They seem to get interested when the price is right. That price of course tends to be rather insane. If I remember correctly Mark Hamill was charging $125 for an autograph a C5.
-
Welcome to the WDWMAGIC.COM Forums!
Please take a look around, and feel free to sign up and join the community.
SWWs all about the merchandise?
- Thread starter WDW1974
- Start date
wdwfan4ver
Well-Known Member
The late Alec Guinness didn't like the fact modern audiences only thought of him for being Obi-Wan Kenobi. It is possible that a lot of big names from Star Wars didn't just don't want to be known for Star Wars only either.
Scar
Active Member
Really? I don't recall any stories of Alec Guiness throwing away his royalty checks each year. :animwink:
That said, celebrity conventions really only have people who are no longer working celebrities. Is that bad? Not really. Why not let the voice of Watto get some fame if Natalie Portman is busy? Why would Natalie Portman show up? She doesn't need to do so.
zooey
Well-Known Member
I honestly think that you can't take Hyperspace Hoopla too seriously. It's meant to be fun. It's not canon, or something. Think of the Robot Chicken Star Wars specials. Star Wars is so culturally pervasive that it gets parodied. I don't see why it can't exist in that way as well as the more serious, true to itself way that it was in the beginning, the whole modern myth idea. If any fan looks at Hyperspace Hoopla and says that they "ruined" Star Wars, then they must not have been paying attention to the franchise for the past 20 years. It's been "ruined" many times over with a whole bunch of nonsense, including the prequels, Family Guy, comic books, novels, and now, apparently, Star Wars Weekends.
You just gotta lighten up a bit.
You just gotta lighten up a bit.
I'm a hard core SW fan and, for me, Hyperspace Hoopla is the best part. If anything, I wish they'd add "Indiana Jones and the Lost Jedi Temple" during SWW as well.
The stage is a good idea but terrible execution. The idea that the parade only travels half of its prior route is absolutely insane. And from my experience last year, there weren't very many good places to view the stage.
The merch tent is the same way. Love the size, but samey merchandise and it's WAY too far out of the way. It seems ridiculous to me that they don't line Sunset Blvd. with characters. As it is now, Darth's Mall is about as far from the rest of the SW related activities as it could possibly be.
And, as long as I'm on a soapbox, can't they at least add a couple new characters every year? The character offerings have become really, really stale as well. (oh yeah, this is Disney who's too cheap to even add more of their own characters to the parks)
Honestly, I wouldn't mind a bit if SWW were a hard ticket event if the offerings were better. "Last Ticket To Endor" would be a good blueprint as long as the price weren't quite as high.
The stage is a good idea but terrible execution. The idea that the parade only travels half of its prior route is absolutely insane. And from my experience last year, there weren't very many good places to view the stage.
The merch tent is the same way. Love the size, but samey merchandise and it's WAY too far out of the way. It seems ridiculous to me that they don't line Sunset Blvd. with characters. As it is now, Darth's Mall is about as far from the rest of the SW related activities as it could possibly be.
And, as long as I'm on a soapbox, can't they at least add a couple new characters every year? The character offerings have become really, really stale as well. (oh yeah, this is Disney who's too cheap to even add more of their own characters to the parks)
Honestly, I wouldn't mind a bit if SWW were a hard ticket event if the offerings were better. "Last Ticket To Endor" would be a good blueprint as long as the price weren't quite as high.
I don't have much to say ... I do agree the temporary tent looks like what it is ... and it is tacky.
What I want to know is why Disney fanbois had issues with Modern Family (the best written comedy on network TV that had a pheonomenal season finale tonight)? Been out of the country for over a month and missed that deal.
I don't have a clue what the Clone Wars are, and I find it hard to believe they are wildly popular. They certainly didn't touch the core of the public consciousness the way the first trilogy did ... and I am not trying to take away from the work of any of the voice talents. Just that I see the same names year after year and think 'no one in the world notices these people when they drop into their local Starbucks or McD's' ... but a free trip to WDW for them and their families, usually with a stay at the BW for a week and all meals and incidentals plus the small (by industry standards) appearance fees must be enough to get them to O-Town when the six-month summer is starting.
I think that's a very weak excuse. The first few years of Disney-MGM they had a 'Celebrity of the Day' program and would often feature very well-known folks from the world of TV or film and they never had any issues ... and Super Soap Weekends always showcased the top ABC stars (not the 20-something kids on their first jobs who couldn't act their way out of a bag).
Again, just don't see it as an issue.
Well, it may be possible. Look, Roy Disney was quite unhappy with what Disney (under Eisner's final years) was doing with the Disney characters. I remember hearing him talk about the crappy plush The Disney Store was selling where you had Mickeys and Minnies in all kind of 'garish' (his term) color schemes ... he also didn't like it when MMC ears started appearing in all sorts of different colors when for decades they were only available in the traditional black. ... Wonder what he'd think of those hiddeous vinyls.
But I think Rowling is quite happy with how her decision turned out. And, hey, Disney got the rights to Avatar so they did just as well, right?
I would postulate that the reason there aren't more Star Wars offerings in the parks has little to do with George Lucas and much to do with the Disney P&R 'braintrust'.
ST 2.0 was first seriously talked about around 1999 when the new films began to roll out ... but Lucas and Disney had a toxic relationship by that point. I don't believe Lucas really slowed much of anything down. ... It just sorta sat as a dormant idea for years before they got serious again.
I am not a SW fan by any stretch (I'd prefer anything Star Trek myself), but I'd love to see more attractions or a mini-area set up (especially in TPFKaTD-MGMS). Just doesn't appear to be in the stars.
AEfx
Well-Known Member
First, yes, I can't think of a better Fireworks theme, and also give a reason to visit the end of the day at a SWW.
As to the celebrities, I don't think it's interest so much as $. I believe they pay almost nothing for appearances, and while I don't think they are not interested in being associated with it, but just Disney doesn't give much incentive to sit out in a tent in the heat to sign various articles for tired/hot/bored guests. The only person who seems to disdain SW is Harrison Ford, which is silly since he really isn't Mr. Big Movie Star anymore himself.
Carrie Fisher's recent one-woman show focused quite a bit on Star Wars, Mark Hamill seems fine talking about it - and even people like Kenny Baker and especially Anthony Daniels (who was heavily involved in ST2) would probably, but if they only offer a few thousand bucks and a (presumably) free trip for you and your family, the appeal isn't there for many.
My guess is - they do it on the cheap, so that's why such Z-listers end up there. Heck, I wouldn't be awfully surprised if some day we end up with an Autograph Line from "someone who was alive in 1977 and bought a ticket to see Star Wars in it's first theatrical run!" they seem to be getting so desperate.
AEfx
Well-Known Member
The reason it's surprising is because Lucasfilm is very protective of these characters, and you are talking about unofficial fan organizations and regular guests who come in costume vs. an officially licensed show.
I've mentioned briefly before that I had interactions with Lucasfilm/LucasArts licensing department over a project, and now that it's defunct I'll say what - Star Wars Galaxies, the MMO (lasted 9 years, quite a trip). And the amount of control they exert is unreal - it was only the last year or two the game was up that they finally let go of some really restrictive policies. Because of knowing how they deal with things and how seriously they (used) to take it, when I saw break dancing Chewie and Travolta-impersonating Vader live on stage officially licensed, I about died of shock.
I don't have any big problem with it - but I'd love a much more action/story oriented presentation, not an excuse to have a cheap "block party" for the kiddos bored because their parents dragged them through hours long merch lines all day and made them wait forever to stand in line to get an autograph of someone they have no idea who they are.
janoimagine
Well-Known Member
Disney is no different with it's characters ... We did a Dodge Caravan spot several years ago where we used Mike and Sully from Monsters Inc. for the punchline and I could not believe the amount of Brand Managers those two characters came with. It was unreal.
The Empress Lilly
Well-Known Member
This! :wave: