Disney Entertainment Stories of the Year

On January 1^st, 2020, The Walt Disney Company reigned supreme as the unquestioned ruler of Hollywood entertainment.

Alas, something had happened in a Chinese province the previous month that would have widespread repercussions on society.

For Disney, this unknown ailment called COVID-19 would wreak havoc on the company’s entire business model.

Theme parks closed, cruise ships remained docked for years, and people stopped going to movies altogether.

Once the world finally reopened, people were no longer in a very Disney place. Recent events had ruined their optimism.

In just four years, everything had fallen apart for Disney, forcing the company to rebuild its empire one good story at a time.

On January 1^st, 2024, even the most dedicated Disney fans worried that the company may not ever be the same.

Thankfully, the past 12 months proved a dramatic reversal of fortune for Disney, so much so that we’re back where we started.

As 2024 ends, Disney is once again the master of Hollywood. So, how did we get to this place?

Here are the biggest Disney entertainment stories of the year.

Disney Locks Up Bluey

Here’s a story from just the other day that immediately shoots to the top of the list.

During calendar 2023, a charming little Australian cartoon named Bluey was the second-most watched program on streaming.

That’s right. You can name literally anything available on streaming, but unless you say Suits, Bluey was more popular.

Well, that was last year. In calendar 2024, Bluey has been THE most watched program on streaming. In your face, Suits!

There’s a weird byproduct to this story, though. Disney doesn’t own Bluey. It’s a joint production of the BBC and an Australian network.

Until now, you’ve never seen Bluey at the parks, and there’s not even a guarantee of another season of the series.

We are getting a movie, though. Disney just secured the global rights to Bluey: The Movie coming in 2027.

Simultaneously, Disney locked up theme park licensing rights. So, at the start of 2025, Bluey will appear on Disney Cruise Line.

Soon afterward, you’ll find him at the theme parks as well, including Disneyland and Walt Disney World.

Disney is now all-in on Bluey…and understandably so. This show is the hottest thing on streaming and has been for quite some time.

Disney Gambles on Moana

These two stories link together, as Disney+ has given executives a new way of tracking consumer behavior.

Historically, cable networks showed many trends, but they lacked detail since Disney didn’t control all phases of distribution.

With Disney+, that’s no longer the case. Executives know all the granular specifics of consumer behavior.

You don’t need to have an MBA to understand some of the basics, though…such as Moana being watched a billion times since its release.

Folks, that’s not an estimated total. That’s how much Disney and Nielsen suggest fans have watched and rewatched Moana.

So, we saw the first version of the Bluey movie story play out in February.

As part of an aggressive initiative of new projects, Disney confirmed that the former Moana streaming series had become a movie.

This seems like a good time to mention that the first Moana movie earned a bit under $685 million.

Moana 2 has a real chance at crossing $1 billion.

Disney turned a potential streaming series into one of the top four theatrical releases of 2024.

That’s how you know Disney is back. No other studio could do anything like that.

Oh, and that happened after Inside Out 2 and Deadpool & Wolverine had already locked down the top two spots at the box office.

Disney appears likely to claim the top three, which no company has done since *checks notes* Disney…in 2019. We are SO back!

Disney Throws the Bag at Taylor Swift

Taylor Swift is a musician of some renown whose songs I primarily know due to my wife.

Personally, I think of her as the kind-hearted teen who took care of pro wrestler Jeff Jarrett’s kids when his wife was dying of cancer.

Swift is a genuinely good human being, and that story was about $1 billion ago for her.

During 2023 and 2024, the artist went on tour for a while. Perhaps you heard.

The Eras Tour shattered every conceivable record for concert tour revenue, eventually earning more than $2 billion.

And that total may be low. Please don’t come after me, Swifties. I’m afraid of you.

Anyway, several streaming services understandably wanted to license this concert a few months after it became a theatrical release.

Disney outbid Netflix, Peacock/Comcast, and some other heavyweights for the opportunity.

All the concert cost Disney was a measly $75 million. And it quickly became a top performer on the Nielsen charts.

Disney later suggested that The Eras Tour was the most-watched music film ever on the service…after three days.

And that’s why I fear the Swifties. They’re everywhere.

The Max/Disney bundle

In 2024, Disney was looking to make deals whenever possible, and Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) just kept calling.

So, the two companies worked three different deals together, one of which has proven unexpectedly popular.

Disney and WBD agreed to combine their streaming services in a package at a time when Wall Street still hadn’t shown faith in the business.

Soon afterward, Disney+ and Hulu soared in popularity and recognition, while Max has held its own while adding subscribers.

This is the rare bundle deal that works. For one low fee – it’s $16.99-29.99 a month as I type this – subscribers unlock all three apps.

Users can watch all the content on Max, Hulu, and Disney+ for roughly the same price as Netflix.

The Wrap recently did a detailed study that showed the Disney/Max bundle provides the best overall value on streaming.

Frankly, if you look at the graph, it’s not even close.

This entertainment deal is being studied closely by others since it’s proven so surprisingly strong.

Disney Leaves the Past Behind

How much media did I consume when I was writing about movies for a living?

Well, Sony used to sell this 400-DVD “Mega Changer.” I had two of them. Connected in the Same Room. Seriously.

The prices of DVDs were so cheap at the time that I thought nothing of buying 10+ a month.

At the time, streaming hadn’t taken off quite yet, although it was already showing promise.

Netflix wouldn’t become truly dominant for another decade, though.

So, Disney loyally stuck with physical media for people like me.

Bruce Nash at The-Numbers has tracked the impact of streaming on physical media sales here.

Let’s just say that the site stopped publishing new data last year. In 2024, Disney did the same.

In fact, Disney performed a sweeping overhaul of its long-established media distribution system.

During this past year, Disney closed its physical media business, its Disney Movie Club, and its Disney Movie Insiders program.

You shouldn’t view any of these three moves in isolation. They were the early 21st-century implementation of the Disney Flywheel.

Disney manufactured its own physical media releases then sold them to third party sites like Wal-Mart, Amazon, and Best Buy.

However, Disney also operated its own movie club since its vertical integration of DVDs led to huge profits.

Disney made the movies, printed the discs, and then sold them at the prices they set.

As a clever incentive, Disney created the insiders program to reward its loyal customers.

Each physical disc came with a code good for points on Disney Movie Insiders.

With enough points, fans could unlock rewards such as free movies, Disney merchandise, and even a studio tour at Disney HQ.

The system worked as well as anything Hollywood has ever seen…right up until Netflix obliterated this form of media consumption.

With physical media disrupted, Disney gave up the ghost on its entire DVD/Blu-Ray business model in 2024.

On the bright side, Disney cut a deal with Sony. So, the latter company will still release some Disney discs in the future.

Emmy Dominance

Just. Wow.

At the 2024 Emmy Awards, Disney won an almost incomprehensible 60 awards.

That’d be like if an NBA player scored 250 points in a game.

This type of performance doesn’t just break the record but totally shatters the previous one.

Friends, it wasn’t just television or movies where Disney proved dominant in 2024. It was both.

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Feature Photo: Disney