Elemental (Pixar - June 2023)

[TsWade2]

Okay, I don't know how true it is, but Jonas Campbell from thatparkplace.com just said if Elemental is a flop, Disney might sell off Pixar. He also said it'll be the end of Pixar. I hope what he said is not true. https://thatparkplace.com/as-pixar-...sney-proclaims-lightyear-an-lgbtq-love-story/ Note: Never mind about the lgbtq Lightyear, just go the last paragraph of the article:
Box office projections for Elemental would indicate a lack of interest in the film, perhaps culminating in a nine-figure loss for the Walt Disney Company. Elemental is directed by Peter Sohn, who helmed a previous Pixar misstep with The Good Dinosaur. If Elemental fails to be a hit at the box office, it begs the question if the “house poor” Disney might weigh the option of selling off Pixar or simply consolidating it into an “in-name-only” brand that Walt Disney Animation Studios uses as a nostalgia token to trick consumers into remembering better times when Bob Iger trusted talented and challenging filmmakers to run his company.

 

[TsWade2]

Looking back, you almost have to say Pixar was "lucky" that Covid hit when it did - considering the lack of cultural impact since release, I can't imagine Onward, Soul, Luca, or Turning Red would have done well at the box office. Imagine the conversation and pressure on Elemental if those were all full theatrical releases right now.

Throw in the failure of Lightyear and what looks to be a disaster for Elemental and that is just a horrible six film run for that studio.

And is anybody really looking forward to Inside Out 2?

You do have a good point.

 

[Disney Irish]

Okay, I don't know how true it is, but Jonas Campbell from thatparkplace.com just said if Elemental is a flop, Disney might sell off Pixar. He also said it'll be the end of Pixar. I hope what he said is not true. https://thatparkplace.com/as-pixar-...sney-proclaims-lightyear-an-lgbtq-love-story/

First of all this is an opinion piece, tantamount to a blog.

Second they do not say that Disney might sell off Pixar if Elemental does poorly but rather they wonder if Disney would consider an option like selling off Pixar or combining it with WDAS.

Some on this site have wondered for a while now if Disney really needs two separately run animation studios, that is really all the author is saying also.

 

[TsWade2]

First of all this is an opinion piece, tantamount to a blog.

Second they do not say that Disney might sell off Pixar if Elemental does poorly but rather they wonder if Disney would consider an option like selling off Pixar or combining it with WDAS.

Some on this site have wondered for a while now if Disney really needs two separately run animation studios, that is really all the author is saying also.

Okay.

 

[MisterPenguin]

Let's say Pixar is no longer able to make a popular movie that makes a profit... who is going to buy a studio that can't make a good movie and make a profit?

If the people at Pixar can't make a popular movie that makes a profit, why would any sane manager absorb that bad talent into another studio?

The "sell or merge" hypothesis is not based in reality.

 

[Disney Irish]

Let's say Pixar is no longer able to make a popular movie that makes a profit... who is going to buy a studio that can't make a good movie and make a profit?

If the people at Pixar can't make a popular movie that makes a profit, why would any sane manager absorb that bad talent into another studio?

The "sell or merge" hypothesis is not based in reality.

Short of shuttering the studio I don't see Disney doing anything with Pixar if its no longer profitable. The existing IP is still valuable to the company so no real risk of Disney selling it off.

 

[Tha Realest]

Short of shuttering the studio I don't see Disney doing anything with Pixar if its no longer profitable. The existing IP is still valuable to the company so no real risk of Disney selling it off.

Yeah. I do wonder how much longer it will continue to exist as a separate entity. Much of the early first generation talent is gone, and there is tremendous redundancy between Pixar and WDAS - especially if the Pixar “brand” no longer reliably delivers.

I have to wonder if there’s going to be some prime Emeryville real estate available soon

 

[Disney Irish]

Yeah. I do wonder how much longer it will continue to exist as a separate entity. Much of the early first generation talent is gone, and there is tremendous redundancy between Pixar and WDAS - especially if the Pixar “brand” no longer reliably delivers.

I have to wonder if there’s going to be some prime Emeryville real estate available soon

As I mentioned in a post above some on this site have wondered the same thing. I never give much credence to these discussions as Pixar will always live on as a separate entity even if the studio is shuttered.

 

[Vegas Disney Fan]

As I mentioned in a post above some on this site have wondered the same thing. I never give much credence to these discussions as Pixar will always live on as a separate entity even if the studio is shuttered.

I could see them combining the 2 animation studios under one roof to reduce costs but agree the Pixar brand has too much value to ever eliminate it. Even with a few underperforming movie under their belt now I’d argue they are still considered the pinnacle of computer animation.

 

[TP2000]

I have to wonder if there’s going to be some prime Emeryville real estate available soon

Much of Emeryville is now overrun with homeless drug addicts. Like other Bay Area cities, key retail and restaurants are closing.

They could have gotten more money for the Pixar campus 5 years ago, but now? It's not going to be a hugely lucrative piece of land for Burbank when they do decide to close the Pixar campus and consolidate the two animation studios under one roof. They waited too long to make much money on land sales in Emeryville.

For non-Californians, yes the photo above is a freeway offramp in Emeryville. This is what many freeway onramps/offramps look like in California now. Here's another freeway onramp in Emeryville, just three blocks from the Pixar campus. Glamour.

 

[TP2000]

I am certain it will flop. The mixed reviews could have maybe not been the end of the world if it had a less competitive release date, but it will totally get buried in the month of June.

To be honest, when else would they release their films? Pixar spends hundreds of millions of dollars on producing these tentpole films, and their entire brand is built on that experience. Their films are (still?) aimed at families with children, and that demographic goes to the movies in summer and at Thanksgiving/Christmas.

Thus, Pixar and/or WDAS films get released at the start of summer and at Thanksgiving/Christmas.

I'm not sure how you try to make a profit off of a $200 Million family film by releasing it in a non-peak window on the calendar.

I'm still rooting for the movie, but it doesn't look good.

That's a shame. I had high hopes that it could be fun after I heard it was Catherine O'Hara voicing the mom in a Pixar version of Guess Who's Coming To Dinner?. Prior to learning that I didn't really care, and I still haven't seen any advertising for it.

Pixar needs another money-losing film like Bud Light needs overtime shifts at the brewery.

 

[TP2000]

Some on this site have wondered for a while now if Disney really needs two separately run animation studios, that is really all the author is saying also.

I was the one who brought that up a year or so ago, and I got hounded for it by some folks.

Is that theory of mine really coming into the mainstream?

Not that I had some brilliant insight or anything. I mean, my God, they've got two animation studios with two separate staffs on two separate campuses that are 400 miles apart that are each spending $200 Million per film to consistently underperform at the box office.

You'd have to be an idiot to not ask yourself "Why do we need TWO of those? We could lose half as much money if we only had one animation studio making big budget films that consistently underperform at the box office."

 

[Indy_UK]

It goes back to what I asked in TLM thread but why are development costs so stupidly high for every movie that Disney makes.

I’m sorry but should an animated film like Turning red really cost over $150 million to make?

Can Disney not make their animated films especially like there theme park rides over such a long period to reduce costs?

 

[Vegas Disney Fan]

It goes back to what I asked in TLM thread but why are development costs so stupidly high for every movie that Disney makes.

I’m sorry but should an animated film like Turning red really cost over $150 million to make?

Can Disney not make their animated films especially like there theme park rides over such a long period to reduce costs?

Spider verse cost $100 million, Super Mario Bros cost $100 million, Minions cost $85 million… I appreciate that Disney goes beyond the other studios to give a more detailed film but I still don’t understand why their animated films cost 2 to 3 times more than the other studios similar offerings.

 

[Indy_UK]

Spider verse cost $100 million, Super Mario Bros cost $100 million, Minions cost $85 million… I appreciate that Disney goes beyond the other studios to give a more detailed film but I still don’t understand why their animated films cost 2 to 3 times more than the other studios similar offerings.

Totally agree and it seems a more detailed movie like you say doesn’t pay off for them.

While I understand Disney probably need to do the recent layoffs in the TV and movie division, to save money and remove content from Disney+ to save almost $2 billion in licensing, perhaps they should bring down the development costs for these movies in the first place

 

[MisterPenguin]

It's obvious that for every animated feature made from here on out a certain group will make the case that the animation studios should be merged... even though that's not the topic of the thread for a particular movie.

So, here's the thread for that conversation...

Should Disney Merge Their Animation Studios?

Well?

forums.wdwmagic.com

 

[Basil of Baker Street]

It goes back to what I asked in TLM thread but why are development costs so stupidly high for every movie that Disney makes.

I’m sorry but should an animated film like Turning red really cost over $150 million to make?

Can Disney not make their animated films especially like there theme park rides over such a long period to reduce costs?

Just like I wonder why it takes Disney twice as much money and 3 times as long to build a new attraction at WDW.

 

[Phroobar]

Totally agree and it seems a more detailed movie like you say doesn’t pay off for them.

While I understand Disney probably need to do the recent layoffs in the TV and movie division, to save money and remove content from Disney+ to save almost $2 billion in licensing, perhaps they should bring down the development costs for these movies in the first place

Are Disney/Pixar movies any more detailed than the competition? Spiderman sure looks a lot more artistically creative than anything from Pixar. It even has a complex plotline. The upcoming Teen Mutant Ninja Turtles movie also looks more creative. Pixar has had three movies with the same character look. Luca, Turning Red and upcoming Elio. Lightyear looked a little different but not artistically creative. Lightyear didn't have the bug eyes and big teeth CalArts look that the other three movies did. Even Super Mario Bros looked exactly what we expected the movie to look like and still have some great artistic license.

 

[Disstevefan1]

perhaps they should bring down the development costs for these movies in the first place

 

[Vegas Disney Fan]

This bad ?

That can’t be right, they expect this to do even worse than Lightyear?

What is going on with Pixar?