Shark Tale Worst Reviewed 3D Animated Feature Ever

[crusader]

I disagree.

First there's Katzenberg leaving in 94. Then there's the release of Antz in the same year as A Bug's Life and now we have Shark Tale a year after Nemo.

Coincidence? I think not.

Luck? Even less of a probability

You give Hollywood far too much credit.

 

[raidermatt]

Again, your arguments are based on inside Hollywood info that none of us have, and therefore they can't be absolutely refuted or confirmed.

Sure, they could have created a "sea" movie because Pixar was, but that's about it. By the time Nemo was a success, ST was far into its development.

Regardless, whether its a copycat hack job or not, the point is the perceived association has contributed to the strong opening, but will not carry it to continued success.

 

[crusader]

Sure, they could have created a "sea" movie because Pixar was, but that's about it. By the time Nemo was a success, ST was far into its development.

That's not really all there is to it. They were banking on Pixar producing a hit and began advertising their movie a year ago to capitalize on the success of a relative theme.

Regardless, whether its a copycat hack job or not, the point is the perceived association has contributed to the strong opening, but will not carry it to continued success.

I agree. They used perception by association with Nemo and Shrek 2 which worked phenomenally well opening weekend.

That was my point regarding the strategy. (and viking's too, I believe)

I don't know if this one will carry because it'll take more than these cheap parlor tricks to sustain itself. If it does, we can all speculate as to why.

 

[YoHo]

um, Antz was written before Pixar had even finished Toy Story. It was pitched to Katzenberg when he first got to Dreamworks and they optioned it, but it wasn't whipped out to compete.

Which is not to say that Katzenberg wasn't perhaps more intrigued knowning what Disney was doing, or perhaps they pushed it through a little faster due to A Bugs life. It's possible that they made Shark Tales expecting NEmo to do well, but I myself wouldn't want to play that game. They probably just thought they had a winner.

 

[raidermatt]

I thought I did read how the release date for Antz was pushed up to beat A Bug's Life to theaters.

That kind of thing happens all the time, and not just with movies... didn't Disney push to get MGM opened before Universal?

 

[crusader]

Yoho

I can't definitively prove the timing on the concept vs the production. I know A Bug's Life was inspired by The Ant and the Grasshopper. Apparently Disney had to work feverently to remove all Ant contexts from the movie prior to release to avoid the ANTZ overlay.

Here's a quick sidenote regarding this:

http://www.canoe.ca/JamMoviesFeaturesA/abugslife_1.html

But besides that - here's a good article which talks about Katzenberg and A Bug's Life pretty distinctly. In my opinion, there are rarely any coincidences in Hollywood.

http://www.s-t.com/daily/09-98/09-28-98/c01ae186.htm

 

[Noelle]

I think your comparing apples and oranges.

Antz is not a childs movie. It's a Woody Allen flick! I loved it. My kids can take it or leave it. Bug's Life is geared more to kids. I don't see any similarities in the characters.

Shark Tale has been in developement for a very long time. I really doubt anyone was ripping off Nemo in any way. These movies take a long time to create. It's not something that gets thrown together in a years time. By the way, I thought it was very funny. I enjoyed it alot. My kids liked it just as much as Nemo.

Feature Animation is a small world. There aren't alot of players. With traditional animation slowly becoming less and less profitable, it just narrows the field of players. It's sad to think that Disney's last traditionally animated film will be "Home on the Range". My 11 year old actually fell asleep in the movie theater. (That has NEVER happened before!!!) But people bounce back and forth. Artists work on one feature and then they often need to change studios to find something else to work on.

I think DreamWorks has done pretty good. I love Shrek. I was amazed how much I liked Shark Tale. (I went expecting the worse and it was quite enjoyable.) I think Prince of Egypt was a beautiful movie. Spirit was boring, but again very well animated. The Road to El Dorado was very funny. Probably a little too mature for my kids, but I laughed alot. Sinbad....Well, everyone can slip up now and again. I'm looking forward for Madegascar too!

 

[crusader]

Noelle,

My point wasn't to get into the content. Obviously there are many ways to utilize a theme in a story.

It was to emphasize the strategy which is an integral part of this industry - and much more about intent than chance.

 

[patsal]

Now isn't it being marketed as "Nemo with an urban twist" ?Thought I saw that on the commercial last night

 

[dcentity2000]

An oddness arises. I know of no soul who wishes to see this film and that is no overstatement. To the counter of that effect, I know a great many who intend to watch "The Incredibles" as soon as they possibly can and many who even know about the concept film "Cars".

I feel that a bubble is about to burst in the recesses of Dreamworks with this trojan of a movie...



Rich::

 

[airlarry!]

Someone up there missed that article about famous voices, famous faces and animated features.

I'll try to dig it up, but the import of the article was that comedians can carry a banner headline on a movie and attract kids and adults to see the feature....but knowing that a Damon or Pitt or otherwise is in an animated feature, where you can't see the person, doesn't mean diddleysquat to the average movie goer.

Ergo, Will Smith, Robin Williams, Mike Meyers = instant b.o. for an animated flick.

Logical, isn't it?

 

[All Aboard]

Pocahontas Syndrome.

"From the Studios that brought you The Lion King" in the TV ads went a long way en route to Pocahontas' $150mil box office, despite it being a film that takes a critical beating from many Disney fans.

"From the Studios that brought you Shrek and Shrek 2" is likely doing the same for Shark Tale.

 

[DisneyKidds]

"From the Studios that brought you Shrek and Shrek 2" is likely doing the same for Shark Tale.

No doubt it has done something, but we'll see if it carries it this weekend and beyond. I don't think it will given the bad reviews. Agree or not, Rich's point highlights the fact that Disney's name still seems to carry more weight. I fit right in his example. I had no desire to run out and see Shark Tale. It wasn't on my radar screen, and that wasn't even a conscious decision to ignore it. Given the bad reviews I doubt I'll go and see it now. On the other hand, I can't wait for The Incredibles. It could be because I'm a pixie-dusted fool brainwashed by the brand, but I don't think so..............

 

[KNWVIKING]

***"Now isn't it being marketed as "Nemo with an urban twist" ?Thought I saw that on the commercial last night"***

I saw that add this morning.

 

[Rombus]

Didn’t that same commercial also call it the number 1 movie of the year?

BTW Remember, if you release a movie one 1/1/05, you can call it the funniest comedy of the year, even if its a drama!

 

[raidermatt]

Pocahontas Syndrome.

Exactly.

And it works in reverse as well. Movies like Lilo and Mermaid followed largely unsuccessful efforts and suffered because of it.

 

[darkcircles]

I was looking forward to that movie. I guess I'll just wait for it to come on tv now.

 

[mattmommy]

Parents with kids don't have much of a choice when it comes to animated movies. We take whatever is out there. I even got stuck seeing Home on the Range twice. Disney should trot out their older movies to the big screen (Snow White, Cinderella, etc.) for weekend shows once in a while. What kid wouldn't love to see an old favorite in a theatre? Maybe they could rotate movies to each state (you know what I mean). We can't wait for the Incredibles. It looks pretty funny. Bought DS a red Incredibles shirt and waiting for them to come in adults sizes for the family to enjoy.

 

[hookedup]

Originally posted by mattmommy
Parents with kids don't have much of a choice when it comes to animated movies. We take whatever is out there. I even got stuck seeing Home on the Range twice. Disney should trot out their older movies to the big screen (Snow White, Cinderella, etc.) for weekend shows once in a while. What kid wouldn't love to see an old favorite in a theatre? Maybe they could rotate movies to each state (you know what I mean). We can't wait for the Incredibles. It looks pretty funny.

I find it hard to explain to my ds why he can't go to any movies (since there are very few G rated ones) I finally broke down and took him to Shark Tale. Most of it went way over his head. Although he did tell me he was going to "kill me" later that night - nice. He had no clue what he was saying (but he now does since I had to explain it to him) and tell him not to walk around saying that.

I guess that's what I get for taking him to an animated PG movie where fish are hit men.