Latest Disney News: VFX workers rally behind unionization as the drawn-out sequel to a hit Netflix fantasy show finds its footing on Disney Plus

Leave it to Disney to kick the week off with a bang. The biggest news of the day is undoubtedly the sobering announcement that Disney’s in-house VFX team has filed for unionization, but the weekend has been anything but quiet at the House of Mouse. From canceling new seasons of beloved shows to canceling entire shows before they even premiere, there’s no stopping the company’s content purge that it seems so adamant about implementing every chance it gets. 

Oh, also, did you happen to catch The Little Mermaid sing-along in theaters this weekend? No? Hmm, that would explain things. 

Lights, camera, action — wait just kidding, it’s canceled

Disney’s infamous content purge has scored the company a notorious reputation for canceling projects as soon as they debut. First, it was Willow, canceled just six months after its premiere, then it was Crater, canceled just seven weeks after its debut. There are another 50-plus movie and TV shows it did away with, but over the weekend Disney took things one step further by canceling the serialized reboot of The Spiderwick Chronicles before it even premiered. Keep in mind that the eight-episode show just wrapped filming seven months ago, so it was as close to the finish line as a project can get. We knew there would be bloodshed amid the content purge but dang, Disney, have a heart. 

Grab your wallet because watching Arthdal Chronicles will require two streaming subscriptions now

We’ve known since early summer that Netflix didn’t plan on distributing the second season of Arthdal Chronicles but we can honestly say we had no idea the Korean fantasy show would wind up finding a home on Disney Plus. That’s not to say it won’t do well with the Mouse House, but fantasy shows are Netflix’s bread-and-butter so to learn that the second season of Arthdal Chronicles — subtitled The Sword of Aramoon — would don a pair of Micky ears this time around was, well, a bit of a surprise. Sadly, that means fans of the show who need a refresher on season one (it debuted all the way back in 2019, after all) will have to fork out extra cash if they don’t already have a subscription to both Netflix and Disney Plus. Cha-ching.

Enough is enough for Disney’s VFX workers as they make the first move to unionize

First Marvel, now Disney. The Visual Effects (VFX) industry has been in shambles in recent years with one complaint after the next coming to light to reveal just how poor the working conditions are on some of our favorite movies and TV shows. Marvel made history earlier this month by becoming the first-ever group of VFX workers to put a formalized bid to unionize on the table. Today, the in-house VFX workers at Disney followed in their footsteps. The VFX industry has been largely left to its own devices while other industries such as hair and makeup artists, production designers, and more have thrived under the protections of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE).

If VFX workers aren’t breaking their backs to contend with outrageous overtime, it may take longer for us to see the final product of various properties hit theaters, but if that means we don’t have to put up with poor-quality VFX garbage anymore, I say it’s worth the wait. You can’t put a price or a timeline on good mental health and a proper working environment. 

You can expect more news to come out of this development, so don’t go anywhere. We’ll be back tomorrow with another heaping dose of Disney delights.