MOVIE NEWS – Just a few days remain and many will no longer be able to watch Willow: the series-cutting scissors of Disney+ did not spare the series based on the classic 1988 film, after the streaming service unexpectedly cuts, among others, the “Willow” series from its repertoire. Both creators and viewers were outraged at the drastic step.

Disney+ will soon retract a heap of titles from its repertoire, one of which is the “Willow” series. This move, however, sparked outrage not only among viewers but also among creators. The creator of “Willow”, John Bickerstaff, for example, harshly accused the Disney+ platform on social media. He noted that the series was visible on the platform for only six months, which to him was clearly unfair. He added:

“The business line has become absolutely brutal.”

However, Disney+’s action was not only limited to “Willow”. The provider announced that several films and series will be removed from the platform under the guise of cost reduction. The list is quite long and includes titles such as “The Princess” or “The Mad Ducks: How to Sweep!”. Subscribers are understandably angry at such sharp turns, as many of their favorite shows are being slaughtered. Here is the full list:

• Beautiful America (2022)
• Between Stars (2021)
• Be Our Chef (2020)
• The Best Pizza (2022)
• Best in Snow (2022)
• Nate’s Your Guy (2022)
• The Big Fib (2020)
• The Big Throw (2021)
• Black Beauty (2020)
• Cheaper by the Dozen (2022)
• Clouds (2020)
• Darby and the Dead (2022)
• Diary of a Future President (2020)
• Disney’s Fairy Tale Weddings (2017)
• Dollface (2019)
• Earth to Ned (2020)
• Encore! (2019)
• All Bad (2022)
• Foodtastic (2021)
• Harmonious Live! (2022)
• Howard (2018)
• It’s a Dog’s Life With Bill Farmer (2020)
• Just Beyond (2021)
• The Little Demon (2022)
• Love in the Time of Corona (2020)
• Made-up Prophet (2022)
• Magic Camp (2020)
• The Making of Willow (2022)
• Mighty Ducks: Game Changers (2021)
• Marvel’s Hero Project (2019)
• MPower (2023)
• More Than Robots (2022)
• The Mysterious Benedict Society (2021)
• The One and Only Ivan (2020)
• Own the Room (2021)
• Pentatonix: Around the World for the Holidays (2022)
• Pick of the Litter (2018)
• Pistol (2022)
• The Proposition (2021)
• The Princess (2022)
• The Quest (2022)
• The Real Right Stuff (2020)
• Mind-bender (2020)
• Rozalin (2022)
• Shop Class (2020)
• Stargirl (2020)
• Stuntman (2018)
• Super/Natural (2022)
• Failure Timmy: Everyone Makes Mistakes (2020)
• One’s a Cop, the Other a Dog (2021)
• Weird but True! (2016)
• Willow (2022)
• Wolfgang (2021)
• The World According to Jeff Goldblum (2019)
• Y: The Last Man (2021)

In recent times, Disney has been under significant pressure due to the intense competition among streaming services and high program maintenance costs. Despite rising costs, the competition among providers is continuously increasing, so Disney+ must find a way to retain viewers while managing efficiently.
Disney’s president, Bob Iger, also reported a planned price increase in the second half of the year to investors. According to him, the purpose of the price increase is for the subscription fees to better match the actual costs of the service. Iger stated that Disney+ “does not intend to lose in quality or quantity,” so the price increase is an inevitable step for sustainable operation. Despite the outrage among creators and subscribers, Disney+ continues to stick to its strategy, and it seems unwilling to back down. Iger says that Disney+ “wants to provide the best value to its subscribers,” and added that “quality and quantity cannot be endangered for the sake of cost reduction.”

The conflict between subscribers and creators undoubtedly affects Disney+’s reputation and subscriber base. Finding a balance between cost reduction and maintaining quality is a difficult task for any streaming service, and Disney+ is no exception. In the future, the Disney+ service will have to rethink its strategy to have as little negative impact as possible on its subscribers and creators. The controversy surrounding “Willow” and other cancelled projects is not over yet, and further developments are expected.

The next steps will be crucial for Disney+. Subscribers expect quality content and reliable service, and creators expect fair and respectful treatment. All eyes will be on Disney+ in the coming months to see if they can meet these expectations.”

Source: John Bickerstaff