The Fascinating What-Ifs of Disney

In the words of author Ruth Beechick, “What if? It is a magical jolt of imagination to a person’s mind.” That’s not just true for us ordinary folk, but for even the most powerful of movie mogul—Disney. While the brand is famed for being the “happiest place on Earth,” it’s still fun to ponder the alternate paths they could have taken.

What If Walt Disney Had Lived On?

One of the most common Disney “what-ifs” is what would have happened if Walt Disney had lived on. After all, despite his immense success, he was only 65 years old when he passed.

For starters, Walt likely would have continued pushing the boundaries of animation. He had already started, giving us the ever-times classic The Jungle Book, and with more time, he would have created a treasure trove of cartoon classics which we can only imagine.

Ah, but the real game-changer in all this is what would have happened to the Walt Disney Company in general. After all, the company was in financial ruin after he handed the reigns over to his brother, Roy. The New York Times described it “[a] company on the brink of bankruptcy” after Walt’s death.

Had he lived, however, Walt more than likely would have steered the ship in a totally different direction. He had already opened up Disneyland in 1955, which was a wild success, and with more time, who knows what other fun-filled wonders he would have conjured up?

What If They Hadn’t Bought Marvel?

Walt Disney and Marvel. Now THAT is an unlikely duo, but thanks to the folks of Team Disney they became a reality in August of 2009, when they bought Marvel Entertainment for $4 billion. While that seems like a large sum now, Disney’s Marvel-fueled revenues outmatched their purchase in just 10 months.

Ever since the purchase, Marvel has gone on to become one of the biggest movie franchises in the entire world, with countless Marvel films dominating the box offices for decades. So, if this most unlikely of unions hadn’t happened, where would the MCU stand today?

Well, Fox Disney probably would have stepped in to purchase Marvel in some form, as they had been courting Marvel since 1998, long before Disney came into the picture. However, there’s no telling if they would have been as successful as they were under Disney’s wing, especially since their focus is on the television side of things.

So, while the future of Marvel may have been secure with or without the House of Mouse, it’s hard to deny how much the Disney name has propelled the MCU to the stratospheric heights it’s at today.

What If We Hadn’t Gotten a Frozen Sequel?

Frozen. It’s the film that’s on everyone’s lips, across all generations. Admit it, you know the lyrics to at least one of the songs! But, what if it wasn’t a given that we’d get a Frozen sequel?

Well, the truth of the matter is that we almost didn’t. While Frozen was an immediate hit, it took Disney a long while to build confidence in the idea of doing a sequel. After all, the first film broke all sorts of records, including becoming the highest-grossing animated film of all time; it was only natural that Disney thought twice before jumping straight into a sequel.

However, the creative directors involved in Frozen held firm, believing in their story and characters so strongly that they were able to eventually convince the House of Mouse—and the rest is history.

Frozen II was met with just as much success as the first, making it not that hard to believe that the world of Disney far and wide is celebrating the success that was this sequel… as are we!