Disney Headlines for March 25th, 2025
This past week, Disney finally listened to the fans, Snow White did the expected, and the Disney Flywheel spun again.
This is a fascinating week for Disney Headlines.
I’m Glad That’s Over
Photo: D23
Let’s start with the Headline three years in the making.
In 2021, Disney cast rising star Rachel Zegler in the all-important role of Snow White.
Photo: Disney
In case you don’t know, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is the seminal film in Disney’s cinematic history.
Nobody had ever made a full-length animated movie until Walt Disney in 1937.
Disney’s Snow White Trailer
At the time, critics derided the project as Walt’s Folly, and he nearly went bankrupt trying to produce the film.
A year later, Disney was the toast of Hollywood, and Snow White became one of the most successful movies ever.
Photo: D23
Without Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, we never would have gotten Disneyland or all the theme parks that followed.
So, when Disney plotted a live-action remake of the film, the innate understanding was that it was a can’t-miss project.
Photo: People
Well, here we are, four years later, and the project has missed.
Much of the blame will go to Zegler, who made comments in 2022 about modernizing the character.
COURTESY OF ANDREW BRUCKER; KEVIN MAZUR/GETTY IMAGES
To this day, I’ll never understand how anything she said was controversial, as the Disney movie was 85-years-old at the time.
Yes, the world is much different now, and Disney live-action remakes typically modernize their films.
As a proof, here’s a video from 2019’s Aladdin. This song wasn’t a part of the Robin Williams version of the story:
For whatever reason, Zegler’s comments triggered an immediate backlash, as did several other statements she made along the way.
Getty
Now, the running joke in Hollywood is that Disney will never hire Zegler again.
While time heals all wounds on this stuff, I strongly suspect the parties will remain on a break for a few years.
About Snow White’s Performance
Getty
On Zegler’s part, she probably feels like Disney could have defended her more during her firestorm of criticism.
As for Disney, the film’s opening weekend box office was in Dumbo territory.
(Photo by VALERIE MACON / AFP) (Photo by VALERIE MACON/AFP via Getty Images)
That’s the instantly forgotten Tim Burton movie that came out during the same year as Aladdin.
One film earned more than $1 billion at the box office, while the other finished at $353 million. Which one sounds better?
Photo: Getty
Yeah, well, Snow White’s box office is much more in line with Dumbo’s, which is to say it’s probably not going to make money.
This isn’t a surprise to anyone paying attention. I wrote about this in Six Reasons to Worry about Disney in 2025 and Beyond.
Photo: Wikimedia
I knew in December what was going to happen in March, but the specifics are still fascinating.
At one point, Snow White was tracking for a $65 million opening. Then, each later update showed the number dropping.
Photo: Disney
That’s precisely the opposite of what should occur with a heavily marketed movie.
Simply stated, Snow White could never overcome the negative buzz. But it still isn’t a good movie.
Snow White Deserved Better
Image Credit: Disney
That’s the part people will overlook in this discussion, but as I type this, the film has a Rotten Tomatoes score of 44 percent.
Cinemascore, a service that tracks opening night audience opinions of movies, grades Snow White at B+.
Image Credit: Disney
While that may sound good in theory, Cinemascore employs a very grade-friendly scale. A B+ is average at best.
So, based on the metrics in play, Snow White isn’t just controversial. It’s also the worst Disney live-action remake.
Photo: Disney
That’s the reason why the studio hasn’t supported the project. They knew the whole thing was a mess and left it to die.
I cannot blame them for the decision, but as a Disney historian, I’m absolutely mortified this happened to Snow White.
Photo: Disney
That’d be like Warner Bros. Discovery taking bids for Looney Tunes. Okay, bad example…
Anyway, this is a waking nightmare for Disney for three years, and I’m confident everyone involved is just relieved it’s over.
Photo: Deadline
I will add one other curiosity about the film, though. There’s a reverse Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny thing happening.
You may recall that the reviews for that film went up by a letter grade for each age group.
Image: Disney
Anybody over 50 was likely to love it. Anyone under 25 wanted their money back.
With Snow White, small children are absolutely mesmerized by the story, which means the movie has served its purpose.
Image: Disney
The goal of all Disney stories is to indoctrinate a new generation of viewers into Disney fandom, which may yet happen here.
In 15 years, I could easily envision this remake being like A Goofy Movie in terms of generational awareness for a seemingly obscure film.
But At Least We Get Figment
If you read the news, you know that CEO bullying is very in right now.
The leaders of large corporations aren’t having a good 2025 to date, and Bob Iger just joined them.
Disney’s CEO dialed down his profile during the Annual Shareholders Meeting.
Disney Chairman of the Board James Gorman ran the show instead, with Iger appearing in a promotional video.
Later, it was Iger, not Gorman, who answered shareholder questions, though, and that part amused me.
You can listen to the whole thing here, but the key takeaway happens at the 40-minute mark.
Somebody asks for a Figment movie and, for one of the few times in his career, Iger loses his composure a bit.
The dude cannot help but laugh, almost as if he knew he was going to get this question.
Photo: Disney
Iger’s got less than two years left on a job he already quit once already. And he’s starting to sound over it.
The latest example is how he responds to this Figment question.
Disney’s CEO indicates that this is his 24th shareholder meeting, and he thinks 15 of them have included a Figment question.
Dude is tired of it and finally just says something like, “Fine, we’ll do something with Figment.”
Figment Fans Win!!!
Figment Topiary – 2025 EPCOT International Flower & Garden Festival
That’s a rarity right there. Generally, the Disney Flywheel involves films and television series earning a theme park presence.
The reverse pretty much never happens, yet here we are. Iger gives in after all this bullying and promises something Figment.
Figment Chalk Art – 2025 EPCOT Festival of the Arts
Whether we get a Figment television series of short-form animated stories, Iger confirms he’s going to make it happen.
So, something from the theme parks will become a part of Disney Entertainment via a long-form series or short-form clips.
Photo: Disney Parks Blog
The moral of the story? Bullying works!
Seriously, though, something you’ve probably not even heard of, Sing: Thriller, is currently the talk of the industry.
Photo: Netflix
Netflix just revealed that this short-form content earned 77 million views during the second half of 2024.
Disney just canceled its planned animated series, The Princess and the Frog, because kids prefer short-form now.
Figment sweater
So, I’d expect a Figment short-form series of minisodes akin to Bluey in a year or two.
That’s wonderful news for theme park fans, as it dramatically raises the odds of a better Figment ride at EPCOT, too.
Figment in his holiday sweater
Thus, I am deeply grateful to all the shareholders who have shamelessly pestered Iger over the years.
We keep telling him how much we love Figment (and the Dreamfinder), yet we’re stuck with Eric Idle instead.
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!
