The Case Study of Experimental Era in Disney Studio

Abstract

The research paper tackles problems and reasons of high-budget Disney movies’ unexpected failure at the box-office. The study addresses the era in the Disney history called Experimental or Post-Renaissance Era, the second Dark Age of the studio, which was contrasting dramatically with Renaissance Era (between 80’s – 90’s). This era brings to life a number of films which, for one reason or another, did not become as successful, either critically or financially, as those of the DR. The beginning of the Disney Post-Renaissance was marked as experimental, as Disney started testing the waters with a new and progressive approach. During the Disney Post-Renaissance era the studio experienced the increasing need for CGI animation, and yet Disney failed at preserving the legacy inherited from the Disney Renaissance movies, despite their experimental achievements in storytelling, music and character development. One of the main reasons of this failure that is worth mentioning was the seventy years old filmic layout, which did not change throughout all these years and interfered with Disney’s bold experiments. Not every big budget project should necessarily be a success. Not every cartoon character will turn into a brilliant brand image. Disney studio is not an exception, it also had its ups and downs, and during the Post-Renaissance era there were mostly downs. One of the most essential parts in the promotion of an upcoming movie is its marketing campaign. A brand image is something that has become very important for the popularity of every kind of product in the market nowadays, and Disney is the company that succeeded greatly in this aspect. Its brand integration exists on so many levels and each movie, which they are producing or only going to produce, becomes well-known long before its cinematic release because of their pervasive promotion campaign. The ways, in which consumers are interacting with the Disney brand, vary from traditional print to radio, TV and internet. However, even though Disney studio had been known for thoughtful marketing strategies, they made almost no effort in promotion of certain movies which later as a result became total box-office flop. Nowadays, big companies such as Disney itself have even more ways of promoting themselves. Good example of successful marketing strategy of Disney which keeps bringing universal acclaim to its production is use of its licensed characters on third-party products. Disney’s narratives are often perceived as more real than the source texts or historical events they represent. The market dominance of Disney Corporation lies in the balanced functioning of advanced technology, special technique and culturally acceptable composition. Both children and adults take in animation as something unreal or fictional. In Disney, reality and fantasy do not compete but combine in a funny way with their accuracy and historical precision. Not many of the Disney Post-Renaissance cartoons were really successful and pulled in great box office numbers. So, it was quite predictable for Disney to go back to princesses, musicals and love stories. Disney formula of success, which can be worded as an invitation to adventure, still continues to attract both younger and older, male and female audiences.