However, this is not merely about the problems; this is about what Walt Disney Animation Studios needs to continue improving their reception while prioritizing innovation and quality storytelling. Of course, I do not work at the studio, and I know Disney does not take advice from outsiders. These are just some things I think will improve the animation company:
Experimental Animation
Many fans have complained about most Revival Era films being part of the "same world" due to the lack of variety in backgrounds and character design. Wish has tried to experiment with Disney's CGI style by mixing it with watercolor, but complaints have not vanished.
Disney has experimented with many styles while making Wish, but they should experiment in a way that departs more from the modern Disney CGI standard. Disney has hired some 2D artists, so it could reemerge once Disney's batch of upcoming sequels have premiered. There are multiple variants of 2D and CGI out there that Disney has yet to discover.
Female Friendships
Female friendships are underrepresented in fiction, especially fairy tales. The female relationships that do exist are usually negative; think Cinderella and her stepfamily, Snow White and the Evil Queen, and Rapunzel and the witch (in Disney's case, Rapunzel and Mother Gothel). According to Vera Sonja-Maass in her book The Cinderella Test, there have been cases in which women would rather talk to men.
Even Disney's strongest princesses have most of their positive interactions with men. The few positive female relationships are mostly sisterly bonds between Elsa and Anna as well as between Mirabel, Luisa, and Isabela. Non-sisterly friendships are even fewer in number; there's Tiana and Lottie, but their friendship is a minor part of their movie.
Disney has started to incorporate authentic female friendships such as Raya and Sisu in Raya and the Last Dragon as well as giving Asha some female friends in Wish. To empower more girls (and women) to have relationships with each other, Disney needs to create stories centered around human female friendships.
International Fairy Tales
Disney is now focused on diversity and inclusion, as evidenced with mixed-race casting in several live-action remakes. The company has also featured Polynesian and Asian mythology in Moana and Raya and the Last Dragon along with adapting the Chinese folktale Mulan.
Other cultures and languages have their own fairy tales, too. Since Disney is committed to inclusion now more than ever, adapting fairy tales from Africa, Asia, and other areas beyond Europe is a great way to reflect that while harking back to the company's roots. The company can also adapt fairy tales from European countries it has yet to represent, such as Ireland and Poland.
Prince-Centered Stories
Many of Disney's fairy tales are centered on princesses (think Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, Cinderella, etc.) Aladdin is more focused on a prince, but that's it in terms of prince-centered stories.
Boys deserve to experience fairy dust as much as girls do, but they might not be as interested. However, boys with feminine interests have been brought to attention in modern films such as Billy Elliot (2000). Hence, male interests in fairy tales could change. Not only do we need more prince-centered stories, but those which do not involve a princess.
Villain Duets
Disney animation has had several memorable villains over the years-the Evil Queen, Captain Hook, Maleficent, Ursula, Scar, etc. That hasn't been the same over the past decade, though. Instead, Disney has either produced twist villains (Callahan in Big Hero 6) or anti-heroes (Abuéla Alma in Encanto). The company has brought back villainy with King Magnifico in Wish, but that was not enough for fans.
The company can reinvent their iconic villainy by creating villain duets. They were doing to team Queen Amaya and King Magnifico up as villains in Wish, but the company changed it for some reason. When Disney returns to original content, it would be fun to see Disney recycle that idea to freshen its villainy.
For these changes to be possible, Walt Disney Animation Studios needs more female and nonwhite directors. Research shows movies with female directors are likely to have more women behind the scenes. There has yet to be a Disney animated film directed solely by women or solely by nonwhite people.
What changes do you think will improve the films of Walt Disney Animation Studios?
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