Disney+ is churning out original movies to expand their already massive streaming library, but The Secret Society of Second-Born Royals proves that focusing on quantity over quality is what's making Disney+'s original movies so bad. Disney+'s latest foray into original content follows a pack of younger royals that are sent to summer school and discovery that they have superpowers, before ultimately saving the Kingdom of Illyria. Like the other Disney+ original movies before it, The Secret Society of Second-Born Royals over-promises and under-delivers on its high concept premise.
Disney+ is responsible for the excellent, critically acclaimed series WandaVision. However, the original movies - which include the 2019 romantic comedy Noelle, the 2020 teen movie Stargirl, and the live-action remake Lady and the Tramp - have been badly written and badly made, culminating in the latest film The Secret Society of Second-Born Royals. Like the other movies, The Secret Society of Second-Born Royals never lives up to its potential. If Disney+ is capable of putting out well-made content, then why are all of these movies so bad?
The streaming service was praised upon release for its extensive back catalog, but Disney+ was criticized for a lack of original projects. After subscribers made their way through Disney's library of old movies, they weren't rewarded with new content in exchange for continuing to pay for the service. In an attempt to increase original output and persuade subscribers to stay, Disney+ has been following Netflix's approach to quantity over quality - particularly in its first year - and is constantly churning out new movies to dump on the streaming service.
The Mandalorian and WandaVision benefit from their associations with Marvel and Star Wars, and both shows are under extremely high pressure to perform. Disney is incentivized to invest in the shows and make them great. Unlike Disney+'s original movies, The Mandalorian and WandaVision are given $100+ million budgets, high production values, and great quality control. Furthermore, they have been developed by people with tried-and-tested backgrounds. Disney+'s original movies don't have any brand affiliations or high expectations, which gives them more creative freedom, but it also massively limits their resources and gives the studio no reason to invest in their success.
Before Disney+ started churning out films, Disney was already struggling with making successful original movies. Artemis Fowl was Disney's failed attempt at original sci-fi and was universally panned after being shuffled onto Disney+ when its theatrical release was cancelled. The problems with Disney+'s original movies are partially due to the studio prioritizing quantity, but they also fit into a bigger pattern with Disney's original films battling an increasingly massive drop in quality.
If Disney+ wants their original movies to succeed, they should focus more on creating a few great films instead of trying to flood the streaming service with as much content as possible. Following the Netflix model might be giving subscribers more stuff to watch, but it doesn't get them to stay if none of the movies are good. Decreasing the number of projects while expanding their budget and production value - like The Mandalorian season 2 or the underrated High School Musical: The Musical: The Series - and making movies that are actually good would be a better incentive for Disney+ subscribers to stay. If Disney keeps focusing on making as many movies possible, as cheaply as possible, then the Disney+ original movies will continue to be bad.
