Disney always uses their social media accounts to celebrate the holidays. As such, they took the time to celebrate Thanksgiving as they usually do. This time, however, Disney chose a photo that was quite different.
When it comes to Thanksgiving, the company is usually tied with an image that features many of their iconic characters sitting at the dinner table. Fans will notably see Mickey Mouse and Minnie at the front of the table, with other characters spread throughout.
Disney is now facing backlash, however, for a new rendering of the iconic artwork. It seems as though they may have utilized AI to create a new version. Now Disney is under fire on social media sites like X by fans that feel they went too far.
Fans are quite unhappy with the results. After all, AI has become a controversial subject in recent times, and even became a major reason both the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes occurred. Here are some of the complaints that the image has prompted as a result:
I’m scared man wtf is this pic.twitter.com/8Dkz7SnvHq
— Endi (@AndyLicious96) November 23, 2023
Not as bad as this pic.twitter.com/GqrVpLOHba
— Kami Anime S (@KamiAnimess) November 23, 2023
It’s definitely AI-assisted. Why else would these vegetables overlap the glass? pic.twitter.com/75KRYYZq3Q
— Mickey Central (@Mickey_Central) November 23, 2023
Gonna tell my kids this was five nights at Freddy’s pic.twitter.com/pl1cNVJL3y
— JarJarStanx (@JarJarStanx) November 24, 2023
MAX!? What did they do to you!? pic.twitter.com/zoDReJzrLd
— Zman (@TheZmanShow) November 24, 2023
“Think” pic.twitter.com/SaVnpJgfKT
— Gabe Williams (@GabeWMusic) November 23, 2023
Hahahahaha your future generations aren’t going to be able to find a job
— WholeGrainOats (@grain_oats) November 24, 2023
We realize it is here to stay. That’s not the point.
There were literally two strikes about this.
— Bryy Turkey-ller – Scarecrows of Illyria out NOW! (@Bryy_Miller) November 24, 2023
Be so fr. Instead of hiring a REAL artist, they settle for a free alternative that makes art look lifeless and uncanny valley. And it steals art from actual artists. Where do u think ai comes up with an aesthetic?
— (@HeartHarleyQ) November 24, 2023
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It’s worth noting that Disney has previously utilized artificial intelligence in the creation of their projects. For example, the movie Prom Pact uses background actors created by AI, while the MCU series Secret Invasion on Disney Plus had its opening credits generated by AI.
Now that Disney has even used AI to recreate their iconic Thanksgiving photo, and during their one hundredth anniversary no less, it’s clear that they don’t intend on slowing down their use of AI tools. How fans will react to these decisions going forward is unclear – but right now they’re quite unhappy. Especially if the comments shared above are any indication.
Stay tuned to ScreenGeek for any additional updates regarding this situation as we have them. For now, we’ll just have to see what happens.