Black is King signals something much bigger for Disney+
Beyonce's masterful visual album is a revolutionary moment
I’m not going to mince words: if you haven’t watched Beyonce’s new visual album Black is King yet, go do that right now. Then read Vox culture editor Allegra Frank’s stunning essay. Then jump into these.
Jaelani Turner-Williams, Polygon
Lorraine Ali, Los Angles Times
Still here? Hi! Let’s get into this week’s Musings on Mouse essay.
Black is King is a visual album created by Beyonce, and distributed by Disney via Disney+. It’s an odd combination! Beyonce fans might have imagined a streaming platform like Tidal, Apple Music, or even YouTube as a better fit, but Black is King also operates as a tie-in to Disney’s live-action adaptation of The Lion King. Parts of the visual album are interspersed with audio from Jon Favreau’s 2019 adaptation — a movie that Beyonce starred in as the voice of Nala.
It’s a big deal, not just for Beyonce but also Disney. Black is King marks an incredibly exciting moment for the company that combines the best of both worlds — Disney can give creators a platform for new original work while integrating those pieces with the studio’s IP.
With the caveat that there is only one Beyonce in the world, and making a piece like Black is King is incredibly rare, the grander idea is lifting Disney’s IP to create something completely new. Black is King is essentially a series of beautiful, extended music videos strung together to reimagine The Lion King’s story. Without the sporadic Lion King audio, Black is King could feel out of place on Disney+, a platform that is still struggling to figure out its identity. With it, Black is King represents what Disney+ can become. It’s a declaration of what Disney+ can house, an invitation for top creators to use Disney’s IP as a sandbox that’s different from shows like The Mandalorian.
For example, could Marvel produce a series on the future of artificial intelligence narrated by Robert Downey Jr. simply because of the Iron Man connection? (This is already a project at YouTube, but you get the drift.) Or, could Disney partner with Chris Evans on an eight-part political Disney+ docuseries because it’s an issue close to the actor’s heart and he also played Captain America? What seemed impossible before suddenly seems like a possibility. Disney has taken steps to make Disney+ exactly what it’s name suggests — Disney, and then some.
Much of the strategy behind Disney+ is locked behind closed doors, but we can make some assumptions. The primary goal is still pulling from its major pillars: Marvel, Star Wars, Pixar, National Geographic, and Disney. The best way to do this, I imagine, is to allot a number. The heads of each division (Kevin Feige, Kathleen Kennedy, and Sean Bailey to name a few) hypothetically get a number of slots they have to fill.
This would ensure each vertical has the space to explore projects, keeps a steady flow of content coming from different areas of the company, and gives subscribers a little bit of everything. Instead of just relying on cold pitches from each division to figure out what the year looks like, awarding a number of slots helps control the chaos. (The loss of a key Disney+ executive this week, a longstanding exec who oversaw Originals development, adds a whole other layer to Disney’s streaming strategy, but that’s for another day.)
The stuff that makes up Disney’s current DNA takes top priority, but that isn’t enough to keep some subscribers all year round or enough to bring in swaths of new subscribers. Having high profile, experimental, new original bets are just as important as making sure the core franchises are consistently producing. As I wrote in my Hamilton essay, people who are diehard Marvel, Star Wars, and Disney fans already have Disney+. So do families with young kids. It’s that spectacularly large grey area where Black is King and Hamilton fit in.
Disney+ has to be more than it is now. The biggest complaint lobbed against Disney is there isn’t enough new stuff, and oftentimes its mediocre catalogue won’t keep adults entertained. What makes it more bizarre, critics have argued, is that Disney owns ABC and 21st Century Fox — if The Simpsons can stream on Disney+ why can’t Modern Family or Lost? Part of it is ongoing licensing deals, but at the time of Disney’s launch only 10 months ago, the idea was that Disney+ would exist to highlight the brands that made people fall in love with Disney.
The reality is that isn’t enough — the company has to find new projects and brands to include alongside its mainstay programming. Think about it: Disney already began to do it by making The Simpsons and National Geographic, two brands that don’t immediately evoke thoughts of Disney, major hubs on the streaming service.
Enter Black is King. Black is King might not feel like it immediately belongs to Disney’s brand, but the film’s spot on Disney+ actively redefines what that brand looks like. Streaming is the next evolutionary — arguably the next revolutionary — moment in entertainment. Black is King and Hamilton encompass the future Disney wants to build — projects from the world’s biggest stars (bigger than traditional celebrity, a brand unto themselves), tackling vital subject matter and social commentary, in a way that draws in millions of people.
Up until very recently, it seemed like every Disney+ project being announced was a continuation or an adaptation of an older Disney movie or TV show. The Mighty Ducks, Turner & Hooch, Lizzie McGuire (who knows what’s going on with this one), and National Treasure are just a few examples. The Marvel shows connected to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and the Star Wars shows, for the most part, connected to the films. Cool announcements, but hardly what I’d call inspiring.
Similar to its theatrical releases, everything felt safe because the pillars worked. Business wise, it made sense. Most of Disney’s movies in 2019 crossed $1 billion at the global box office. The Mandalorian earned numerous Emmy award nominations and single handedly brought in millions of paying subscribers. Creatively, people were beginning to feel antsy. Disney+ gives the company room to explore as executive Alan Horn told The Hollywood Reporter, and Black is King or Hamilton is proof of what partnerships with superstars like Beyonce and Lin-Manuel Miranda can accomplish.
Black is King feels like a much needed reminder that Disney’s brand isn’t a single concept; it’s changed constantly over the years. Hell, as I noted over at The Verge months ago, “Ron Miller, Walt Disney’s son-in-law and former president of the company, wanted to make more live-action movies with adult characters, and launched Touchstone Pictures as a result. The Tom Hanks led Splash was the studio arm’s first release, and became an absolute hit.”
Without the pressure of box office numbers, Disney can use Disney+ as a new distribution arm. One that concentrates on amplifying important work from creators, all under the House of Mouse banner. I hope we get more Black is King or Hamilton like projects. It’s time to take full advantage of the plus sign in Disney+, fam.
Studios
Pixar’s next movie is Luca
The state of movies is up in the air right now, but Pixar is looking forward. The studio announced details for its next original film, Luca. The film “centers on a young boy living on the Italian Riviera, who shares adventures with his newfound best friend,” according to Variety. “But a dark secret about his true identity (he is a sea monster from another world just below the water’s surface) seeks to threaten that bond. The voice cast has yet to be announced.”
And yes, if you immediately thought, “Hey, didn’t we just watch a coming-of-age movie set in Italy that was nominated for a few Oscars and other awards?” the answer is yes. Call Me By Your Name was also directed by Luca Guadagnino. He is not the inspiration for Luca, as far as I know.
It’s a bit of a slow week in the Studios space (no more delays...yet) so let me use this time to kindly remind all the Bobs, Kevins, and Alans at Disney that I will pay $100 to watch Black Widow at home. That is all. Thank you.
Streaming
Disney+ exec Agnes Chu heads to Conde Nast
Disney+ VP of Content, Agnes Chu, is leaving Disney after 12 years with the House of Mouse. She’s heading to Conde Nast where she’ll report directly to CEO Roger Lynch. She’ll head up the company’s entertainment division. Conde is best known for its collection of prestigious magazines including Vogue, Architectural Digest, and Wired.
Prior to taking on the Disney+ role, Chu worked in executive chairman and former CEO Bob Iger’s office. In the Disney+ role, Chu oversaw all content, including The Mandalorian, Encore, and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Chu seemingly worked with studio heads on the projects.
Chu is the second high profile Disney+ executive to leave this year, following Kevin Mayer’s departure in May. Mayer, the former head of Disney streaming, moved to TikTok as the media company’s CEO.
The big question I have now is what happens to Chu’s role — and more specifically, what’s going on with Chu’s main counterpart on the Disney+ team.
Beauty and the Beast spinoff series gets a name...maybe?
Remember the Gaston-focused Disney+ series? I forgot about it! Until composer Alan Menken seemed to accidentally drop the name of the series in an interview with Variety. Menken told Variety he was working on a Beauty and the Beast prequel called The Little Town.
While that certainly leaves a one percent chance that Menken is working on a totally different Beauty and the Beast project that none of us know about, the most likely answer is that Luke Evans and Josh Gad’s Disney+ series is called The Little Town.
Broadway play Once On This Island is getting a Disney+ adaptation
Disney is continuing its push into the Broadway-to-Disney+ adaptation with the beloved one-act musical, Once On This Island. More from ComingSoon:
“Set in the French Antilles in the Caribbean Sea, the musical follows the story of a peasant girl named Ti Moune as she falls in love with Daniel Beauxhomme, a young grande homme who lives on the wealthy other side of the island. Against this backdrop, social class differences play out while the island gods including Asaka, Agwe, Erzulie, and Papa Ge wager a bet on Ti Moune’s life as they try to find out what is stronger: love or death.”
Hamilton did very well for Disney, and musicals in general are a big part of Disney’s history. Finding new ways to promote artists work and finding plays to adapt as live-action projects seems like a good strategy for Disney’s streaming arm.
Mandalorian scores big for Disney+ Emmy nominations
No one, not even Disney, could have predicted that The Mandalorian would score as many Emmy nominations as it did. Look, we love The Mandalorian, but it’s not exactly a Best Drama contender — and yet it scored a nomination for the night’s top award.
On top of Best Drama, The Mandalorian also scored nominations for Best Outstanding Guest Actor (for Giancarlo Esposito’s Moff Gideon), Outstanding Voice-Over Acting (for Taika Waititi’s IG-11), Outstanding Stunt Coordination, and a bunch more.
In total, The Mandalorian earned 16 nominations. Not too shabby for Disney’s first major streaming original.
And to reiterate: no one thought this would happen. Disney didn’t even spend money on a For Your Consideration campaign. The power of Baby Yoda.
Black Beauty heads to Disney+
There’s a new adaptation of Anna Sewell’s Black Beauty novel! This time, the majestic horse will be voiced by Kate Winslet!
Parks
A Bubble update!
My favorite story! Never a dull moment in the Bubble! Let me start by congratulating my boys, the Toronto Raptors, on their incredible win over the Los Angeles Lakers. A round of applause!!
With that out of the way, let’s turn to how reporters are coping in the Bubble. Kerry Flynn and Frank Palotta have an incredible story about what the constraints are like over at CNN. Here’s one of my favorite bits:
"I'm the world's pickiest eater, so most of the stuff they have at the cafeteria I'm not all that into," Sports Illustrated’s Chris Mannix said. "If there was a bootlegger that can bring in Domino's, I would probably pay a premium for that at this point."
Big mood, Chris!!
Disney World actors union update
Disney World is open, kind of. But because of ongoing disputes between the union that represents a number of cast members and Disney, many of the shows still aren’t running, Bay News 9 reports.
The union wants frequent coronavirus testing for its employees, but the company reportedly will not agree to those demands. As such, talks between the union and the company have reportedly stalled.
The union is comprised of roughly 750 employees, including “singers, actors, dancers, and performers,” Bay News 9 says.
Disney World delays re-opening of some hotels
Surprising absolutely no one, Disney has delayed opening some of its resorts that were scheduled to re-open in the coming weeks due to the rising coronavirus cases in Florida.
USA Today has more. The company issued this statement: "We will continue to evaluate the situation and reopen more locations when the environment is right to do so. While these plans may evolve, we will be monitoring the constantly changing health environment and its impact on the state of Florida as we find the right time to welcome back even more of our guests."
TV Networks
ESPN preparing for big viewership gains thanks to sports
We already know that ESPN saw some big numbers from the MLB’s return. THe season opener between the New York Yankees and Washington Nationals scored an average of 4.075 million viewers, according to the Los Angeles Times. Then, the Giants-Dodgers game became ESPN’s highest rated late night regular season game, according to SportsBusiness. The game saw an average of 2.76 million viewers. Impressive!
On the basketball front, while we don’t have ESPN numbers, we do have some TNT figures. The NBA’s big official return, which saw the New Orleans Pelicans take on the Utah Jazz averaged 2.1 million viewers, according to InsideHook. The second game, and arguably the more talked about game, averaged 3.4 million viewers, InsideHook reports. That game saw LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers go up against Kawhi Leonard and the Los Angeles Clippers.
What does it mean? Sports are back, and people want to watch. ESPN and ABC (alongside TNT and other networks) should reap the benefits.
Disney nets 145 Emmy nominations
The Mandalorian wasn’t Disney’s only nomination. The studio scored 145 nominations in total.
Across ABC, FX, and Hulu, Disney saw multiple nominations for shows like Mrs. America, Black-ish, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, What We Do in the Shadows, Pose, The Handmaid’s Tale, Little Fires Everywhere, and Ramy.
The full list of nominated shows can be found over at D23.
This Week’s Trailers
Brassic
Fargo — season four
In My Skin
