'Strange World' Disney's 2022 Animated Film

Phroobar

Well-Known Member
That just scratches the surface. There's a wonderful book about Pixar history called "Creativity Inc.", you can find it on internet archive if youre unable to find it anywhere else. According to that book, the reason the movie had to be reworked was due to one of the main characters, specifically a serial killer mutant zombie girl scout. Sheesh.

That being said, I do love the concept art from American Dog. I have one of the pieces as my current pfp
I like this one from American Dog (Bolt)
americandog1old.jpg
 

TwilightZone

Well-Known Member
I like this one from American Dog (Bolt)
americandog1old.jpg
This is why I have mixed feelings about it. The concept art is so good, the concept seems more fun than Bolt too. But there's a lot of things that are too weird about the story. Not sure if we lost something great for something generic or if we gained something good from a messy concept.
 

Disney Irish

Premium Member
Agreed. Regardless of the artistic merits of the film, flops like this seem to butt up against a unique set of financial and cultural physics when it comes to recovering after a disastrous opening.



I always wonder what the financial impact of becoming a cult hit long after the theatrical run is for a studio?

Rocky Horror Picture Show was a total bomb in its theatrical run around the Bicentennial as I remember. But several years later it became a cult classic by doing Midnight showings in big cities where fans would dress up as their favorite character and act scenes out in the theater aisles. By the 1980's it was a regular Saturday night offering in every college town in America; dress up and go see Rocky Horror Picture Show at Midnight (usually under the influence).

But did 20th Century Fox get any real money for those showings years after it bombed in the theater? I can't imagine they did, so long after its release and after they shared the profits with the theater houses doing the Midnight showings.
According to screenrant last year, Rocky Horror has grossed over $120M during its continual theatrical run.


Yes Fox and now Disney still get some of that even today either through the ticket sales or through a "rental" fee paid by the theater to show an old run movie.
 

Ghost93

Well-Known Member
But did 20th Century Fox get any real money for those showings years after it bombed in the theater? I can't imagine they did, so long after its release and after they shared the profits with the theater houses doing the Midnight showings.
Yes. Even if the profits are split, Rocky Horror Picture show has sold 55 million tickets domestically and has grossed $112 million (worth $516 million if you adjust for inflation). It also became popular in the DVD era, especially during October.
 

Ghost93

Well-Known Member

TalkingHead

Well-Known Member
Saw it last night. Wouldn’t be a bad movie if the character beats were even slightly convincing, but it’s all weighed down by inept writing.

Take the scene when Searcher bumps into Jaegar after 25 years: son’s reaction doesn’t scan as remotely believable from an emotional standpoint. Same when Jaegar has his first convo with Ethan. Grandson is embarrassed about his mom knowing he has a crush but he spills his guts to his grandfather within five seconds.

The mother is a nonentity for the emotional storyline, she has only the briefest interaction with Jaegar, and then she disappears for the final scene. Why is she even there? Rhetorical question. Having her risk her life to fly to the ship to inform Searcher their son has stowed away doesn’t make a lot of story sense. Happily ever after ending isn’t very satisfying or convincing, but I think that’s true of a lot of modern Disney.

Not sure Gyllenhaal was right for the lead, but either way, why’s Disney bother to pay premium for recognizable actors to do voice work like this? Surely that’s one area they could cut expenses. On the positive side, the serial-style wipes and irises are a nice touch, and the flat pulp comic book visuals used in the intro were striking. Wish the whole film had committed to that level of stylization.
 

Ghost93

Well-Known Member
The mother is a nonentity for the emotional storyline, she has only the briefest interaction with Jaegar, and then she disappears for the final scene. Why is she even there? Rhetorical question. Having her risk her life to fly to the ship to inform Searcher their son has stowed away doesn’t make a lot of story sense. Happily ever after ending isn’t very satisfying or convincing, but I think that’s true of a lot of modern Disney.
I think Disney probably wanted to have female characters in the movie for marketing/representation reasons but couldn't really decide what to do with them. Meridian could have been better developed as a character.

Lucy Liu's brief pivot into the story's antagonist and unearned redemption also felt EXTREMELY undercooked.
 

Heppenheimer

Well-Known Member
Not sure Gyllenhaal was right for the lead, but either way, why’s Disney bother to pay premium for recognizable actors to do voice work like this? Surely that’s one area they could cut expenses. On the positive side, the serial-style wipes and irises are a nice touch, and the flat pulp comic book visuals used in the intro were striking. Wish the whole film had committed to that level of stylization.
I've been saddened over the past few years that Disney/Pixar has gone this route with all the other animation studios. If they casted known actors previously, it was usually because the voice quality added something unique to the character. Think Monsters Inc or Wreck-It Ralph, for example, with their near-perfect voice castings. Now compare that, for example, to the generic, insert-the-celebrity performances of Tina Fey in Soul or Tom Holland and Chris Evans in Onward.
 

WorldExplorer

Well-Known Member
I've been saddened over the past few years that Disney/Pixar has gone this route with all the other animation studios. If they casted known actors previously, it was usually because the voice quality added something unique to the character. Think Monsters Inc or Wreck-It Ralph, for example, with their near-perfect voice castings. Now compare that, for example, to the generic, insert-the-celebrity performances of Tina Fey in Soul or Tom Holland and Chris Evans in Onward.
That was Chris Pratt.

But I think that just emphasizes your point.
 

Casper Gutman

Well-Known Member
I've been saddened over the past few years that Disney/Pixar has gone this route with all the other animation studios. If they casted known actors previously, it was usually because the voice quality added something unique to the character. Think Monsters Inc or Wreck-It Ralph, for example, with their near-perfect voice castings. Now compare that, for example, to the generic, insert-the-celebrity performances of Tina Fey in Soul or Tom Holland and Chris Evans in Onward.
I thought Tina Fey was very good in Soul, and I don’t like Tina Fey much.

When you cast big name actors in voice roles, you get big name actors doing the PR circuit to promote your film. That’s a big payoff for relatively little investment. However, in the case of Strange World, I suspect they used most of the “celebrities” because they fit the roles - Jake Gyanhall, Lucy Liu, and Dennis Quaid don’t open movies. We’re not talking about the absurd Mario cast here. In retrospect, SW probably would have benefitted from a Rock or the like since it’s such a challenge to market otherwise.
 

_caleb

Well-Known Member
If they casted known actors previously, it was usually because the voice quality added something unique to the character. Think Monsters Inc or Wreck-It Ralph, for example, with their near-perfect voice castings. Now compare that, for example, to the generic, insert-the-celebrity performances of Tina Fey in Soul or Tom Holland and Chris Evans in Onward.
Phil Harris!
 

TP2000

Well-Known Member
Box office is out for today. Going into its second weekend, Strange World has just dropped again, from yesterday's 4th place to 5th place. Strange World dropped the most week to week than any other film in the top 20, down 85%.

It's still in 4,174 theaters, but the historical and religious Christmas-themed film I Heard The Bells previewing in only 474 theaters seems to have the momentum going into Strange World's second weekend.

The legs on Strange World seem very, very short now. Burbank has heard the bells, indeed. 🔔

5thPlaceIsThe4thPlaceWinner!.jpg
 
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