Disney Animation Shifts Focus from Disney+ to Theatrical Releases

Walt Disney Animation Studios is discontinuing longform content for Disney+ to focus on theatrical releases.

Walt Disney Animation Studios is taking a step back from producing longform content for Disney+ following years of making contributions to the streaming service. Since its inception in 2019, the animation studio started greenlighting original content, beginning with shorts such as How to Stay At Home and Olaf Presents, before moving on to full animated series in 2022 with Baymax!  and  Zootopia+.

But the studio is now putting on hold its previously announced Tiana series, announced in 2020, and stopping work on new longform streaming initiatives. This follows on from the news that Pixar is also abandoning its efforts to create original streaming content for Disney+. Both studios appear to be turning away from the risk of creating content for a service where subscriber retention is not guaranteed. Rather, Disney seems to be concentrating on theatrical releases, which have been much more profitable. A case in point is the success of the Moana miniseries, which was rewritten as a theatrical movie that made over a billion dollars worldwide.

This success, combined with the box office figure of Inside Out 2, has likely contributed to Disney's decision to prioritize films over streaming series. It seems the cancellation of the Tiana series and avoiding Disney+ content is part of a larger strategy for producing maximum profitability from theatrical releases, rather than investing in the risk of streaming shows that could ultimately miss the mark on driving long-term subscription bases. Although the animation division will longer focus on Disney+, the service will still be featuring plenty of content from both Marvel and Star Wars, being as relevant within the crowded field of streaming competition. The priority now seems to be in harvesting box office draws rather than streaming viewership contention.