'Strange World' Disney's 2022 Animated Film

[BrianLo]

True, but I was mainly thinking of their post-Covid fare. That short list of films has either outright flopped (Lightyear) or been sent straight to streaming for free! (Turning Red).

Those movies are from Pixar. I was more talking about WDAS. Raya is definitely questionable, but Encanto is much harder to downplay as anything but successful. Even if the theatrical run was Pandemic messy, post-theatrically they've done well with its popularity and music. Tellingly they are circling around it already for the Parks.

Pixar has been having some more obvious growing pains. However, Elementals looks to be possibly a hit. The movie afterwards (Elio) has a good concept, but so did the last dinosaur. Not enough was shown to make a call.

On the WDAS front after Strange World... I am very, very, very confident Wish will be big, probably huge.

 

[TP2000]

Those movies are from Pixar. I was more talking about WDAS.

I know, but I can't tell the difference between the two anymore. They both look and act the same now.

Strange World's characters and aesthetics isn't helping that, only furthering it.

 

[BrianLo]

I know, but I can't tell the difference between the two anymore. They both look and act the same now.

Strange World's characters and aesthetics isn't helping that, only furthering it.

Indeed. Wish is interesting because they are actually trying to harken even more back to the 2D stylings than the Tangled-beyond Princess look.

One thing is for sure there is very little confusion that "Wish" felt 'Disney' and "Elementals/Elio" felt 'Pixar'.

Strange World is the odd one out rather than a full indictment of the direction of the studio.

 

[MickeyMouse10]

This one is going to tank hard.

At least with Buzz Lightyear you had a known character. This one has a bunch of people that look like extras in Lightyear. Plus the trailer is strange and it doesn't grab me at all. I wouldn't even watch it on Disney+ for free.

Disney has to stop making these niche movies that the masses don't want to see.

 

[erasure fan1]

Disney has to stop making these niche movies that the masses don't want to see.

It's not so much the niche aspect that is a problem in my opinion. It's not prioritizing storytelling first that is the issue. Personally I don't care what the subject matter is, as long as you tell a great story. And that has been the biggest problem with Disney movies. The people making the movies either aren't that great or are being handcuffed by corporate. Either way, until the focus gets put back on story first, we'll most likely be stuck with more misses than hits.

 

[MisterPenguin]

Why does the Walt Disney Company have two separate "Animation" studios in Burbank and Emeryville that apparently now look exactly the same yet create similar movies that consistently underperform?

Oh, so all CGI looks the same to you... That's animationism!!

Multiple studios can put out more content. Disney animation wasn't doing too well until they adapted the Pixar way.

They're also opening more animation studios as well as inheriting Fox studios. They are also producing made - for - D+ series.

In general, DAS does princess movies (except for Brave) and musicals and less sequels.

 

[TP2000]

Meanwhile, Burbank still has a great deal riding on the box office success of Strange World this Thanksgiving.

 

[TP2000]

Oh, so all CGI looks the same to you... That's animationism!!

When everyone and everything is labeled as a hateful 'ism now, I'll take it!

In general, DAS does princess movies (except for Brave) and musicals and less sequels.

But when they all look the same, who can keep track of that? I offer up my experience as a rather casual movie-goer, who even though I have a deep knowledge of the Disney theme parks I can't tell my Cinderella from my Sleeping Beauty (both blondes). Snow White was the first one who now has the nice restaurant and bar in DCA. Elsa is the one with white hair, I know that. And Belle has the yellow dress who dances with the beast on parade floats. Ariel is the Mermaid with the kinda lame Omnimover ride. Who am I forgetting? Pocahontas? Anyone else?

The average American who is not a 7 year old girl doesn't know this stuff, or much care. It all looks the same to us. And lately Pixar and Disney animated movies all look the same. That's my only point here really.

 

[TP2000]

This one is going to tank hard.

I'm beginning to think that too. With a bloated budget of $120 Million. Yikes.

At least with Buzz Lightyear you had a known character. This one has a bunch of people that look like extras in Lightyear. Plus the trailer is strange and it doesn't grab me at all. I wouldn't even watch it on Disney+ for free.

That's my biggest problem with this too; the aesthetics of it all. It looks cheap and fake, like a computer generated cartoon from a second-rate studio that goes straight into the $5 DVD bin at WalMart.

The aesthetics. The look. The visuals. Strange World and it's characters looks... cheap.

Disney has to stop making these niche movies that the masses don't want to see.

At some point, when the stock price declines another 40% or 50%, sanity might return to Burbank conference rooms. And they'll remember that they are not making movies for a handful of elites on Twitter, but they are making movies for tens of millions of American families in places like Boise and Birmingham and Billings and Buffalo.

But I don't think Burbank is there yet at that course correction. They still think they should be lecturing audiences instead of entertaining them. Let the stock price dive some more though and let them lose a few hundred million more on each movie release, and they'll eventually come around.

 

[MisterPenguin]

But when they all look the same, who can keep track of that?

<shrug>

Normies can't keep track of the Disneyland v. Magic Kingdom.

 

[erasure fan1]

But I don't think Burbank is there yet at that course correction. They still think they should be lecturing audiences instead of entertaining them. Let the stock price dive some more though and let them lose a few hundred million more on each movie release, and they'll eventually come around.

Will they though? This current group of dill holes in charge really seem to be too stubborn to course correct. I don't see any real change happening until there is all new management.

 

[MickeyMouse10]

They got someone for Black Widow that couldn't direct action scenes.

Plus a writer for She-Hulk that couldn't write about Super Heroes or Lawyers and Court Scenes. And judging from the show she can't write Comedy either.

 

[MisterPenguin]

They got someone for Black Widow that couldn't direct action scenes.

Plus a writer for She-Hulk that couldn't write about Super Heroes or Lawyers and Court Scenes. And judging from the show she can't write Comedy either.

My opinion is the opposite of your opinion.

 

[MickeyMouse10]

My opinion is the opposite of your opinion.

Everyone has a right to their own opinion.

I just think that they've gone away from hiring the best woman or man for the job.

 

[Phroobar]

Some opinions are correct and others are completely wrong.

 

[Disney Irish]

Experienced and established directors typically know how to tell a better story and are more willing to fight for changes. Someone right out film school doesn't want to screw up so they aren't going to fight for better story direction. They are afraid of being replaced. I think this happened a number of times at Lucasfilm. They start out with an experienced director that doesn't want to follow the studio rules and they depart. Marvel seems to start with the "college grad" and tell them what to do resulting in bad direction most of the time.

There is something to be said about hiring experienced people that cost money instead of cheeping out on the guy with no resume. You may get lucky but most of the time you won't.

Problem with this thinking is those directors you're talking about also won't touch a film for less than $15-20M plus points on the back end. Add that to the cast and the rest of the crew and you're already at $125-200M before you even started filming. And once you finish post-productions you'll end up with a film that costs $350-500M to make. And that doesn't even include the marketing costs, which pushes it up to $750M or more. Disney/Marvel would have to start hitting $2B regularly with these movies just to recoup their cost.

MCU films are already some of the most expensive films made, but that would be ridiculous.

 

[BuddyThomas]

Why wasn't the Eternals up for best picture? Seems like if she could win best picture for Nomandland, a low budget indie film, she could easily win best picture for the Eternals with a huge budget. Why did she succeed in one and fail completely with the other?

Yea because many superhero movies get nominated for Best Picture.

 

[Phroobar]

Yea because many superhero movies get nominated for Best Picture.

It does happen but they rarely win. Some art house type film usually wins.

 

[Prince-1]

It does happen but they rarely win. Some art house type film usually wins.

Besides Black Panther name one other superhero movie that was nominated for best picture. And rarely indicates that one has won before.

 

[Prince-1]

Why wasn't the Eternals up for best picture? Seems like if she could win best picture for Nomandland, a low budget indie film, she could easily win best picture for the Eternals with a huge budget. Why did she succeed in one and fail completely with the other?

This isn‘t how that works. The budget has nothing to do with getting a nomination otherwise we’d see the new Jurassic Park movies up for best picture.