{"id":13214,"date":"2026-07-22T04:26:15","date_gmt":"2026-07-21T23:26:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=13214"},"modified":"2026-07-22T04:26:15","modified_gmt":"2026-07-21T23:26:15","slug":"why-disneys-1-5-billion-space-opera-was-just-dethroned-by-a-new-fantasy-global-hit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=13214","title":{"rendered":"Why Disney+&#8217;s $1.5 Billion Space Opera Was Just Dethroned By A New Fantasy Global Hit"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : '644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 90,\r\n    'width' : 728,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/screenrant.com\/tag\/disney-plus\/\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>Disney+<\/strong><\/a> has a new top movie in town, and the fact that this brand-new fantasy film has topped a space opera that became one of the <a href=\"https:\/\/screenrant.com\/highest-grossing-movies-ever\/\" target=\"_blank\">highest-grossing movies of all time<\/a> is actually not that surprising. <a href=\"https:\/\/screenrant.com\/disney-plus-original-movies-ranked-worst-best\/\" target=\"_blank\">Disney+&#8217;s movie library<\/a> makes it one of the go-to streaming services for a few genres. Among the ones that perform the best at the streamer is sci-fi.<\/p>\n<p>    <!-- No AdsNinja v10 Client! --><!-- No AdsNinja v10 Client! --><\/p>\n<p>The reason for that is quite clear. As the streaming home of iconic cinematic franchises, Disney+ holds several releases from the Star Wars universe. Other sci-fi or sci-fi-adjacent franchises with either movies or TV shows available on the streaming service include Alien, the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and James Cameron&#8217;s Avatar. The latter has marked its name in history as a trailblazer.<\/p>\n<p>After all, it was Cameron&#8217;s first entry in the franchise, 2009&#8217;s <em>Avatar<\/em>, that helped popularize 3D as a theatrical format. That film has since become the highest-grossing movie of all time, with its sequel, 2022&#8217;s <em>Avatar: The Way of Water<\/em>, breaking the $2 billion mark. More recently, the final movie in the franchise&#8217;s original chapter was released to global success.<\/p>\n<div class=\"w-display-card-vignette\">\n<div class=\"dm-quiz\">\n<p>  <canvas class=\"dm-particles\" id=\"dm-particles\"\/><\/p>\n<p>  <input type=\"radio\" id=\"dm-s0\" name=\"dm-step\" checked=\"checked\"\/><br \/>\n  <input type=\"radio\" id=\"dm-s1\" name=\"dm-step\"\/><br \/>\n  <input type=\"radio\" id=\"dm-s2\" name=\"dm-step\"\/><br \/>\n  <input type=\"radio\" id=\"dm-s3\" name=\"dm-step\"\/><br \/>\n  <input type=\"radio\" id=\"dm-s4\" name=\"dm-step\"\/><br \/>\n  <input type=\"radio\" id=\"dm-s5\" name=\"dm-step\"\/><br \/>\n  <input type=\"radio\" id=\"dm-s6\" name=\"dm-step\"\/><br \/>\n  <input type=\"radio\" id=\"dm-s7\" name=\"dm-step\"\/><br \/>\n  <input type=\"radio\" id=\"dm-s8\" name=\"dm-step\"\/><br \/>\n  <input type=\"radio\" id=\"dm-sR\" name=\"dm-step\"\/><\/p>\n<p>  <input type=\"radio\" id=\"dm-q1a\" name=\"dm-q1\"\/><input type=\"radio\" id=\"dm-q1b\" name=\"dm-q1\"\/><input type=\"radio\" id=\"dm-q1c\" name=\"dm-q1\"\/><input type=\"radio\" id=\"dm-q1d\" name=\"dm-q1\"\/><br \/>\n  <input type=\"radio\" id=\"dm-q2a\" name=\"dm-q2\"\/><input type=\"radio\" id=\"dm-q2b\" name=\"dm-q2\"\/><input type=\"radio\" id=\"dm-q2c\" name=\"dm-q2\"\/><input type=\"radio\" id=\"dm-q2d\" name=\"dm-q2\"\/><br \/>\n  <input type=\"radio\" id=\"dm-q3a\" name=\"dm-q3\"\/><input type=\"radio\" id=\"dm-q3b\" name=\"dm-q3\"\/><input type=\"radio\" id=\"dm-q3c\" name=\"dm-q3\"\/><input type=\"radio\" id=\"dm-q3d\" name=\"dm-q3\"\/><br \/>\n  <input type=\"radio\" id=\"dm-q4a\" name=\"dm-q4\"\/><input type=\"radio\" id=\"dm-q4b\" name=\"dm-q4\"\/><input type=\"radio\" id=\"dm-q4c\" name=\"dm-q4\"\/><input type=\"radio\" id=\"dm-q4d\" name=\"dm-q4\"\/><br \/>\n  <input type=\"radio\" id=\"dm-q5a\" name=\"dm-q5\"\/><input type=\"radio\" id=\"dm-q5b\" name=\"dm-q5\"\/><input type=\"radio\" id=\"dm-q5c\" name=\"dm-q5\"\/><input type=\"radio\" id=\"dm-q5d\" name=\"dm-q5\"\/><br \/>\n  <input type=\"radio\" id=\"dm-q6a\" name=\"dm-q6\"\/><input type=\"radio\" id=\"dm-q6b\" name=\"dm-q6\"\/><input type=\"radio\" id=\"dm-q6c\" name=\"dm-q6\"\/><input type=\"radio\" id=\"dm-q6d\" name=\"dm-q6\"\/><br \/>\n  <input type=\"radio\" id=\"dm-q7a\" name=\"dm-q7\"\/><input type=\"radio\" id=\"dm-q7b\" name=\"dm-q7\"\/><input type=\"radio\" id=\"dm-q7c\" name=\"dm-q7\"\/><input type=\"radio\" id=\"dm-q7d\" name=\"dm-q7\"\/><br \/>\n  <input type=\"radio\" id=\"dm-q8a\" name=\"dm-q8\"\/><input type=\"radio\" id=\"dm-q8b\" name=\"dm-q8\"\/><input type=\"radio\" id=\"dm-q8c\" name=\"dm-q8\"\/><input type=\"radio\" id=\"dm-q8d\" name=\"dm-q8\"\/><\/p>\n<div class=\"dm-slides\">\n<p>    <!-- INTRO --><\/p>\n<section class=\"dm-slide dm-sl0\">\n<div class=\"dm-intro-box\">\n        <span class=\"dm-ep-label\">From Steamboat Willie to Encanto \u00b7 Eight Questions<\/span><br \/>\n        <span class=\"dm-main-title\">How Well Do You Know Disney Movies?<\/span><br \/>\n        <span class=\"dm-crawl-sub\">\u201cWhen you wish upon a star\u2026\u201d<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"dm-theme-previews\">\n<p><span class=\"dm-theme-icon\">\ud83d\udc2d<\/span><span class=\"dm-theme-name\" style=\"color:#f04860\">Steamboat Era<\/span><span class=\"dm-theme-words\">Black-and-white Mickey<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"dm-theme-icon\">\ud83d\udc51<\/span><span class=\"dm-theme-name\" style=\"color:#f0d890\">The Princesses<\/span><span class=\"dm-theme-words\">Snow White onward<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"dm-theme-icon\">\ud83e\udd81<\/span><span class=\"dm-theme-name\" style=\"color:#e8a830\">90s Renaissance<\/span><span class=\"dm-theme-words\">Lion King &amp; Aladdin<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"dm-theme-icon\">\ud83d\udca1<\/span><span class=\"dm-theme-name\" style=\"color:#ffe040\">Pixar Lamp<\/span><span class=\"dm-theme-words\">Toy Story onward<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"dm-theme-icon\">\u2744\ufe0f<\/span><span class=\"dm-theme-name\" style=\"color:#7ec8e8\">Modern Era<\/span><span class=\"dm-theme-words\">Frozen &amp; beyond<\/span><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><label class=\"dm-btn-primary\" for=\"dm-s1\">UNLOCK THE VAULT \u2192<\/label><\/p>\n<\/section>\n<p>    <!-- Q1: Steamboat Willie --><\/p>\n<section class=\"dm-slide dm-sl1\">\n<div class=\"dm-question-card\">\n<p>01<\/p>\n<p>        <span class=\"dm-question-text\">On November 18, 1928, Walt Disney premiered a seven-minute black-and-white short at the Colony Theatre in New York \u2014 the first Mickey Mouse cartoon released to the public, and one of the earliest sound cartoons ever made. Whistling Mickey at the helm of a riverboat became the studio\u2019s first iconic image. Name the short.<\/span>\n      <\/div>\n<p>\n        <label class=\"dm-option-btn dm-opt-1a\" for=\"dm-q1a\"><span class=\"dm-option-letter\">A<\/span>Plane Crazy<\/label><br \/>\n        <label class=\"dm-option-btn dm-opt-1b\" for=\"dm-q1b\"><span class=\"dm-option-letter\">B<\/span>Steamboat Willie<\/label><br \/>\n        <label class=\"dm-option-btn dm-opt-1c\" for=\"dm-q1c\"><span class=\"dm-option-letter\">C<\/span>The Karnival Kid<\/label><br \/>\n        <label class=\"dm-option-btn dm-opt-1d\" for=\"dm-q1d\"><span class=\"dm-option-letter\">D<\/span>The Gallopin\u2019 Gaucho<\/label>\n      <\/p>\n<div class=\"dm-feedback\">\n<p>\u2713 Correct! Steamboat Willie. Mickey actually finished production first on the silent short Plane Crazy earlier that year, but Walt and his brother Roy bet the studio\u2019s entire future on retooling Steamboat Willie with synchronised sound \u2014 a brand-new technology that had only just appeared with The Jazz Singer (1927). The gamble worked: Steamboat Willie\u2019s November 1928 release made Mickey an instant national icon and put Disney on the map. The short entered the public domain in January 2024, exactly 95 years after release.<\/p>\n<p>\u2717 Wrong. The answer is Steamboat Willie. Plane Crazy was actually animated first (May 1928, silent) but didn\u2019t find a distributor. The Gallopin\u2019 Gaucho was the second Mickey short, also originally silent. The Karnival Kid (1929) is where Mickey first speaks. The breakthrough \u2014 the first publicly released, sound-synchronised Mickey short \u2014 is Steamboat Willie.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><label class=\"dm-btn-next\" for=\"dm-s2\">NEXT \u2192<\/label><\/p>\n<\/section>\n<p>    <!-- Q2: Snow White \/ first feature --><\/p>\n<section class=\"dm-slide dm-sl2\">\n<div class=\"dm-question-card\">\n<p>02<\/p>\n<p>        <span class=\"dm-question-text\">Walt Disney sank the studio\u2019s entire balance sheet, plus a heavy mortgage on his home, into a project Hollywood derisively called \u201cDisney\u2019s Folly\u201d \u2014 the first full-length cel-animated feature film ever made in English. It premiered December 21, 1937 at the Carthay Circle Theatre in Los Angeles to a standing ovation. Name the film.<\/span>\n      <\/div>\n<p>\n        <label class=\"dm-option-btn dm-opt-2a\" for=\"dm-q2a\"><span class=\"dm-option-letter\">A<\/span>Pinocchio<\/label><br \/>\n        <label class=\"dm-option-btn dm-opt-2b\" for=\"dm-q2b\"><span class=\"dm-option-letter\">B<\/span>Bambi<\/label><br \/>\n        <label class=\"dm-option-btn dm-opt-2c\" for=\"dm-q2c\"><span class=\"dm-option-letter\">C<\/span>Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs<\/label><br \/>\n        <label class=\"dm-option-btn dm-opt-2d\" for=\"dm-q2d\"><span class=\"dm-option-letter\">D<\/span>Fantasia<\/label>\n      <\/p>\n<div class=\"dm-feedback\">\n<p>\u2713 Correct! Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937). The 83-minute film cost $1.49 million \u2014 an enormous gamble at the height of the Depression \u2014 and grossed $8 million on its initial release, the highest-grossing sound film made up to that point. Walt won an honorary Oscar (one large statuette and seven small ones, presented by Shirley Temple). The film\u2019s success funded the construction of Disney\u2019s Burbank studio and effectively created the feature-animation industry.<\/p>\n<p>\u2717 Wrong. The answer is Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Pinocchio (1940) is the second Disney feature. Fantasia (1940) is the third. Bambi (1942) is the fifth. Snow White was the bet-the-studio first \u2014 ridiculed in production as \u201cDisney\u2019s Folly\u201d before becoming the highest-grossing sound film ever made up to 1937.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><label class=\"dm-btn-next\" for=\"dm-s3\">NEXT \u2192<\/label><\/p>\n<\/section>\n<p>    <!-- Q3: Disneyland 1955 --><\/p>\n<section class=\"dm-slide dm-sl3\">\n<div class=\"dm-question-card\">\n<p>03<\/p>\n<p>        <span class=\"dm-question-text\">Walt Disney\u2019s vision of a film-quality theme park opened to a chaotic, oversold \u201cBlack Sunday\u201d debut \u2014 counterfeit tickets, a gas leak, and asphalt soft enough to swallow women\u2019s heels. The Anaheim park was built on 160 acres of orange groves in just 12 months. In which year did Disneyland open?<\/span>\n      <\/div>\n<p>\n        <label class=\"dm-option-btn dm-opt-3a\" for=\"dm-q3a\"><span class=\"dm-option-letter\">A<\/span>1948<\/label><br \/>\n        <label class=\"dm-option-btn dm-opt-3b\" for=\"dm-q3b\"><span class=\"dm-option-letter\">B<\/span>1955<\/label><br \/>\n        <label class=\"dm-option-btn dm-opt-3c\" for=\"dm-q3c\"><span class=\"dm-option-letter\">C<\/span>1962<\/label><br \/>\n        <label class=\"dm-option-btn dm-opt-3d\" for=\"dm-q3d\"><span class=\"dm-option-letter\">D<\/span>1971<\/label>\n      <\/p>\n<div class=\"dm-feedback\">\n<p>\u2713 Correct! July 17, 1955 \u2014 press preview day, dubbed \u201cBlack Sunday\u201d in Disney company lore. ABC broadcast a live two-hour TV special featuring Ronald Reagan, Bob Cummings and Art Linkletter (collectively winging the script as things went wrong). Disneyland was built on Anaheim orange groves Walt mortgaged his home to fund. Walt Disney World opened in 1971 in Orlando, six years after Walt\u2019s death \u2014 that\u2019s the date many people confuse with Disneyland\u2019s opening.<\/p>\n<p>\u2717 Wrong. The answer is 1955 \u2014 specifically July 17. 1948 is when Walt first sketched the concept. 1962 doesn\u2019t mark a major Disney park milestone. 1971 is when Walt Disney World opened in Florida (six years after Walt\u2019s death) \u2014 that\u2019s the date most often confused with Disneyland\u2019s. The original Anaheim park opened in 1955.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><label class=\"dm-btn-next\" for=\"dm-s4\">NEXT \u2192<\/label><\/p>\n<\/section>\n<p>    <!-- Q4: Lion King \/ Hamlet --><\/p>\n<section class=\"dm-slide dm-sl4\">\n<div class=\"dm-question-card\">\n<p>04<\/p>\n<p>        <span class=\"dm-question-text\">The Lion King (1994) was pitched internally as \u201cBambi meets\u2026\u201d a particular Shakespeare play \u2014 and the parallels are unmissable: a young prince\u2019s father is murdered by his uncle, who usurps the throne; the prince later returns to avenge him. Which Shakespeare tragedy provided the bones of the story?<\/span>\n      <\/div>\n<p>\n        <label class=\"dm-option-btn dm-opt-4a\" for=\"dm-q4a\"><span class=\"dm-option-letter\">A<\/span>Macbeth<\/label><br \/>\n        <label class=\"dm-option-btn dm-opt-4b\" for=\"dm-q4b\"><span class=\"dm-option-letter\">B<\/span>Othello<\/label><br \/>\n        <label class=\"dm-option-btn dm-opt-4c\" for=\"dm-q4c\"><span class=\"dm-option-letter\">C<\/span>Hamlet<\/label><br \/>\n        <label class=\"dm-option-btn dm-opt-4d\" for=\"dm-q4d\"><span class=\"dm-option-letter\">D<\/span>King Lear<\/label>\n      <\/p>\n<div class=\"dm-feedback\">\n<p>\u2713 Correct! Hamlet. The internal pitch was famously \u201cBambi meets Hamlet\u201d (or, in some retellings, \u201cHamlet with lions\u201d): Mufasa is the murdered king-father (Hamlet Sr.), Scar is the usurping uncle (Claudius), Simba is the exiled prince (Hamlet), and even the ghost-on-a-cliff appearance plays out beat-for-beat. The Lion King grossed $968 million worldwide and remained the highest-grossing animated film for 16 years until Toy Story 3 broke the record in 2010.<\/p>\n<p>\u2717 Wrong. The answer is Hamlet. Macbeth is the \u201cambitious wife pushes husband to murder the king\u201d story (the closer Disney parallel there is the Frollo\/Esmeralda dynamic in Hunchback). Othello is the jealousy tragedy. King Lear is the divided-kingdom tragedy. The Lion King\u2019s bones are unambiguously Hamlet\u2019s \u2014 ghost, uncle-murderer, exiled-prince and all.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><label class=\"dm-btn-next\" for=\"dm-s5\">NEXT \u2192<\/label><\/p>\n<\/section>\n<p>    <!-- Q5: Frozen \/ Let It Go --><\/p>\n<section class=\"dm-slide dm-sl5\">\n<div class=\"dm-question-card\">\n<p>05<\/p>\n<p>        <span class=\"dm-question-text\">Frozen (2013) became the highest-grossing animated film at the time and won two Oscars including Best Animated Feature. Its standout song \u2014 performed by Idina Menzel as Elsa, written by Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez \u2014 won the Oscar for Best Original Song and dominated radio playlists for an entire year. Name the song.<\/span>\n      <\/div>\n<p>\n        <label class=\"dm-option-btn dm-opt-5a\" for=\"dm-q5a\"><span class=\"dm-option-letter\">A<\/span>Let It Go<\/label><br \/>\n        <label class=\"dm-option-btn dm-opt-5b\" for=\"dm-q5b\"><span class=\"dm-option-letter\">B<\/span>Do You Want to Build a Snowman?<\/label><br \/>\n        <label class=\"dm-option-btn dm-opt-5c\" for=\"dm-q5c\"><span class=\"dm-option-letter\">C<\/span>For the First Time in Forever<\/label><br \/>\n        <label class=\"dm-option-btn dm-opt-5d\" for=\"dm-q5d\"><span class=\"dm-option-letter\">D<\/span>Love Is an Open Door<\/label>\n      <\/p>\n<div class=\"dm-feedback\">\n<p>\u2713 Correct! \u201cLet It Go\u201d \u2014 the Oscar-winning power ballad that fundamentally rewrote the film\u2019s plot in production: Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez wrote the song so persuasively that the directors threw out the existing script and rewrote Elsa from villain to misunderstood protagonist. The song spent over 30 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100, was translated into 41 languages for international releases, and its Idina Menzel single sold 10.9 million copies. Frozen grossed $1.28 billion and held the highest-grossing-animated-film record until its own 2019 sequel.<\/p>\n<p>\u2717 Wrong. The answer is \u201cLet It Go.\u201d The other three options are also Frozen songs by the same Lopez\/Anderson-Lopez writing team. \u201cDo You Want to Build a Snowman?\u201d is the early childhood-montage number. \u201cFor the First Time in Forever\u201d is Anna\u2019s coronation-day song. \u201cLove Is an Open Door\u201d is the Hans\/Anna duet. The Oscar-winning monster hit is \u201cLet It Go.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><label class=\"dm-btn-next\" for=\"dm-s6\">NEXT \u2192<\/label><\/p>\n<\/section>\n<p>    <!-- Q6: Toy Story \/ first Pixar --><\/p>\n<section class=\"dm-slide dm-sl6\">\n<div class=\"dm-question-card\">\n<p>06<\/p>\n<p>        <span class=\"dm-question-text\">In November 1995, Pixar \u2014 then a small Disney distribution partner founded by Ed Catmull, John Lasseter and Steve Jobs \u2014 released the world\u2019s first fully computer-animated feature film. It became the highest-grossing film of 1995 in North America and won a Special Achievement Oscar for John Lasseter. Name the movie.<\/span>\n      <\/div>\n<p>\n        <label class=\"dm-option-btn dm-opt-6a\" for=\"dm-q6a\"><span class=\"dm-option-letter\">A<\/span>A Bug\u2019s Life<\/label><br \/>\n        <label class=\"dm-option-btn dm-opt-6b\" for=\"dm-q6b\"><span class=\"dm-option-letter\">B<\/span>Toy Story<\/label><br \/>\n        <label class=\"dm-option-btn dm-opt-6c\" for=\"dm-q6c\"><span class=\"dm-option-letter\">C<\/span>Monsters, Inc.<\/label><br \/>\n        <label class=\"dm-option-btn dm-opt-6d\" for=\"dm-q6d\"><span class=\"dm-option-letter\">D<\/span>Finding Nemo<\/label>\n      <\/p>\n<div class=\"dm-feedback\">\n<p>\u2713 Correct! Toy Story (November 22, 1995). Made for $30 million, it grossed $373 million worldwide and immediately rewrote what was possible in animation. Steve Jobs \u2014 who\u2019d bought Pixar from Lucasfilm in 1986 for $5 million \u2014 took the company public a week after the film\u2019s release at $22 a share, instantly making him a billionaire. Disney bought Pixar outright in 2006 for $7.4 billion in stock, making Jobs Disney\u2019s largest individual shareholder. A Bug\u2019s Life (1998) was the second Pixar feature; Monsters, Inc. (2001) the fourth.<\/p>\n<p>\u2717 Wrong. The answer is Toy Story (1995). A Bug\u2019s Life (1998), Monsters, Inc. (2001) and Finding Nemo (2003) are all later Pixar features. Toy Story was the studio\u2019s first \u2014 and the first fully computer-animated theatrical feature in cinema history. Its release a week before Steve Jobs took Pixar public effectively turned him from struggling NeXT-era founder into a billionaire.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><label class=\"dm-btn-next\" for=\"dm-s7\">NEXT \u2192<\/label><\/p>\n<\/section>\n<p>    <!-- Q7: Marvel acquisition 2009 --><\/p>\n<section class=\"dm-slide dm-sl7\">\n<div class=\"dm-question-card\">\n<p>07<\/p>\n<p>        <span class=\"dm-question-text\">In a roughly seven-year span, Disney made a sequence of franchise acquisitions that transformed it from an animation studio into a global IP empire. Pixar (2006, $7.4B), Lucasfilm (2012, $4.05B) and 21st Century Fox (2019, $71.3B) bracket the era. The remaining major brand \u2014 bought in 2009 for $4 billion \u2014 brought Iron Man, Spider-Man and the Avengers under Disney\u2019s roof. Name it.<\/span>\n      <\/div>\n<p>\n        <label class=\"dm-option-btn dm-opt-7a\" for=\"dm-q7a\"><span class=\"dm-option-letter\">A<\/span>DC Entertainment<\/label><br \/>\n        <label class=\"dm-option-btn dm-opt-7b\" for=\"dm-q7b\"><span class=\"dm-option-letter\">B<\/span>Image Comics<\/label><br \/>\n        <label class=\"dm-option-btn dm-opt-7c\" for=\"dm-q7c\"><span class=\"dm-option-letter\">C<\/span>Marvel Entertainment<\/label><br \/>\n        <label class=\"dm-option-btn dm-opt-7d\" for=\"dm-q7d\"><span class=\"dm-option-letter\">D<\/span>Dark Horse Comics<\/label>\n      <\/p>\n<div class=\"dm-feedback\">\n<p>\u2713 Correct! Marvel Entertainment, acquired August 2009 for $4 billion. The deal followed Marvel Studios\u2019 first independent production (Iron Man, 2008) and gave Disney rights to over 5,000 characters \u2014 though crucially not Spider-Man (still under a Sony deal) or the X-Men\/Fantastic Four (under Fox until the 2019 acquisition reunited them). Disney\u2019s combined Marvel-Lucasfilm-Pixar-Fox portfolio is now the largest IP holding in entertainment history.<\/p>\n<p>\u2717 Wrong. The answer is Marvel Entertainment. DC Entertainment is owned by Warner Bros. Discovery (since the 1969 Kinney\/National acquisition). Image Comics and Dark Horse remain independent. Disney bought Marvel in August 2009 for $4 billion, two years after Marvel Studios\u2019 first self-financed film (Iron Man, 2008).<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><label class=\"dm-btn-next\" for=\"dm-s8\">NEXT \u2192<\/label><\/p>\n<\/section>\n<p>    <!-- Q8: Lin-Manuel Miranda \/ Moana --><\/p>\n<section class=\"dm-slide dm-sl8\">\n<div class=\"dm-question-card\">\n<p>08<\/p>\n<p>        <span class=\"dm-question-text\">Disney Animation\u2019s Moana (2016) features Hawaiian newcomer Auli\u2019i Cravalho as the title role and Dwayne Johnson as the demigod Maui. Its musical numbers \u2014 including \u201cHow Far I\u2019ll Go\u201d and \u201cYou\u2019re Welcome\u201d \u2014 were co-written by a Pulitzer- and Tony-winning Broadway composer who\u2019d become a household name with Hamilton the previous year. Name him.<\/span>\n      <\/div>\n<p>\n        <label class=\"dm-option-btn dm-opt-8a\" for=\"dm-q8a\"><span class=\"dm-option-letter\">A<\/span>Stephen Sondheim<\/label><br \/>\n        <label class=\"dm-option-btn dm-opt-8b\" for=\"dm-q8b\"><span class=\"dm-option-letter\">B<\/span>Andrew Lloyd Webber<\/label><br \/>\n        <label class=\"dm-option-btn dm-opt-8c\" for=\"dm-q8c\"><span class=\"dm-option-letter\">C<\/span>Lin-Manuel Miranda<\/label><br \/>\n        <label class=\"dm-option-btn dm-opt-8d\" for=\"dm-q8d\"><span class=\"dm-option-letter\">D<\/span>Alan Menken<\/label>\n      <\/p>\n<div class=\"dm-feedback\">\n<p>\u2713 Correct! Lin-Manuel Miranda \u2014 co-writing with Te Vaka frontman Opetaia Foa\u2019i and composer Mark Mancina. Miranda\u2019s Hamilton had opened on Broadway the year before (August 2015) and turned him into the rare Disney songwriter with crossover Broadway-rap credibility. Miranda has since become a Disney mainstay, returning for Encanto (2021), where his songs \u201cSurface Pressure\u201d and \u201cWe Don\u2019t Talk About Bruno\u201d topped the Billboard Hot 100.<\/p>\n<p>\u2717 Wrong. The answer is Lin-Manuel Miranda. Stephen Sondheim wrote Sweeney Todd, Into the Woods and West Side Story\u2019s lyrics \u2014 but never a Disney animated feature. Andrew Lloyd Webber wrote Cats, Phantom and Evita \u2014 also never a Disney film. Alan Menken is the great Disney Renaissance composer (Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin) but didn\u2019t write Moana\u2019s songs. Moana is Miranda\u2019s, with Foa\u2019i and Mancina.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><label class=\"dm-btn-next\" for=\"dm-sR\">REVEAL MY RATING \u2192<\/label><\/p>\n<\/section>\n<p>    <!-- RESULTS --><\/p>\n<section class=\"dm-slide dm-slR\">\n<p>\n        <span class=\"dm-result-label\">The Castle Has Spoken \u00b7 Final Tally<\/span><br \/>\n        <span class=\"dm-result-title\">Your Magic Kingdom Standing<\/span>\n      <\/p>\n<div class=\"dm-score-box\">\n        <span class=\"dm-score-icon\">\ud83d\udc51<\/span><\/p>\n<p>\n          <span class=\"dm-score-num\"\/><span class=\"dm-score-of\"> \/ 8<\/span>\n        <\/p>\n<p>        <span class=\"dm-score-msg\">True Disney royalty \u2014 or just a tourist with churros?<\/span>\n      <\/div>\n<p><label class=\"dm-btn-restart\" for=\"dm-s0\">\u2934 ANOTHER WISH<\/label><\/p>\n<\/section><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<p>That would be <a href=\"https:\/\/screenrant.com\/db\/movie\/avatar-fire-and-ash\/\" target=\"_blank\"><em><strong>Avatar: Fire and Ash<\/strong><\/em><\/a>. Before the <a href=\"https:\/\/screenrant.com\/avatar-4-movie-release-status-updates\/\" target=\"_blank\">upcoming <em>Avatar 4<\/em><\/a> changes the state of the franchise with a planned time jump, the third entry in the space opera franchise came close to $1.5 billion at the worldwide box office. It became a major hit on Disney+ when it released there recently, but now another film has taken over the sci-fi sensation&#8217;s crown.<\/p>\n<p>    <!-- No AdsNinja v10 Client! --><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"avatar-fire-and-ash-was-dethroned-by-a-massive-disney-franchise\">\n                        Avatar: Fire And Ash Was Dethroned By A Massive Disney Franchise<br \/>\n               <\/h2>\n<div class=\"body-img landscape mobile-optimized\">\n<div class=\"responsive-img  image-expandable  img-article-item\" style=\"padding-bottom:56.25%\" data-img-url=\"https:\/\/static0.srcdn.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/sam-worthington-as-jake-in-avatar-fire-and-ash.jpg\" data-modal-id=\"single-image-modal\" data-modal-container-id=\"single-image-modal-container\" data-img-caption=\"&quot;&quot;\">\n<figure><picture><source media=\"(max-width: 480px)\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/static0.srcdn.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/sam-worthington-as-jake-in-avatar-fire-and-ash.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=500&amp;dpr=2\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static0.srcdn.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/sam-worthington-as-jake-in-avatar-fire-and-ash.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=500&amp;dpr=2\"\/><source media=\"(max-width: 767px)\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/static0.srcdn.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/sam-worthington-as-jake-in-avatar-fire-and-ash.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=800&amp;dpr=2\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static0.srcdn.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/sam-worthington-as-jake-in-avatar-fire-and-ash.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=800&amp;dpr=2\"\/><source media=\"(max-width: 1023px)\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/static0.srcdn.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/sam-worthington-as-jake-in-avatar-fire-and-ash.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=825&amp;dpr=2\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static0.srcdn.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/sam-worthington-as-jake-in-avatar-fire-and-ash.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=825&amp;dpr=2\"\/><img width=\"1650\" height=\"928\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Sam Worthington looking serious as Jake in Avatar Fire and Ash\" data-img-url=\"https:\/\/static0.srcdn.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/sam-worthington-as-jake-in-avatar-fire-and-ash.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=825&amp;dpr=2\" src=\"https:\/\/static0.srcdn.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/sam-worthington-as-jake-in-avatar-fire-and-ash.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=825&amp;dpr=2\"\/>\n        <\/picture><figcaption style=\"display: none;\">Sam Worthington looking serious as Jake in Avatar Fire and Ash<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><em>Avatar: Fire and Ash<\/em> was released on Disney+ on June 24, and all it took for the space opera to land at the top of the streamer&#8217;s global charts was a single day of availability on the platform. Since then, the sci-fi movie has reigned supreme on Disney+, but all good things must come to an end. <em>Avatar: Fire and Ash<\/em> was finally dethroned close to its one-month mark at the head of the streamer&#8217;s global charts, with <a href=\"https:\/\/screenrant.com\/db\/movie\/descendants-wicked-wonderland\/\" target=\"_blank\"><strong><em>Descendants: Wicked Wonderland<\/em><\/strong><\/a> currently standing as the most-watched movie on Disney+ worldwide. The new fantasy movie passed Cameron&#8217;s epic on July 19.<\/p>\n<p>It took a little longer for <em>Descendants: Wicked Wonderland<\/em> to become Disney+&#8217;s #1 movie compared to <em>Avatar: Fire and Ash<\/em>. The fantasy musical was released on Disney+ on July 17, needing two days to pass the third Avatar film, according to FlixPatrol. Right now, both films rank higher than popular movies like<em> Ready or Not 2: Here I Come<\/em>, <em>Moana 2<\/em>,<em> Avengers: Endgame<\/em>, <em>Toy Story 4<\/em>, and many more. <em>Descendants: Wicked Wonderland<\/em> is trending in 73 countries, ranking as high as Disney+&#8217;s #1 movie in 52 of them, which is a massive feat.<\/p>\n<p>    <!-- No AdsNinja v10 Client! --><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"why-descendants-wicked-wonderland-is-worth-watching-on-disney\">\n                        Why Descendants: Wicked Wonderland Is Worth Watching On Disney+<br \/>\n               <\/h2>\n<p> <em>Descendants: Wicked Wonderland<\/em> is not only an exciting fantasy movie, but also the fifth entry in a successful franchise, which helps explain why it has surpassed <em>Avatar: Fire and Ash <\/em>on Disney+&#8217;s charts so quickly. The Descendants movie franchise focuses on the children of several fan-favorite Disney heroes and villains. Some of the characters featured in the long-running universe include Dove Cameron&#8217;s Mal, aka the daughter of Maleficent, Sofia Carson&#8217;s Evie, the daughter of the Evil Queen, Cameron Boyce&#8217;s Carlos de Vil, aka Cruella&#8217;s son, and Booboo Stewart&#8217;s Jay, Jafar&#8217;s son.<\/p>\n<p>Descendants&#8217; movies have mostly performed well. The original trilogy holds critics&#8217; scores of 90%, 83%, and 78%, respectively, on Rotten Tomatoes. The only film in the fantasy franchise to earn a Rotten label so far was 2024&#8217;s <em>Descendants: The Rise of Red<\/em>, with a 57% critics&#8217; score and a lower 43% audience score. At the time of writing, <strong><em>Descendants: Wicked Wonderland <\/em><\/strong>stands above it with a 67% audience score. The new Descendants movie that dethroned <strong><em>Avatar: Fire and Ash<\/em><\/strong> follows Red, the daughter of the Queen of Hearts, and Chloe Charming, the daughter of Cinderella, as they face Maddox Hatter, the Mad Hatter&#8217;s son, who they accidentally turned evil through time travel.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<script async=\"async\" data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/pl30214220.effectivecpmnetwork.com\/9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<div id=\"container-9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\"><\/div>\r\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Disney+ has a new top movie in town, and the fact that this brand-new fantasy film has topped a space opera that became one of the highest-grossing movies of all time is actually not that surprising. Disney+&#8217;s movie library makes it one of the go-to streaming services for a few genres. Among the ones that&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":13215,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/static0.srcdn.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/a-giant-ship-in-avatar-fire-and-ash.jpg?w=1600&h=900&fit=crop","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[19],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13214","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-newsweek-trending"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13214","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=13214"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13214\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/13215"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=13214"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=13214"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=13214"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}