DISNEY DEBACLE "Treasure Planet" a bust for Disney animators

Reuters via CNBC ^ | December 05, 2002 | Peter Henderson

[razorbak]

Maybe I'm wrong, but isn't half the problem simple demographics? Disney cartoons did best when the baby boomers were kids. The made a comeback in the late 80s, early 90s, when the boomers started having kids of their own, and the "baby boomlet" started. Now the boomlet is aging into older fare. So there's no ready made audience for their big budget cartoons.

So the pro-abortion liberals at Disney are creamed by the consequences of their philosophy. It's like the story in the 1990s about the University administrations who couldn't figure why enrollment kept falling, as the young people who would've been born in the 1970s weren't around to pay tuition. Same is true for the pro-abort retirees to come who depend on an ever shrinking pool of workers. Unfortunately, though I'm a staunch pro-lifer, I'll feel the consequences too.

[Grampa Dave]

You are right on target.

Eisner has decided to appeal to the 1% of the population, the homosexuals and the 10 to 20% of the general population who adore the homosexuals as a great Diversity life style.

Word has gotten out to the rest of us, the parents and Grandparents. The people with children and grandchildren, the rest of the population. The people that Disney used to target.

We have said no way and no to any Disney crapola. So we don't take our children/grandchildren to Disney movies or Disney Lands/Worlds or what ever has the Disney label on it.

Eisner is like the tv execs who keep bring back Ellen Degenerate and trying to run a new tv show on how great and funny being a homosexual is. The shows flop and never make it the full season.

Eisner and the left wing maggots in charge of the entertainment industry are so arrogant, they have refused to see what their love affair with the Gay Agenda has done to their business.

[Hodar]

I'm unaware of Disney sponsoring any aborton clinic, or homosexual themes in movies, commercials or rides. There is a 'Disney Gay Day' that occurs every year, where homosexuals descend upon the park. And every year, Eisner disavows Disney sponsorship. If a bus load of gay customers arrive at the gate, are they supposed to discriminate against them and deny them entrance, then wait for the lawyers?

Disney has done more to PROMOTE family values than any other business in corporate america, yet they are attacked more by the same group.

Some movies they do, do very well and are very good. Lion King, for example. Some do not do well at all (Treasure Planet, for example). To look deeper into movies for hidden agendas is a waste of time. Was Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Pinnocio and Bambi satanic in nature, due to the obvious 'magic' and 'possessed animals'? No, they were entertaining cartoons. Yet some people want to read things into movies, in the hopes of being offended. Case in point: Harry Potter series and movies.

[reegs]

While the politics of Disney maybe hurting them, I see it more as a quality control issue. Disney is now releasing 2-3 full-length animated features a year. And, how many direct-to-video releases have you seen in the past year? Has to be over 5. It seems Disney is more concerned with quantity instead of quality.

A previous poster mentioned how the film would have fared better had they stuck with the original book. A great movie comes from a great story to tell, and people young and old recognize that. Obvious pandering with "solar surfboards" and other gimicky/trendy additions are a turn-off.

Disney needs to follow Pixar's model and produce one, very good movie every other year and not rush to the market with whatever shlock they have thrown together. With more and more competition for their entertainment dollars, consumers are increasingly picky over what to spend it on.

[Grampa Dave]

Part of the liberal problems when they get in charge of businesses, is their total lack of reality and any business sense.

Watch what happens to any business when the rats take over. Disney is just a prime example of political correctness and diversity ruling instead of reality and business sense.

[CJ Wolf]

I took my kids and they loved it. Both are now reading Treasure Island. I thought it was pretty good too but not as good as the book, as the book had a ring of historical truth to it....

[LS]

I think that is true, and also the fact is that since "Beauty and the Beast/Alladin" they have not had any good SONGS, which carried many of the animated movies. To this date, many of us know and sing those songs. Much of the HUMOR also came from the songs ("Under the Sea," "Gaston," "Be Our Guest").

[Petronski]

Lots of people are boycotting Disney. There are several web sites on the boycott.

Yes. It's a beautiful thing, and it is having at least some effect.

[SerpentDove]

LOL

[WileyC]

When you take a classic book written over 100 yrs ago, and make it a *really* bad sci-fi movie; yes it's gonna bite. What's next? A re-write of the 3 Musketeers Jedi-style?

Actually.... with enough of the serial numbers rubbed off, this sounds kinda good. =)

[WileyC]

To this date, many of us know and sing those songs. Much of the HUMOR also came from the songs ("Under the Sea," "Gaston," "Be Our Guest").

Yeah, the songs are awesome. Ironically, one of their best recent releases (The Emporer's New Groove) has only one song in it because of a last minute rewrite.

Possibly boring explanation below... you've been warned.

Sting was hired to write the soundtrack (which he did), but during the animation, the main character is silent (well, he had been turned into a llama, after all). The actor, however, was cracking up everyone on the set with ad-libbed lines and general hijinks. The director realized that this off-the-cuff stuff was funnier than what they had written and had his people completely rewrite the movie.

Of course, this meant that all but one of the songs on the soundtrack could be used. Still, the movie was quite funny and they did a great job on it. It was actually kind of refreshing to have a disney flick with no huge love story, almost no musical numbers and some off-the-wall humor.

If there's a magic bullet to fix Disney, it's pretty simple: hire really good writers and produce stuff that adults can watch as well as kids.

[colorado tanker]

I didn't take my kids because I've got some young-uns and I couldn't get a bead on the target audience. The Treasure Island book had some scary moments that older kids would enjoy but could scare younger kids. You'd think with all the millions the studios spend on marketing they could make a parents' decision easier. When I'm in doubt I just wait on the buzz or the video.

[LS]

Yah, I agree. (That was a good movie, too). But also, some of the movies were just dumb as KID'S shows ("the Hunchback?")and, of course, attempts to turn out cheap sequels for the home market both diluted and disillusioned.

It is a shame such a once-great company became such a sleazy and unreliable studio. My family used to LOVE to go to Disney parks---but not any more.

BTW, if you haven't read it, look at a book called "The Mouse Betrayed," which reveals a ton of sick stuff down there.

[Texas2step]

"victim of its own phenomenal success with "The Lion King" "

Disney had several excellent movies over the years, but almost always because of a strong story, and often because of great music as well. Lion King combined several winning element - great story (although a little on the PC side), great music, and incredible animation.

I remember seeing the previews for the Lion King at the theater almost a year before it came out, and it blew me away. I remember telling my wife, "there's a kid's movie that I want to see!".

Other excellent Disney movies (IMO) Mulan, Beauty and the Beast, and to a lesser extent The Little Mermaid. All great stories, all excellent animation, all contained excellent music.

But "Treasure Planet"?!?!?!?!? What were these guys thinking? Or, maybe a better question, what were these guys smoking? The animation is still great, but what songs does this movie have? Taking a children's classic and turning into something completely different? Bad move.

Yes, there is probably also effects from the boycott, but probably more so because there simply is no compelling reason to take the kids to this one. There's better, more appealing fare available more often, and the competion is much stiffer.

Now, Pixar, is incredible. So far they are batting 1000, but it's incredible animation, and very good stories.

BTW, how could they have possibly spent $140 Million on this thing? The animation is not nearly what they had for the Lion King (simply the best animated cartoon ever, from a technical standpoint).

[KevinB]

I took my 8 year old and 10 year old. I'm a staunch Disney hater and only took the kids because they begged.

Frankly, the movie wasn't that bad. They were obviously pandering to the young boy market as illustrated by the skateboarding theme and inclusion of a "fart monster," a creature which communicates only through flatulence.

I think the problem is that Disney's animated movies have gotten routine. There are too many of them and they are too similar. I also think that Disney is turning a lot of people off with its manipulation of us and our children.

[Darksheare]

Well, that and.. Disney doesn't have any 'in house' animators anymore.
They farm out the work and have other countries do it.. just like all perfect communist communes do.

(Disney has an animation shop in Japan do some gross number percentage of their animation, last I heard.)

More American Jobs overseas...

[dixiechick2000]

We took our daughter, son-in-law and 3 grandchildren to see it on Thanksgiving. It's a family tradition. We all liked the movie. In fact, the kids loved it!

I think they didn't budget enough money for promotional ads. The only reason I knew it would be released were the McDonald's ads promoting the toys in Happy Meals.

[GSWarrior]

Disney used to make great family movies....That Darn Cat, Horse in the Grey Flannel Suit, Old Yeller, etc....movies that actually told an intelligent story.

[TexasRepublic]

I thought "Lilo and Stitch" was a welcome break from the usual Disney song-and-dance formula movies. Did anyone here see L&S or like it besides me?

[DonQ]

I also think it was a lousy idea. Sailing ships in outer space??

Much the worse because it was Disney that produced, about 50 years ago, the best film version of Treasure Island (with Bobby Driscoll and Robert Newton - who then reprised his role of Long John in an Australian sequel movie and a TV series).

One of the basic elements of the original Treasure Island was the total absence of women (except for the very brief appearance, at the beginning, of Jim's mother) but Treasure Planet has several female characters, including a ship's captain; maybe PC but not quite as appealling to little boys.

Treasure Island has now been done to death. As a silent movie, as a near silent (with Wallace Beery), as a classic (Disney with Robert Newton), as a TV-movie (with Charlton Heston), as a film about non-nautical bandits (Scalawag, with Kirk Douglas), as a Muppet film (with Tim Curry), and a few other twists. Trying to push it into outer space was the coup de grace.