'Lightyear' Coming Summer 2022

[Disney Irish]

That's a load of crap. If anything, the MPAA has simply gotten stricter. If Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, The Lion King, Pocahontas, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Hercules and Mulan came out today and were made in the exact same way, there is no way they would be G rated as they were in the 90s. The Disney Renaissance movies were much more intense than more modern PG-rated Disney movies like Frozen, Tangled, Encanto, Wreck it Ralph and Moana. Studios opt not to pursue a G rating because G nowadays is seen as meaning "for preschoolers" where in the 90s and earlier it didn't have as much of a stigma.

Exactly, as if somehow Disney/Pixar set the ratings themselves. Its an independent organization that sets the ratings not the studios. Studios have been fighting with the MPAA for a long time on getting content approved for the widest audience.

 

[Dear Prudence]

It's Pixar, so yes. It was rated PG. All of Disney and Pixar's animated motion pictures in recent years have been rated PG, whereas up until 10 years ago that fare was generally rated G.

But now Hollywood doesn't know how to tell any story without at least some violence or adult themes, so PG is the new G. Pixar is the perfect example of that change.

Lightyear was aimed at American families with children, but that demographic purposely stayed away from Lightyear. The miserable box office results for Lightyear and the hundreds of millions of dollars it lost for Burbank are the fallout from that.

That is all very, very sad to me.

 

[TP2000]

That is all very, very sad to me.

I found it alarming and sad too. I hadn't even realized it until I was doing a little research over on the Film side of the forum where we were discussing Lightyear's bombing at the box office this summer.

Pixar and Walt Disney Animation apparently no longer make G Rated movies. It all has to have enough violence and adult stuff to get it to just slip under the wire as a PG movie now.

It's not a good sign, to be honest.

 

[WorldExplorer]

Imagine if that Mickey Mouse Three Musketeers movie they made like fifteen years ago was a serious attempt to adapt the book, with a drab color scheme, and the only recognizable character being Mickey. Except they made Mickey act more like that book's actual protagonist, had him voiced by Generic Action Star #5, and redesigned him to be less cute.

Then they put it in theaters and it bombed.

Then everyone stood around and wondered why it didn't do well.

This whole Lightyear thing sounds just as bizarre to me as that ridiculous hypothetical scenario.

 

[TP2000]

The topic of DVD/BluRay sales came up in this thread back in July, and then it just came up again over in the Strange World thread this afternoon.

Looking at Strange World's bombing numbers, I stumbled across an obscure tab on a movie industry sales site that actually tracks DVD/BluRay sales in the USA. The statistics are delayed by about six weeks because of the time delay in tracking individual sales from thousands of retail channels/stores across the country.

But the reality is as I and many others here suspected. DVD/BluRay sales are tiny for even popular movies. For a box office flop like Lightyear, they are perhaps enough to covering the catering costs for the studio snack table for the union laborers. $2 Million in DVD sales for Lightyear, and $7 Million for Minions Rise of Gru.

A tiny profit center really not worth mentioning any longer in the 2020's, as I think most of us thought.

The Numbers - Combined DVD and Blu-ray Most Recent Weekly Sales Chart

Top Selling Combined DVD and Blu-ray titles in the US for last week.

www.the-numbers.com

 

[Phroobar]

The topic of DVD/BluRay sales came up in this thread back in July, and then it just came up again over in the Strange World thread this afternoon.

Looking at Strange World's bombing numbers, I stumbled across an obscure tab on a movie industry sales site that actually tracks DVD/BluRay sales in the USA. The statistics are delayed by about six weeks because of the time delay in tracking individual sales from thousands of retail channels/stores across the country.

But the reality is as I and many others here suspected. DVD/BluRay sales are tiny for even popular movies. For a box office flop like Lightyear, they are perhaps enough to covering the catering costs for the studio snack table for the union laborers. $2 Million in DVD sales for Lightyear, and $7 Million for Minions Rise of Gru.

A tiny profit center really not worth mentioning any longer in the 2020's, as I think most of us thought.

View attachment 681383

The Numbers - Combined DVD and Blu-ray Most Recent Weekly Sales Chart

Top Selling Combined DVD and Blu-ray titles in the US for last week.

www.the-numbers.com

Why buy a Disney DVD when you can stream it? I'm surprised people are still buying Beetlejuice DVDs.

 

[GimpYancIent]

Why buy a Disney DVD when you can stream it? I'm surprised people are still buying Beetlejuice DVDs.

There are a few things like nostalgia, having an actual tangible item in your hands, collecting, it's good to go old school. Some people (hold on to your shorts) still collect VHS!

 

[MisterPenguin]

Why buy a Disney DVD when you can stream it? I'm surprised people are still buying Beetlejuice DVDs.

When society collapses and every day is like The Purge, they'll be able to still watch Beetlejuice in between fighting off marauders.

The irony is that the marauders only want their DVD collection.

 

[Phroobar]

There are a few things like nostalgia, having an actual tangible item in your hands, collecting, it's good to go old school. Some people (hold on to your shorts) still collect VHS!

That is why I collect DVDs, rip them and put them on my NAS to watch anytime. A person can buy a DVD at a thrift store for a buck or two. I think it is funny that is Beetlejuice people were buying. I guess because of the Halloween season.

 

[Screamface]

Why buy a Disney DVD when you can stream it? I'm surprised people are still buying Beetlejuice DVDs.

It's ending early Oct and from a few other things on it. The shops must be pushing stuff in the lead up to Halloween.

That list is frankly strange. Who would buy Picard s2? It would have to be people who don't stream. Or Trek Fans who just collect even if it's awful.

 

[TP2000]

There are a few things like nostalgia, having an actual tangible item in your hands, collecting, it's good to go old school. Some people (hold on to your shorts) still collect VHS!

During my recent move, the nice folks at Bekins packaged up all my old LP records in purpose-built boxes made exactly to carefully hold 75 LP's per box. I thought I was the only one left with LP's, but the Bekins lady said they are now using those LP boxes a lot more during moves than they were a decade ago.

And when you go to Target, they suddenly have more LP's for sale than they do DVD's.

It's a crazy world!

 

[Kirby86]

Raises hand as one of those people who will still buy a bluray even if it's on a streaming service. That's only if I like the movie or show in question.

 

[Sharon&Susan]

Chris Evans' 10 Highest Grossing Non-MCU Movies, Ranked (According To Box Office Mojo)

Chris Evans' Lightyear is poised to make big money at the box office, joining a slew of his other non-MCU commercially successful films.

screenrant.com

 

[DCBaker]

Here's Pete Docter's response to Drew Taylor with The Wrap when asked what happened with the release of Lightyear -

“We’ve done a lot of soul-searching about that because we all love the movie. We love the characters and the premise. I think probably what we’ve ended on in terms of what went wrong is that we asked too much of the audience. When they hear Buzz, they’re like, great, where’s Mr. Potato Head and Woody and Rex? And then we drop them into this science fiction film that they’re like, What?” Docter said. “Even if they’ve read the material in press, it was just a little too distant, both in concept, and I think in the way that characters were drawn, that they were portrayed. It was much more of a science fiction. And Angus, to his credit, took it very seriously and genuinely and wanted to represent those characters as real characters. But the characters in ‘Toy Story’ are much broader, and so I think there was a disconnect between what people wanted/expected and what we were giving to them.”

Pete Docter on Pixar's Future, Where Lightyear Went Wrong

Pete Docter, the filmmaker and chief creative officer of Pixar, opens up about his Annies award and the past, present and future of Pixar.

www.thewrap.com

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Here's Pete Docter's response to Drew Taylor with The Wrap when asked what happened with the release of Lightyear -

“We’ve done a lot of soul-searching about that because we all love the movie. We love the characters and the premise. I think probably what we’ve ended on in terms of what went wrong is that we asked too much of the audience. When they hear Buzz, they’re like, great, where’s Mr. Potato Head and Woody and Rex? And then we drop them into this science fiction film that they’re like, What?” Docter said. “Even if they’ve read the material in press, it was just a little too distant, both in concept, and I think in the way that characters were drawn, that they were portrayed. It was much more of a science fiction. And Angus, to his credit, took it very seriously and genuinely and wanted to represent those characters as real characters. But the characters in ‘Toy Story’ are much broader, and so I think there was a disconnect between what people wanted/expected and what we were giving to them.”

Pete Docter on Pixar's Future, Where Lightyear Went Wrong

Pete Docter, the filmmaker and chief creative officer of Pixar, opens up about his Annies award and the past, present and future of Pixar.

www.thewrap.com

Seems like a pretty Honest/fair analysis

But no offense to Pete…but maybe it’s just a sign of bad leadership at Disney? Maybe they need to try to “freeze” themselves a little in time?…because they’re underestimating that most of their audience wants some “innocence”…at least with characters they now.
That doesn’t mean not to explore progress and new themes/realities…but maybe start with a blank canvass without predetermined expectations?

Just a thought. TWDC is not very well run these days…they’re huge but more adrift than the Ron Miller era. Sad but true.

 

[Ghost93]

I somewhat agree with the analysis. I think Lightyear is a fine little science fiction movie, but it's not at all what you would expect for want from "Buzz Lightyear." The tone was way too somber for what should have had a more fun, Saturday morning cartoon vibe.

 

[Kirby86]

I somewhat agree with the analysis. I think Lightyear is a fine little science fiction movie, but it's not at all what you would expect for want from "Buzz Lightyear." The tone was way too somber for what should have had a more fun, Saturday morning cartoon vibe.

Agreed it's not a bad movie but it's a bad Buzz Lightyear movie.

 

[Screamface]

I haven't seen Lightyear, so can speak as someone who didn't want to see it based of the trailers. It wasn't asking too much. It looked like it missed the brief completely of why someone like me would want to see a Lightyear film. From the trailers, the film wasn't taking the character seriously as a hero. He was constantly the butt of jokes. It looked like garbage just using the character.

One thing people seem to often overlook is we live in an era where existing properties are constantly maligned by new adaptions. So any new film trying to use old properties need to show us they aren't doing that. When the trailer opens up with people mocking Buzz. Why would we want to see that? Given the context of recent adapations.

 

[LittleBuford]

Agreed it's not a bad movie but it's a bad Buzz Lightyear movie.

Even taking Toy Story out of the equation, I found it a boring movie.

 

[Vegas Disney Fan]

Even taking Toy Story out of the equation, I found it a boring movie.

I often turn on D+ in the background while cleaning, cooking, etc and I’ve still only watched Lightyear once, I’ve “watched” Wakanda 3 or 4 times already and that came out after Lightyear.

Lightyear just isn’t a very fun movie, whether watching it or even just listening to it while doing other things.