Live-Action Moana just announced.

[BrianL]

Yes it was awful. It really reveals the state of Disneys lack of imagination nowadays. They kicked the talent to the curb. Just another reason to be totally disgusted with the current regime.

Yeah. I'm probably a tough cookie to win over but not impressed with the redos.

Well, I thought it was quite good. It's of course fair not to like it, but certianly it was imaginative. Those landscapes are incredible! It was also directed by Don Hall - is he not talent? He clearly hasn't been kicked to the curb.

 

[Mysterian]

Well, Strange World was very original, imaginative, not a rehash, nor a sequel. Then again, it bombed at the box office, proving once againt hat audiences WANT rehashes. It's unfortunate, but it's a fact.

It's been said that the film was poorly marketed, and was up against some big competition (Avatar 2, Wakanda Forever, Knives Out 2).

As for reception, and claims to "originality", I see may reviews saying otherwise: "Strange World is a Disney milestone in terms of representation – but as a storytelling experience, this dazzlingly animated adventure offers little audiences haven't already seen." Many reviews are negative.

Avatar 2, Wakanda Forever, Knives Out: Glass Onion- Those can be testaments that audiences will come back for some more of the same by virtue of being sequels. But even sequels can tank if they're not a good movie on their own merits. It's easy to sell a bad movie by giving it a familiar name, look at Highlander II or Jaws the Revenge.

I'd also argue that Everything Everywhere All At Once was a film that proved itself without rehashing the same old material.

So I'm going to have to disagree with the case for Strange World. I think it's just another studio hack job. I wanted to like Raya but it fell flat for me, and the best thing about Encanto was the music. I can't think of a really solid Disney (not Pixar) animated film after Moana was released in 2016.

 

[BrianL]

It's been said that the film was poorly marketed, and was up against some big competition (Avatar 2, Wakanda Forever, Knives Out 2).

As for reception, and claims to "originality", I see may reviews saying otherwise: "Strange World is a Disney milestone in terms of representation – but as a storytelling experience, this dazzlingly animated adventure offers little audiences haven't already seen." Many reviews are negative.

Avatar 2, Wakanda Forever, Knives Out: Glass Onion- Those can be testaments that audiences will come back for some more of the same by virtue of being sequels. But even sequels can tank if they're not a good movie on their own merits. It's easy to sell a bad movie by giving it a familiar name, look at Highlander II or Jaws the Revenge.

I'd also argue that Everything Everywhere All At Once was a film that proved itself without rehashing the same old material.

So I'm going to have to disagree with the case for Strange World. I think it's just another studio hack job. I wanted to like Raya but it fell flat for me, and the best thing about Encanto was the music. I can't think of a really solid Disney (not Pixar) animated film after Moana was released in 2016.

Well, agian, opinions are fine, but I think the term "unimaginative" is not an apt description. There are tons of imaginitave things that I dislike. People often thing that if something is wrong with a movie, then EVERYTHING is wrong with a movie. Strange World isn't perfect - the story is a bit stilted at times. It really needed a little extra run time to breathe, which is not something I say about a lot of movies.

I would say that while I enjoyed Raya, it was less "imaginative" at least if you assume the screenwriters have seen The Last Airbender. Doesn't make it bad though - but it's hardly unique. At least Strange World is. But that is my point, that being unique or original doesn't make a movie better. Audiences right now are responding more to the familliar.