Disney chief Bob Iger told Wall Street analysts that there’s “a fair amount of design and development (taking place by the company’s Imagineers) to greatly increase ‘Star Wars” presence in multiple locations around the world,” shortly after the Mouse House announced another strong financial quarter. “The plans are ambitious, so it’s going to take some time for them to be built and opened.”
In a separate interview with Bloomberg Television, Iger said, “Fairly soon, I’m sure we’ll be ready to go public with some specifics. But it’s safe to say that you’ll see a lot more ‘Star Wars’ at Disney and at Disney parks in the near future.”
I’m already picturing myself flying with Rogue Squadron in an Epcot-esque Death Star.
After I watched the first trailer for Inside Out yesterday, I noticed a pretty alarming trend in the trailer’s discussion. People are complaining that the characters (Riley’s family) are gender stereotypes and one-dimensional caricatures.
Some are even claiming the movie is sexist…against both genders.
Specifically, people are whining about how the mother is a typical “sitcom” mom who is in touch with her emotions, while the dad is distracted by sports and is inattentive.
Fair enough, let’s talk about this. First, we should watch the trailer again to review (and because it’s awesome):
Is this a typical “sitcom” family?
Well, yeah. That’s the entire point.
This isn’t even all that different from the dinner scene in The Incredibles. You know, the scene where Bob could barely pay attention, while Helen was trying to sort out the problems Dash was having at school?
But this time around, we’re actually in their heads. So it’s a problem now. You see how that’s just a bit unfair?
If we judged The Incredibles the same way from just that one scene, we’d have to say that Bob and Helen Parr are just stereotypical characters, even though that’s completely not the case if you actually watch the whole movie.
The same goes with Inside Out.
Guys, it’s a trailer. We’re supposed to be able to relate to each of the characters, and the reality is that in real life, parents tend to be like this. Deviating from this narrative formula is what dramas do, not comedies.
If the dad was the one being all touchy feely in this scene, you know what would happen? You wouldn’t believe it. There’d be no immersion. Sorry, but guys tend to be oblivious and in their own little world after a long day.
“Well Pixar is lazy for relying on these stereotypes,” you may argue.
But you have to start somewhere.
Pixar isn’t “lazy” for writing these characters in this way. They’re smart. If you start with a character who is already an enigma, who is supposed to be the film’s center, then there’s no possible way for that character to grow. With Riley and her parents, we’re seeing them in the early stages of the film’s narrative, and it’s nonsense to criticize Pixar for not doing something you’re not even sure they’ve done yet.
So the real question isn’t “Are they stereotypes?” The question should be, “Are they interesting?” And after watching that trailer, I believe that’s a solid yes.
This week on Now Conspiring with Jon and Maria, we debate the best animated movie of the past year. From How to Train Your Dragon 2 to the recent release of Big Hero 6, which film do you think deserves top praise?
Also on the show, we finally discuss whether or not Interstellar is actually worth watching, along with an impromptu overview of the surprise hit, Whiplash. And stick around for some awesome discussion over the future of Toy Story 4.
Introducing for the second week in a row, guest Sara Peery! Hope you enjoy the show.
Most of the elements and techniques Disney used in Pinocchio weren’t completely new—Disney regularly used its short films as proving grounds for things like the multiplane camera—but they were untested at Pinocchio’s level. And that represents perhaps the film’s greatest achievement: unprecedented artistic ambition. From the macro level—making major alterations on the story and character levels—to the micro—spending a full year animating water droplets—the production of Pinocchio represents a calculated risk that established Disney Feature Animation as an artistic force as well as a commercial one. Snow White set the records, but Pinocchio set the standard.
That last line is referring to the fact that Pinocchiowas a major financial flopfor Disney, earning only about half of what it cost to make.
But as the article states, Pinocchio was incredibly important for the world of animation. It took risks no one even knew existed yet, and we’re still gaining from those benefits today (especially if you’re an animator). It makes me wonder which “flops” from our generation will go on to be revered and inspired classics.
Also, you may have noticed that this is the “Movie of the Week” on The Dissolve. Basically, they pick a movie every week for readers to watch and discuss, which is what you read above. I’m happy to share from their excellent site, and I encourage you to check it out.
This week on Worth Watching, we have two guests joining the show: Sara Peery and Jordan Smith! We talk about Big Hero 6, the latest plot rumors around Star Wars Episode VII, and finally figure out why Maria hates Marvel movies. Enjoy!
There’s been so much secrecy surrounding J.J. Abrams’ Star Wars Episode VII that we didn’t even known what the customary subtitle to the film would be. We finally know that the full title of the film will be Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens, and that knowledge allows us to begin to speculate about what that subtitle may imply.
For months on end there has been a steady stream of rumors about Episode VII’s storyline – and there a curious amount of those rumors which could be seen as fitting in perfect synch with what the title “Force Awakens” could be hinting at.
Honestly, I’m not the biggest fan of the new subtitle. It lacks the epic rush you get from hearing a subtitle like Empire Strikes Back or Revenge of the Sith.
But if you read this take on what the movie could be about, you might (like I did) rethink how well the title fits into this risky, but ambitious, entry. Time will tell, of course, if J.J. will go ahead and title the next movie as Wrath of Han.
Big Hero 6 is more ambitious than it is a work of art. The characters are brilliant, but not all of them. The visuals are jaw-dropping, sometimes. In fact, the movie is sort of symbolic of Disney and Marvel’s own mashup as two major companies. They go together to create something beautiful, but sometimes you wonder if it’s better than much of anything else.
At any rate, this movie is worth your time if you at least have an undying love for animation, and where the discipline is headed for the next few years. Fans of Frozen, Wreck-it Ralph, and even Pixar movies will find something to love here, as it manages to pull off an emotional core with its story, without feeling forced (this was one of Frozen’s blatant flaws).
Even Marvel fans will get a kick out of this movie’s energy and humor, and it’s just absurd enough of an adaptation to keep fans of the comic from feeling left out. Though it’s hard to justify a Disney movie that so brazenly mixes its themes with a comic book made from such a disparate tone. You’re probably better off never knowing anything about the source material if you want to get the most out of Big Hero 6.
More superhero film than Disney film, that ends up being what holds the better parts of Big Hero 6 back, as its tale of heroes uniting to stop a vanilla threat is nothing we haven’t already seen too much of. The film’s best material surrounds the patriarchal relationship between the created and the creator, only the created serves as the father figure in this sense.
Baymax is a giant robot with a lot of charm at his disposal, and he is the heart of a movie that should have refocused on how his character develops alongside Hiro Hamada, the young inventor connected to him. Instead, the film frequently sidesteps their story in order to deliver some of the more expected superhero cliches and a rushed assembly of superhero teammates.
For a first try into the foray of Marvel animated adaptations, Big Hero 6 is still a triumph. Gorgeous visuals and stunning animation elevate the fictional location of San Fransokyo (a mash up of San Francisco and Tokyo) to heights on par with more established comic book cities. And it serves as an excellent backdrop to the adventures of a boy and his robot. It’s just too bad the final product is too much, too soon.
