When watching a television show, movie or anything online, people love to see characters similar to themselves. However, if you aren’t white, until recent years, it’s been hard to find a relatable connection. In an attempt to avoid pushback from the media or Generation Z and seem “progressive,” it feels as though producers have dropped diversity bombs into their work that aren’t genuine nor address the real problem of under-representation of minorities.
Take, for example, Pixar Animations Studios, which has long been recognized for its storytelling and depth. One standout example was “Wall-E”. Released in June of 2008, the movie follows the last robot left on a barren and waste-landed Earth as he meets evolved humans and other robots. The film earned nearly a perfect score on Rotten Tomatoes due to its ability to form an emotional connection between the viewer and a literal piece of metal. This is similar to “The Wild Robot,” which was released in September of 2024 and got outstanding reviews for a similar reason. Both Wall-E and The Wild Robot achieved major success simply due to embedding their stories with strong messages and themes rather than appealing to everyone with a surplus of characters of every background. In contrast, Walt Disney Studios, who owns Pixar, came out with “Strange World,” in November of 2022, featuring an interracial couple, an openly gay son, a three-legged dog and what they call a “mischievous blob” who travel into the unknown land beneath their world. Forced diversity like this comes on so strong and often fails at truly representing minority groups. The characteristics of these characters add nothing but just “check a box” for producers to say they are inclusive. When done poorly, it pushes the audience away from the movie and possibly an actually good storyline.
On the other hand, Disney’s “Oye Primos” took an aggressive approach to creating an animated children’s show representing Latin culture. At the start of each episode, the theme song is played which introduces the large Latino family. There are definitely some memorable names, including “Nacho,” “Nachito,” “Chacha” and “Cookita” to name a few. The characters are portrayed as dirty and uncontrollable, emphasizing stereotypical and racist beliefs. Despite having a Latin creator and being created to have more diverse children’s cartoon shows, it seems to have backfired with consistently poor reviews. If there is a lack of representation, then those identities should be portrayed as their real-life characteristics rather than an overdone rendering. The background of a character should elevate a storyline or do it justice, like the lovable shows of “Black-ish,” “Never Have I Ever” or “Bridgerton.”
Entertainment was created with the intent to entertain an audience. When producers attempt to create groundbreaking strides in diversity, nearly every time it goes against their goals. Movies and television need to release their tensed shoulders and take a breath. It seems that everyone is so uptight and nervous about causing controversy that conflict and underwhelming media are created. If the industry continues to produce such “enlightened” movies, neither side of the screen will be pleased.