While John Musker's name won't necessarily be instantly familiar to many of you, the filmmaker has written and directed iconic Disney movies such as The Great Mouse Detective, The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, Hercules, Treasure Planet, The Princess and the Frog, and Moana.
However, despite a long-term relationship with the House of Mouse, he's now lashed out at the studio's recent offerings. Like many fans, Musker believes Disney needs to dial back the political messaging in its movies (something Disney CEO Bob Iger has strongly hinted will take a backseat moving forward).
"I think they need to do a course correction a bit in terms of putting the message secondary, behind entertainment and compelling story and engaging characters," he told Spanish outlet El País. "The classic Disney films didn’t start out trying to have a message."
"They wanted you to get involved in the characters and the story and the world, and I think that’s still the heart of it," Musker continued. "You don’t have to exclude agendas, but you have to first create characters who you sympathize with and who are compelling."
Alongside Ron Clements, Musker has been crucial in making the movies listed above and, in The Princess and the Frog, he introduced Disney's first Black Princess in Tiana.
There were complaints about that at the time to which Musker says, "We weren’t trying to be woke, although I understand the criticism."
As for Disney's live-action remakes of its classic animated offerings, he added, "Companies are always like, 'How do we reduce our risk? They like this, right? We’ll just do it again and sell it to them in a different form.' Or they think, 'Well, we could make it better.'"
"They didn’t play up the father-daughter story, and that was the heart of the movie, in a way," Musker said of 2023's The Little Mermaid. "And the crab - you could look at live animals in a zoo and they have more expression, like with 'The Lion King.'"
"That’s one of the basic things about Disney, is the appeal," he concluded. "That’s what animation does best."
There's no denying Disney's live-action remakes have divided opinions, while claims the studio has gone "woke" have now badgered them for several years. The Little Mermaid was one supposed example, though next year's Snow White has proven the most controversial.
As well as Rachel Zegler's casting, the rumoured decision to sideline the Seven Dwarfes for a diverse group of bandits has soured fans on the movie long before it arrives in theaters. As a result, most seem to be willing it to fail.
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