Disney’s decision to shut down Blue Sky animation studio confirms people’s worries about the studio’s purchase of Fox’s assets.
Disney sent shockwaves through the film industry when it finalized its purchase of Fox’s movie and TV assets in March 2019. However, as bold as the move was, it also raised legitimate concerns about the potential side effects of a major Hollywood player consolidating so many properties and smaller studios under a single roof. Now, if anything, the news that Disney is closing Blue Sky’s animation studio has validated much of what people were worried about when the Disney-Fox deal went through.
Admittedly, Disney’s decision to shut down Blue Sky is kind of predictable. After all, Blue Sky’s last film, 2019’s Spies in Disguise, was a commercial disappointment and even its Ice Age franchise has diminished in popularity since it peaked at the box office in 2009. What’s more, with Disney and Pixar Animation meeting the Mouse House’s demand for animated content, there wasn’t an obvious spot for Blue Sky in its present business model. As such, it’s no shock the relatively less successful former Fox animation studio has landed on the chopping block as a direct result of Disney’s financial losses over the past year due to the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic .