According to Russian blogger and media technologist Larisa Rzhondovskaya, Disney films including propaganda of Western values are not interesting to the viewer. She expressed her opinion on the air of the pro-government media project "Azarenok. Napryamuyu" on October 10, 2024.
“Because of that agenda, all this imposing of cartoons-movies, all these Little Mermaids, all these Cinderellas... When they started to shove the agenda, for about three years, they have been going into a huge, huge minus. Because you'll get your Oscar, damn it, or some other prize, a Grammy... No, that's a music one. Well, in any case, receiving a prize does not mean that the viewer will go,” Rzhondovskaya said.
In response, Grigory Azarenok suggested that Disney survives only through U.S. government orders.
The “The Little Mermaid” movie, cited in the program, was released in 2023. A black actress performed the lead role. The film was a success in the US, but viewers in Africa, Asia, and especially China did not appreciate this experiment. However, the film is still one of the top ten highest-grossing films of the year with over $500 million in box office receipts.
Disney's cartoon earnings have indeed fallen in recent years. For example, “Strange World” was a loss-making film. Due to the LGBTQ+ theme, it was not shown in 20 countries, and the company lost $200 million on it.
On the contrary, Disney's latest animated coming-of-age film, "Inside Out 2," became the highest-grossing cartoon in history, grossing nearly $1.5 billion in six weeks of release.
In addition, Disney makes money from films and TV series. It owns Marvel Studios, including the rights to the Avatar film series, its first one became the highest-grossing film in history, earning nearly $3 billion at the current time.
Disney also earns from its entertainment parks and cable TV. The company also competes with Netflix by developing streaming. So far, this is the most unprofitable area, not the production of cartoons. Overall, the company makes $2–3 billion in net profit per year.