Another Stupid movie to Overreact to...

[Drtooth]

I'm still trying to comprehend that this thing was actually made.

Again, the reasoning behind it is understandable. There clearly was no way that any of the networks would touch an Oogieloves TV show, since the big mascot costume kiddy show is way passe. Yo Gabba Gabba is sort of popular because hipsters with kids watch it (considering someone from Devo created it, the characters look like 1970's Japanese kid's show mascots, and among other things, the Homestarrunner guys gave some input somewhere)... but most kiddy shows today are animated, quite a bit of it CGI or Flash, though there are those that have semi-traditional digital animation.

And like I always say, movie merchandise is above all others. Wal*Mart famously screwed the Transformers Animated toy line because it wasn't the movie merchandise. Playmates dumped any TMNT merchandise that wasn't based off movie designs, and for the longest time, there was nothing but movie related toys on shelves. So, logically, the franchise of merchandising, a subsequent TV show, and DTV products was to have been built on the film's success. Luckily, it didn't HAVE any.

 

[SuperGzilla12]

Again, the reasoning behind it is understandable. There clearly was no way that any of the networks would touch an Oogieloves TV show, since the big mascot costume kiddy show is way passe. Yo Gabba Gabba is sort of popular because hipsters with kids watch it (considering someone from Devo created it, the characters look like 1970's Japanese kid's show mascots, and among other things, the Homestarrunner guys gave some input somewhere)... but most kiddy shows today are animated, quite a bit of it CGI or Flash, though there are those that have semi-traditional digital animation.

And like I always say, movie merchandise is above all others. Wal*Mart famously screwed the Transformers Animated toy line because it wasn't the movie merchandise. Playmates dumped any TMNT merchandise that wasn't based off movie designs, and for the longest time, there was nothing but movie related toys on shelves. So, logically, the franchise of merchandising, a subsequent TV show, and DTV products was to have been built on the film's success. Luckily, it didn't HAVE any.

Believe it or not, my friend, but despite the film's record-breaking failure, they're still planning on making two more entries for the... ugh... Oogieloves trilogy. And they're planning on merchandise for the next one.

http://family-room.ew.com/2012/09/04/the-oogieloves-tanked-kenn-viselman/

 

[Slackbot]

Making further Oogiloves films is the cinematic equivalent of potlatch.

 

[BobThePizzaBoy]

Making further Oogiloves films is the cinematic equivalent of potlatch.

Filming supposedly started this month.

 

[Drtooth]

To be fair, he is considering to release the other 2 straight to DVD. It's hard to say if damage has been done or that home video will find an audience for them. This guy clearly wants to ram these characters down children's throats, and he's not even waiting to see how DVD sales/rentals of this film is going to go.

If Ken was as smart as he thought he was, he would have done the first one, nay, the entire series as a DTV. It has the production values of one, and I'm sure it would be every big a hit at Redbox as those cheaply made mockbusters and thrown together CGI kiddy films like Frogface Freddy. When heavy hitters like Elmo and Barney can't get a preschool audience to theaters, what made him think a completely unknown (save for a couple bad PSA's) franchise would do any better?

He desperately wants to make it a thing, and he desperately wants to make it a TV show. According to the article, he's going to rush one out next year. It's fairly obvious the motive is so that people KNOW who the characters are, so the next movie will have some audience. I don't think any network is going to touch the TV show with that big a failure attached to it. I REALLY hope PBS doesn't pick it up, and I just can't see Disney Junior, Nick Jr., or any one left picking it up. Maybe Sprout, but I doubt it.

 

[SuperGzilla12]

If Ken was as smart as he thought he was, he would have done the first one, nay, the entire series as a DTV. It has the production values of one, and I'm sure it would be every big a hit at Redbox as those cheaply made mockbusters and thrown together CGI kiddy films like Frogface Freddy. When heavy hitters like Elmo and Barney can't get a preschool audience to theaters, what made him think a completely unknown (save for a couple bad PSA's) franchise would do any better?

Well, the whole idea for this in the first place was to create a crowd-participation movie (of the likes of The Rocky Horror Picture Show) for preschool children, hence why he wanted it in cinemas.

But, yeah, he obviously shouldn't have taken the risk. Despite the marketing efforts (The budget for which was $60 Million, three times over the film's production budget), this was obviously going to fall flat on it's face.

Like you said, if preschool giants like Barney and Elmo (Or, more recently, Winnie the Pooh) couldn't bring in cinema audiences, this was obviously not going to do any better. Parents just don't seem to want to take small children to the cinema, and it makes sense. That, and it was released at a very poor time - Late August is hardly a good release date for a children's movie.

 

[Drtooth]

Well, the whole idea for this in the first place was to create a crowd-participation movie (of the likes of The Rocky Horror Picture Show) for preschool children, hence why he wanted it in cinemas.

Another reason, but something tells me he was going to try to make a TV series and needed a reason for it. The participation bit was the selling point.

But like I always say, Americans are completely confused by movie versions of TV shows that aren't 30 years too late, poorly cast, and mock themselves mercilessly. Current TV shows that get movies are hit or miss, while internationally (Japan especially) have no problem with current cartoon/kid's shows being theatrical. So even if the show came first and (perish the thought) was a raging success, there's no guarantee that the movie would have had any success that wasn't DTV.

Late August is hardly a good release date for a children's movie.

I don' think any time of the year would have been good for it. Maybe winter vacation... but I don't see any reason why parents would pay good money to take their kids to something of low quality. This didn't even have production values. But August is a killer. Paranorman didn't get the audience it deserved, neither did Scott Pilgrim.

 

[BobThePizzaBoy]

Oogieloves really wouldn't have worked any time of the year. Ken probably wanted to get the movie in the summer season but not have to deal with Dark Knight Rises (completely different film but I think you get my drift). But even that doesn't always work, Elmo in Grouchland had a decent release date, first weekend in October. Little kids are getting in the groove of the school year and want things to do now that the transition is basically over, there were no other family films in sight, DreamWorks had success with Antz the same weekend the year before... but it's still the factor parents just weren't willing to take younger kids to the theater for that. Though I have noticed before in the 13 years since Elmo in Grouchland that every now and then, there will be a kid's movie opening the first weekend in October for some reason, presumably for the same reasons Sony chose that date...

 

[SuperGzilla12]

Another reason, but something tells me he was going to try to make a TV series and needed a reason for it. The participation bit was the selling point.

Yeah, probably. I'm just going off what Ken has said in Oogieloves-related interviews.

I don' think any time of the year would have been good for it. Maybe winter vacation... but I don't see any reason why parents would pay good money to take their kids to something of low quality. This didn't even have production values. But August is a killer. Paranorman didn't get the audience it deserved, neither did Scott Pilgrim.

Yeah, in August, the potential audience was getting prepaired for day care or preschool - No time for this, really. Maybe a Spring release would've been a bit better (March or April - There's not much else then, and it still seems to be a safe time in their schedules)

But yeah, this was set to fail whenever it was to be released. And trust me... I've seen it... it really deserves it.

 

[Drtooth]

Oh, I definitely agree. Winter vacation may have got a few more tickets here or there (winter was kind to the lame Gnome film), but over all, I don;t see any adults willingly taking their children to this no matter how hard they begged (if they actually did).

Still, the fact they encourage kids to act up in the theaters? Brilliant. They're not going to take that to any other movie ever.