Summary

Disney’s biggest brands, including the Disney Studio, Star Wars, and Marvel, are experiencing issues and lackluster performance, resulting in doubts and low expectations among viewers. The treatment and promotion of these brands vary, with some receiving more attention and success on Disney+ streaming platform, while others struggle to attract audiences to theaters. Pixar, often overlooked in Disney’s strategy, has shown potential with recent releases like Elemental and should be given more prominence and visibility in the company’s plans to help alleviate the challenges faced by the other brands.

Disney is obviously going through a rough patch. Of course, as a giant in the entertainment business, a crisis for Bob Iger’s company doesn’t mean absolute failure or lack of successful products, but what is clear is that its biggest IPs are not performing as well as they used to. For a while now, the strategy behind its biggest brands has been more of a “hit-and-miss” approach, something that didn’t use to happen to Disney’s golden boys.

In case you were wondering, Disney’s golden boys are the ones you see first on their streaming platform: the Disney Studio (new animated films, live-action, etc.), Star Wars, Marvel, and Pixar. Even though the Mouse’s studio has many well-known brands and important IPs, these four indubitably lead the way when it comes to producing the company’s biggest hits. Each of these four big players have their own release schedules and marketing, getting different promotion treatments and amount of products per year. The problem is that some are on the frontline while others are on the back. The time has come for Disney to push forward the middle child and make them shine: the one and only Pixar.

The Lackluster Strategy for the Golden Boys
Disney+

The biggest problem right now is the treatment for Disney’s Studio, Star Wars, and Marvel, with each of them having very different issues. As mentioned, this does not mean there haven’t been some amazing and successful recent releases for them, but the lack of quality is noticeable when each new media is surrounded by viewers’ doubts and low expectations.

In Disney’s Studio’s case, the problem seems to be a lack of clarity, strategically speaking. Films premiering in theaters to poor box office reception and then becoming popular products on Disney+ have been a constant for a while now, and upcoming releases are not getting enough promotion. There’s less hype among audiences on what’s next, and they simply bump into new titles when browsing for what to watch.

Star Wars is a curious case. While the latest cinematic entries of the galaxy far, far away have not been well received, the streaming shows have been some of the platform’s most attractive assets for new subscribers. Filoni and Favreau have undeniably found the way for the franchise but have not yet been given a chance to share it on the silver screen.

The problem here is that the return on investment with streaming series is not as straightforward as the one from the box office. Disney might not be cashing in as much as they would expect from one of its biggest franchises, and audiences might not be ready to rush to their local movie theaters for a new Star Wars film just yet.

Related: The Star Wars Sequel Trilogy Can Be Saved, and Here’s How

Last but not least, Feige’s Marvel is the brand that is struggling the most. With more misses than hits, the MCU’s direction is uncertain, and not even the most beloved characters manage to bring attention either in Cinemas or on streaming. The packed release schedule is generating the exact opposite now, with many choosing to skip new shows or movies due to a lack of interest. It’s the typical quality versus quantity scenario that Marvel needs to focus on in their strategy right now, but it doesn’t seem to be on the horizon of the brand’s executives, with a dark omen for superhero fatigue.

Why and How Pixar Should Be the Leading Brand Now
Walt Disney Studios/Motion Pictures

The reason Pixar is not on the frontline is unclear, but what is evident is how it has been playing second fiddle since the pandemic. With theaters closed, many Pixar films started premiering on Disney+. When the restrictions were lifted, for some reason (maybe as a hook for new subscribers), Disney continued to premiere most Pixar features only on Disney+.

Furthermore, Lightyear marked the return of the brand to the big screen with little success. It’s hard to pinpoint just one cause for this, but what certainly didn’t help was relying too heavily on known characters to try to draw audiences while changing the setting that made the spaceman/toy popular in the first place.

Yet, Elemental came to challenge the idea that Pixar was no longer fit for the sliver screen. The first weeks were tricky and made it seem as if the movie was about to underperform, but numbers started rising, and the film soon became a hit. On the streaming front and Monsters on the Work on the side, Pixar’s main asset is its many shorts, which are not big-budget films but surely have their fair share of attractiveness for old and new subscribers. In the end, with some bumps on the road, the studio formerly led by Lasseter has a better understanding of which is the way for its content.

Related: Is Elemental the Most Underrated Movie of the Year?

Therefore, Disney needs to push Pixar to the front. However, this does not mean they need to pack Disney+ or their calendar of releases with new content. It should simply give visibility of what’s coming in a 5-year window of releases, with just one or two main films/shows a year. It should be conservative in quantity but innovative in quality, privileging new IPs over old ones (not even Toy Story 5).

Disney’s golden boys are still iconic. The hierarchy of them in their promotion is what needs to be revised now, and Pixar just can’t wait to be king of the upcoming release schedule. The company is still doing the heavy lifting for Disney, but it’s not getting the recognition it deserves. If its place in the strategy changes, the clouds around this new Iger era should start to dissipate soon.