Disney Cancels New Animated Movie After ‘Strange World’ and ‘Wish’ Flop Big at the Box Office

Disney recently made a surprising move by canceling an original animated movie about a Persian princess that was supposed to come out in 2024. The reason? The poor box office performances of their two latest original animated films, Strange World and Wish.

Both Strange World and Wish were expected to do well but ended up disappointing. Wish earned around $255 million worldwide but had a $200 million budget, which is low compared to hits like Moana and Zootopia. Strange World also struggled to make a strong impact.

These two flops made Disney rethink its plans for new original animated movies.

Industry insiders say Disney quietly removed the Persian princess project from its release calendar. Instead of taking a chance on a new original film, the company is focusing more on sequels and franchises. For example, the Moana sequel, which has already earned over $1 billion worldwide, is now a priority.

This isn’t just about Disney. The trend shows that original animated films are having a harder time in theaters overall. Take Pixar’s Elio, for instance. It had the lowest opening weekend ever for a Pixar film, earning just $20.8 million. At the same time, original animated movies are finding success on streaming platforms like Netflix.

Netflix has become a go-to place for original animated stories. One big hit is Kpop Demon Hunters, which became very popular with critics and viewers. It even reached number one on Netflix in the U.S. and had millions of streams worldwide. This shows that people still love original stories, they just prefer watching them at home.

Maggie Kang, co-director of Kpop Demon Hunters, told TheWrap, “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 failures of Disney’s Strange World and Wish, combined with Netflix’s successes, suggest that the future of original animated movies might be more about streaming than theaters. During the pandemic, Disney sent several Pixar films like Soul and Turning Red straight to streaming, which helped audiences get used to watching new animated movies at home.

The canceled Persian princess movie is a clear sign that studios are now more careful about risking big budgets on original stories in theaters. Instead, they focus on sequels, spin-offs, and streaming projects where there’s less financial risk.

Going forward, studios like Disney and Pixar will still release some original films in theaters, but most of the big animated releases will probably be sequels or related to popular franchises. Meanwhile, Netflix is continuing to support original animated films and build a place where creative new stories can thrive.

This shift in animation shows how much the box office flops of Strange World and Wish have changed the industry. Original animated movies might not be disappearing, but they’re definitely moving away from theaters and toward streaming services.

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