Originally Posted By TomSawyer I thought this was an amazing admission from Bob Iger. He said that when he was watching a parade at the opening of HKDL, he realized that Disney hadn't created any recognizable animated characters in the last decade. But Pixar had. <a href="http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/orl-bizdisney01030106mar01" target="_blank">http://www.orlandosentinel.com /business/orl-bizdisney01030106mar01</a>,0,270210.story?track=rss >>"It really hit me hard that we had had 10 years of real failure," Iger said. "Keeping animation strong is incredibly vital." Animation "creates more of a ripple effect" than any other business at Disney<<
Originally Posted By gurgitoy2 That is pretty honest of him. I wonder how Eisner is reacting to all of these changes Iger has already brought about?
Originally Posted By Kar2oonMan He must have forgotten... Tarzan -- great animated feature film, launched a revamped Treehouse in Disneyland, plus some DTV sequels and a TV series of its own, not to mention some hit songs. Mulan -- Underrated movie that launched a hit song. Hercules -- Again, launched a TV series. Lilo & Stitch -- in addition to a TV series, theme park attractions and more merchandise than you can shake a stick at, Stitch is a very popular fellow. I understand his larger point and appreciate the candor, but in my opinion he may have overstated his case.
Originally Posted By TomSawyer It says a lot that his initial gut reaction was that Disney hadn't created a memorable character. And if the CEO of Disney feels that way, then imagine how the public is feeling.
Originally Posted By Skellington88 I really respect Iger for having the balls to say "yea we screwed up now lets rebuild" rather then doing what Eisner did by spoonfeeding himself his own BS with stuff like "No no Stich's Great Escape hits very high on guest survey lists and is a wonderful addition to our parks..everything is great at Disney yes siree bob!"
Originally Posted By Skellington88 Kar2oon Man all of the movies on your list are mediocre at best and stich is no better than home on the range or brother bear. Stich is all hype no substance and the film is poorly made.
Originally Posted By Shadow wolf Out of all the movies on that list I'd say Mulan was the best of them. ^ "Stich is all hype no substance and the film is poorly made" With a attraction thats even poorer!
Originally Posted By TheRedhead Wow. I couldn't disagree more with post 6. Tarzan's mediocre??? And I've been a life-long Disney fan, and Lilo and Stitch is my favorite animated film. "No substance?" The movie contains more real, emotional weight than any film of the 90's, especially the overrated Lion King. It was pretty exciting the first time Disney Channel was able to beat Nickelodeon. And it was a Friday-night-marathon of a series based on Lilo and Stitch that did it. The merchandise was a huuuuge smash, even a full month before the film opened. And it was a hit at the BO, giving Tom Cruise's usual summer flick a serious run for its money in its opening weekend. And Stitch's whole design is a throwback to the great characters that started it all. Except he's crazy and flawed. It's a wonderful blend of old and new, Disney-style. Disney may have pushed him too hard, but that's because people actually LIKED him. Disney finally had a hit character, and it was, in fact, in the last decade. I could understand if Iger said "a decade of real failureS." That's true. But I wonder what Chris Sanders thinks about the fact that the CEO is bashing his character that made the company a billion dollars.
Originally Posted By Witches of Morva ORDDU: Allow a witch to also disagree that TARZAN is a mediocre movie. (The Box office returns also disagree.)
Originally Posted By Kar2oonMan >>Kar2oon Man all of the movies on your list are mediocre at best<< I strongly disagree. One I didn't mention was Hunchback, which I think ranks right up there as one of Disney's best. The other thng to remember is some of the movies many fans now point to as Disney's classics were underappreciated in their day, and only many years later did they catch on. I don't think very many people would say today that Sleeping Beauty is mediocre, yet it was an underperformer at the box office on its initial release. >>I could understand if Iger said "a decade of real failureS." That's true. But I wonder what Chris Sanders thinks about the fact that the CEO is bashing his character that made the company a billion dollars.<< Great point! I don't want to start bashing Mr. Iger. I just think he overstated the case, overlooking some really fine work.
Originally Posted By TheRedhead I'm not bashing Iger either. He's done an enormous amount of great things in the slimmest amount of time. He seems to understand talent. That's why it seems odd, almost uncharacteristic, of him to essentially bash the talent at WDFA, some of whom were JUST welcomed back. But I understand that in speaking to Bear Stearns, he's doing a Wall Street pitch. They need to hear that Disney knows it has slipped in the last decade. It's mea culpa, and I can live with it. Just don't diss Stitch.
Originally Posted By Shadow wolf ^"Just don't diss Stitch" Gee, that's really hard not to with SGE! I do like Stitch, he is a unique character and all and the first movie was ok. But the other movies of him are not quite as good and when SGE opened WDW just crammed him down our throats. I'm shocked there is a "Leroy and Stitch" comming out.
Originally Posted By DDMAN26 Tarzan is a very good movie that could have been great had the Rosie O'Donell character not ruined every scene she was in.
Originally Posted By danyoung >I understand his larger point and appreciate the candor, but in my opinion he may have overstated his case.< I just did my IMDB research, all ready to say that all the movies you quoted were all older. But you're right - they all happened in the past 10 years. But did any of them (other than maybe Stitch, like him or not) generate a character that comes up to icon status, like Buzz or Woody? I also agree with Iger's general sentiment, and with your assertion that he may have hyperbole'd a bit much.
Originally Posted By mapleservo I agree 100% with Kar2oon Man. Disney has made a lot of bad moves in animation lately, but all the movies listed here are pretty darn good, IMO. (Hercules is my one of my all-time favourites.) I think the bigger problem is what they've done with these characters after the fact. I don't remember much in the way of toys for any of them at the major retailers. I think the marketing for a lot of these films was pretty weak as well. I also wonder if basing TV shows on the movies immediately hurts a character's longevity?
Originally Posted By MinkFan Hmmm... I notice that "Atlantis" and "Treasure Planet" are not mentioned. It's true that most of the animated movies, of the past ten years, range from 'very good' to 'they have their moments'. Of what Iger speaks is that we LIKE these characters and movies - but the public LOVES the Pixar characters and movies...the way we used to love Disney; Jungle Book, Lady & The Tramp, Bambi, Pinocchio, etc..
Originally Posted By basil fan I prefer Stitch to Buzz or Woody (of course, I also prefer Milo to Buzz or Woody). I appreciate Mr. Iger's sentiment, even more, his intentions. But I hope he won't feel it necessary to dis the past as he works on bringing in the future. I really hate that. The Not-Your-Average Disney Trivia Quiz <a href="http://www.whatsitsgalore.com/disney/dquiz.html" target="_blank">http://www.whatsitsgalore.com/ disney/dquiz.html</a>
Originally Posted By electra regarding Stitch: I have to confess. Im sick of the little blue imp. Ive been sick of him ever since Stitch the Movie. Disney's overhyped him. Im sick of seeing him everywhere! The tv series mostly bored me(the few eps Ive seen). I rented the sequel to the film(Stitch has a Glitch) & while not the worst theyve done, it mostly bored me as well. Theyre just running him into the ground. Sad cuz i really like the first film, but, enough is enough.
Originally Posted By DVC_dad People People People... the ONLY thing that matters is the financial success of the animated film. Stitch is HUGE because the KIDS LOVE HIM, not because the movie is good or bad or whatever. The KIDS are crazy about him, they can identify with him, they can see a thing that is scary but not be scared of it. He's not an alien, he's a PET with STYLE! Stitch is awesome! Personally, I don't like him that much, now Nani the older sister is pretty hot, but hey... Stitch is huge with the 0-6 kids. And Treasure Planet and Atlantis were pretty good movies IMHO. The MOST under-rated movie ever was Emperor's New Groove!
