Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens

No offense, but you (and the rest of us) aren't exactly the target market for "Cars". Honestly, it's the closest to the classic Disney-style movie that Pixar has come, at least in terms of plot. It's also the rare one that doesn't work as well for adults as it does for kids, although that's not true of the second one.

But if we want to talk about marketing, the "Toy Story" movies are marketed much heavier AND they're some of the best movies made in the last 15 years, at least in terms of major releases. EVERY adult has had something like the moment in the third one where the kid realizes that he's grown up - and I think that's a moment that's beautifully done. Honestly, I don't get very emotional in movies, but I've cried at Pixar movies.

 

To my knowledge, the first "Cars" movie was the last Pixar film before the Disney buyout. You'll have to blame Steve Jobs for that one, though my grandson adores the movie.

 

What gets me is the idea that Star Wars is now going to become the kind of profit-driven enterprise that exemplifies everything that is wrong with art as industry. This idea seems to ignore the fact that the Star Wars franchise is largely responsible for the descent of the film industry into a blockbuster-centric affair.

 

Make me Star Wars nerd....

 

Disney Deal: George Lucas Will Use $4 Billion to Fund Education - Hollywood Reporter

I take back almost all the nasty things I said about the man. This is an incredibly classy thing to do.

 

I remember (this will tell my age) when the original 3 first came out. IF it had not been for Lucas and Star wars, Trekkies may never have seen the franchise movies made. Lucas was good at one thing pioneering the special effects to not look so cheesy.

When the first 3 came out, Lucas promised there were going to be 6 more, the first 3 were to be 50 years BEFORE a "New Hope" and the last 3 were to be set 50 years AFTER Return of the Jedi.

IMHO, the problem with all that was Lucas let his franchise become to commercial after the first 3 and took too long to make the "prequel" trilogy. By the time he made them he had lost what made him great, wowing people with special effects. The stories were not great to begin with but they were entertaining and had some great actors in the original 3, he failed to do that with the "prequel" trilogy.

What i think Disney can do is to hire some great sci fi writers look at what Lucas had planned for the final 50 years and start there. They will have almost an unlimited budget to hire whoever they want. They may move it to the Marvel Studios and hype the franchise by comic book. They could move it to their more adult studios like those of Touchstone, Hollywood Pictures, the Silver Screen Partners, Jerry Bruckheimer and so on. already on the Disney Movie list Wiki page " Star Wars Episode VII" is being credited to Lucasfilms, whether that means Lucasfilms will have free reign and just Disney will distribute like the other more mature studios they have or Disney will micromanage and control everything, is to be seen.

Considering Lucas and Spielberg are supposedly great friends, i was actually quite surprised that if Lucas was going to sell he didn't sell to SKG Dreamworks, where I have a feeling he would have had far more creative power. Perhaps, SKG/Dreamworks didn't see Lucas' franchise to be worth that much, EVEN with the Star Wars franchise.

Of course this is all speculation and opinion of a not well informed individual. Who knows what goes on in the entertainment world?

 

I sort of wanted to barf when I first heard this. After some thought though, I'm cautiously optimistic. I liked the Pirates movies (well--the last one left a little to be desired) and loved the Avengers, which were both Disney, but not what immediately comes to mind when one thinks of "Disney movies." If they get the right directors, and the right actors (fuck you, Hayden Christensen), this could be good. Sure, it might be awful, too, but I have a hard time believing it could be worse than the prequels.



...although if they start marketing Leia as a Disney Princess, I'm gonna be pissed.

 

I heard they had considered using Joss Whedon to write and direct the new films but then they realized they couldn't make money without viewers and quickly backed out.

/duck and cover from CinnamonGirl

 

What's that? I can't hear you over the sound of all the money the Avengers made :/

 

still won't come close to paying for all his failures

I guess everyone gets lucky sometimes, even if it's an average version of lucky.

 

From what I've read, he sold everything. The only thing he gets (besides the money) is a role as creative consultant.

 

4 billion would pay the mortgage for a year or three. Might even have enough for 3 or 4 tanks of gas.