75 employees laid off at Pixar, including the director of Lightyear

[PolymerSkywalker]

I think the ability to cancel something through social media has now become very intoxicating for some on the right. It used to be the same and probably still is for some on the left who looked to cancel people for any fault or past transgression. Now it seems to be a quest to cancel any company that dares to tread on the side of transgender acceptance or takes part in pride month.

Yes, and both sides aggressively celebrate their "wins". The world is just a much more polarized place today than it was just 30 years ago. I was raised as a left of center Democrat in a town full of right of center Republicans. My family had tons of Republican friends and for the most part everyone agreed on 95% of topics. Today I feel like if you are of opposing political leanings that there is less and less common ground by the day.

 

[Smugpugmug]

In the end I'm not so sure that the "right" or "outrage" have anything to do with why Elemental failed. One site listed ten reasons..... and they didn't even touch on the fact their was a minor non-binary character.

It just wasn't a great film.... Disney tried doing a Cannes closing debut for Elemental, and movie goers there just didn't like it. Now regular movie critics did give it a passing grade... but I expect it was lackluster enough that most will wait a few months to see it on Disney+. Leaving them free to go watch something better at a very crowded summer movie season. I'm sure Spider-Verse was what most kids were interested in seeing...

I think releasing Elemental in June was a big mistake. It was a crowded month and it should've been pushed back to July or August.

With that said, when I was watching Across the Spiderverse, I kept thinking to myself "I wish Disney would make a film that looks this good and has a story this compelling."

 

[PolymerSkywalker]

I think releasing Elemental in June was a big mistake. It was a crowded month and it should've been pushed back to July or August.

With that said, when I was watching Across the Spiderverse, I kept thinking to myself "I wish Disney would make a film that looks this good and has a story this compelling."

Agree completely. Spiderverse is a really good movie, and I love the story line. But I am a spiderman fan and always have been. Sony has a gold mine with Spiderman if they use it correctly. With the absence of a lot of the tier 1 superheroes after end game, Spidey can become a huge focal point going forward.

 

[DefnotDLav]

Yes, and both sides aggressively celebrate their "wins". The world is just a much more polarized place today than it was just 30 years ago. I was raised as a left of center Democrat in a town full of right of center Republicans. My family had tons of Republican friends and for the most part everyone agreed on 95% of topics. Today I feel like if you are of opposing political leanings that there is less and less common ground by the day.

The difference is back then the debates were on how to solve a problem that everyone agreed was a problem. They were on issues that impacted most people's daily lives.

Today, people spend so much time making issues that will never impact their daily lives into their #1 concern. Spend so much time and energy fighting against these culture issues. Leaves no room for debates on solutions to real problems. Imagine if those engaged in the BL protest or whatever they are calling it put that same energy into something that actually affected them? Imagine if instead of fighting the big bad "woke" Disney, they fought a real problem. What a world....

 

[Smugpugmug]

Agree completely. Spiderverse is a really good movie, and I love the story line. But I am a spiderman fan and always have been. Sony has a gold mine with Spiderman if they use it correctly. With the absence of a lot of the tier 1 superheroes after end game, Spidey can become a huge focal point going forward.

I'm not a superhero fan or an MCU fan at all but I LOVE both Spiderverse films. I'm so excited for Beyond the Spiderverse. The two Spiderverse movies are better than anything Disney/Pixar has put out since the first one released back in 2018.

 

[PolymerSkywalker]

I'm not a superhero fan or an MCU fan at all but I LOVE both Spiderverse films. I'm so excited for Beyond the Spiderverse. The two Spiderverse movies are better than anything Disney/Pixar has put out since the first one released back in 2018.

Yep, my kids put me onto the Spiderverse. I read Spidey comics back and high school and loved the characters, but new nothing of the Miles Morales storyline. I went into it with an open mind, and was blown away with how good it was. Probably the best animated stuff I have seen in years.

 

[starlite_]

In the end I'm not so sure that the "right" or "outrage" have anything to do with why Elemental failed. One site listed ten reasons..... and they didn't even touch on the fact their was a minor non-binary character.

It just wasn't a great film.... Disney tried doing a Cannes closing debut for Elemental, and movie goers there just didn't like it. Now regular movie critics did give it a passing grade... but I expect it was lackluster enough that most will wait a few months to see it on Disney+. Leaving them free to go watch something better at a very crowded summer movie season. I'm sure Spider-Verse was what most kids were interested in seeing...

Elemental has not even come out on my country and folks are already calling it a fail. Like, at this point they aren't even giving it a chance to try.

 

[PolymerSkywalker]

Elemental has not even come out on my country and folks are already calling it a fail. Like, at this point they aren't even giving it a chance to try.

With very few exceptions you can take the opening weekend numbers for a film and fairly closely predict its total box office run. I watched the box office predictions for this movie start really low, then progressively get lower and lower weekly up until its release. The first weekends numbers are really low for a film that likely cost Pixar around $300 million dollars. Unless this movie has incredible word of mouth and some of the best legs on a movie we have seen this year, it will lose a lot of money. I don't revel in that at all, as I want Disney and Pixar to succeed.

Once in a blue moon there is a film that does incredible overseas and beats all early predictions. I will be shocked if Elemental does that.

 

[Disney Bobby]

And why did it get a lot of attention? It’s not a Super Bowl ad, not even a television ad, it’s specifically meant for Mulvaney’s instagram followers and certain people decided to lose their minds over it. You could have ignored it like a whole bunch of other people did. There’s always going to be another thing to be outraged about that has nothing to do with you and you can choose how to respond to it. The other option might be better for your health.

It got a lot of attention because it was absurd. And ignoring this type of absurdity doesn't make it go away, it makes it even worse. It emboldens it. That's how propaganda works. And eventually, even a lie becomes the truth and can impact all of society. That's how the NCAA Division 1 Women's Swimming Champion ended up being a man. Ridiculous.

 

[DefnotDLav]

The problem is, as was brought up, is that people truly believe they are in the middle of a war. They think if they give an inch they will lose. It's this win/loss attitude that's kind of infected our public discourse on an array of things.

See below for real time example:

It got a lot of attention because it was absurd. And ignoring this type of absurdity doesn't make it go away, it makes it even worse. It emboldens it. That's how propaganda works. And eventually, even a lie becomes the truth and can impact all of society. That's how the NCAA Division 1 Women's Swimming Champion ended up being a man. Ridiculous.

 

[Douglas Dubh]

Imagine if those engaged in the BL protest or whatever they are calling it put that same energy into something that actually affected them?

What energy are they putting into the BL protest? They’re just not buying BL.

 

[BrianL]

What energy are they putting into the BL protest? They’re just not buying BL.

I think it's more the publicizing of it and constantly complaining about it. Instead of campaigning against some advertising they don't like, they could try to spread the word about an actual problem.

 

[PolymerSkywalker]

What energy are they putting into the BL protest? They’re just not buying BL.

That's what I don't think people understand about this. It was a really easy change for joe six pack to make. He just buys another brand of cheap light watery beer now. He sees this as Bud Light telling him they no longer want him as a customer, and he is just doing what they asks of him. I am simply baffled by how people are surprised by this sales decline at Bud Light. It is a massive news story on every form of media for over a month.

 

[PolymerSkywalker]

I think it's more the publicizing of it and constantly complaining about it. Instead of campaigning against some advertising they don't like, they could try to spread the word about an actual problem.

That's what you fail to understand about this. They see this as a problem for them. Most bud light drinkers are heterosexual males 35+ who are raising kids. They see a trans person who was born a male dressed up and pretending to be a 6 year old girl named Eloise, and now that person has a paid sponsorship from a beer brand they have been loyal to since college. They see this as a challenge to their way of life and beliefs.

What about the gay bars that no longer carry Bud Light due to the companies improper defending of Mulvaney in their eyes. Should they instead be working on an "actual problem" as well?

Both sides are boycotting Bud Light now, so are both sides wrong?

 

[BrianL]

That's what I don't think people understand about this. It was a really easy change for joe six pack to make. He just buys another brand of cheap light watery beer now. He sees this as Bud Light telling him they no longer want him as a customer, and he is just doing what they asks of him. I am simply baffled by how people are surprised by this sales decline at Bud Light. It is a massive news story on every form of media for over a month.

But, what I don't get is WHY someone would not want to drink a kind of beer just because someone else also likes to drink that same beer! What does it matter? It's pretty crazy, right?

 

[Starport Seven-Five]

Today, people spend so much time making issues that will never impact their daily lives into their #1 concern. Spend so much time and energy fighting against these culture issues. Leaves no room for debates on solutions to real problems. Imagine if those engaged in the BL protest or whatever they are calling it put that same energy into something that actually affected them? Imagine if instead of fighting the big bad "woke" Disney, they fought a real problem. What a world....

To add on: The other problem I see is that people think that giving any concessions will be a slippery slope to an extreme change. We have issues where any compromise is impossible because even a small change is viewed the same as a complete legalization or ban.

 

[Starport Seven-Five]

That's what I don't think people understand about this. It was a really easy change for joe six pack to make. He just buys another brand of cheap light watery beer now. He sees this as Bud Light telling him they no longer want him as a customer, and he is just doing what they asks of him. I am simply baffled by how people are surprised by this sales decline at Bud Light. It is a massive news story on every form of media for over a month.

Why was that particular item a news story for over a month though? I can find examples of every one of Bud Light’s competitors advertising to the LGBTQ+ community…

People need to stop engaging in outrage culture like this. The origin was a handful of people on social media who have made a career around keeping people upset.

 

[DefnotDLav]

I think it's more the publicizing of it and constantly complaining about it. Instead of campaigning against some advertising they don't like, they could try to spread the word about an actual problem.

And there's even more extreme examples of the effort some of these people have gone to to show their commitment to the "cause".

It's ludicrous.

 

[DefnotDLav]

But, what I don't get is WHY someone would not want to drink a kind of beer just because someone else also likes to drink that same beer! What does it matter? It's pretty crazy, right?

Stop being so rational!

 

[PolymerSkywalker]

Why was that particular item a news story for over a month though? I can find examples of every one of Bud Light’s competitors advertising to the LGBTQ+ community…

People need to stop engaging in outrage culture like this. The origin was a handful of people on social media who have made a career around keeping people upset.

A 25% market share loss and $20+ billion dollar stock valuation loss is simply a massive news story. There will literally be marketing classes taught about this. It will go down in history as one of the biggest marketing missteps in 50 years. it is on par with the New Coke fiasco for Coca Cola in the 80s. I am simply baffled that people don't understand why this is newsworthy.