A Spirited Perfect Ten

[FigmentJedi]

Given how Disney provided ample compensation (actually, at the time, it was thought they overpaid) to the tune of over $4B to Lucas, calling them a gold digging cougar is laughable, at best. If you want to go down the tract of Lucas selling his soul for money, you'd be more apt.

You do know he put all his DIsney money into that education and literacy foundation of his right? It's not like he stashed it all into some secret Money Bin at Skywalker Ranch.

 

[lazyboy97o]

Tony Baxter? TB planned to convert the area into his steampunk sci-fi Discovery Bay. You know, "where would the gold from Big Thunder be spend?.....ooh I know!.....in 'DLP's 'Tomorrowland' adjacent to Frontierland!'"

SWL is still a step up from anything Baxter would've build, if he had gotten his way. 20k submarines and 'DLP's Videopolis' next to BTMRR? No thanks. A carefully hidden SWL is much more modest.

Discovery Bay was to be hidden away as well without cutting up the Rivers of America or Tom Sawyer Island. And Steampunk is supposed to be a 19th century futurism, that was itself inspired by American industrialism.

 

[EPCOTCenterLover]

Haven't seen the new film yet, but I'm glad Lucas's hand is off of it. He made a mess if Indy in the last sequel.

 

[FrankLapidus]

For the most part his OT tweaks were focused on the aesthetics and that fits with George's longtime obsession with visual storytelling that he's been very vocal about ever since the prequels. Even the few fixes he did with the prequels were just visual ones, like replacing the ugly Yoda puppet in Phantom Menace with the CG model from the other two prequels for the Blu-Ray.
At least it seems like the Blu-Ray cuts are the end of these tweaks with Disney and Lucasfilm having its eyes focused on the future.

Some of the tweaks I can let pass, some I think are actually quite good, but replacing Sebastian Shaw with Hayden Christensen at the end of Return of the Jedi was just inexcusable on Lucas' part. It was just meddling for meddling's sake, it served absolutely no purpose and shouldn't have been done.

I think the Han/Greedo controversy just sums up Lucas' failure to understand what the fans like and why. He can justify changing it because Han's a good guy and good guys don't shoot first but he just obviously hasn't grasped that people loved, and still love, Han Solo because he wasn't a typical, whiter-than-white good guy; he was a cynical, world-weary gunslinger who was far more interested in money and saving his own skin than defeating the Empire.

Ultimately its a good thing that we're (hopefully) past the tinkering now; how long would it have been until we got a re-release of The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi with a CG Yoda replacing the Frank Oz puppet?

I get that he was searching for his perfect vision of the films but I'm not sure he would have ever reached a point where he could have achieved that, I get the impression there always would have been one more little thing bugging him that he would have had to go back and "fix".

 

[FigmentJedi]

Some of the tweaks I can let pass, some I think are actually quite good, but replacing Sebastian Shaw with Hayden Christensen at the end of Return of the Jedi was just inexcusable on Lucas' part. It was just meddling for meddling's sake, it served absolutely no purpose and shouldn't have been done.

It was something to do with George re-evaluating how Force Ghosts worked and choosing to take Obi-Wan's word literally that Anakin died when he became Vader.


And it's what Disney seems to be sticking with considering that they were plans and concepts drawn up for Anakin's Force Ghost to appear in Episode 7 as Hayden and have this dual nature causing him to appear as Vader to Kylo and Anakin to Rey and Luke.

 

[lazyboy97o]

It was something to do with George re-evaluating how Force Ghosts worked and choosing to take Obi-Wan's word literally that Anakin died when he became Vader.


And it's what Disney seems to be sticking with considering that they were plans and concepts drawn up for Anakin's Force Ghost to appear in Episode 7 as Hayden and have this dual nature causing him to appear as Vader to Kylo and Anakin to Rey and Luke.

That ignored the dialogue that says that Anakin wasn't dead and his last words.

 

[Animaniac93-98]

20k submarines and 'DLP's Videopolis' next to BTMRR?

20K would have been a simulator-style ride and Videopolis was never planned to go there. Island at the Top of the World would have been an indoor coaster, with the Hyperion in hangar as part of the exterior.

 

[FigmentJedi]

That ignored the dialogue that says that Anakin wasn't dead and his last words.

The good person inside the burnt up old man really only came out to play for a few minutes, hence the whole "Good person inside shedding that scarred mortal form upon becoming a Force spirit" thing. But really, for all we know, the Cosmic Force decided to just throw him a bone after all that crap he went through as the chosen one, which is really the easiest explanation for how Anakin/Vader was able to share in the secret of ghost immortality anyways.

 

[FrankLapidus]

It was something to do with George re-evaluating how Force Ghosts worked and choosing to take Obi-Wan's word literally that Anakin died when he became Vader.

Some things don't need to be re-evaluated. Its like midicholorians, when Lucas goes back to re-explain things that have manifested themselves for years it just doesn't work. Personally I think its a terrible explanation on his part, I'm sure in his own mind it makes sense but, like Han/Greedo, I just think its meddling for the sake of it and is an example of him not getting that some things just don't need to be changed.

And it's what Disney seems to be sticking with considering that they were plans and concepts drawn up for Anakin's Force Ghost to appear in Episode 7 as Hayden and have this dual nature causing him to appear as Vader to Kylo and Anakin to Rey and Luke.

I was given that book as a gift for Christmas and had seen that and I did heard the different rumours about Hayden Christensen being brought back in some capacity at some point. From a story perspective I just don't think it makes sense; when Anakin is redeemed and dies he doesn't suddenly revert back to being Hayden Christensen, its Lucas telling us one thing in 1983 and then asking us to believe something else entirely thirty years later because he can't resist overthinking and meddling with the films. I also wouldn't be surprised if there was a part of him that loved the idea of inserting a prequel character directly into the original films, after all Christensen's performance was so well received by the fans...

If Disney decide to go down that route in future then that's on them, from their perspective it would probably make sense to bring Christensen back because Lucas has already rewritten the rules and changed the film so I suppose its canon now. For me it just left a bad taste in the mouth, maybe I'm just being pig-headedly stubborn but I saw that scene at the end of ROTJ too many times as it was originally filmed to then just accept Lucas deciding later that certain characters in Star Wars suddenly decrease in age by thirty years when they die.

 

[FrankLapidus]

That ignored the dialogue that says that Anakin wasn't dead and his last words.

Exactly. I don't know whether George Lucas thought people might not be paying close enough attention to the film that he'd get away with changing it without anyone noticing but it just doesn't make sense. Why have Luke go through everything he does to redeem his father if Anakin truly died before Luke was even born? Its just Lucas tinkering and then offering up weak excuses for why he did so when he realised that people didn't like it. Its not the only time he's done that but for me it was the worst example.

 

[choco choco]

Have you been to DL? Are you familiar with the sight lines and transitions from one land to another? Star Wars will be challenging.

I don't doubt WDI's ability to turn out an amazing project, but I do question the wisdom of shoehorning this popular franchise into a dead end.

They should have knocked down the Paradise Pier hotel (or converted it into some Star Wars theme, since people seem to love in-park hotels), then combined that land and the Simba lot (an area of approximately 30 acres) and created a boutique Star Wars Park with timed tickets that you can only buy after you have purchased a pass for one of the other two main parks. The timed tickets ensures a more premium, less-crowded experience that can directly be upcharged and you would have to force people to walk through Downtown Disney to get to Star Wars Land.

 

[FigmentJedi]

Have you been to DL? Are you familiar with the sight lines and transitions from one land to another? Star Wars will be challenging.

I don't doubt WDI's ability to turn out an amazing project, but I do question the wisdom of shoehorning this popular franchise into a dead end.

Apparently the plan calls for building a new berm and mountainscape in Frontierland to hide it from the viewpoints of the truncated Rivers of America route and having one of the side entrances to it in Critter Country in addition to going through the old Big Thunder Ranch area.

 

[the.dreamfinder]

Tony Baxter? TB planned to convert the area into his steampunk sci-fi Discovery Bay. You know, "where would the gold from Big Thunder be spend?.....ooh I know!.....in 'DLP's 'Tomorrowland' adjacent to Frontierland!'"

SWL is still a step up from anything Baxter would've build, if he had gotten his way. 20k submarines and 'DLP's Videopolis' next to BTMRR? No thanks. A carefully hidden SWL is much more modest.

I'm not in favor of the current plans for SWL in DL, but Disney could have saved itself a lot of trouble if they took to the parks blog and carefully explained, with detailed concept art, how the northern portion of RoA would be changed.

 

[the.dreamfinder]

Well, it looks like George must have gotten an angry phone call from a certain weatherman.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/george-lucas-sorry-white-slavers-851661
George Lucas Sorry for "White Slavers" Remark About Disney
Star Wars creator George Lucas apologized on Thursday for comments he made during a recent interview with Charlie Rose in which he referred to the Walt Disney Company as "white slavers."

Lucas made the comment while talking about the Star Wars franchise, which he created and breathed life into many decades ago, but ultimately sold to Disney in 2012 for $4 billion dollars.

While talking to Rose about how much he loved the films he created and four of which he directed — even calling them his "kids" — Lucas said he "sold them to the white slavers that take these things, and ... " Lucas did not finish his thought, but rather laughed before Rose moved on to another question.

Lucas has since "clarified" that remark.

"I misspoke and used a very inappropriate analogy and for that I apologize," the 71-year-old filmmaker said in a statement. "I have been working with Disney for 40 years and chose them as the custodians of Star Wars because of my great respect for the company and Bob Iger’s leadership."

During that same interview with Rose, Lucas also somewhat criticized the route Disney went with the latest Star Wars film, The Force Awakens, its first undertaking since purchasing the franchise.

"They wanted to do a retro movie. I don't like that. Every movie, I worked very hard to make them different," Lucas told Rose. "I made them completely different — different planets, different spaceships to make it new."

On Thursday, Lucas seemed to address that statement as well.

"Disney is doing an incredible job of taking care of and expanding the franchise," Lucas said in the statement. "I rarely go out with statements to clarify my feelings, but I feel it is important to make it clear that I am thrilled that Disney has the franchise and is moving it in such exciting directions in film, television and the parks."

The latest installment has been a massive success and will likely become the highest grossing film of all time.

Lucas acknowledged what a powerhouse Disney created.

"Most of all I’m blown away with the record breaking blockbuster success of the new movie and am very proud of J.J. [Abrams] and Kathy [Kennedy]," Lucas said in closing.

Lucas' full statement and the original interview with Rose are below.

I want to clarify my interview on the Charlie Rose Show. It was for the Kennedy Center Honors and conducted prior to the premiere of the film. I misspoke and used a very inappropriate analogy and for that I apologize. I have been working with Disney for 40 years and chose them as the custodians of Star Wars because of my great respect for the company and Bob Iger’s leadership. Disney is doing an incredible job of taking care of and expanding the franchise. I rarely go out with statements to clarify my feelings but I feel it is important to make it clear that I am thrilled that Disney has the franchise and is moving it in such exciting directions in film, television and the parks. Most of all I’m blown away with the record breaking blockbuster success of the new movie and am very proud of JJ and Kathy.

 

[DDLand]

An interesting article about what I would call Disney's Imagineering brain drain:

http://m.ocregister.com/articles/disney-698014-theme-park.html


"“There’s something exciting about creating something new that’s not inhibited by existing intellectual property rules,” said Ryan Harmon, a former Disney Imagineer who is president of Zeitgeist Design."

 

[xdan0920]

Well, it looks like George must have gotten an angry phone call from a certain weatherman.

Maybe.

The fact remains he made an idiotic statement. Apologizing was the right move.

 

[mickEblu]

Third gate makes more sense.....

I wish

 

[mickEblu]

To be a little fair, I don't think they have the amount of space anywhere to do 14 acres at DCA, do they? If they were committed to doing something of that scale and wanted to put it in DCA, it probably would have had to involve closing and redoing a significant part of the park. Would it have fit in, say, the Hollywoodland area if they tore down Monsters Inc, the Frozen sing along, the dance party area and Aladdin theater? The parking lot where they are planning the Marvel stuff doesn't seem all that large.

A third gate would have been ideal.



By "closures" do you mean the temporary or permanent stuff? The only permanent closures AFAIK are the Big Thunder Ranch/petting zoo and maybe the canoes and Hungry Bear restaurant. Everything else that is being closed (the island, riverboats, Fantasmic, railroad) is supposed to come back in 1-1.5 years albeit with a shorter river trip and new train path.

Hungry Bear!?? I haven't heard this rumor. I would not like this one bit.

 

[Tigger1988]

Well, it looks like George must have gotten an angry phone call from a certain weatherman.

Or his wife, a black woman, might have explained how idiotic and offensive his slavery comparison was.

 

[hopemax]

side note: I found it ironic, slightly, that George Lucas spent years "fixing" Ep 4-6 which people loved and had few complaints about, yet never seemed to want to fix Ep 1-3 which were widely panned.

It seems clear to me that he thinks he knows better than everyone else to this day.

Few complaints? Everyone I know can't stand the special edition cuts. In our house we still have the VHS tapes and a VCR because of the revisions, and the only DVDs we purchased was the set that contained the non-SE versions.