Loading

Are New Disney Shows and Movies as Good as they Used to be? Amelia Murphy

Nostalgia plays a bigger role in your impressions of things than you would like to think, and a huge part of that coincides with what we grew up with. Some people grew up with legos, Minecraft, youtube, vine, and numerous other brain-stimulating things. Something we found during our discussions with students is that many grew up with Disney, particularly what is considered older Disney entertainment, such as That's So Raven to Suite Life of Zack and Cody. As Disney continues to create content for a younger audience, many wonder if they lived in the "golden age" of Disney, that they were producing their best work in their childhoods. This leads to the discussion on if new Disney shows and movies can compare to those produced in the 2000s and early 2010s.

Being a heavily opinionated topic, there seems to be a range on how someone has based their opinion on Disney's successful or failed entertainment in the most recent years. While some would say they are too light on the topics, or the acting is not adequate, others argue that the new lessons taught through the movies can help the younger target audience. I am a believer that if the plot keeps you interested in the show or movie then it has done its job and it is at least an acceptable piece of entertainment. This opinion, however, is not shared amongst others who had watched Disney accordingly.

What was so captivating about Disney shows in the first place, one might ask. For me, it was how the characters were flawed and this showed me how they were not that different than the watcher, even though it was scripted. Sophomore Bella Strahler says she "really liked all the characters, and even still like some of the same ones as [she's] grown up."

Sophomore Levi Knuth feels connected to the characters and plots, saying "they were relatable in ways you wouldn't have thought of." You could start to see a pattern in how Disney attempted to break the stereotypes of society back then, by trying to show characters who broke these set rules. One character, Kayla Morgan(Dove Cameron), pushes through her struggles and "girly girl" trope to become one of the best snowboarders around in Disneys Cloud 9. Creating storylines like this drew in young watchers, who could aspire to be like the fictional roles or more.

Along the road, Disney's loyal watchers grew to a point where they became done with their old shows and movies, moving onto a new part of their entertainment streaming. Yet, some viewers have seen the recent media produced by Disney, and it is evident there are mixed feelings over the difference in the new versus old movies/shows.

Strahler believes "some of the new Disney movies now are good, but I don't think the same of the shows. The movies are very good, but the shows were definitely better back then because they were just more entertaining, even to this day if I compared them."

Popular feedback from students I discussed the comparison with, as Knuth completely disregards the new media exclaiming "they don't have the nostalgia that the old ones have like Good Luck Charlie, Wizards of Waverly Place, and The Emperors New Groove." With their comments, I would have to agree that the shows are a weak spot in the company's creations, but the recent movies, like Encanto, have been attention-grabbing.

Judy Hoops from Zootopia

With many answers aligning with each other, a critical part to think about is why do we consider the older media the best, but to think beyond the obvious. Nostalgia, as previously stated, plays into how you think of memories, places, food, shows. Strahler admits her opinion is "mostly in part to the nostalgia and the popularity that surrounded the shows such as Jesse. If all your friends like it and talk about it, I am more likely to watch it, and that's how it went when Disney was on for us when we were younger."

Knuth can partially agree, stating nostalgia "definitely does affect how I feel, but I still rewatch all the old shows, and they are still amazing, to an extent."

The characters and stories are ones that many people, including myself, grew up with and around, but this does not give them full immunity from criticism. Many of the movies and shows contained unrealistic beauty standards and other such issues, which makes them almost outdated compared to the new entertainment produced, where there is much more representation.

This debate will continue for years to come, as Disney produces its new content for its audience. But, there will never be a true right or wrong to this discussion, just opinions and evidence to support whichever side you take. These viewpoints were for Disney's old content to trump the new content, but this is not a correct or incorrect opinion, but an opinion formed from your experiences and ideals.

Credits:

Created with images by Skitterphoto - "mickey spotlight piano" • Unknown - "アナと雪の女王/Frozen[03]無料高画質iPhone壁紙 | めちゃ人気!!iPhone壁紙DJ" • dassel - "fairy tale disneyland disney" • Unknown - "ズートピア/ZOOTOPIA9 iPhone壁紙| ただひたすらiPhoneの壁紙が集まるサイト"