Held Hostage by Mickey Mouse? Columnist Says ‘Sound of Freedom’ Was Shelved by Disney for Years

Breitbart columnist John Nolte wrote a commentary piece about the Angel Studios film "Sound of Freedom" being left to rot by Disney after acquiring 20th Century Fox in 2019.

The Disney-owned studio was supposed to distribute and supervise the production of the film prior to its acquisition by the Mickey Mouse giant. Part of the acquisition is all the projects 20th Century Fox was dealing with, including shelved ones like the story of former US Homeland Security agent-turned-crusader Tim Ballard, played by Jim Caviezel.

"Yes, the Walt Disney Co. owned 'Sound of Freedom'," Nolte wrote. "It was its movie, and Disney not only dumped it, but for nearly five years, Disney sat on Sound of Freedom, refusing to release it into theaters, stream it on its various streaming services, or sell it back to the producers."

Nolte alleged the film was "completed in 2018" and acquired by 20th Century Fox for theatrical distribution. When Disney bought the studio the next year, "Disney did nothing with this asset. Nothing," Nolte added.

It was only released in theaters after Angel Studios, the distributors behind the hit Jesus series "The Chosen," outrightly bought the rights to the film "after years of wrangling," and have it distributed during 2023's Fourth of July weekend, outshining blockbuster hits such as "Indiana Jones," "Barbie," and "Oppenheimer."

Disney's Loss, Angel Studios' Gain

"Produced for less than $15 million and promoted with a grassroots/crowd-funded publicity campaign, Sound of Freedom will cross the $100 million mark this week," Nolte said.

After the numbers are crunched and the bills paid, Angel Studios would take home at least 50% of the profit. By letting the film sit idle in its archives, he added, "Disney gave all that money away."

Disney previously argued "Sound of Freedom" was PG-13, and thus, could not be classified as a Disney movie. However, Nolte counter-argued that the Bob Iger-led conglomerate could place the film under the 20th Century Fox banner.

"There is no argument, at least no valid argument, the flailing company is willing to make publicly," he further claimed.

Meanwhile, AMC CEO Adam Aron has recently dismissed rumors AMC theaters have been purposely sabotaging screenings of the film "Sound of Freedom" because of unfounded allegations of its ties with the QAnon movement. He called such allegations "garbage information" and lamented the apparent prevalence of conspiracy theorists in the US.

Disney's Dirty Tactics

Having said that, Nolte noticed three familiar tactics Disney was using to discredit the film.

First was that the company "wanted nothing to do with a movie that appealed to Christians and had a Christian theme" since Angel Studios was seen as a firm leaning towards Christian values.

Aside from "The Chosen," it also released another biblical film called "His Only Son" earlier this year, which focused on the story of Abraham and Isaac. Another train of thought Nolte speculated on was the casting of Caviezel, who was more known as the actor playing Jesus in the Mel Gibson biblical masterpiece "The Passion of the Christ."

Another tactic Disney employed, Nolte continued, was its well-documented "fascist streak," which quietly shelved films like "The Path to 9/11" and "Song of the South" for "partisan political reasons," blacklisted Gina Carano for sharing a tweet that some say downplayed the experience of the Jews during the Holocaust, and allegedly committed "artistic vandalism" on the 1971 film "The French Connection."

Finally, Nolte argued that as much as Disney was calling out things that run against their own agenda, they were also pushing it forward as an alternative.

"Does anyone doubt that Disney, a company [100%] dedicated to sexually grooming underage children, would find a movie that condemns the sex trafficking of children objectionable?" he retorted.

Nolte: Disney Went Woke, Disney Went Broke

In conclusion, Nolte deduced that Disney was "evil" for not only holding "Sound of Freedom" hostage but also for its questionable agenda which heavily leaned on the woke ideology of the political left.

He added Disney was willing to lose "tens of millions" of dollars in profit, countless jobs across its conglomerate, a plummeting dive in its market shares, and even Johnny Depp to promote what he called its "amoral, grooming, cinematic propaganda campaign."

"Disney is evil, and evil is willing to profit from anything...except that which is good," Nolte concluded. "'Sound of Freedom' is a crucifix to Disney's child-stalking vampires."

Last week, Caviezel was quoted saying media giants were "quaking in their boots" for the apparent wild card win of "Sound of Freedom" despite its bootstrapped nature compared to its blockbuster competitors that simultaneously made their debut screening alongside them.

"[I]t's because the public is listening to their hearts, which is what this film tells you to do," Caviezel added.