A Collision of Creativity and Cash at Disney/Pixar

[nytimez]

New Stewart piece on Disney is up at the Times:


A Collision of Creativity and Cash at Disney/Pixar
While Disney focuses on lucrative franchises, Pixar maintains it is devoted to the story. In “Cars 2,” Disney won.

 

[Reddog1134]

Disney will again make BILLIONS from Cars merchandising and then announce Cars 3.

 

[nytimez]

Disney will again make BILLIONS from Cars merchandising and then announce Cars 3.

And Pixar will lose one more piece of its soul. Assuming there's any left to lose.

 

[The_Duke_Knows]

Sold out for a quick buck... Fail

 

[alexsdc2]

So I don't understand why everyone is freaking out because of this movie. First off to say a sequel is a death sentice for Pixar doesn't make sense. You could have made the same argument about toy story 2 as well or how about toy story 3 as well. Secondly
I believe movies are part of the entertainment industry and the point of that is not necessarily to win awards but rather to entertain people. Cars was not the best movie ever but it wasnp popular and entertaining. Cars 2 is the same way, some people hate it and others love it.
It is all about entertaining people and yes cars 2
has accomplished that both with the movie and the merchandise.

 

[OldsDr]

I think you may be seeing the begining of the end/ such as going from Beuty and the beast to lion king to tarzan to chicken little.

"Little bit at a time and it didn't cost be a dime" but you loose everything in the long run by pushing out movies that are sub par. the first time you cut corners and deviate from the formula that works it may not be horrible but then next time you cut a little more and then just a little more and then eventually it becomes a lot.


I hope I am wrong, but handrawn animation was not killed by CG it was killed by trying to squeeze too much out of it without proper investment in storytelling.

Cars 3 direct to DVD? Here comes pixars return of jafar. Not saying that CARS 3 will be direct to DVD, but lets make an over under on when we will see a pixar direct to DVD

 

[lockedoutlogic]

Usually i'm right on board with this kinda discussion...

but i have to play the adversary a little on this one...forgive me. (Sorry Timez)

Yeah, its crap to sell merchandise...and not just any merchandise, but motorhead stuff that isn't limited to the east coast, upper midwest, and left Coast...it has appeal to - shall i say - the more "quaint" areas of the country. And obvious international thinly veiled motives as well.

But hey people, what is shocking here? They want money...disney bought pixar and made jobs more richer than a rich man could ever hope to be...and they want money.

Its actually kinda silly for us to keep complaining about: they are blood sucking profit vampires..they have been on that road for decades...and I - like you - have kept giving them money and therefore tacit approval to keep doing it.

So that is why my new slogan is "Walt Disney World: Visit it while it's still decent".

And what's sad is it's maybe one of the more accurate things i've ever said.

But its not their fault they put out cheaper and cheaper crap and media for us to buy...we let them.

Fact.

 

[nytimez]

Usually i'm right on board with this kinda discussion...

but i have to play the adversary a little on this one...forgive me. (Sorry Timez)

Yeah, its crap to sell merchandise...and not just any merchandise, but motorhead stuff that isn't limited to the east coast, upper midwest, and left Coast...it has appeal to - shall i say - the more "quaint" areas of the country. And obvious international thinly veiled motives as well.

But hey people, what is shocking here? They want money...disney bought pixar and made jobs more richer than a rich man could ever hope to be...and they want money.

Its actually kinda silly for us to keep complaining about: they are blood sucking profit vampires..they have been on that road for decades...and I - like you - have kept giving them money and therefore tacit approval to keep doing it.

So that is why my new slogan is "Walt Disney World: Visit it while it's still decent".

And what's sad is it's maybe one of the more accurate things i've ever said.

But its not their fault they put out cheaper and cheaper crap and media for us to buy...we let them.

Fact.

I got no problem with them making money off this stuff... even tons of money. I just don't think the pursuit of great cinema and the pursuit of the almighty buck need to be mutually exclusive.

Looking up the numbers, "Up," "Wall-E" and "Ratatouille" did nearly $2 billion in global box office... and they were all great films. "Up" and "Wall-E" were both daring and visionary... and "Ratatouille" was bold for its use of way-too-lifelike rats and setting the story in a country Americans love to hate.

The central conflict behind "Ratatouille" might even be a bit of an metaphor for what's going on at Pixar right now.

As I said in another thread, I am not giving up on Pixar -- the company's most creative people are still there. I'm holding out hope they can do it again... if the company lets them.

 

[Mikelly1221]

I got no problem with them making money off this stuff... even tons of money. I just don't think the pursuit of great cinema and the pursuit of the almighty buck need to be mutually exclusive.

Looking up the numbers, "Up," "Wall-E" and "Ratatouille" did nearly $2 billion in global box office... and they were all great films. "Up" and "Wall-E" were both daring and visionary... and "Ratatouille" was bold for its use of way-too-lifelike rats and setting the story in a country Americans love to hate.

The central conflict behind "Ratatouille" might even be a bit of an metaphor for what's going on at Pixar right now.

As I said in another thread, I am not giving up on Pixar -- the company's most creative people are still there. I'm holding out hope they can do it again... if the company lets them.

Well said. I hope Pixar doesn't end up "assimilated" into the Disney machine.

 

[Peter Pirate 2]

So I don't understand why everyone is freaking out because of this movie. First off to say a sequel is a death sentice for Pixar doesn't make sense. You could have made the same argument about toy story 2 as well or how about toy story 3 as well. Secondly
I believe movies are part of the entertainment industry and the point of that is not necessarily to win awards but rather to entertain people. Cars was not the best movie ever but it wasnp popular and entertaining. Cars 2 is the same way, some people hate it and others love it.
It is all about entertaining people and yes cars 2
has accomplished that both with the movie and the merchandise.

Freaking out because PIXAR was Disney reincarnate until (the irony of all ironies) it was bought by Disney. Now they are slowly going down the corporate Disney path of mediocrity, which Disney had already perfected themselves. Why spend billions on PIXAR if you're just going to reduce it to selling "an entertaining" movie? Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to wal mart. They must have done it ruin their only true competition, one would guess.

 

[lockedoutlogic]

I've said this a thousand times and i'll say it everyday till i kick:

It is only about merchandise tie ins....hits are great, but isle 12 at walmart is the goal.

so while cars 2 - frankly - sucks, certainly by pixar standards...they have flooded merchandise everywhere...thats it.

look at lucas's second batch of star wars...particularly Episode I: The Retail Menace - the movies where basically horrible but nobody cared. it sold tons of crap...and that means it was a "success" by the only measure that mattered. So the disgruntled purist fans don't mean squat...they really don't. The same at disney.

If disney had a choice between:

A. Great Movie with Strong Merchandise
B. Terrible Movie with Slightly Stronger Merchandise Sales

They pick B everyday of the week. Retail is really that big of a deal.

 

[Peter Pirate 2]

I've said this a thousand times and i'll say it everyday till i kick:

It is only about merchandise tie ins....hits are great, but isle 12 at walmart is the goal.

so while cars 2 - frankly - sucks, certainly by pixar standards...they have flooded merchandise everywhere...thats it.

look at lucas's second batch of star wars...particularly Episode I: The Retail Menace - the movies where basically horrible but nobody cared. it sold tons of crap...and that means it was a "success" by the only measure that mattered. So the disgruntled purist fans don't mean squat...they really don't. The same at disney.

If disney had a choice between:

A. Great Movie with Strong Merchandise
B. Terrible Movie with Slightly Stronger Merchandise Sales

They pick B everyday of the week. Retail is really that big of a deal.

Absolutely agree. PIXAR did not run their company that way though. That's what makes it double frustrating since Iger just HAD to buy them.