https://www.cartoonbrew.com/ideas-commentary/john-musker-disney-animation-needs-a-course-correction-241223.html

We weren’t trying to be woke, although I understand the criticism. The classic Disney films didn’t start out trying to have a message. They wanted you to get involved in the characters and the story and the world, and I think that’s still the heart of it. You don’t have to exclude agendas, but you have to first create characters who you sympathize with and who are compelling. I think they need to do a course correction a bit in terms of putting the message secondary, behind entertainment and compelling story and engaging characters.

To this day, I still will never understand what 'woke' ever truly means no matter how anyone describes it. Maybe the old movies did not 'need' a strongly, worded message... the actions within the movies spoke louder than words. Between the 1920s to today, all that mattered to us was the characters on the screen, how they carried their 'story' so to speak, and how they shaped the world that became enveloped in our hearts. It was never about meeting an agenda; it was about creating a compelling character we sympathize with (Even the villains). It's okay to have a message in any form of media, but to truly be entertained we must be reminder of two of the few matters that made Disney so engaging:

Great storytelling... and unforgettable characters.

7971254
I agree.

Moana was a very difficult project. It was our idea, but with Pixar and John Lasseter, our story kept changing hands. In the ’90s, we had Jeffrey. He was an emperor, you know. But there weren’t 10 Jeffreys. Now, you have too many people to satisfy, before we didn’t have 15 directors telling you how to make the movie. But in some ways, they were right, it was a good thing.

There is no question that Moana seemed to be a difficult project to pull off, and I'm certain it is not just referring to the animation. Like any idea, they can always change depending on the company working on it or when the position of the people changes hands. We can say how we feel about guys like this Jeffrey fellow, but there were tons of good projects when he was around. And moving forward, we continue to face a recurring problem: When you find yourself attempting to satisfy so many people, trying to accept 'everyone's' ideas, who ends up being the most miserable? You.

It's not to suggest it is the people's fault for why you are sad. But how many 'thank you' messages do some people get for accepting their ideas? When does it dawn on the people that for all the attempts to get their ideas added into one's story, when you suddenly realize how much you failed to take under account it may no longer be that person's story? An artist works hard to please the public's eye, but it can only be satisfying if the story or piece of art they put together comes from their own inspiration and key passages straight from the heart. It is not to discourage the public from sharing suggestions, even though in defense of the artist those people can easily do the work themselves (Just not exactly like the artist's format). There just has to be a need to address the matter of 'space', let the artist cook in their own way... or else you'll always end up with 'garbage' and then you are never satisfied.