This year marks the end of Bailey’s decade-old journey with Disney. A trip down Disney lane is fitting, as the production company bids farewell to the one and only Sean Bailey. Here are all of his contributions from 2010 to 2024.
Withdrawal from Disney Presidency
Sean Bailey; the name rings, rather blare a bell, when associated with Walt Disney Studios Motion Picture Production. He served as the president of Disney Studios Production for almost a decade and a half. The newly vacant presidential position, as well as that of 20th Century Studios, is filled by David Greenbaum, the President of Searchlight Pictures.
Although Disney seems to be hush-hush about the sudden swapping of presidents, it’s no secret that it has something to do with the recent underperforming box office releases, like the 2023 live-action remake of the 1989 animated classic feature, The Little Mermaid, that barely made it to the half-a-billion-dollar club, among others.
Journey to Disney
Sean Bailey is not a stranger to production. From 2001 to 2007, he has executively produced some of the most renowned projects including Project Greenlight (2001), The Emperor’s Club (2002), and as a producer for films Best Laid Plans (1997), Matchstick Men (2003) and Gone Baby Gone (2007). In 2008, Bailey grabbed the golden ticket and teamed with Disney to produce Tron: Legacy (2010).
In 2010, Sean Bailey was named the president of Walt Disney Studios Motion Picture Production. As president, he overlooked the making and release of hit features, Alice in Wonderland (2010), Maleficent (2014), Cinderella (2015), The Jungle Book (2016), Pete’s Dragon (2016), Beauty and the Beast (2017), Aladdin (2019), The Lion King (2019), and The Little Mermaid (2023).
Bailey, Blockbusters & Billions
During Sean Bailey’s presidential tenure, he also oversaw several films entering the billion-dollar club. The pentad of Disney live-action remakes that independently grossed over $1 billion, include Alice in Wonderland (2010), Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011) in partnership with Jerry Bruckheimer Films, Beauty and the Beast (2017), Aladdin (2019) and The Lion King (2019). This hit trend was short-lived, however, because the dominos of success soon toppled out of line with the release of Cruella (2021) and The Little Mermaid (2023), which only grossed $233.5 million and $569.6 million, respectively.
Bailey’s Legacy & the Future
Sean Bailey’s breakthrough as President of Disney Productions is certainly the inclusion of women-empowering roles and ripping the “damsel in distress” label off. The starring of Halle Bailey in The Little Mermaid, Yara Shahidi, Storm Reid, and Rachel Zegler in upcoming Disney remakes is extremely promising for all Hollywood gals of color/lineage.
Before stepping down as president, Sean Bailey passed several live-action films through the pipeline of completion and those include Snow White (2025), Mufasa: The Lion King (2024), live-action remake of Moana and Lilo and Stitch, currently in development.
The last bow of Sean Bailey ultimately caused more-than-marginal ripples and Steamboat Willie felt the wobbles. Let’s see how David Greenbaum will handle the reins of Disney Productions.
