Okay maybe i'm exaggerating, but I feel the new era of Disney movies are kinda the same movie retold over and over again only in different settings and with minor tweaks.

Like, the story kinda goes like this- the female character, who's brave, determined, clumsy, hardworking, naive, optimistic, cute and all that, overall a "good" character (Tiana, Judy, Anna, Rapunzel, Moana, even Vanellope could count into this) has to go on a mystical journey to understand herself/resolve an issue. On the way, she meets up with the male lead, who's always a jerk, a sleaze, a con, or anything in between (Naveen, Flynn, Kristoff, Nick, Maoi) , the two initially don't get along but on the journey their bond gets stronger.

Might also have a red herring villain/plot twist villain or a message that could deconstruct/previous Disney perceptions/cliches or carry important messages. Granted, almost all Disney films carry important messages, but these seem much more unique compared to the old ones- grief for your lost loved ones, don't trust strangers, anyone can be prejudiced and you can be the change the world needs...

I suppose as long as the films are good, it's not a problem? But it can get tiring, especially if the characters all just resembling each other, and the plot twist villain...Really only King Candy and Hans made that cliche work. i don't even remember the sheep's name or what she did...

^Yes. I see your point. I've noticed that, too. And I've pointed out something about this before in the Unpopular Opinions section of the forum... I'm kind of getting tired of the constant "variation on the same theme." But, eh. i guess that's my personal problem with the Revival Movies. They all could be interchanged with one another, since they are all cut from the same cloth.

And funny enough, the two ones that don't follow "closely" this pattern, Wreck it Ralph and Big Hero 6, are not as talked about much. Maybe this is just what the audience demands?

I wonder if this cliche will appear in Gigantic, which would be weird, since the female lead would be like, 5 years old, as far as i've heard...Hard to make a toddler a "hardworking determiner" character.

^That's going to be...hard to pull off. I mean, the "learning about oneself/determining your own destiny" concept in a very young child. I don't remember having a lick of sense at 5 years old...save knowing not to run out into the street. lol.

Well, even Zootopia, Big Hero 6, and Frozen borrowed the-good-person-is-actually-evil plot twist from Wreck-It Ralph. So, automatically, I was kind of seeing the same "twist" three times in a row. It did make me wonder about whether I was just imagining things.... But there it was.

They do, but at least Big Hero 6 breaks the pattern in that neither Hiro nor Baymax fit the role of the "brave determined lady" and "sleazy jerk" couple that plagues all the other films. And the movie is not a travel, so...But yeah, the villain cliche.

Wreck it Ralph also has these themes, but it differs in that Ralph is a good guy and not a jerk, and he's the main lead more than Vanellope, which I think it's a difference.

About Gigantic, i read somewhere the initial plans for the movie. The story would be like an adaptation of Jack and the Beanstalk, where Jack goes up to the clouds, and meets a "little giant girl". They formed a friendship, but the main issue was that the girl's father, the leader of the giants, was against forming relationships with humans. And the struggle was the little girl obeying her father or going against him...

It kinda sounded different from the usual Disney new era cliche, but i'm not sure if they'll keep the story the same once the film comes out. I wouldn't be surprised if they change it to Moana/Tangled/Frozen in Spain or something, seeing how the audience likes these stories.

Although, it rips off ALOT from How to Train your Dragon...

^Oh, yeah.... All of what you've said. That's all true. Now I'm beginning to wonder about how different Gigantic will be. But Disney also borrows from Dreamworks as you've pointed out with Train Your Dragon. I dunno.

The original story sounds the most authentic. By the time it goes through production and makes it to the screen, who knows? It could resemble a lot of everything else that's already out there...

And it's interesting to note that the previous Disney films were all different, in a way.

Rather, the 90s were also formulaic (all of them are coming of age musicals with a love story thrown in there), but at least the main plots were different- the lion king has little to do with aladdin, hercules isn't like beauty and the beast...I mean the characters and the plots differed enough to be their own thing despite sharing a few elements in common.

Funny enough for all the time people criticize the Walt Era films at least they were varied in this aspect. Alice in Wonderland is highly different from Cinderella, and Fantasia is very different from Lady and the Tramp...There wasn't this pattern either. Except for one- the sidekicks overtaking the screentime over the main leads.

Agree with what everyone's saying, but I think the Renaissance movies were just as formulaic, even if the formula was different back then. As you guys have said, they are all coming of age stories + romance + feeling like you don't fit in and finding a place where you can be yourself. I also subscribe to the idea that "nothing is truly original," so in my opinion this is the case for all stories. Everything is borrowed, it's just presented in new and different ways.

There's nothing wrong with having a strong female character, the problem is if all the characters start resembling each other in personality and even looks. as if Disney can't create original ideas anymore.

"even nonwhite people can use racism too as a weapon of power."

that happens all the time in third world countries. ;)

"even nonwhite people can use racism too as a weapon of power."

Sounds suspiciously like audrey grace.

I only noticed it after watching Moana. I think all these movies have a way of making these "formulaic" things work, like the twists in Frozen and the well-executed themes of Big Hero 6 and Zootopia. But now I'm getting tired of the male/female duo going on a journey, not getting along at first but improving as time goes on. That doesn't mean I don't like the CHARACTERS because of this, but the trope is getting old. I give credit to Disney though; in this era they're not always romances and rather friendships. It's nice to have a little "variety" in that way. I also give credit that they're not all musicals, unlike the Renaissance movies as others have stated.

And I haven't feel bored with the pattern, yet.

They do follow a pattern but they are also very different in many way so I agree with Evera that I am not bored yet.

I'm same with Evera. I enjoy it and haven't feel bored with it.