Disney Headlines for May 25th, 2023
This week in Disney Headlines, we try to do the impossible and ignore all hot-button topics like layoffs and Reedy Creek! Can it happen?
Read on to find out!
The Little Mermaid Reviews Are Decidedly Positive
The Little Mermaid, Disney’s latest live-action remake of a beloved animated classic, will enter theaters over Memorial Day Weekend.
More than 100 Rotten Tomatoes critics have already watched the film and posted their reviews, though.
Thus far, about 70 percent of critics have liked The Little Mermaid enough to recommend it.
Generally, Disney picks and chooses the first wave of critics. So, the scores tend to drop slightly and may have done so by the time you read this.
Still, Disney needed this reboot to satisfy movie-goers. If critics like it, odds are quite good that typical fans will as well.
Then again, some won’t. For example, here’s one of several rants I’ve read recently about how Disney needs to stop ruining people’s childhoods.
Those words come from a pop culture critic, but I’ve heard it a lot from other fans as well.
The philosophy applies to anything that slightly changes an established story.
Disney has faced this criticism for years, but I’d like to use a previously non-Disney product as an example. Well, Disney owns the franchise now, but they didn’t at the time.
George Lucas decided in the mid-1990s that he hadn’t made enough money from Star Wars yet. So, the beloved director started anew.
Lucas created an entirely new prequel trilogy based on the life of Anakin Skywalker, whom a previous generation of fans had primarily known as Darth Vader.
Fan excitement over the release of Star Wars — Episode One: The Phantom Menace rivaled anything I’d seen before or since then.
People couldn’t wait to watch, which heightened their expectations. When the film came out, well…it wasn’t well-received.
Nature Is Healing
As an established box office analyst at the time, I was on the front line of the great Star Wars Prequel Debates, earning more than my fair share of death threats.
As someone wholly apathetic to Star Wars, I judged the films based on how I felt…and I wasn’t a fan.
This situation demonstrated the rare instance wherein Star Wars fans and I aligned about a subject. We all agreed that the movie disappointed.
After some revisionist history boosted the film, its Rotten Tomatoes score eventually rose to 51 percent, but its sub-par Audience Score of 59 percent reflects the public opinion of the time.
Lucas boldly chose a methodical tale of political intrigue, and I must admit with the benefit of hindsight that he got something quite right.
This line of dialogue resonates oh so much more now than it did then:
Still, Star Wars fans wanted action, which Episode One lacks save for maybe four scenes. And then there’s the Jar Jar Binks Factor.
In the years that followed, the lackluster quality of the Prequels became an accepted part of movie conversation.
A movie you probably don’t know called Fanboys even lampooned this fact with a memorable end sequence:
One of those characters had the literal dying wish to watch Episode One, but the joke resonated because adults thought so poorly of the film at the time.
I must give Lucas credit, though. He pulled off quite the magic trick with the Prequels.
Today, the 21-39 demographic that drives society remembers the Prequels quite differently.
These films reflected their childhood, the first time they could watch a Star Wars release with adults. And they loooove Jar Jar Binks.
In short, the Prequels fully indoctrinated an entirely new generation of Star Wars fans, a remarkable feat. They’re Prequel loyalists now.
Disney Borrows a Play from George Lucas
In a way, those prequels and some variant ideas that came afterward are what paved the way for the divisive Disney live-action remakes.
Disney watched other studios reinvigorate comatose/dead franchises with modern takes.
Now, we seemingly can’t go a year without some reboot/remake of a beloved Disney story.
Importantly, CEO Bob Iger has indicated that this is the plan. Disney wants to keep its intellectual properties hot and fresh, appealing to a new generation of fans.
So, when someone criticizes Disney for ruining their childhood, I can’t help but laugh.
I remember the genesis of this phrase in modern society. It happened due to the questionable quality of the Prequels.
The young fans who watched and adored those films grew up and became hyper-critical of Star Wars VII-IX. Yes, history repeated itself.
When we become adults, our tastes change, as do our expectations for beloved stories.
What we must never forget – and yet sometimes still do – is that Disney always tells its stories for children first and foremost.
Yes, the company would describe its target audience as children of all ages, but the youngsters matter the most. You should consider this as you watch The Little Mermaid.
How you feel about the film – and you’ll probably like it – doesn’t matter anywhere near as much as the kids in the crowd!
Disney is for all of us, but it’s primarily for them! And I strongly suspect that their first encounter with Ariel will mesmerize them into loving this timeless story.
The Yin and Yang of Disney Storytelling
Alas, Disney+ works differently than the company’s theatrical releases, especially for titles that cost too much while claiming too few viewers.
Willow discovered this the hard way, as Disney did more than merely cancel the series.
The company recently indicated that it would remove Willow from the streaming service.
I should note that executives have stated that the removal list for streaming titles isn’t final yet.
However, Willow has appeared on every proposed list. Also, it foots the bill as an expensive series that brings with it a significant tax write-off.
The sudden proclamation of its removal has drawn mixed feelings from two people invested in the title’s ongoing success.
John Bickerstaff, a writer on the series, described Disney’s decision as “absolutely cruel.”
Conversely, showrunner Jonathan Kasdan has adopted a more forward-thinking perspective.
Kasdan believes that the temporary absence of the series could heighten demand for its eventual return engagement.
By taking the readily accessible product away, it could create interest that previously hadn’t existed.
Kasdan likens the decision to the return of the digital equivalent of the Disney Vault. Wouldn’t that be something?
By the way, these divergent opinions reflect the different statuses of the individuals involved.
A Hollywood writer needs a work resume to show that they should get more gigs.
Conversely, a showrunner/producer has already proven that they know how to play ball in Hollywood, so to speak.
That’s especially true of Kasdan, whose father, Lawrence Kasdan, is a Hollywood icon.
The elder Kasdan has written and/or directed several projects…including several Star Wars movies! You see, it all comes full circle in the end!
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Feature Photo: Disney