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Everything posted by Ladybug
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Knowing that supporting this film monetarily adds fuel to the fire by financing future projects by these filmmakers is enough for me, and many others, not to pay for tickets to this movie, regardless of the cause/subject matter. There are far more effective means of combating human trafficking than watching this film, such as educating yourself and others about human trafficking and how to contact help when you believe someone may be a victim, fundraising for and/or donating to organizations (both local and national) dedicated to combating human trafficking and supporting victims, working with local communities (i.e. faith communities, school communities, etc.) to raise awareness and provide training in protecting the vulnerable from human trafficking, and so much more. Unfortunately, extremism and radicalization towards conspiracy theory fringe groups like QAnon can happen when the group feels "threatened." When a QAnon member sees that someone wants to boycott a film they support, their first thought may be that someone wants to "silence" their beliefs (despite the act of boycotting being moreso an act of ethical consumerism than thought suppression), which adds to the sense of victimhood that conspiracy believers often feel. That's inevitable, unfortunately. But, in the long run, it's much more ethically sound to shine a light on the unpleasantries behind a film and its crew and inform the public rather than keep them in the dark.
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He is absolutely entrenched in QAnon. As early as a few weeks ago, while promoting this movie on Steve Bannon's (a well-known and documented conspiracy theorist) podcast, Caviezal verbalized his support of a fringe QAnon theory that elites are harvesting children's blood for eternal youth. He's got a documented past strongly supporting QAnon. If he's backpedaling from his past comments and actions now, it's because he's trying to distance himself from his extremist image and the overall controversy surrounding this movie. QAnon believers like to utilize the cause of "protecting children from sex trafficking" as a vehicle to recruit new followers into their group -- it's a palatable cause that the vast majority of persons, regardless of personal belief system, generally support. Like a virus, QAnon exploits popular media sites like FB and Twitter by creating and encouraging seemingly harmless content that is actually purposefully designed to gradually warm the average John and Jane Doe to extremist and nonsensical beliefs by appealing to a generalized sense of pathos. The cause of "protecting children" just happens to be a very easy means of doing that. What may start as liking a FB post from a QAnon-aligned parenting page about child safety gradually leads to exposure to posts from users who try to convince others that Hillary Clinton is chomping on babies. Before long, the average QAnon user won't be able to differentiate truth from fiction, and they truly will believe that movies like these do good things for children. But the truth is, QAnon does more harm than good when it comes to combating child trafficking. For example, when QAnon accused Wayfair of being involved in sex trafficking in 2021, QAnon believers flooded the Human Trafficking Hotline with false claims, overshadowing and sweeping under the rug called-in claims of actual victims. This film also misrepresents how most human trafficking happens -- the vast majority of victims are taken by people they know and trust, not by random or foreign strangers. Most kidnappers look like the average American John and Jane Doe, living in plain sight right here in the United States. Kidnappers come from all walks of life, from all different kinds of backgrounds. Even, yes, "people of faith" with "strong convictions" can be sexual predators. By misrepresenting the nature of human trafficking, the film obscures the real issue of crimes happening on our OWN SOIL, not in some foreign country. But, QAnon followers don't want to see stories about Evangelical, MAGA-aligned pastors abusing children on the big screen (because that would be "woke" or something). They want to be angry at someone -- preferably someone not looking like them or their neighbors. They want movies about white, Christian Americans fighting scary foreigners living in scary countries, because those are the people QAnon has told them they should fear instead. Because that is far easier to digest for the average QAnon or American conservative than having to think critically and introspectively about their own country and culture. That's why this film comes off as so disingenuous. It's made to present in a topic in a way that's easy to consume for the average QAnon supporter and/or conservative but is not necessarily accurate or representative of the very real issue that is human sex trafficking and its nuances. This film wasn't made to advocate for victims; it was made to entertain QAnon.
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Elio | June 13, 2025 | Pixar | Adrian Molina (Coco) directs
Ladybug replied to Eric Atreides's topic in Box Office Discussion
Charming trailer! I can see this appealing to families, especially with young kiddos. -
The Disney Thread | Iger will be with us until 2026
Ladybug replied to A Marvel Fanboy's topic in Box Office Discussion
I'm probably biased here because HoND is my favorite animated Disney film, but a live-action version done right that takes elements from the stage musical would be fantastic. I'd be all for it. -
Although I lean more on the pessimistic side for Elemental, I honestly hope to be proven wrong. Soul, Luca, and Turning Red were all great films, and they seem to have been received well on D+. Disney just needs to put more faith in their theatrical release strategy, imo. But if it is a misfire and doesn’t perform well at the BO, I don’t think it will tank Disney/Pixar in the long run. They’ve come out of worse spots and thrived before. But they will need to rethink the way they develop and release films.
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THE SUPER MARIO BROS MOVIE WEEKEND THREAD
Ladybug replied to Eric Atreides's topic in Numbers and Data
I know a lot of schools here in Texas have the day off today (still on Easter break). Is it the same elsewhere? -
THE SUPER MARIO BROS MOVIE WEEKEND THREAD
Ladybug replied to Eric Atreides's topic in Numbers and Data
As a Latina, living in a 90% Latino area of the U.S., let me tell you, you’d be amazed at how BIG the anime and video game fan culture is here. Lots of comic and game shops, and our local comic con gets tens of thousands of attendees every year. My local theater’s Mario shows are filling up quickly. Yeah, that demo doesn’t surprise me in the slightest. -
The Disney Thread | Iger will be with us until 2026
Ladybug replied to A Marvel Fanboy's topic in Box Office Discussion
@PlatnumRoyce Sir, this is a Wendy's (BOF Forum). -
The Disney Thread | Iger will be with us until 2026
Ladybug replied to A Marvel Fanboy's topic in Box Office Discussion
DeSantis hasn't won anything. I'm not sure what imaginary world you're living in. Disney invoked clause loopholes that rendered the Florida governor's board nearly powerless. Under the agreement, the state board doesn't have authorization to do much other than maintain basic roads and infrastructure. In the public eye, the Mouse looks as legally powerful as ever and DeSantis looks like the same measly bigot he always looks like. P.S. There's nothing wrong with LGBTQIA+ Disney products aimed at families. LGBTQIA+ families and Disney fans exist, and appreciate the representation. Just so ya know. -
Coming out of lurking just to say how happy I am that PIB had such a strong, leggy run in theaters. It made me revisit BOF for the first time in a long time. It's such a good film, and a creative, fresh breath of air. Not to mention, its success is firm evidence that animation still has a home in the movie theater. If anything, I hope it encourages studios to continue to be experimental and create great stories and characters that the general audience can fall in love with.
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Shocked, but not 100% surprised about LY's underperformance. I follow a lot of Disney bloggers and general animation fans on social media and I didn't see the same amount of buzz and discussion for it prior to release as I did with Soul, Luca, and Turning Red. It's just a movie that doesn't have that "must-see" factor. Having not one, but two other alternatives for a Father's Day theatre outing didn't help either. While my gut instinct tells me this won't be a deterrent for Disney sending Pixar films to theatrical in the long run, methinks Disney seriously needs to rethink/overhaul their theatrical-to-D+ release strategy.