Disney's constant reboots are even alienating its superfans

• Disney has made a fortune creating sequels and reimagining older movies.
• But some Disney superfans are growing wary of the Mouse House's strategy.
• Without new hits, those in the next generation may not share their parents' love for Disney.

Disney's movie executives seem focused on playing the hits, but even some diehard fans of the company are yearning for a change of pace.

One Disney superfan, Ellie Banks, told Business Insider she didn't like "being beaten over the head with the same story, same characters."

"There's so much more to explore," she added. Her sentiments were shared by most of the 11 fans BI interviewed.

Sequels, live-action remakes, and franchise reboots have been the backbone of Disney's movie strategy in recent years, and for good reason. The company had the three biggest domestic box-office hits last year: "Inside Out 2," "Deadpool & Wolverine," and "Moana 2."

More of the same is on the way. The Mouse House is set to unveil a third "Avatar" movie, "Zootopia 2," a "Fantastic Four" reboot, and a live-action version of "Lilo & Stitch," which it no doubt hopes will fare better than its polarizing "Snow White" remake.

Though Disney is betting on some new concepts this summer, like Pixar's "Elio" and Marvel's "Thunderbolts*," the company is leaning into nostalgia.

You might think that would be thrilling for the company's adult superfans — sometimes called "Disney adults" — whose passion helps boost the company's bottom line. But most of the Disney fans who spoke with BI said they were growing tired of the company's remake-heavy film strategy.

"It just seems like a cash grab," Banks said.

CEO Bob Iger has pushed back against the idea that Disney's strategy lacks creativity.

"Our creativity is, in fact, soaring," he said last month at Disney's annual shareholder meeting.

Iger has previously said that live-action remakes can leverage new technologies to help Disney's classic stories reach new generations of viewers.

Disney didn't respond to a request for comment.

Time to rethink remakes?

Since her childhood, Banks has loved Disney. She was charmed by the animation, art, and storytelling, and seeing "The Little Mermaid" in theaters is one of her earliest memories.

But she said the 2023 live-action remake of the 1989 classic didn't land the same way.

"I don't think I've seen one live-action remake that I loved," Banks said.

Shae Noble in Washington state also said she didn't love Disney's attempts to pluck the "low-hanging fruit," in her words, of hits like "The Lion King," which had both a 2019 remake that grossed $1.6 billion and a spinoff with 2024's "Mufasa," which grossed $722 million. While she said she felt nostalgic taking her kids to see "Lion King" spinoffs, she is also itching for new stories.

She said that while she rolled her eyes when live-action remakes were announced, she understood the strategy.

"Money talks in this country," Noble said. "And for Disney to maintain their parks and all their brands and stuff, they have to do what is going to sell."

Disney sticks to the tried and true

Familiarity breeds comfort, as Disney adults know firsthand.

"People cling onto nostalgia a lot, which is why people come to the parks year after year," said Casey Clark, who moved to Florida for the parks, where she now goes four to five times a week.

Remakes can be a good way to introduce beloved stories to younger generations, said Jeremy Singh, a TikTok creator in Orlando.

"Part of the reason that I fell in love with Disney the way that I did is because of the way they were able to take original concepts and stories, or even the Grimm fairytales, and make them into something," Singh said.

Disney's nostalgia-heavy strategy has shown strong returns, as evidenced by its 2024 film slate.

"There's still meat on the bone, and the consumer drives what they're putting out," said John Telyea, who's married to Noble. "And if there's meat on the bone, why wouldn't they go after it?"

The box office analyst Paul Dergarabedian of Comscore believes Disney's film slate this year will be full of hits.

"'Snow White' notwithstanding, the future looks incredibly bright," Dergarabedian said.

While familiarity doesn't guarantee success, Dergarabedian said it's still a pretty safe bet. He says fears of franchise fatigue are overstated.

"I don't think it's so much about the number after the title, or the fact that a movie is part of a franchise or a series or known IP," Dergarabedian said. Instead, he said what makes or breaks a film is its marketing campaign and whether it can get grassroots buzz.

Is nostalgia enough?

But Francis Dominic, a Disney social media influencer, thinks the focus on sequels and remakes is getting old. He's even thought about canceling Disney+ because of its lack of new original shows — but has relented since he loves the Hulu content integration.

"I think they realize that counting on the nostalgia of the movies isn't enough to funnel people into Disney+," Dominic said.

Eventually, Disney must find new versions of "Moana" and "Frozen" from the 2010s, said David Lewis, a Disney-focused travel planner.

"That's what's going to build loyalty to the company with the next generation," Lewis said. "They're not going to be as tied, as drawn to the company or the experiences if all they get in childhood as great movies is 'Moana 2' and 'Frozen 4.'"

Otherwise, children like Lewis' 3-year-old daughter will be raised by YouTubers — the most famous of whom, MrBeast, is already plotting to usurp Disney.

"What is it right now that is out and new that is endearing itself to another generation of kids?" Lewis said. "There's not much from the company that's doing that."