Disney Irish
Premium Member
While I would say that is a very lofty goal, its just not realistic. Not every WDAS film is going to be a winner, as we've seen over the last 100 years.
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'Strange World' Disney's 2022 Animated Film
- Thread starter NateD1226
- Start date
mickEblu
Well-Known Member
Not every one will be a winner but they should still be viewed as an event by the public. Unfortunately they ve been putting out some crap over the last few years so that doesn’t make people want to run to the movies but I’d imagine if you spend 180 million on a movie you expect it to be somewhat of an event.
Disney Irish
Premium Member
Dunno, the thing is can it be an event film if it ends up not being a winner? For example if Frozen was seen as a dud of a film it won't have been the event film it became. Its the word of mouth that makes them an event film. So its sort of that chicken and egg thing, you can't have an event film without it being a winner and it won't be a winner without it being an event film with strong word of mouth.
And I think we all agree that costs have to be reined in across the board on movies like this, this probably should have cost half of what it did.
Disney Analyst
Well-Known Member
mickEblu
Well-Known Member
So we don’t know if a movie is an event until AFTER it comes out? So with Avatar 2 it wasn’t an event film until after the first weekend of ticket sales? Obviously not it’s been an event in the minds of movie goers for months leading up to its release.
Should be the same way with Disney films that come out every year or less. Obviously not to the same magnitude as Avatar 2 but people should be anticipating them. Unfortunately, they ve been losing the goodwill and trust of their audience of late. Obviously any movie with bad word of mouth will effect turn out.
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LittleBuford
Well-Known Member
Just finished watching it with my partner. We both enjoyed it and would rank it above Raya and the Last Dragon and Home on the Range. It is, in my view, much more engaging than Lightyear and leagues better than the dreadful Chicken Little. The hate it's received is undeserved and seems to me to have very little to do with the quality of the film itself.
A few disjointed thoughts:
The story is nicely fleshed out and at times quite exciting. The environmental message hit home without being preachy or heavy-handed. The only real weak spot for us was the very end: we couldn't tell what they had switched to (I'm keeping my description vague so as to avoid spoilers) and had to look it up. Even when rewatched in light of this information, the final scenes did not seem especially clear to us.
The flora and fauna of the eponymous strange world are really something to behold! It was a feast for the eyes.
I was pleasantly surprised to find that Ethan's crush on Diazo was much less subtly dealt with than I'd been led to believe. @Vegas Disney Fan, for example, described it as "so minor it barely existed", but it comes up at about four separate moments ranging from the beginning to the end of the film, and I would say that most attentive viewers (including children) would understand what's going on. While it doesn't drive the plot in any way, nor is it (as some have suggested) just a gratuitous nod to inclusion. To my mind, it ties in very well with the theme of fatherly acceptance that runs throughout the film, because even though homophobia appears to be absent from the world of Strange World, its continuing existence in ours adds an extra layer of meaning to Searcher and Jaeger's total ease with Ethan's homosexuality. It was heartening to watch as a forty-year-old gay man and would have been truly uplifting to see as a gay boy. (Not that I want to reopen the "Midwestern Moms" can of worms, but I should make clear that I still don't think that the film's poor performance had anything to do with its handling of "gay themes", which, though more prominent than I'd expected, remain a rather minor thread of the movie.)
The claim advanced in this thread that the father, Searcher Clade, was made to look like a "bumbling idiot" has zero basis in fact. On the contrary, his character emerges as an intelligent, strong, and self-sacrificial hero who is swiftly able to get over his own hang-ups and do right by his son and the world at large. He plays a pivotal role in saving the day. Those concerned about such things can, in other words, rest assured that the straight white dad is not thrown under the bus by this film. Even the grandfather, Jaeger Clade, comes good in the end, despite his very many flaws.
People have commented (negatively) on the character designs, but I liked the cartoony aesthetic. The only complaint I have concerns Ethan, whose appearance to me reads more like that of an adult woman than a teenage boy. I wish they'd based his looks more closely on Jaboukie's cheeky and boyish face.
Legend the dog and Splat the, well, splat are adorable! My partner and I were smiling whenever we saw them.
All in all, we liked Strange World quite a bit and would happily rewatch it. This thread does the film (and the individuals whose efforts went into its creation) a great disservice. I would urge those bent on railing against it to watch it before they continue commenting.
A few disjointed thoughts:
The story is nicely fleshed out and at times quite exciting. The environmental message hit home without being preachy or heavy-handed. The only real weak spot for us was the very end: we couldn't tell what they had switched to (I'm keeping my description vague so as to avoid spoilers) and had to look it up. Even when rewatched in light of this information, the final scenes did not seem especially clear to us.
The flora and fauna of the eponymous strange world are really something to behold! It was a feast for the eyes.
I was pleasantly surprised to find that Ethan's crush on Diazo was much less subtly dealt with than I'd been led to believe. @Vegas Disney Fan, for example, described it as "so minor it barely existed", but it comes up at about four separate moments ranging from the beginning to the end of the film, and I would say that most attentive viewers (including children) would understand what's going on. While it doesn't drive the plot in any way, nor is it (as some have suggested) just a gratuitous nod to inclusion. To my mind, it ties in very well with the theme of fatherly acceptance that runs throughout the film, because even though homophobia appears to be absent from the world of Strange World, its continuing existence in ours adds an extra layer of meaning to Searcher and Jaeger's total ease with Ethan's homosexuality. It was heartening to watch as a forty-year-old gay man and would have been truly uplifting to see as a gay boy. (Not that I want to reopen the "Midwestern Moms" can of worms, but I should make clear that I still don't think that the film's poor performance had anything to do with its handling of "gay themes", which, though more prominent than I'd expected, remain a rather minor thread of the movie.)
The claim advanced in this thread that the father, Searcher Clade, was made to look like a "bumbling idiot" has zero basis in fact. On the contrary, his character emerges as an intelligent, strong, and self-sacrificial hero who is swiftly able to get over his own hang-ups and do right by his son and the world at large. He plays a pivotal role in saving the day. Those concerned about such things can, in other words, rest assured that the straight white dad is not thrown under the bus by this film. Even the grandfather, Jaeger Clade, comes good in the end, despite his very many flaws.
People have commented (negatively) on the character designs, but I liked the cartoony aesthetic. The only complaint I have concerns Ethan, whose appearance to me reads more like that of an adult woman than a teenage boy. I wish they'd based his looks more closely on Jaboukie's cheeky and boyish face.
Legend the dog and Splat the, well, splat are adorable! My partner and I were smiling whenever we saw them.
All in all, we liked Strange World quite a bit and would happily rewatch it. This thread does the film (and the individuals whose efforts went into its creation) a great disservice. I would urge those bent on railing against it to watch it before they continue commenting.
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LittleBuford
Well-Known Member
Still can’t get over how cute these guys are!
Fox&Hound
Well-Known Member
Finally sat down and watched it on D+ with the family. And....it was...okay.
I did not hate it like I thought I would based off the horrible reviews it was receiving. But it was just okay. I liked the world they were building, but none of the characters felt very real or interesting to me. Part of it was the horrible animation where everyone looks like cartoon blobs and not realistic people (a current trend for DIS which is annoying) so that the characters mostly fell flat. The mom was the most engaging character. The main character, Ethan?, was so bland. The only part of his personality that came through was his crush on another boy, which was much more pronounced than I at first thought. Say what you will, but I can totally understand parents of young children not wanting to have those conversations stirred up by the film. It is not blink and you will miss it but it was handled well. The ending was creative but predictable, and I am proud to say I guessed it based on the trailers alone. Not sure it was worth the price of admission though.
It just is further proof that Disney has lost its way. Lightyear, Turning Red, Soul, Raya, Luca...none of them are that amazing in my opinion (although I very much enjoyed Encanto). I am hopeful for Pixar's Elementals, the live action Little Mermaid, and Wish (a musical that promises an actual return to form with, not a twist villain, but an actual real classic Disney villain). So, here is to hoping....
I did not hate it like I thought I would based off the horrible reviews it was receiving. But it was just okay. I liked the world they were building, but none of the characters felt very real or interesting to me. Part of it was the horrible animation where everyone looks like cartoon blobs and not realistic people (a current trend for DIS which is annoying) so that the characters mostly fell flat. The mom was the most engaging character. The main character, Ethan?, was so bland. The only part of his personality that came through was his crush on another boy, which was much more pronounced than I at first thought. Say what you will, but I can totally understand parents of young children not wanting to have those conversations stirred up by the film. It is not blink and you will miss it but it was handled well. The ending was creative but predictable, and I am proud to say I guessed it based on the trailers alone. Not sure it was worth the price of admission though.
It just is further proof that Disney has lost its way. Lightyear, Turning Red, Soul, Raya, Luca...none of them are that amazing in my opinion (although I very much enjoyed Encanto). I am hopeful for Pixar's Elementals, the live action Little Mermaid, and Wish (a musical that promises an actual return to form with, not a twist villain, but an actual real classic Disney villain). So, here is to hoping....
LittleBuford
Well-Known Member
A classic villain would be most welcome.
Disney Analyst
Well-Known Member
I’m home for Christmas, and my mom wanted to watch tonight. This also included the grandkid (my niece), whose third time it is watching.
My mom wasn’t aware that Ethan was gay, so the first scene where this is revealed she says “wait, does he have a crush on him?!?”
My niece replies simply “yep!”.
She’s five. The kids are alright folks.
Anyway, holds up well on a second watch - such an enjoyable film. Clever, colourful, a great world.
My mom wasn’t aware that Ethan was gay, so the first scene where this is revealed she says “wait, does he have a crush on him?!?”
My niece replies simply “yep!”.
She’s five. The kids are alright folks.
Anyway, holds up well on a second watch - such an enjoyable film. Clever, colourful, a great world.
Disney Irish
Premium Member
Some films you know ahead of time that they will be event films, like an Avatar or an MCU Avengers film. Other films like some of WDAS' films you can't know until its been seen and word of mouth starts up. I mean us fans might guess, but its not a guarantee until it comes out and people start to go see it.
Also I think its clear that a majority of WDAS films should be musicals (especially the Thanksgiving weekend release) as that seems to be what most movie goers expect and appears to make the best word of mouth film for the studio. So they probably need to start getting Lin Manuel to start pumping out the songs for the next couple movies.
Disney Irish
Premium Member
I think your definition and my definition of what they should "change" differ greatly. So lets not rehash the other stuff that you think they need to "change".What's the fun in that?
I mostly agree with you. What I am extremely skeptical of is that Burbank can change course quickly on this disastrous strategy for their family films. They really seem committed to this. I mean, my God, you had senior Disney Studio executives crying on Zoom calls earlier this year over how proud they are of themselves for making these films.
There are obviously layoffs coming in '23, and they may be able to trim some budgets, from $200 Million down to $160 or so. But Burbank certainly isn't going back to only spending $50 Million on their films aimed at families. So they better change course ASAP and start making films that parents with children will buy tickets to.
Either route they take on this problem, it will be certainly fun to watch from afar!
For me its just the budgets that need to be reined in. I think Disney can get away with between $80M-$120M range for a majority of their WDAS films. Just look at a film like Incredibles, it only cost $92M in 2009, that would only be $124M when adjusted for inflation. So yeah a few more cuts and its under that budget range I listed.
TP2000
Well-Known Member
So why do you think Burbank didn't market it well at all? You could almost say they left it out to dry...
TP2000
Well-Known Member
Keep dreaming! Never let that dream die.
Disney Irish
Premium Member
My point was they can do films for a more reasonable budget. And I'm sure all studio divisions, including WDAS will be asked to make cuts to their productions budget next year if they haven't already.
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Disney Irish
Premium Member
I'm happy your niece liked it and has watched it 3x.
The kids are always alright in these type of situations.
Disney Analyst
Well-Known Member
I have no idea. I blame the Chapek regime which gave one person all the budgetary power and took the power away from the studio heads for deciding things, like how to market…
Phroobar
Well-Known Member
I watched it today. I was pretty disinterested through most of it. It wasn't engaging. Maybe it was the cartoon start? At least the dad wasn't quite the dweeb I saw in the trailers. However, the son wasn't a very dynamic character. His crush felt like a checkbox and was unimportant to the story. The dog and blob were pretty much useless until the end where they get everyone to figure out the solution. The mom was a decent enough character. I had no idea what that guy driving the ship was for and why he kept appearing in weird places. The environmental message is hit over your head and the ending is predictable. It reminded me of Atlantis but Atlantis had a much better story and characters. The artwork was far superior. The look and feel was pretty ordinary and the whole movie just felt off.
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