Weekend Estimates (Page 92): Pets 103.2M (biggest OW ever for an original movie) | Tarzan 20.6M | Dory 20.3M | M&D 16.6M

[Jonwo]

32 minutes ago, Daniel Dylan Davis said:

 

Young Justice was one of the animated shows what I was thinking of, when I wrote that. That cartoon was heavily serialized. Every episode featured something that would be featured into the story as the show progressed.

 

I'd like to think JLA is another BTATB, but that art is giving me Teen Titans Go vibes, which isn't exactly an encouraging sign.

 

Scooby Doo Mystery Incorporated managed to get the balance of a serious serialized story mixed with the usual Scooby formula. The fact it lasted 52 episodes was a feat, it's a shame they went to a outlandish comedy style with Be Cool Scooby Doo!

[Sal]

24 minutes ago, Mojoguy said:

Instead of whining about Western animated movies, check out Japanese anime for more variety in stories.

 

And more options for stories that stretch out forever with no resolution. lol.   Many animes are just as bad as shows like the Simpsons, except they have ongoing plots they never actually finish (or like DBZ, they take 30 episodes for an arc that could easily be done in 10 or less).

 

There's good anime, it's true, and it does have more variety, but it's not inherently better, nor does it eliminate the need for Western animation or employ western animators.  (It does underpay its young animators very very badly though!).  So as someone who is interested in animation, I will continue to want to see more variety in western animation, more jobs for western animators and more animation in general, because Japan is not and should not be the be-all end-all of animation.  No single place should be.

[junkshop36]

The Incredibles is FUCKING AMAZING!!!

 

Can't wait for TI2. After that Pixar can go back to doing original movies. 

[MovieMan89]

Looks like Central Intelligence may get close-ish to being the 150m hit I anticipated prior to release after all. 

[Fancyarcher]

33 minutes ago, Jonwo said:

 

Scooby Doo Mystery Incorporated managed to get the balance of a serious serialized story mixed with the usual Scooby formula. The fact it lasted 52 episodes was a feat, it's a shame they went to a outlandish comedy style with Be Cool Scooby Doo!

 

I wasn't pleased with Be Cool when they first announced it, especially that art style, but I expected them to do something lighthearted, especially since they really wanna differentiate these Scooby series enough.

 

I'm actually enjoying Be Cool, largely due to being a SD fan, but I would be interested in them doing another "serious" Scooby series. Certainly the straight to DVD movies try to go for some variety once and a while.

Edited July 11, 2016 by Daniel Dylan Davis

[Sal]

19 minutes ago, junkshop36 said:

The Incredibles is FUCKING AMAZING!!!

 

Can't wait for TI2. After that Pixar can go back to doing original movies. 

 

It's efficient from a storytelling perspective. It's just that as a minority/poc I don't like it because the underlying message seems to promote the idea that if you're not born "special" (ie in a position of privilege) that you are inherently inferior.  Mr Incredible is kind of a douchebag and spends all his time whining about non-special people and having to rescue them but then when he's removed from a position of being able to use his power he bitches about not being appreciated anymore.  The villain starts out simply wanting to be a hero and do-good and is mocked for trying to be a hero when he has no powers (because clearly that is the defining characteristic of being a hero in this universe) and his ultimate goal is to 'make everyone special' (ie: extend the privilege of these so-called Special People to everyone).  Instead, he is defeated, the special/privileged minority regains their positions at the top of the food chain and it's pretty much crammed down society's throat's that things are as they should be and any attempt at change or advancement of someone without the right background and status is to be severely punished.

 

Also the entire family is kind of dicks to that poor babysitter.  And their sense of privilege is so endangered at the prospect of their son maybe not having powers that I have to wonder what would have happened if he hadn't had any?  Would they have disowned him?  Would they have treated him like he was inferior? Luckily for them they never had to worry about it.

 

Then again, it's one reason I tend to dislike Brad Bird's movies a lot, since most of them seem to promote the idea of people having and staying in certain positions.  Even Ratatouille doesn't really go with the message that people are capable of being beyond their station, but only focuses on the idea that Remy is special and gifted and therefore he succeeds (despite being a rat ie: lesser creature).

 

I don't get that vibe from most other Pixar directors, but with Brad Bird, I just get the impression of someone who comes from a wealthy family and had everything handed to him and doesn't have much use for those who are poor or underprivileged.

 

Edit: I looked it up and his family worked in the propane and power/coal industries.  He got an in with Disney at 14 and was trained by one of Walt's nine old men.  He went to CalArts on a scholarship even though he was already a working animator and had another animation degree.  A charmed life... except it was probably possible because his family was rich and connected as hell.  No wonder he doesn't write about poor and struggling people.   The industry relies a lot on connections and he definitely had that to his advantage.

 

Edited July 11, 2016 by Sal

[MovieMan89]

The BFG is a bonafide disaster for Spielberg. Only Empire of the Sun and The Sugarland Express can compare in terms of attendance in his filmography, except the big difference being that those didn't cost hundreds of millions to make. Obviously he's Spielberg and it really doesn't matter at this point, but this has to be a true career low for him success-wise. 

[MovieMan89]

1 hour ago, Telemachos said:

Oho, are we discussing animation again?

 

/rubs hands together 

Ironically enough, you should be thrilled for animation's success when you think about it. After all your main complaint is that original ideas never get any money thrown their way these days and the original blockbuster is dead, but animation is the one exception in Hollywood where big budget original ideas can still get the easy greenlight. 

[Gopher]

@MovieMan89 If you see the movie it makes a lot of sense why Disney never really figured out a hook on how to sell the film. Much like Rylance's magnetic performance it's so easy to take Spielberg's filmmaking in it for granted. Some undeniably beautiful scene-building and Miyazaki-like imagery. But it's an utterly shapeless and identityless film, with no clear hook, tone or images that are easy to sell out of context. 

 

I don't think Spielberg will be upset - basically everything that went wrong with BFG is going to go right with Ready Player One, imo. Completely relevant world with an exciting hook. Not a sequel but a story about our nostalgia for early Spielberg era. Gonna play huge to the Jurassic World crowd (and could push further than JW and be a good movie!). 

Edited July 11, 2016 by Gopher

[Dementeleus]

7 minutes ago, MovieMan89 said:

Ironically enough, you should be thrilled for animation's success when you think about it. After all your main complaint is that original ideas never get any money thrown their way these days and the original blockbuster is dead, but animation is the one exception in Hollywood where big budget original ideas can still get the easy greenlight. 

 

But they're basically all the same. It's fine, just not my cup of tea. 

[La Binoche]

1 minute ago, Telemachos said:

 

But they're basically all the same. It's fine, just not my cup of tea. 

 

You don't like any animated films this decade? 

[Dementeleus]

4 minutes ago, Gopher said:

I don't think Spielberg will be upset - basically everything that went wrong with BFG is going to go right with Ready Player One, imo. Completely relevant world with an exciting hook. Not a sequel but a story about our nostalgia for early Spielberg era. Gonna play huge to the Jurassic World crowd (and could push further than JW and be a good movie!). 

 

Bah. Humbug.  

[MovieMan89]

2 minutes ago, Gopher said:

^ if you see the movie it makes a lot of sense why Disney never really figured out a hook on how to sell the film. Much like Rylance's magnetic performance it's so easy to take Spielberg's filmmaking in it for granted. Some undeniably beautiful scene-building and Miyazaki-like imagery. But it's an utterly shapeless and identityless film, with no clear hook, tone or images that are easy to sell out of context. 

 

I don't think Spielberg will be upset - basically everything that went wrong with BFG is going to go right with Ready Player One, imo. Completely relevant world with an exciting hook. Not a sequel but a story about our nostalgia for early Spielberg era. Gonna play huge to the Jurassic World crowd (and could push further than JW be a good movie!). 

Yeah it was not an easy sell, but that said I wonder how much the title alone cost it? Ambiguity in a title for a children's flick is a horrid, horrid idea. Movies change their title from the book all the time, so I really don't see why it wasn't just called The Big Friendly Giant. I am saddened though that WOM seems to be non-existent judging by that drop this weekend, but I do also attribute a lot of that to Pets and Dory leaving it no room. 

[Dementeleus]

3 minutes ago, La Binoche said:

 

You don't like any animated films this decade? 

 

Sure, I like some. I've basically lost all personal interest or anticipation for them, though. I've been generally moving in this direction over the last decade and it's really crystallized within the last year or so. 

 

If I didn't have a young son I probably wouldn't see any of them. But I do, so I do.

[Spidey Freak]

1 hour ago, Jonwo said:

 

Scooby Doo Mystery Incorporated managed to get the balance of a serious serialized story mixed with the usual Scooby formula. The fact it lasted 52 episodes was a feat, it's a shame they went to a outlandish comedy style with Be Cool Scooby Doo!

 

56 minutes ago, Daniel Dylan Davis said:

 

I wasn't pleased with Be Cool when they first announced it, especially that art style, but I expected them to do something lighthearted, especially since they really wanna differentiate these Scooby series enough.

 

I'm actually enjoying Be Cool, largely due to being a SD fan, but I would be interested in them doing another "serious" Scooby series. Certainly the straight to DVD movies try to go for some variety once and a while.

 

Are you guys reading the Scooby Gang as post-apocalyptic zombie hunters comic that DC is currently putting out? What about the Mad Max-esque Wacky Races and the dark comedy Flintstones ones? All of them are LIT!

[Water Bottle]

1 hour ago, cannastop said:

I think The Incredibles and Zootopia edge close to having "mature subject matter". Unless you want them to have copious blood like Princess Mononoke. The major studios will probably never allow a PG-13 animated feature to be made, due to financial risks.

 

FOX already had a pretty big hit with a PG-13 animated feature (and it's a classic). It in fact stopped a long-running animated TV show from ending as it breathed new life into it's ratings.

[cannastop]

1 minute ago, Water Bottle said:

 

FOX already had a pretty big hit with a PG-13 animated feature (and it's a classic). It in fact stopped a long-running animated TV show from ending as it breathed new life into it's ratings.

Oh yeah. The Simpsons Movie. Not exactly an unproven venture, if you get my drift.

[MovieMan89]

Pixar would have made a PG-13 film already if they had ended up getting out from Disney. They could definitely pull it off to success with their adult skewing fanbase as it is, but I can't imagine Disney execs would ever let it happen because of the brand name of Disney and animation. 

[Spidey Freak]

1 hour ago, Sal said:

 

I mean their directing teams are tending toward the same individuals.  It was true in the era of Beauty and the Beast/Little Mermaid as well. Once they have a director (or directors) who do well, they tend to go back to them again and again.

 

They only have to put out one movie a year (the year two movies come out, the previous or next year don't have a WDAS movie at all). I doubt we will get a true WDAS clunker before 2020 or anything. 

[Fancyarcher]

8 minutes ago, Spidey Freak said:

 

 

Are you guys reading the Scooby Gang as post-apocalyptic zombie hunters comic that DC is currently putting out? What about the Mad Max-esque Wacky Races and the dark comedy Flintstones ones? All of them are LIT!

 

Unfortunately no. I've been interested in that Scooby Apocalypse now, I just haven't been to a comic book store in a while. They sound totally crazy and insane though.

Edited July 11, 2016 by Daniel Dylan Davis