John Musker, the Co-Director of ‘The Little Mermaid’ and ‘Moana,’ Says Disney Needs to Put Storytelling First
It is impossible to write the story of The Walt Disney Company without John Musker. Over the last 40 years, Musker and his co-director have helped create the characters and stories that have come to define what Disney is for generations of fans.
Beginning with 1986’s The Great Mouse Detective, the dynamic duo co-directed a string of classic Disney films, including The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, Hercules, Treasure Planet, The Princess and the Frog, and Moana.


Photo: D23
Throughout his storied tenure at Disney, Musker has seen a ton of change, not only in the medium that Disney uses to tell its stories but also in how the company views movie-making as a whole.


Photo: DIsney
In a recent interview with El Pais, Musker reflected back on his career and gave his thoughts on the current state of Disney animation.
Putting Storytelling First
Echoing comments recently made by Disney CEO Bob Iger, Musker believes that Disney needs to make sure that it is putting storytelling first.
“We weren’t trying to be woke, although I understand the criticism. The classic Disney films didn’t start out trying to have a message. They wanted you to get involved in the characters and the story and the world, and I think that’s still the heart of it,” he explained.


Photo: Disney
Musker, however, doesn’t believe that Disney should exclude all messaging or create a film that is bereft of agenda. Instead, it is all about the filmmaker’s priorities.
“You don’t have to exclude agendas, but you have to first create characters who you sympathize with and who are compelling. I think they need to do a course correction a bit in terms of putting the message secondary, behind entertainment and compelling story and engaging characters.”


Photo: Disney
Mesker’s Thoughts on Live-Action Remakes
In recent years, Musker has seen many of his animated classics redone as live-action films. He has, so far, not been overly impressed.
“Companies are always like, ‘How do we reduce our risk? They like this, right? We’ll just do it again and sell it to them in a different form.’ Or they think, ‘Well, we could make it better,’” Musker said.


Image: Disney
“I think there was a question even with The Little Mermaid. They didn’t play up the father-daughter story, and that was the heart of the movie, in a way. And the crab — you could look at live animals in a zoo and they have more expression, like with The Lion King.”
For Musker, however, the problem is not necessarily the individual changes Disney made when bringing its animated films into live-action; it’s the medium itself that holds them back.


Photo: Disney
“That’s one of the basic things about Disney, is the appeal. That’s what animation does best,” he explains.
“If you do something that is animated, take advantage of all its qualities and imagination.”
With Disney set to remake another one of Muskar’s films, with a live-action version of Moana, the legendary animator says he will be rooting from the sideline.


Photo: Willy Sanjuan/Invision/AP
“I hope that they do it well, but we have nothing to do with it,” he says.
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. One of the agents from MickeyTravels, a Diamond level Authorized Disney Vacation Planner, will be in touch soon! Also, thanks for reading!