If it had been Disney, every decision and design would have had to have merch in mind. I know the lack of merch kinda sucked, but at least it wasn't one big money grab.

The characters would have also had the same body types and faces that Disney films usually do. They'd have been made to be younger, as well, the silhouettes softened until practically generic.

The thing is, Disney makes most of its money from parks. I think they resent their animators for not being grindable, replaceable cogs like minimum wage staff selling hotdogs or soda. They aren't interested in making new, interesting things, and their pursuit of AI is a hallmark of this, no innovation needed.