{"id":2253563,"date":"2024-05-26T20:22:02","date_gmt":"2024-05-27T00:22:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/disney-veteran-director-advises-company-to-prioritize-character-and-story-over-the-message\/"},"modified":"2024-05-26T20:25:30","modified_gmt":"2024-05-27T00:25:30","slug":"disney-veteran-director-advises-company-to-prioritize-character-and-story-over-the-message","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/disney-veteran-director-advises-company-to-prioritize-character-and-story-over-the-message\/","title":{"rendered":"Seasoned Disney director recommends focusing on character and narrative, rather than &#8216;the message"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">26<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fdisney-veteran-director-advises-company-to-prioritize-character-and-story-over-the-message%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2253563&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Renowned Disney director, John Musker, suggested that Walt Disney Company should revise its film production strategy to prioritize stories and characters over the film&#8217;s message. Responsible \u2062for timeless hits such as The \u2064Little\u2062 Mermaid, Aladdin, and Moana, Musker claimed these\u200b films started with character \u2062and world creation, forming the heart \u200dof the movie. He encourages Disney to follow this model while creating new films. In his interview with El Pais, Musker stated that\u200d compelling, relatable characters must take precedence over an underlying message. \u2064The director also criticized the trend of remaking older films in a different format, with specific dislike for animal characters&#8217; underwhelming\u2063 transformations in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/review-cruella-gets-creative-with-a-surprisingly-pro-life-message\/\" title=\"REVIEW: \u2018Cruella\u2019 Gets Creative With A Surprisingly Pro-Life Message\">live-action remakes<\/a>.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Veteran <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/disney\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Disney<\/a> director John Musker has suggested that the Walt Disney Company undergo some \u201ccourse correction\u201d in its film production, advising the company to focus on stories and characters before a film\u2019s message.<\/p>\n<p>Musker, whose directing credits include iconic Disney films such as <em>The Little Mermaid<\/em>, <em>Aladdin<\/em>, and <em>Moana<\/em>, explained that the classic Disney <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/movies\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>films<\/a> did not start out with a message, and instead began production by brainstorming the characters of the film and the world they inhabit. He added that he believes that both of these, as well as the film\u2019s story, are still \u201cthe heart\u201d of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/martin-scorsese-hits-back-the-art-of-cinema-is-being-devalued\/\" title=\"Martin Scorsese Hits Back: The Art Of Cinema Is Being Devalued\">classic movies<\/a>, and encouraged Disney to look to this model with their new films.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou don\u2019t have to exclude agendas, but you have to first create characters who you sympathize with and who are compelling,\u201d Musker said <a href=\"https:\/\/english.elpais.com\/culture\/2024-05-18\/the-director-who-shook-up-disney-and-hollywood-animation-with-a-mermaid-a-genie-from-a-lamp-and-a-polynesian-princess.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>in an interview<\/a> with <em>El Pais<\/em>. \u201cI 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.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure><figcaption>Ron Clements, from left, Osnat Shurer, and John Musker arrive at the 2016 AFI Fest \u2013 \u201cMoana\u201d World Premiere at El Capitan Theatre on Monday, Nov. 14, 2016, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Willy Sanjuan\/Invision\/AP)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Musker also criticized Disney, as well as other companies, for taking older films and reselling them to audiences \u201cin a different form,\u201d referencing the live-action remakes of various Disney movies. One element of these remakes that Musker criticized is translating the various animated animals to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/five-unorthodox-pro-life-bills-advancing-in-state-legislatures\/\" title=\"Five Unorthodox Pro-Life Bills Advancing In State Legislatures\">live action<\/a>, arguing that animals at a zoo \u201chave more expression\u201d than the computer-generated animals in remakes such as 2023\u2019s <em>The Little Mermaid<\/em> or 2019\u2019s <em>The Lion King<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>The most recently released animated film from Musker, 2016\u2019s <em>Moana<\/em>, is also getting the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/the-most-hilarious-woke-pop-culture-fails-of-2022\/\" title=\"The Most Hilarious Woke Pop Culture Fails of 2022\">live action treatment<\/a>, with the remake <a href=\"https:\/\/ew.com\/disney-delays-live-action-moana-reveals-toy-story-5-release-date-8627567\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>scheduled to release July 10, 2026<\/a>. Musker, however, has already distanced himself from it, wishing that the remake is done well but clarifying he has \u201cnothing to do with it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The Walt Disney Company, the king of the box office for multiple years, underwent <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/business\/2708141\/2023-review-disneys-dismal-year-at-the-box-office\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>a very lackluster year at movie theaters in 2023<\/a>, with most of its released movies either underperforming or outright flopping. The underperformance of these films contributed to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/business\/2710510\/disney-lost-near-decadelong-streak-of-highest-grossing-studio-in-2023\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Disney losing its 8-year streak as the highest-grossing studio<\/a>, which instead went to Universal Pictures last year.<\/p>\n<p>Last week, Pixar Animation Studios, which Disney acquired in 2006, announced that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/3012096\/pixar-to-lay-off-175-employees\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>it would be letting go of 175 employees<\/a>, around 14% of its workforce. Less than a year earlier, Pixar said it would be letting go of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/2070317\/disneys-pixar-lays-off-75-of-its-employees-including-two-studio-veterans\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>75 employees<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Long-serving Disney director, John Musker, is proposing a shift in film production at the company. He urges a greater focus on character and narrative development, rather than a film&#8217;s underlying message. As the mind behind renowned films like The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, and Moana, Musker&#8217;s advice harks back to the successful formula of classic Disney films<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2632,"featured_media":2253564,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/AP16320473567903-1024x683.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2253563","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/AP16320473567903-1024x683.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2253563","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2632"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2253563"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2253563\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2253564"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2253563"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2253563"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2253563"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}