Eric Prime

I only save it when I want to be snarky and/or when I have to reprimand. You have given me no reason to. Which is a good thing!

Honey, we're not doing this again.

#9 Toy Story 2 2,103 points, 34 lists "You never forget kids like Emily, or Andy, but they forget you." Box Office: 511.4M Rotten Tomatoes: 100% Metacritic: 88 Awards: 1 Academy Award nomination, 7 Annie Awards and 2 nominations, 1 Golden Globe Award and 1 nomination, 1 Grammy Award and 2 nominations Roger Ebert's Review: "The movie once again features the enchanting three-dimensional feel of computer-generated animation by Pixar, and has been directed by John Lasseter, the creator of the original "Toy Story.'' The tale of this film is almost as thrilling as Woody's fate: It was originally intended as a lowly direct-to-video release, but then the early scenes played so well that Pixar retrenched and started over again with a theatrical feature. In other words, this isn't a made-for-video that they decided to put into theaters, but a version intended from the first to be theatrical. That's important, because it means more detail and complexity went into the animation." Its Legacy: Considered one of the greatest animated movies and greatest sequels ever made. The highest-rated film on Rotten Tomatoes until Lady Bird in 2017. Praised by Looney Tunes icon Chuck Jones. One of the first films to be re-released in digital 3D. Earned the biggest Thanksgiving opening weekend of all time, holding the record for 14 years. Oft-considered the best Toy Story movie ever. Gave Estelle Harris a paycheck. Commentary: Serving as Pixar’s first sequel (almost went straight to video until cooler heads prevailed), it seemed frankly daunting and ludicrous to make a follow-up to a film that many consider near perfect. What angles could you take the concept? How can you make these likable characters more interesting? As it turns out, you can do so much more than what the first film implied with the idea of talking toys. And what resulted was a film many consider as good, if not superior to an already instant classic. A film that, in many ways, solidified Pixar as one of, if not the most trustworthy brand in animation. Like any great sequel, this gave us new, just as lovable characters as what came before, with Jessie, Bullseye, and Zurg all becoming fan favorites. The world was expanded upon, showcasing weird toy collectors, a fun toy store location, and a thrilling climax in an airport that’s full of creativity. But most importantly, it continued the story by allowing even more enriching and engrossing themes and ideas that felt like evolutions of what came before. This is a film that talks about a truth that all toys face and can be paralleled to the real world. Someday, Andy will grow up and leave his play things behind. This dynamic and idea creates a powerful internal drama for Woody, who now fears his future. Should he stay with his owner, even though he will be forgotten about in a few years? Is it worth leaving your old life behind in favor of one that should supposedly lead to greater happiness? It’s all drama that can be parallels to young people’s own lives, developing and growing up and leaving their own childhoods behind, and brings a unique, personal bent to the storyline that shows this is more than just a cheap follow-up. The film would become just as iconic, if not more so than its predecessor, features some incredible tearjerker moments, and brings a lot of laughs in the process. Animation legends like Chuck Jones found it a marvel and solidified Pixar’s meteoric rise into the new millennium, usurping themselves as the dominant force in American animation. But while it may not be the biggest Toy Story movie on the countdown (sorry for spoilers, but...come on, you probably can put it together that the first Toy Story is above this), it’s still one that, for many, is the series’ absolute best. Its apex. Its magnum opus.

#10 Finding Nemo 2,085 points, 30 lists "Fish are friends. Not food!" Box Office: 940.3M Rotten Tomatoes: 99% Metacritic: 90 Awards: 1 Academy Award and 3 nominations, 9 Annie Awards and 3 nominations, 1 BAFTA Award nomination, 1 Golden Globe Award nomination Roger Ebert's Review: ""Finding Nemo" has all of the usual pleasures of the Pixar animation style--the comedy and wackiness of "Toy Story" or "Monsters Inc." or "A Bug's Life." And it adds an unexpected beauty, a use of color and form that makes it one of those rare movies where I wanted to sit in the front row and let the images wash out to the edges of my field of vision. The movie takes place almost entirely under the sea, in the world of colorful tropical fish--the flora and fauna of a shallow warm-water shelf not far from Australia. The use of color, form and movement make the film a delight even apart from its story." Its Legacy: The first Pixar movie to win Best Animated Feature at the Oscars. The highest-grossing animated movie on its release. The highest-selling DVD of all time. #10 on AFI's Top 10 Animated Features list. Considered one of Pixar's greatest movies ever. Revitalized Ellen DeGeneres' career. A constant presence in the theme parks. Earned a sequel in 2016. Gave Albert Brooks a paycheck. Commentary: Now here’s a movie I must have seen at least....2 thousand times as a kid? Wore out that DVD to the ground. And yeah, I think you all know why, since...well, you’ve seen the movie. It’s a very simple, easy to follow tale of a father trying to save his son. The original Taken if you will. And sure enough, it results in an amazing odyssey of incredible underwater settings, hilarious jokes, iconic sequences and lines, wacky characters that make you laugh and cry, and a very poignant tale that, in many ways, is more aimed at grown-ups than children. It’s a film that tells parents that, yes indeed, your kid will grow up. And you have to let them do that. It’s okay for your kids to be independent, have their own ideas, and do things on their own. Because if they don’t...well, neither side is happy. It’s a moment that makes you realize that, while Disney movies can be fun for all ages, they oftentimes share ideas and concepts and themes that are more important and resonant for older audiences. For the parents who may be forced to watch these for their kids. For audiences who are kids at heart. And that, frankly, is often necessary for a kids movie. Finding Nemo is still a colossal moneymaker for Disney and has become one of Pixar’s biggest franchises. I’d argue their second biggest, only behind Toy Story. And it very much deserves it. Maybe I should go watch it for the 2,001st time.

Hard to take early Friday numbers too seriously (obviously still appreciate it), but still very good for Panda, especially if (once?) it increases. Like I know inflation and stuff, but it's still interesting to think this has a nonzero chance to match the first movie's gross.

What's it like working with Jackie Chan and Angelina Jolie?

Using spring and fall IMs for post-COVID kids movies... Addams Family 2: 31.5x Ron's Gone Wrong: 30.42x Sonic 2: 11.357x The Bad Guys: 20.83x Lyle, Lyle Crocodile: 19.83x Trolls Band Together: 23.08x Even something like Sonic, which has way more of an upfront demand lean on it, just barely misses 12x. Can't think of any reason why Kung Fu Panda would trend worse than that.

Depends on how fan-driven these previews are (though are there really many Dreamworks Adults willing to see Kung Fu Panda 4 right away?), but this could get to 60M if it really plays like a Trolls 3/Migration-style family movie.

Bastards!

lol that's stupid. Just let the movie play, you weirdos.

Quorum Updates Love Lies Bleeding T-8: 17.35% Immaculate T-15: 24.85% Challengers T-50: 18.85% Back to Black T-71: 26.26% The Garfield Movie T-78: 37.29% The Wild Robot T-197: 18.43% Cabrini T-1: 23.11% Awareness Final Awareness: 17% chance of 10M Low Awareness: 15% chance of 10M Imaginary T-1: 41.2% Awareness Final Awareness: 85% chance of 10M, 49% chance of 20M Horror Awareness: 100% chance of 10M, 55% chance of 20M Kung Fu Panda 4 T-1: 67.79% Awareness Final Awareness: 100% chance of 20M, 90% chance of 30M, 86% chance of 40M, 76% chance of 50M, 67% chance of 60M, 52% chance of 70M, 33% chance of 100M Animation/Family Awareness: 100% chance of 50M, 75% chance of 70M, 50% chance of 100M Arthur the King T-8: 38.57% Awareness Final Awareness: 40% chance of 10M, 6% chance of 20M Low Awareness: 23% chance of 10M, 4% chance of 20M

😐

Hoping to start the top 10 later today, but I'll try to give you guys time to make your own predictions. As said in the opening post, the entire top 10 are animated movies, so this should make it easier. Winner gets my love and affection as a prize.

#11 Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl 2,001 points, 32 lists "Now... bring me that horizon. "And really bad eggs." Drink up me 'earties. Yo ho." Box Office: 654.3M Rotten Tomatoes: 80% Metacritic: 63 Awards: 5 Academy Award nominations, 1 BAFTA Award and 4 nominations, 1 Empire Award and 4 nominations, 1 Golden Globe Award nomination, 1 MTV Movie Award and 5 nominations, Roger Ebert's Review: "There's a nice little 90-minute B movie trapped inside the 143 minutes of "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl," a movie that charms the audience and then outstays its welcome. Although the ending leaves open the possibility of a sequel, the movie feels like it already includes the sequel; maybe that explains the double-barreled title. It's a good thing that Geoffrey Rush and Johnny Depp are on hand to jack up the acting department. Their characters, two world-class goofballs, keep us interested even during entirely pointless swordfights." Its Legacy: The first PG-13 movie from Walt Disney Pictures. Made Johnny Depp a movie star. Caused massive changes to the original Disney ride. Was #1 at the international box office a record seven weeks in a row. Spawned one of Disney's longest, most successful movie franchises ever. Gave Geoffrey Rush a paycheck. Commentary: Ladies and gentlemen, we’re done with all the live-action movies. From here on out, it’s all cartoons all the time. But man...what an epic conclusion to end things on. In many ways, it’s a miracle a film as gruesome, as bizarro, as stupid in concept as this somehow became a multi-billion dollar franchise. In large part because, for a while, nobody thought it would actually get made. At a time when Disney was petrified on spending big on audacious, blockbuster features, Michael Eisner was reluctant to even greenlight the film at the massive budget it was at. Pirate movies were a dead genre, Johnny Depp had no starpower, it was based on a theme park ride, and who would want a Disney movie that’s PG-13? That would alienate families! Teenagers hate Disney! There’s nothing for nobody! And sure enough, everybody thought this would be the bomb of the summer and a massive laughing stock for Disney, at a time when the company was struggling to appeal to audiences. Well lo and behold, we have ourselves a film that blew everybody away because of just how unique and risky and quirky it truly was. People loved seeing pirates again after all these years, and the blend of horror and fantasy with spooky cursed zombie pirates allowed for amazing visuals and fun sequences. It was exciting to see iconography from the ride played around with, while giving us a fun, highly original adventure that had swashbuckling fun, romance, and intense action. It was cool to see Disney go in a darker direction, while still having enough fun for all ages. And yeah, Jack Sparrow was a fun protagonist to watch. As these movies went on, the character became overexposed and tired, not helped by Johnny Depp playing the same character in every movie for a while. And yeah, Johnny Depp’s recent reputation makes it harder to really come in and praise his acting talents. But man, there really was something so fun about Captain Jack. Basically acting like Keith Richards in pirate attire, there’s a hilarious energy to his drunkard persona that was so atypical of the usual Errol Flynn/Burt Lancaster persona found in these pirate adventure movies of old and there is something oddly endearing about how conniving and selfish and wild he is. It’s hard to really pin down why his character is so despicable but likable, but it’s a testament to Depp’s talents. He got an Academy Award nomination for a good reason, whether we like it or not. Time marched on, we got a million more movies, more movies are in the works, but none of them really capture that spontaneity, creativity, and passion that Curse of the Black Pearl obtatined. And honestly, sometimes, you just can’t beat the original.

#12 Who Framed Roger Rabbit? 1,972 points, 28 lists "I'm not bad. I'm just drawn that way." Box Office: 351.5M Rotten Tomatoes: 96% Metacritic: 83 Awards: 4 Academy Awards and 3 nominations, 1 Annie Award, 1 BAFTA Award and 4 nominations, 2 Golden Globe Award nominations, 1 Grammy Award nomination Roger Ebert's Review: "Like “2001,” “Close Encounters” and “E.T.,” this movie is not only great entertainment but a breakthrough in craftsmanship - the first film to convincingly combine real actors and animated cartoon characters in the same space in the same time and make it look real." Its Legacy: The most expensive Disney movie ever at the time. Brought us the ultimate crossover in history. Revitalized the popularity and recognition of the Golden Age of Animation, as well as animation in general. Created the Disney Renaissance and modern Silver Age of animation. Inspired Mickey's Toontown in Disneyland. Earned three theatrical shorts. Broke new ground in blending animated characters in live-action settings. 5th place in Cahiers du Cinema's Top Films of 1988. Considered one of Robert Zemeckis' greatest movies ever. Jessica Rabbit would awake something in a lot of kids. Joined the National Film Registry in 2016. Gave Christopher Lloyd a paycheck. Commentary: This Zemeckis classic is a fascinating oxymoron of a feature. It takes from the earliest days of animation, combining cartoon characters with real people, yet has so many innovations in technology, cinematography, and special effects that it feels like something we have never seen before. It would influence tons of crossover movies and cameofests. Your Wreck-It Ralphs, your Ready Player Ones, your Toy Stories. And of course, plenty of live-action/animation blending over the decades, to the point where we take it for granted. Even something like Thanos is technically an animated character interacting with live-action humans. But nothing, nothing matches the energy, the wit, the creativity, and especially the craftsmanship of Who Framed Roger Rabbit. It’s a film that seamlessly combines these cartoon characters into the real world, with tactileness and weight and dimension, while never losing their cartoony edge. Props not just to Robert Zemeckis, but also animation director Richard Williams, whose understanding of animation as a medium and art form has never been and never will be matched. Through these wacky characters, from Roger to Jessica to Baby Herman, we are transported into a captivating story full of mystery, drama, intrigue, politics, and laughter. Though if there’s any real standout in the cast, it’s Bob Hoskins as the human cop Eddie Valiant. Again, live-action actors are forced to interact with animated characters and environments all the time. Yet over the last 36 years, not a single actor has been able to make cartoons feel as believable as Bob Hoskins does here. The man puts so much commitment and sincerity to each scene that you truly believe he's looking at a cartoon rabbit and interacting with a cartoon gun, like it ain’t no thing. He does Oscar-worthy stuff in a film that, frankly deserves all the Oscars. There’s a million more things you can say about this picture. How it parallels to the actual Hollywood landscape of the 1940s. How astonishing it is to see all these animation icons like Mickey, Bugs, Donald, and Daffy occupy the same film. How it almost overnight made the public fall in love with cartoons again, setting the stage for Little Mermaid and Lion King and so forth. But honestly, I could be here forever talking about all the amazing things about this film. So if you want to know why it’s good...just watch it. Or rewatch it. I don’t know what you’ve seen already.

Skadoosh!

Wait, this isn't WB anymore? That's weird.

Somebody's embarrassed they didn't stop the bomb in Centennial Park.

...I withdraw my stanning.

...okay we're not gonna do this. Please don't ruin my vibes.

This is just what happens when you keep winning. Like I've been waiting for this moment since 2017 when I first fell in love with him. I just...I just feel so good now. Head's full of Timmy thoughts

Reminder to all y'all Wonka streams on Max tomorrow. Watch it. He's the sexiest dream boat ever in that movie. I just want to cuddle with him while he stuffs me stupid with chocolate. Disney, please make him a Disney Prince. I'm begging you. That's the only way he can be any sexier than he is now. Please. Please oh please oh please.

Man she's got a real good agent.