‘Not Disney’ Trends on X as Users Share Their Favorite Non-Disney Animated Films

Actor Khleo Thomas asked users on X to share their favorite animated movies not made by Disney.

Moses (Val Kilmer) in 'The Prince of Egypt.' DreamWorks Pictures

“Not Disney” has become a trending topic on X after actor Khleo Thomas asked his followers on the platform to share their favorite animated movies not made by Disney.

“Name an animated movie that is NOT Disney that you love,” the 35-year-old posted on X, formerly Twitter, on Feb. 24 alongside a GIF of a scene from DreamWorks Pictures’s 1998 animated film, “The Prince of Egypt.”

Mr. Thomas is best known for his breakout role as the character Hector “Zero” Zeroni in Walt Disney Pictures’s 2003 film “Holes,” which was based on Louis Sachar’s 1998 novel of the same name. The actor also starred in the 2004 Disney Channel Original Movie “Going to the Mat” as well as other non-Disney films like “Walking Tall” (2004) and “Paint it Red” (2019).

Following Mr. Thomas’s tweet, users took to X in droves to share their most cherished animated film, garnering more than 10,500 posts for the “not Disney” trending topic.

Actor Harrison Knight—who is credited for supplying “additional voices” to 2018’s “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse,” according to his IMDb—aptly picked “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse,” a 2023 flick from Columbia Pictures and Sony Pictures Animation in association with Marvel Entertainment.

Streamer and content creator Pygowsky posted on X that “Shrek,” created by Disney competitor DreamWorks Animation in 2001, was his favorite.

The “Shrek” franchise, which currently features four installments, has been a massive success for the Universal Studios-owned animation studio, ranking among the highest-grossing animated films for raking in $4.02 billion at the box office, per Collider. According to The Economic Times, “Shrek 5” is rumored to hit theaters in 2025.

Other responses included the 1988 film “The Land Before Time” from Universal Pictures and the 1994 film “The Swan Princess” from Sony Pictures, Nest Entertainment, and Rich Animation Studios, the lattermost of which is now known as Crest Animation Productions. “The Swan Princess” was directed by former Disney animation director Richard Rich, who is best known for his work on Disney’s “The Fox and the Hound” (1981) and “The Black Cauldron” (1985), per Animation Scoop.

Shakeups at Walt Disney Animation Studios

Founded in 1923, Walt Disney Animation Studios is widely touted as the oldest-running animation studio in the world, per Inside the Magic. Despite its storied history, the Burbank, California-based studio has been met with a slew of challenges over its more than 100 years in business.

The Walt Disney Company closed Blue Sky Studios in April 2021, per Deadline. Disney acquired the computer animation division, which was behind the largely successful “Ice Age” franchise, in March 2019 after buying 21st Century Fox. A little over two years later, the studio was forced to shutter after being rocked by economic setbacks caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Given the current economic realities, after much consideration and evaluation, we have made the difficult decision to close filmmaking operations at Blue Sky Studios,” Walt Disney Studios told the Los Angeles Times at the time.

Earlier this month, it was revealed that Walt Disney Animation Studios had outsourced some of its animations for its upcoming six-part animated series, “Iwájú,” to Cinesite. The independent visual effects and animation studio is headquartered in London and has studios in Montreal and Vancouver, Canada. “Iwájú” is slated to premiere exclusively on Disney’s flagship streaming service, Disney Plus, on Feb. 28.

Changes at Disney’s Live-Action Division

Disney’s live-action division has also undergone notable changes over the years. Most recently, the company announced the exit of Sean Bailey, who led Disney’s Motion Picture Studios as president for nearly 15 years, Deadline reported.

Mr. Bailey—who oversaw a swath of blockbuster live-action remakes of classic Disney animated films, such as 2017’s “Beauty and the Beast” and 2023’s “The Little Mermaid—has been replaced by David Greenbaum, who helmed the film company Searchlight Pictures. Mr. Greenbaum will now serve as the president of Disney Live Action and 20th Century Studios, effective immediately, and will report to Alan Bergman, the co-chairman of Disney Entertainment.

“David has an incredible creative sensibility and eye for film, and he has built a reputation as an exceptional leader and creative executive, as proven by his track record at Searchlight Pictures and deep relationships throughout the industry,” Mr. Bergman said in a statement, per Variety. “I’m thrilled that he’ll be taking on this new and important role.”

Mr. Bailey will still be involved in other Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures projects, including serving as the producer of the forthcoming “Tron: Ares.” The third feature film in the Tron franchise, which is currently in production, is expected to hit theaters in 2025 or 2026, per Collider.

“These 15 years at Disney have been an incredible journey, but the time is right for a new chapter,” Mr. Bailey shared in a statement.

“I’m deeply grateful to my exceptional team and proud of the slate and history we’ve built together,” he continued. “I joined Disney while producing ‘Tron: Legacy,’ so it seems fitting that I will have the opportunity to work on the latest ‘Tron’ as I depart.”