Walt Disney Revival Studios

These past few months have seen a serious shake-up. With Harvey Weinstein being stripped of the limelight following allegations of sexual assault and rape from various celebrities in Hollywood, the #MeToo movement has shed light on an onslaught of predatory behaviour in every industry out there. Notable predators include Kevin Spacey, George Takei, Mario Batali, Stan Lee, Max Landis, Roy Moore and Patrick Brown, to name a few. It appears as though some real change is happening, and it's happening fast and aggressively.

I mention this because of a video I recently watched discussing "the end of The Revival Era" for Walt Disney Animation Studios. It brought up the company's recent preference of sequels with Wreck-It Ralph 2 and Frozen 2 over original ideas, as well as the resignation of John Lasseter following his predatory behaviour. It suggested that the momentum that started with Bolt in 2008 might finally be over because of those factors. It's a cute sentiment in theory, but it doesn't hold up for a few reasons.

Let's start with the obvious: Disney's always had its ups-and-downs qualitatively. This goes back to the early days of Walt's studio, as following its first five films-Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Pinocchio, Fantasia, Dumbo and Bambi-the studio was hit by the war effort and wouldn't make another real stride until Cinderella in 1950. It'd take, yet again, a hit following the financial failure of Sleeping Beauty in 1959, and would stagnate even further following the death of Walt in 1966. Even during the 90's, the studio released Pocahontas in 1995, and the latter-half of the decade never quite matched the prowess of the former-half. And let's not forget the 2000's, where most of the films that came out weren't successful critically or financially.

Basically, Disney's always been a roller-coaster of quality. If anything, a potential slump is expected, especially after 9 critical hits in a row. This isn't something to be feared, but embraced, as even the greats aren't infallible. It's a real learning opportunity. Also, given how Disney has Marvel and Star Wars to fall back on, I'm not terribly concerned.

Disney's sequels that are coming out don't concern me either. I'm actually excited for Wreck-It Ralph 2, while Frozen 2, though unnecessary, doesn't upset me in the slightest. Remember, this isn't the first time Disney's made a canonical sequel to a Disney property. Remember The Rescuers Down Under? Remember Fantasia 2000? Remember Winnie-the-Pooh? If those are well-liked, then so can these be.

Then there's Disney's near future. Disney announced plans a while back for some "original" projects, including ones based on Jack and the Beanstalk and The Princess and the Pea. They changed the names, obviously, and I doubt the films will follow their sources, as per usual, but they still look promising. And these have been in production for a while now! Disney has unique ideas, don't worry.

Finally, let's talk John Lasseter. For as much as it pains me that Lasseter's a sex offender, especially considering what he's done to rebuild Disney's image, I doubt Disney will die without him. Lasseter hasn't directed a truly great film since Toy Story 2 in 1999, let-alone a film at all since Cars 2 in 2011. He's had a ton of producing and executive producing credits, but he's never truly been active in the field for years now. And while I'll forever respect the dedication and passion he brought to the craft, he's not irreplaceable.

Besides, there are other, equally-talented individuals who deserve recognition, especially now that he's gone. These include female directors, producers, writers and animators who'd have otherwise not had a chance at fame and fortune prior, and it's high-time they got one now. I know that Brenda Chapman, Pixar's first female director, never got to truly show off what she was capable of before retiring in 2012, and she's one person! If Lasseter's accusers are to be believed, there are plenty of lost voices animation that deserve to be heard. It's merely too bad we won't get to hear them.

Don't get me wrong, Lasseter's contributions are immense: he helped Pixar kick off in the 80's and 90's. He helped CGI animation become mainstream in the mid/late-90's. He revived Walt Disney Animation Studios in the late-00's following their failures. And while he may not have been the originator of their success, he did help Studio Ghibli become well-respected by Western animation fans thanks to his friendship with Hayao Miyazaki. I'm forever thankful for all of that.

But I also have to acknowledge that he's an awful human being who's preyed on. The stuff that's been lobbed against him? That's probably not everything, especially given his tendencies to stalk women. It's like someone on my Twitter Feed stated: for every talented predator, there are a dozen, equally-talented women he's left behind. It's a serious problem, and if it means not seeing Lasseter's imprint on Disney anymore, then we'll have to live with it.

And yes, I don't think that Disney's Revival Era is over. Or, if it is, perhaps it's for the best until a wiser, less-destructive replacement comes along. Especially if it's a woman, because we don't have enough of those!