Several Disney legends are telling fans to cancel Disney+ following the studio's recent AI controversy. The concept of generative AI has been one of the most discussed topics in Hollywood over the past couple of years. As the idea of AI dominated the tech conversation, with shareholders jumping at the chance to invest in the fast-growing technology, the entertainment industry has started to jump on the bandwagon.
This came to a head for Disney fans in the last couple of days as studio head Bob Iger shared a controversial update about the company's stance on generative AI technology interacting with their content. During Disney's fourth-quarter earnings call, Iger announced that Disney+ users will soon be able to create their own short-form, AI-generated videos directly within the Disney+ app.
This sparked widespread calls for fans to cancel their Disney+ subs, including from several big-name Disney-associated creatives. Dana Terrace, the creator behind the acclaimed Disney animated series The Owl House, shared her thoughts on the company's new AI initiative on X, telling audiences to "pirate" her Disney show and "unsubscribe from Disney+:"
"Unsubscribe from Disney+. Pirate 'Owl House.' I don’t care. Fuck gen AI."
Terrace is widely regarded by fans as a modern Disney legend. The renowned animator got her start with the studios, working as a storyboard artist on the beloved Gravity Falls series. She would go on to create the fan-favorite Owl House and direct episodes of the well-regarded Duck Tales reboot.
She eventually left Disney in 2023, going on to found popular animation house Glitch Productions (the team behind The Amazing Digital Circus).
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse producer (and one of the directors behind the original version of Solo: A Star Wars Story) Christopher Miller, also chimed in on the AI on Disney+ conversation, posting on X a gif of a perturbed Donald Duck rolling his eyes.
This controversy comes just a couple of years after Disney had previously said it was taking a "very cautious approach to AI." In a 2023 conversation with The Direct, Jeffrey Katzenberg, the former chairman of Walt Disney Studios and executive producer at Disney Animation, admitted as much, saying, "I don't know of an industry that will be more impacted" by the emergence of generative AI.
Will Disney Walk Back Its AI Stance?
The AI Pandora's box has been opened, and it seems Disney is at least dipping its toes into it (like many other studios in the business).
To be specific, during the recent Disney investor call, Bob Iger stated that the company's current plans include allowing users to "create user-generated content and to consume user-generated content—mostly short-form—from others." He also mentioned having productive discussions with AI companies to "protect its IP."
Given that generative AI does not actually create anything for itself, but instead combines millions of sources to produce its results, Disney's association with the technology has creators justifiably upset. This is tech based entirely on stealing from others.
At this point, it does not look as though Disney is going to back down from its new AI stance anytime soon. Yes, Hollywood has taken notice, and some people are coming out of the woodwork, calling out the House of Mouse, but it is nowhere near as widespread as it would need to be for Disney to take notice.
One thing that fans should keep an eye on is whether this new initiative hits the studio where it matters most, its wallets. Since the new AI announcement, Disney's stock is trading at a six-month low.
If the stock were to continue to trend down, with explicit calls from shareholders that they are selling simply because of the company's association with generative AI and AI-leaning technologies, then Iger and the rest of Disney would almost surely have to take a second look.
