Disney Shelves Already-Completed ‘Spiderwick Chronicles’
When Disney+ initially launched in 2019, the streaming service’s mandate was clear- get subscribers at any cost.
To this end, Disney spent billions of dollars creating, obtaining, and curating content. It was the wild west of streaming, and Disney came out guns blazing.
Photo: DIsney+
Four years later, however, the streaming landscape has radically changed.
A Focus on Profitability
Wall Street is no longer using subscriber count as the end-all-be-all barometer. Instead, the focus has shifted towards profitability and long-term forecasts.
Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
To this end, Disney has changed with the tides. Earlier this year, Diseny CEO Bob Iger talked about the need to be more fiscally conscious when creating new content. Additionally, the company announced that it would begin removing content from its streaming services.
Photo: Business Insider
“We are in the process of reviewing the content on our DTC services to align with the strategic changes in our approach to content curation,” Disney CFO Christine McCarthy at the time. “As a result, we will be removing certain content from our streaming platforms, and currently expect to take an impairment charge of approximately $1.5 to $1.8 billion.”
Disney+ Begins Removing Content
Pretty soon almost any original Disney+ series without a tie-in to Marvel or Star Wars was pruned from the library. Once flagship shows like Mighty Ducks: Game Changers and Big Shot were whisked away, while other shows such as National Treasure: Edge of History and Doogie Kamealoha, MD were canceled.
Photo: seventeen.com
Even the Lucasfilm-produced Willow wasn’t immune to the onslaught. The show, which Disney spent over $100 million to create, was removed in less than six months.
Disney Shelves ‘Spiderwick’
The latest victim of Disney’s new streaming strategy is The Spiderwick Chronicles.
Despite having completed all filming on the eight-episode series, Disney has decided not to bring the show to Disney+.
Photo: Disney
The project, which was originally announced in November of 2021, would have been an adaptation of the popular Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black young adult series.
Originally published in 2003, The Spiderwick Chronicles series told the story of a family who stumbles onto a book that reveals the lore of mythical creatures.
Photo: Disney
The Show is Being Shopped Around
While Spiderwick won’t be coming to Disney+, the series may still see the light of day.
The show was a rare instance of a Disney+ series produced by an outside studio. In this case, Paramount Television. As such, the studio is now shopping The Spiderwick Chronicles to other buyers.
Photo: Disney
The series was set to star Christian Slater, Jack Dylan Grazer, Lyon Daniels, Noah Cottrell, Joy Bryant, and Mychala Lee.
Hopefully, The Spiderwick Chronicles will still see the light of day. The show’s shelving, however, is another example that a new era of Disney+ is upon us.
Credit: Disney
Thanks for visiting MickeyBlog.com! Want to go to Disney? For a FREE quote on your next Disney vacation, please fill out the form below and one of the agents from MickeyTravels, a Diamond level Authorized Disney Vacation Planner, will be in touch soon! Also, thanks for reading!
