Spirited News, Observations & Thoughts IV

[the.dreamfinder]

I wish TWDC would bring in a Japanese director or writer. Or even a European one.

Hollywood is a bore. Even CGI animation, which felt so fresh not even a decade ago, has now moved from a technique to a genre. Boring family flicks, where a parrot lost in Brazil is regarded the height of dramatic tension.
Watch some Fireflies instead, which will crush your soul and haunt you in your sleep.

I would LOVE to see ABC run "Grave of the Fireflies" on primetime on Thanksgiving.

 

[nytimez]

Too bad John hasn't learned from Miyazaki that you can make animated films that connect with all ages and contain layers. I say this after re watching Spirited Away earlier this week because Disney's animated ought to strive for being more than just films that are great for kids and ok/tolerable for adults.

If "Spirited Away" is the standard, you will live in disappointment for the rest of your life... it's only one of the greatest animated films ever made, in any country, in any language.

 

[PhotoDave219]

QTIP does not apply here. Carry on my wayward son. . .

It's over and done with and I'm going to chalk it up to a misunderstanding. And that there are no hard feelings.

 

[WildcatDen]

Universal is going for the jugular

I know I will get flamed for this, but I really wonder how much impact this will have. How much of the Disney core audience is also the UNI core? I believe there is an overlap but it may not be as much as people believe. As I have said in the past, we will EXTEND a trip a day or two (most likely 2 in the future) in order to go to UNI but will still spend 5 or more at WDW. It is unfortunate that it is me and people like me that may have the suits at Disney resting because they will still get theirs, so to speak? For us, the draw of UNI is almost entirely Potter. If that was not there, I would seek my 'thrill rides' at King's Island or Cedar Point. That being said, loved the Mummy and Spiderman but I would not make a special trip just for those rides.

 

[TalkingHead]

I appreciate that. Really. ...I get out in the middle of the road and grab turtles ...and when a lizard gets in my house, I let it live until I can catch it and get it out.

Get into the hills and hollers of Lake County and you can save plenty of gopher tortoises. I should know, because I've moved a few (and gotten snapped at while I was helping!)

 

[the.dreamfinder]

Amid Amidi on risk aversion in American animated features

Amid: The big advantage that European animated features have is their lower budgets. Why is that an advantage? The benefit of smaller budgets is that it allows for more risk-taking and experimentation. The major American producers have their hands tied because their films cost between $100-200 million. To ensure a return on their investment, they have to create formulaic and safe tentpoles for the global market and can’t risk offending any segment of the filmgoing audience from three-year-olds to eighty-year-olds. That’s a tough situation to be in creatively because it doesn’t allow for new or creative ideas to emerge. Many European film producers make the mistake of trying to replicate the Pixar/DreamWorks formulas on smaller budgets, and those films always suffer by comparison because they look cheap. The most successful foreign film producers are those who embrace their small budgets and use it to their advantage to create animated films that would be impossible to produce in the United States, like “Persepolis,” “Triplets of Belleville,” “Ernest & Celestine,” “Waltz with Bashir” and the “Kirikou” series.

 

[The Empress Lilly]

Perfect quote above! Amidi nails it.

I would LOVE to see ABC run "Grave of the Fireflies" on primetime on Thanksgiving.

How about a GotF dark ride in the WS Japan pavilion?

 

[nytimez]

I know I will get flamed for this, but I really wonder how much impact this will have. How much of the Disney core audience is also the UNI core? I believe there is an overlap but it may not be as much as people believe. As I have said in the past, we will EXTEND a trip a day or two (most likely 2 in the future) in order to go to UNI but will still spend 5 or more at WDW. It is unfortunate that it is me and people like me that may have the suits at Disney resting because they will still get theirs, so to speak? For us, the draw of UNI is almost entirely Potter. If that was not there, I would seek my 'thrill rides' at King's Island or Cedar Point. That being said, loved the Mummy and Spiderman but I would not make a special trip just for those rides.

It's huge.

Right now, a good number of the people in Disney parks have never been to Uni - but just about everyone in the Uni parks has been to Disney, often on the same trip. Uni is the "add on" - the extra day or two, and Uni had to open Potter to get much of that from many people.

Uni has in essence successfully "stolen" a day - or two - from Disney. And they are trying to steal more... or even make it so that Uni becomes the trip and Disney becomes the "add on."

Can they succeed? Not entirely... yet. But let's see where the parks are in five years, I imagine it will be a very lively discussion.

 

[the.dreamfinder]

If "Spirited Away" is the standard, you will live in disappointment for the rest of your life... it's only one of the greatest animated films ever made, in any country, in any language.

I think you misunderstood my point. It's not about "Spirited Away" being one of the greatest animated films ever made, it's about making films that take risks and are honest.

My favorite Miyazaki film is Porco Rosso by the way.

 

[Ignohippo]

Attendance would be 3X higher, but it would have cost 30X more. The Legoland concept, in my book, is too fundamentally flawed to work as very serious, high quality themed entertainment, namely due to the exclusive focus on young children.

Have you even been there? parents get a kick out of it as much as kids and there are enough thrill rides to keep everyone interested.

And no, costs would have been maybe double at most. Attendance would have been through the roof. They were too conservative in their location and it's got to be killing them in attendance.

 

[Animaniac93-98]

I will be miffed if Finding Dory is to Finding Nemo what Cars 2 was to Cars.

You and every other person on planet Earth.

 

[WDW1974]

I have to say, when I stayed at the Contemporary last month, I was NOT impressed with the service. So many unknowledgeable, apathetic cast members that I was shocked that this was a deluxe. For example, we had to call the front desk 4 times to get two Pack n Plays for our infants. That we requested when we booked. And when we online checked in. And, of course, due to my magic plus, Disney already knew all of our ages before we arrived. Finally, at 9 pm, the rude custodial CM shows up to begrudgingly give us two cribs. The view was wonderful (and the bathroom cool but not terribly functional) but no thank you. Keep your A frame with off-centered TVs showing the Must Dos from 2006.

Oh, I loved watching those must-dos ...nothing like seeing years of Stacy Aswad hairstyles ...and things that don't even exist anymore (like Mickey's house) an Dumbo behind the castle.

 

[Ignohippo]

The lantern scene with the Mandy Moore song in the background has to be one of the most gorgeous bits of animation in ages.

Animation, yes. Music, no.

You can't even name the song! I'l bet you can name at least 3 songs from Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin AND Little Mermaid.

On a side note: if you get a chance to play Disney Infinity with the two Tangled environmental Power Discs on, you'll be floored. It's absolutely breathtaking.

 

[TalkingHead]

It's huge.

Right now, a good number of the people in Disney parks have never been to Uni - but just about everyone in the Uni parks has been to Disney, often on the same trip. Uni is the "add on" - the extra day or two, and Uni had to open Potter to get much of that from many people.

Uni has in essence successfully "stolen" a day - or two - from Disney. And they are trying to steal more... or even make it so that Uni becomes the trip and Disney becomes the "add on."

Can they succeed? Not entirely... yet. But let's see where the parts are in five years, I imagine it will be a very lively discussion.

I'm trying to figure out who the Disney core audience is in five years (or even today)...

Young families with toddlers to tweeners.
Families doing reunions?
People who visit for nostalgic reasons (most of them remember Disney pre-2000)

What happens when the families start to see Disney as the training wheels vacation and Universal as the vacation their kids graduate to when they get to middle school and on?

What happens when those of us who associate WDW with nostalgia stop going? Will adults in 50 years feel the same way about WDW as adults today who remember Disney excellence (register trademark)?

I have no idea what the Disney core audience looks like by the end of this decade.

 

[lazyboy97o]

Have you even been there? parents get a kick out of it as much as kids and there are enough thrill rides to keep everyone interested.

And no, costs would have been maybe double at most. Attendance would have been through the roof. They were too conservative in their location and it's got to be killing them in attendance.

Yes, I have been to Legoland Florida. I think it relies on a lot of what people dislike about Disney's recent creative strategies with theme parks.

 

[TalkingHead]

Oh, I loved watching those must-dos ...nothing like seeing years of Stacy Aswad hairstyles ...and things that don't even exist anymore (like Mickey's house) an Dumbo behind the castle.

That's like the video equivalent of "journalists" who can't be bothered to fact-check anymore.

 

[WDW1974]

While I'm not going to bring up my past arguments all over again, your disdain for their behavior is not lost on me.

Frozen being "Tangled ...in snow" sounds... not good.

Tangled was partly created with the help of Glen Keane, right? Is he even working at Disney anymore?

Pixar has either been effectively neutered by Disney studios politics or the talent has moved on (my personal conviction is that it's both, but I'm a humble outsider drawing my own conclusions).

Keane 'retired' in a slightly more convincing fashion that Tony Baxter.

Pixar hasn't had a huge deal of interference, although there certainly has been some as the cost of these films is absurd. Larger are John Lasseter's decisions of late (pulling people off films when they are 85% done now three straight films, almost four) and his penchant for enjoying the fruits of his winery's labors-yes, I am saying JL has issues with alcohol.

 

[Cody5242]

I felt they were the best of the recent lot, but still aimed at the younger set. If parents enjoyed them, fine. But they weren't made for that ... I also felt Tangled's merits were highly overblown as I saw it months after it came out. A lot of folks want to make it on par with Disney's 90s fare and I didn't feel it. I thought it was safe.

I think Tangled and Wreck it Ralph are better than Brave and MU

 

[WDW1974]

The problem with Tangled was that the music really missed he mark. Everything else was fantastic, but the music wasn't anywhere near the same ballpark as the 90s flicks.

I dunno. The music was OK to me, but not nearly as good as ANY Disney animated film from the 90s. But the fanbois seem to love it.

 

[Darth Sidious]

Keane 'retired' in a slightly more convincing fashion that Tony Baxter.

Pixar hasn't had a huge deal of interference, although there certainly has been some as the cost of these films is absurd. Larger are John Lasseter's decisions of late (pulling people off films when they are 85% done now three straight films, almost four) and his penchant for enjoying the fruits of his winery's labors-yes, I am saying JL has issues with alcohol.

Dropping a bomb.