Cedars, Spring 2021

Spring 2021 5 the launch of Disney Plus, his final major project for the company. Iger’s time as CEO has possibly been one the most successful runs of any CEO in Disney history. And now it’s over. Between the Fox deal, the Disney Plus launch, and the transition from CEO to Executive Chairman, 2019 was a major year for Iger, but his former role has now been officially handed over to Bob Chapek, who previously worked as Chairman of Disney Parks, Experiences, and Products. This move was naturally a scary one for many onlookers. The winsome Bob Iger has been replaced by the guy who handles all the consumer products and theme parks. The worry is that Disney could lose touch with its humanity and begin pumping out mindless content with the sole purpose of making money. Perhaps Disney’s goal has always been to make money, but Iger specifically set out to never let Disney lose its fundamental humanity. Now that he’s gone, what’s next for Disney? This all leads up to the most recent announcement. It’s quite exciting for fans to hear about countless new films and TV shows from their favorite franchises, but Disney is pumping out so much content. Many would argue that it has become stale in recent years, even during Iger’s reign. Take the animated remakes, for example. Between “The Jungle Book,” “Beauty and the Beast,” “Aladdin,” “The Lion King,” and now “Mulan,” fans are starting to tire of the lack of originality that these films offer. And that was a complaint even before Iger retired from CEO. What’s going to happen now that the product-oriented Chapek has taken the reins? And what’s going to happen to “Star Wars”? The November announcement has taken the beloved Disney Plus flagship series “The Mandalorian” and used it as a jumping- off point into a whole new universe of shows. We’ll be getting series like “Ahsoka,” “The Book of Boba Fett,” and “Rangers of the New Republic,” all intertwined and connected in the same way the films and shows of the MCU are. Speaking of the MCU, how can Disney even contain the massive amounts of Marvel content they are about to release? Now that the COVID-19 hiatus on Marvel content has come to an end, everyone’s excited, but how long can the hype be sustained? This year alone, Marvel is releasing series like “WandaVision,” “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier,” “Loki,” “Ms. Marvel,” and “Hawkeye,” as well as movies like “Black Widow,” “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings,” and “The Eternals.” That is a lot to ask fans to keep up with. Will the popularity be maintained, or will Marvel fall into the same trap that DC recently did with its Arrowverse, releasing so many shows that most people eventually stopped watching? All this to say, Disney is putting itself in a dangerous spot. Yes, fans are hyped that the COVID-19 break is over, but that hype will inevitably dwindle … unless this content is great. That’s the one potential saving grace to all this. If Bob Chapek turns out to have a real handle on the creative side of Disney and not simply on the consumer end, then maybe Disney will stay on top. But history has a way of repeating itself, and according to Disney history, every high is followed by a low. Every silver age (“Cinderella,” “Peter Pan”) is followed by a bronze age (“The Rescuers,” “The Great Mouse Detective”). Every renaissance (“Aladdin,” “The Lion King”) is followed by a post-renaissance (“Chicken Little,” “Home on the Range”). Every revival is followed by a dark age, and that dark age might be coming sooner than we think. Whenever it inevitably comes, businessman Chapek might see an opportunity for the Walt Disney National Bank or Mickey Mouse Real Estate. The mouse is coming, and we’d better watch out. Or we’re just being paranoid, and Bob Chapek will turn out to be a great guy who just really wants to make Frozen III so his granddaughters get to watch more funny Olaf scenes. Only time will tell. Hunter Johnson is a Senior Theatre Performance Major and an A&E writer for Cedars. He spends his time acting on stage, directing off stage, and critiquing the endless amounts of content that Disney pumps out. Disney Bob Chapek (left) is the former Chairman of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts and is now the new CEO of Disney. He takes up the mantle from Bob Iger (right), who led the company for 15 years before stepping down into a transitional role as Executive Chairman.