Following the news that Disney will be removing over 60 titles, including “Willow” from its streaming services around the world, including Hulu, Star+ and Disney+ on May 26th 2023,  John Bickerstaff, a writer on the “Willow” Disney+ series, took to social media to share his thoughts on the removal.

They gave us six months. Not even. This business has become absolutely cruel.

Before you say tax-write off: these shows have already been released and so can’t be a write-off. And in the case of Willow, they own the property outright. The only conclusion is that this is to get out of paying residuals. During a strike. And look, eternal streaming libraries are not sustainable. We’re all going to have to adjust to that at some point. But to spend [REDACTED] on a show and then disappear it six months later is just bad business.

Last week, during Disney’s quarterly investors call, Disney’s CFO Christine McCarthy revealed they would be removing more content from its streaming services, including Disney+, Hulu, ESPN+, Star+ and Hotstar.

We are in the process of reviewing the content on our DTC services to align with the strategic changes in our approach to content curation that you’ve heard Bob discuss. As a result, we will be removing certain content from our streaming platforms and currently expect to take an impairment charge of approximately $1.5 billion to $1.8 billion. The charge, which will not be recorded in our segment results, will primarily be recognized in the third quarter as we complete our review and remove the content.

An impairment charge is a term used to account for an asset that is no longer as valuable as it may have once been.

The list of shows includes some well-known shows and films, including “Howard”, “Willow”, “The Mysterious Benedict Society”, “Big Shot”, “Pistol”, “The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers”, “Diary Of A Future President”, “Maggie” and many more.

“Willow” is an epic period fantasy series with a modern sensibility set in an enchanted land of breathtaking beauty, “Willow” features a diverse international cast with Jonathan Kasdan, Ron Howard, Wendy Mericle, Kathleen Kennedy, and Michelle Rejwan serving as executive producers. The story began with an aspiring magician from a Nelwyn village and an infant girl destined to unite the realms, who together helped destroy an evil queen and banish the forces of darkness. Now, in a magical world where brownies, sorcerers, trolls, and other mystical creatures flourish, the adventure continues, as an unlikely group of heroes set off on a dangerous quest to places far beyond their home, where they must face their inner demons and come together to save their world.

Earlier this year, it was revealed Lucasfilm wouldn’t be moving forward on a second season, which was teased at the end of the season one finale.  But many fans held out hope that the show would one day return.  But now, the future of the show has been sealed, as less than six months after the series was released, it’s being removed as a tax write-off.

Fans have also been taking to social media to share their dismay at the show being removed from Disney+.

If you haven’t already watched “Willow” or want to rewatch it, you only have a few days to do so, before it’ll be removed on May 26th 2023.  So don’t delay!

What do you think of Disney+ removing “Willow”?  Let us know on social media!

Roger Palmer

Roger has been a Disney fan since he was a kid and this interest has grown over the years. He has visited Disney Parks around the globe and has a vast collection of Disney movies and collectibles. He is the owner of What's On Disney Plus & DisKingdom. Email: Roger@WhatsOnDisneyPlus.com Twitter: Twitter.com/RogPalmerUK Facebook: Facebook.com/rogpalmeruk

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