TikTok, which is a privacy nightmare for users.
Photo: TheWrap.com
Once the American government started its attack on TikTok, Mayer recognized that running a popular social media company wasn’t fun.
Mayer, the former head of Disney streaming, left TikTok after barely three months. But that’s not the story here.
Photographer: Jesse Grant/Getty Images for Disney
Instead, we should focus on how Mayer got the job. Iger’s legendary Chinese connections could have played a role in Mayer becoming TikTok CEO.
Similarly, while Iger was away from Disney, several Marvel Cinematic Universe films failed to acquire theatrical releases in China.
Photo: Marvel
After Iger returned, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania earned Chinese releases.
The Black Panther sequel is particularly noteworthy in that it didn’t play in China until February, three months after its North American release.
Photo: Marvel
Iger wasn’t with Disney in November, but he was in February. So…
Now, American politicians want to learn more about the Chinese relationship between executives like Bob Iger and Apple’s Tim Cook.
Image: Disney
Both CEOs spoke with congressional representatives last week. The meetings occurred behind closed doors, but the subject was China’s growing influence.
American lawmakers seek ideas for how Hollywood and Silicon Valley can thwart such influence.
Iger’s Response
Image: Disney
Iger and Cook have much in common, just as Iger did with Apple’s co-founder, Steve Jobs.
In fact, that’s part of the reason why one Apple/Disney rumor won’t die. It’s something MickeyBlog will explore later this week.
Image: Disney
During the congressional interviews, politicians pressed both CEOs regarding how comfortable they are in saying no to the Chinese government.
Chinese frequently asks for edits to Hollywood theatrical releases.
Photo: Natacha Rafalski on Instagram
Some involve sexual content, while others pertain to subjects that could embarrass the Communist Party.
Lawmakers have grown so concerned that they added a rider to a defense bill.
Photo: Hong Kong Disneyland
This legislation “restricts cooperation between the U.S. government and any American film studio that allows the Chinese government to demand edits on a project.”
When politicians asked Iger how Disney responded to such requests, he could have employed a factual counterpoint.
Photo: Marvel Studios
Do you remember how Disney refused to screen Dr. Strange in the Multiverse of Madness in Saudi Arabia?
The government there demanded that Disney remove a lesbian couple from the film.
Photo: Yahoo
Disney refused because those two characters were the mothers of America Chavez. Their story proved integral to the plot.
Iger reportedly informed Congress that Disney makes all its decisions based on story. If a government seeks changes that harm the story, Disney refuses.
Otherwise, the company addresses such requests on a case-by-case basis.
Photo: Shanghai Disneyland
Apparently, the Chinese government knows this and accepts that Disney will act accordingly.
Conversations like this underscore the evolving struggles of giant multinational corporations like Apple and Disney in a combustible global marketplace.
Why Disney Needs a Chief Brand Officer
Image: Disney
This story ties directly into the last one. Disney has named Asad Ayaz the Chief Brand Officer.
Historically, Mickey Mouse has held this role as the face of Disney.
Alas, we live in complicated times, and Disney has found itself the target of criticism from a staggering number of people.
Photo: @hallebailey on Instagram
Some politicians accuse Disney of virtue signaling, which is true in that virtually every Disney movie ever features a virtuous protagonist.
For whatever reason, these politicians don’t mean it as a compliment, though.
Image: Disney
Meanwhile, some Disney fans wish the company were more aggressive in representing some of its less heralded voices.
Alex Hirsch, the creator of Gravity Falls, recently explained the struggles he faced in having characters act romantically.
Photo:Disney
Hirsch’s ex, Dana Terrace, the creator of The Owl House, gleefully posted that she had left Disney for good.
Dana Terrace, creator of ‘The Owl House’ is leaving Disney Channel, after she cleaned out her office in new Instagram Story, pic.twitter.com/It03bLVZYy
— ToonHive (@ToonHive) March 10, 2023
Then, there’s the Reedy Creek nonsense which I would love to go a month without having to discuss.
I’ve made my peace with the fact that it’s not happening after the latest turn of events.
Photo: reedycreek.org
We could even throw critics of the MCU into the mix, as Disney faces attacks from its most loyal fans.
In short, the Disney brand has come under fire at a time when the company should be happiest.
Disney is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year, an almost incomprehensible feat.
Image Credit: @zeniamucha/Twitter
Estimates suggest that only 0.5 percent of American businesses, roughly 1,000 of them, are this old. In fact, only 12 percent of businesses last 26+ years!
Disney deserves a victory lap in 2023. Instead, Ayaz will spend 2023 acting more like Zenia Mucha than Geoff Morrell.
The Star Wars Plan
Photo: Matt Stroshane
Disney spent last week revealing new details for the Star Wars franchise.
The most exciting news for theme park fans involves Star Tours – The Adventures Continue! Disney will add new scenes to the beloved attraction.
For Star Wars fans, the even better news involves a new slate of films.
Image Credit: Disney, Lucasfilm
We’d expected that this update was coming soon. Disney canceled/delayed several other Star Wars projects last month.
Moves like that usually indicate that someone has settled on a plan. Sure enough, we’re getting three new Star Wars movies over the next few years.
Image: Disney
However, this isn’t another Holy Trilogy in the offing. Instead, Daisy Ridley will return as Rey in a follow-up to the events of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.
The film will take place 15 years later, with Rey carving a niche in the New Jedi Order.
(Image Credit: Entertainment Weekly)
Disney has hired a dream team here with Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy of Ms. Marvel directing. She’ll use a script written by Steven Knight of Peaky Blinders fame.
Lucasfilm icon Kathleen Kennedy also confirmed two other projects.
Photo: NewYorkPost
Arguably the biggest one of the three will come from Dave Filoni, the longtime Star Wars producer.
Filoni will tie together the events of The Mandalorian, The Book of Boba Fett, and Ahsoka in a feature film.
Image: Disney
Star Wars refers to this one as “wrapping up the present.” Read into that what you will.
Finally, Disney clearly likes James Mangold. Now that the director has finished Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, he’ll transition to Lucasfilm.
Mangold will direct a “Biblical epic” involving the origin story of The Force.
Photo: Disney
He suggests this film will occur 25,000 years before any other Star Wars project. So, it’ll be a long time before a long time ago.
In short, more Star Wars cinema is coming!
Image: MickeyBlog
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