'Strange World' Disney's 2022 Animated Film

[Screamface]

You know, I am now just thinking, did this movie fail because people are sick of the new Disney formula? No, the "new Disney formula" is not just the representation side.

I can't speak to the "new Disney formula" and I it's not limited to Disney. I just don't think they know how to make male-led animated films in Hollywood anymore.

I was thinking of this today while watching the Super Mario Bros movie trailer. It has similar issues I had with the Strange Worlds and Lightyear trailers. Half the trailer is the male characters screaming, acting like scared children and being the butt of slapstick comedy. While some confident woman rolls their eyes and barks orders.

I simply don't think these kinds of male characters are appealing to the majority of people. Especially when it's the same approach in every animated film now.

 

[TP2000]

The problem with Strange World in my opinion is they couldn't market the "good stuff" because it would have gave away the twist at the end. Had they been able to market it as a "Fantastic Voyage" type of animated movie it probably would have been able to stand out a bit.

Once I heard about the plot, and it's twists and surprise endings, I actually thought the storyline had a great deal of potential for them. Strange World's premise and plot could have been a really interesting and fun way to make bonzo box office money. It also could have skewed naturally to boys and their dads with that plot.

Strange World could have been big with guys and been the Anti-Frozen, if you will. But it didn't.

The early attendance demographics last week actually showed adult males mostly hated Strange World, while young women really liked it.

"Men over 25 were dominant at 33%, but hated it at 66%. Women over 25 were next in attendance at 24% but gave it a 90% grade."

‘Wakanda Forever’ Settles At $64M 5-Day, ‘Strange World’ Crashes $18M+, ‘Knives Out 2’ Wows With $13M+ – Thanksgiving Box Office Sunday Update

Box Office ‘Wakanda Forever’ Crosses $300M, ‘Strange World’ Tanking, 'Knives Out 2' Sharp

deadline.com

There has to have been a way to market this film better and explain its plot more without giving it away. Movie studios have done that with movies for decades. They have entire departments dedicated to marketing and communication. It's not an impossible task for highly paid professionals.

Something went wrong with the marketing, that's for sure!

 

[TP2000]

I can't speak to the "new Disney formula" and I it's not limited to Disney. I just don't think they know how to make male-led animated films in Hollywood anymore.

I was thinking of this today while watching the Super Mario Bros movie trailer. It has similar issues I had with the Strange Worlds and Lightyear trailers. Half the trailer is the male characters screaming, acting like scared children and being the butt of slapstick comedy. While some confident woman rolls their eyes and barks orders.

I simply don't think these kinds of male characters are appealing to the majority of people. Especially when it's the same approach in every animated film now.

With some time and reflection, I'm now of the opinion that Strange World could have been, and should have been, a male dominated movie that appealed to boys and their dads. Even the 14 year old brother and granddad could have gone along to the multiplex for Strange World. (And that's exactly the multi-generation demographic that needs to get out of the house together on a long Thanksgiving weekend!)

Strange World's twisty plot and unique action-adventure storyline has Epic Guy Adventure written all over it!

But obviously the writers and producers went a completely different way with it. And America spoke with its wallets.

Strange World should have been the Anti-Frozen guy movie for families with boys that Walt Disney Animation hasn't made in far too long. But it failed miserably at that, and seems to have satisfied no one except HR.

 

[erasure fan1]

I was thinking of this today while watching the Super Mario Bros movie trailer. It has similar issues I had with the Strange Worlds and Lightyear trailers. Half the trailer is the male characters screaming, acting like scared children and being the butt of slapstick comedy. While some confident woman rolls their eyes and barks orders.

I think the difference with Mario vs strange world or lightyear, is I think Mario will make a lot of money. And since its illumination, I can't see the budget being all that high. The trailer, while you aren't wrong about it, still looks pretty amusing. And I'm not a Mario fan.

 

[TwilightZone]

Oh, I know. And that's a valid point. I used to socialize up in LA on occasion, and there were invariably some "industry" folks in attendance. They love to talk about their otherwise mundane jobs in "the industry" or at "the studio", to the sheer boredom of other party guests.

It appears to be a bloated, wasteful industry with entire battalions of hangers-on and endless ranks of white collar management jobs that do nothing for the actual product, and make for even less impressive party chatter.



Exactly. Minions cost less than half what Lightyear did, and Minions made almost quadruple the box office as Lightyear.

Using the triple-the-box-office-to-break-even formula several knowledgeable posters here have said is now the norm, the financials on Minions vs. Lightyear is frightening for Burbank. Or at least it should be frightening, if they know what's good for them.

Minions Rise of Gru - Production Budget $80 Million, Global Box Office $938 Million, Profit of $702 Million

Lightyear - Production Budget $200 Million, Global Box Office $226 Million, Loss of at least $174 Million?

This is simply not a sustainable way for Burbank to make movies. Especially now that the losses are adding up with each and every film. Just a bad string of luck? Perhaps. But something has to change ASAP.

And as I've shown before, Minions isn't the only movie that has a lesser budget than Lightyear/Strange World that made big bucks and looks visually fantastic. It just makes the situation more headscratching on where that budget is exactly going.

 

[spacemt354]

Once I heard about the plot, and it's twists and surprise endings, I actually thought the storyline had a great deal of potential for them. Strange World's premise and plot could have been a really interesting and fun way to make bonzo box office money. It also could have skewed naturally to boys and their dads with that plot.

Strange World could have been big with guys and been the Anti-Frozen, if you will. But it didn't.

The early attendance demographics last week actually showed adult males mostly hated Strange World, while young women really liked it.

"Men over 25 were dominant at 33%, but hated it at 66%. Women over 25 were next in attendance at 24% but gave it a 90% grade."

‘Wakanda Forever’ Settles At $64M 5-Day, ‘Strange World’ Crashes $18M+, ‘Knives Out 2’ Wows With $13M+ – Thanksgiving Box Office Sunday Update

Box Office ‘Wakanda Forever’ Crosses $300M, ‘Strange World’ Tanking, 'Knives Out 2' Sharp

deadline.com

There has to have been a way to market this film better and explain its plot more without giving it away. Movie studios have done that with movies for decades. They have entire departments dedicated to marketing and communication. It's not an impossible task for highly paid professionals. But if too many of them are "working from home" with Merlot in their coffee cups, perhaps that task is now too much for them to accomplish?

Something went wrong with the marketing, that's for sure!

As others have alluded to - if it were not for this forum, I wouldn't have known the film existed.

Whether anyone likes it or not is subjective but they really dropped the ball in the marketing campaign.

 

[Disney Irish]

Riiiiiight

Moving on....

So about Strange World, you should see it. I think you might actually like it overall. Do a date night with the wife and take in a double feature of this and something else. After you get over Covid of course, which I hope you're doing better.

 

[mickEblu]

Moving on....

So about Strange World, you should see it. I think you might actually like overall. Do a date night with the wife and take in a double feature of this and something else.

Now that would make me a hypocrite though wouldn’t it?

 

[Disney Irish]

Now that would make me a hypocrite though wouldn’t it?

I don't know, would it? There is nothing wrong with actually experiencing something first hand even after you'd made an opinion on it. I mean if nothing else it would either confirm or disprove your original opinion on the subject.

 

[Disney Irish]

I don’t know what else to talk about. Everything I say on the actual topic gets deleted. Wonder why. Hmmmmm. Didn’t have anything to do with you did it Buddy?

Stay away from the "Social and Political" aspects of the topic, that is why your posts are getting deleted. Nothing to do with a specific poster, its how the site wants it. Its why I've tried to not wade too far into those aspects of topics as of late.

 

[mickEblu]

I don't know, would it? There is nothing wrong with actually experiencing something first hand even after you'd made an opinion on it. I mean if nothing else it would either confirm or disprove your original opinion on the subject.

Even though I do not have an issue watching that movie with my wife (without my son) I’d still be endorsing the kind of movie I do not want them to make. At least when it comes to rated PG Disney animated films that Id like to take my son to see over the Holidays. Granted, it’s already a solidified bomb so would it matter? Not really. Its like a Democrat in California forgetting to vote for President on Election Day.

 

[Sharon&Susan]

I really do wonder how many of those who happened to see the advertising just assumed it was a C Grade animated production from who knows where just based off the art style (like Rock Dog or Arctic Dogs come to mind) instead of a Disney production and didn't show up because of that?

 

[BuddyThomas]

I really do wonder how many of those who happened to see the advertising just assumed it was a C Grade animated production from who knows where just based off the art style (like Rock Dog or Arctic Dogs come to mind) instead of a Disney production and didn't show up because of that?

Well, if you see it, you will see that the animation is amazing.

 

[TwilightZone]

I really do wonder how many of those who happened to see the advertising just assumed it was a C Grade animated production from who knows where just based off the art style (like Rock Dog or Arctic Dogs come to mind) instead of a Disney production and didn't show up because of that?

I've seen comments saying it looked like "Smallfoot", a movie I've never heard of. Which is pretty bad.

 

[Disney Irish]

Even though I do not have an issue watching that movie with my wife (without my son) I’d still be endorsing the kind of movie I do not want them to make. At least when it comes to rated PG Disney animated films that Id like to take my son to see over the Holidays. Granted, it’s already a solidified bomb so would it matter? Not really.

Suit yourself, maybe you'll catch it when its streaming and see its not as "bad" as you thought. As I said in this thread before, I have no issue with having my 3 year old nephew watching this movie. That is if he would sit still during the movie that is, lol.

 

[Disney Irish]

I've seen comments saying it looked like "Smallfoot", a movie I've never heard of. Which is pretty bad.

I saw Smallfoot, and I can see why those comments were made. Its actually a cute movie, you should check it out.

 

[DKampy]

I am amazed at how many people can critique a movie without seeing it….I have not seen it yet myself….yes the word of mouth has not been great and has knocked it down the priority list for me….but I am sure we all have movies we disagree with consensus….film is subjective…so I can not comment on how the movie is

 

[Prince-1]

I am amazed at how many people can critique a movie without seeing it….I have not seen it yet myself….yes the word of mouth has not been great and has knocked it down the priority list for me….but I am sure we all have movies we disagree with consensus….film is subjective…so I can not comment on how the movie is

It is something a few people do on here. No one knows why. Maybe it’s because they are failed out of film school and are bitter individuals, maybe they live in their parents basements and hate themselves, or maybe they just like to troll people and thrive on getting some kind of reaction.

 

[TP2000]

I think Bob Iger nailed it in his town hall yesterday, when someone was bold enough to ask if Bob Iger was going to change that Covid work from home policy. He deferred that there was no announcement to make yet, but then he said...

"...he felt creative businesses worked best when employees were together in-person."

No kidding, Bob! Most businesses work best when employees are together.

If the employees running the parks that are the company's only cash cow right now can get in their Honda, drive to work and show up 5 days a week while not wearing their pajamas, then the Burbank cubicle army can do the exact same thing to make a few bucks.

Disney hiring freeze will stay in place, CEO Bob Iger tells employees

Disney CEO Bob Iger said he won't remove the company's hiring freeze and that he will reassess its cost structure.

www.cnbc.com

 

[TP2000]

As others have alluded to - if it were not for this forum, I wouldn't have known the film existed.

Whether anyone likes it or not is subjective but they really dropped the ball in the marketing campaign.

Isn't it weird?!? I've never seen Disney do anything like it. Or any big movie studio do anything like it, really.

For a film that had a $180 Million production budget. It's just... weird. There's gotta be a story there.

I really do wonder how many of those who happened to see the advertising just assumed it was a C Grade animated production from who knows where just based off the art style (like Rock Dog or Arctic Dogs come to mind) instead of a Disney production and didn't show up because of that?

Well, that's an interesting point. It might have had something to do with it. It certainly doesn't look "Disney" to me.

I think the disastrous and historical failure of Strange World theatrically has several reasons behind it. A few we've touched on here, and some we may not ever know about. For whatever reason, Burbank spent a fortune making this movie and then pretended it didn't really exist. That's just... weird.