Storyline Storyline STORYLINE!! Alot of the animated movies fail because the storyline is Weak or you don't care about the characters. With Disney, it also seems like they really try to please all the people and with that wide an audience, you're gonna miss every once in a while.
I don't think Disney will ever go out of business, what with all the merchandising crap [my friends and I now refer to that as The Lunchbag of Notre Dame] but maybe they need some new creative staff.
I hate Disney. I only say that because I don't have a family, if I did (and Disney did not exist), what are my options? Oh yeah, WB stuff.
I recently purchased 'Dragonslayer' from a Walmart bin, and I remembered that this was the last movie of it's kind that Disney helped co-produce (it would have been PG13 if released today. Last year, 'National Treasure' was orginally released under Touchstone, when they realized they could make the movie a regular PG, Disney slapped their name on it.
Here's where they lose me - literally. I won't see a PG movie (I'm a friggin' adult - what could a PG film possibly do for me?). Unless a G or PG flick is unbelievably well-received and/or original, I won't see it ('The Incredibles' and 'Wallace and Grommit' for example, were ones I DID see; 'Chicken Little is one I will not).
Here's an old adage that Cameron Crowe once wrote in his own liner notes to 'Say Anything' (P.S. - he should start taking his own advice). One of the 'rules' he claimed to making a succussful movie was DON'T MAKE ANYTHING YOU CAN EASILY SEE ON TV!.
Therefore - this is why I primarily see R-rated films, violence, nudity and profanity, the Holy Triumvirate! (Note: Marc Daniel doesn't have Cable)
I knew this flick was gonna flop right from the getgo. The trailer was so not funny and obvious in its approach to all the characters. They make chicken little (awww) this adorable cutesy ("hey lets give him oversized glasses to cutes him up even more! It worked for that brat in the sixth sense, and that brat in Jerry Maguire!") his dad some kind of tom arnold yahoo funnyman, the "nervous eater" pig obviously ripped off of the neurotic dinosaur from Toy Story. And do we really need more alien invasion movie gags and pop references to shyamalan flicks? The whole think reeks of formulaic boredom guaranteed to poke you throughout going "that was funny right? wasnt that cute, right?" and you just have to sit there and take it like being on a fixed date with someone who's desperately and futily trying to impress you but instead makes you increasingly wondrous as to why the hell you agreed to this in the first place.
Screw that. Disney stop metaphorically flashing boobs when youve got none! Im not gonna pay to see what I know wont be there!
And Todd. Stop watching all these crappy movies. Be a little more selective. You still haven't seen Corpse Bride (have you?) which was actually really good and a PG movie at that MArc.
And as far as animated movies go there's only one non-japanese writer, director, animator who should be allowed to make animated movies in this country, that is, of course Brad Bird. The amazing "The Incredibles" and the even better "The Iron Giant" are not just the two best works of american animation but two of the best american films ever made period.
Disney has a bad habit of showing clips of movies before they are even finished.
I remember they were showing previews for this movie in the theater last summer!
Can't they wait until they finished animating them?
Back in the good ol' days I'd have a bone to pick with your last statement, but I got all tuckerred out last time we had a discussion so I'll leave it alone, I just don't know how you find the energy to type so dern much.
Back to Disney, now I don't know if this is all nostalgia or not but some of the disney movies from my youth (Dumbo, Alice in wonderland and TRON) are much, much better then the tripe they've been putting out recently. I attribute this to some of the subject matter they dealt with. Alice in Wonderland was based on a book written by an opium addicted author, Dumbo was a freak of nature and got drunk, and TRON was made when computers were still using punch cards... Of course out of the three TRON is the odd man out but when is it not for christ sake. I Think the reasons that Dumbo and Alice were allowed to be made, and made good and dark at some points is because of less regulation by the government. Back then Screeners weren't looking for Male genitalia in movie covers and scenes alluding to smoking opium, now even if that is not the intention of the creator it will get flagged as potentially threatening and either removed or raise the rating of the movie. Now I don't blame all the unoriginallity in movies that try to stay pg or under on stricter regulatory laws but I'm sure it has something to do with it.
Disney going down???? Come on now people!!! Isnt Herbie Fully Loaded enough of a comeback for you all?
I went to Disney in Florida for first time ever this past summer, took my 4 year old son and left my 1 year old with the grandparents up north here and have to say was less than impressed with the whole thing, parks, hotels, etc. For what you have to pay for a vacation there I just thought there would be more. Plus the lines at the rides and attractions!!! Try explaining to a 4 year old hopped up on sugar that you have to wait a half hour to ride Dumbo for 3 minutes. Not a fun time to say the least.
In response to a comment above about releasing the preview for CL last summer, I remember when they kept all the characters and the moview COMPLETELY SECRET until the release. There weren't plastic crappy toys in the stores. There were no previews. They wouldn't even tell you what they were working on... ALL to whet the appetite and make everyone completely stoked when the movie finally came out.
NOW their marketing is from the 'beat you over the head with it' school. They release previews so early that by the time I actually the a preview close to release, I think it's for the DVD release because NO ONE WOULD RELEASE A PREVIEW THAT EARLY WOULD THEY???
Granny, I have no idea what those last few sentences are supposed to mean, but I think I agree with you.
I hate the fact that previews are coming out a year (or more) in advance. And these aren't even movies that there's already a lot of hype for. I can understand if it's say.. a sequel. And the first one was huge, and the buzz for the second one is huge, but it's going to be a while before it comes out. Keeping people excited is good. Slap them a little teaser, then when it gets closer throw a trailer at them. But for unknown movies, watching a trailer more then 2-3months aways from the release date is ridiculous.
Just a few disney movies that didn't suck:
Pirates of the Caribbean. 1,2, and 3. I'm throwing 2 and 3 in early, cause, well.. why not.
Chronicles of Narnia (haven't seen it, but can it be horrible?)
National Treasure - although I didn't much care for it.
Miracle
Finding Nemo
Holes
The rookie
that's from 2005-2002,
Just for fun, I'll also throw Fraggle Rock on their (2007). Why it's not going to suck, a huge majority of the voices are original Fraggle Rock cast.
