Disney Reportedly Canceled Animated Movie After ‘Strange World’ and ‘Wish’ Massively Flopped

Two recent Disney movies, Strange World and Wish, both original animated films, did poorly at the box office, leading to big changes in Disney’s plans for new movies. Because these films flopped, Disney reportedly canceled a new animated movie about a Persian princess that was supposed to come out in 2024.

Strange World and Wish were highly anticipated, but neither met expectations. Wish earned about $255 million worldwide against a $200 million budget, which is much less than Disney’s past hits like Moana and Zootopia.

Meanwhile, Strange World also struggled, and together, these disappointing results made Disney rethink its approach to original animated films.

According to industry sources, Disney quietly pulled the Persian princess movie off the schedule. Instead of taking a risk on another original film, the studio shifted focus to projects connected to successful franchises, like a Moana sequel, which recently made over $1 billion at the global box office.

This shift is part of a larger trend. Over the past few years, original animated movies have faced challenges in theaters. For example, Pixar’s Elio opened to mixed results, with its $20.8 million debut being the lowest opening ever for a Pixar film. Meanwhile, original animated movies are finding new life on streaming platforms like Netflix.

Netflix, in particular, has become a home for original animated movies. The streaming service has supported unique projects like Kpop Demon Hunters, which became a big hit both with critics and viewers, reaching #1 on Netflix in the U.S. and gaining millions of streams and views worldwide. Its success shows that audiences still want original stories, but they are more willing to watch them at home rather than in theaters.

Directors of Kpop Demon Hunters praised Netflix for taking risks on new ideas. Maggie Kang said, “We knew how rare of an opportunity this was, so I think this made us work harder to prove that originals can be loved and be successful.” Her co-director Chris Appelhans added, “Original ideas are the lifeblood of animation in the long term.”

The poor box office results of Disney’s original films, combined with the streaming success of originals like Kpop Demon Hunters and Netflix’s other animated hits, suggest that the future of original animation might be on streaming platforms rather than theaters.

This is especially clear after Disney sent many Pixar originals like Soul and Turning Red straight to streaming during the pandemic, which helped build the audience’s comfort with watching new animations at home.

Disney’s canceled Persian princess film is a clear example of how studios are cautious about investing in new original stories for theaters. Instead, they lean on sequels, spinoffs, and streaming projects where the risk is lower.

Looking ahead, studios like Disney and Pixar are still releasing some original films in theaters, but most of the big animated releases are now sequels or connected to established franchises.

Meanwhile, Netflix continues to back original animation and build its reputation as a place where creative new stories can find an audience.

If you have thoughts on this shift in animation, feel free to share!