Iger Announces New TOY STORY and FROZEN Sequels in the Works at Disney
By Movieguide® Staff
With returning CEO Bob Iger at the helm, Walt Disney Studios recently revealed that sequels for successful franchises TOY STORY and FROZEN are in the works.
The company also announced a sequel to 2016’s ZOOTOPIA to round out their upcoming slate of animated projects.
After Iger took over as CEO, the former Disney exec made it clear that Disney would return to its creative style that made its brands like TOY STORY and FROZEN profitable.
“We are leaning into our unrivaled brands,” Iger said on a recent earnings call.
After 2022’s box office bombs LIGHTYEAR and STRANGE WORLD, Iger and Disney hope to course-correct by returning to what fans love; moral, uplifting, and family-friendly animated adventures.
Movieguide® previously reported:
Walt Disney Studios’ STRANGE WORLD and LIGHTYEAR both are now expected to lose the company $100M each, Variety reported.
However, it was not due to a lack of willing families, but rather Disney’s recent obsession with sexuality over story.
Both LIGHTYEAR and STRANGE WORLD contained LGBTQ+ characters that the studio hoped would hold up weak stories, but ultimately ostracized their largest audience.
If Iger wants to steer Disney in the right direction, he will need to promote movies that uphold strong moral values and attract their largest audience: family.
LIGHTYEAR, the recent TOY STORY spinoff, failed to understand that a long lasting brand does not guarantee success.
A portion of Movieguide®’s review of LIGHTYEAR reads:
LIGHTYEAR constantly places obstacles in Buzz’s way. The obstacles make an exciting story. However, Buzz isn’t really the hero of this story. His lesbian friend, Alisha, is the real hero. Eventually, it’s her life that inspires Buzz, her granddaughter and everyone else. Thus, the whole movie becomes a validation of LGBT ideology and an attack on masculinity and the biblical view of family. LIGHTYEAR also taints the TOY STORY franchise, because it says the politically correct movie became Andy’s favorite movie.
In contrast, the Movieguide® Award nominated movie, TOY STORY 4, scored big at the box office. Movieguide®’s review reads:
TOY STORY 4 has some incredible pro-family, pro-redemption, pro-self-sacrifice messages, in a very exciting, entertaining story. The importance of toys taking care of children is stressed constantly, but there’s also the importance of maturing and finding real love with good positive, male/female monogamous relationships being the end result. Every character has a great character arc, with a couple characters experiencing an epiphany and being truly transformed. It would be hard to find a better story. TOY STORY 4 will capture your heart. However, there are some pretty scary scenes. So, please be careful about your child’s sensitivity when deciding if TOY STORY 4 is appropriate for them.
