Disney, Pixar Deal $7 billion US (3.9B Euro)

[Kimp the Shrimp]

Muppet Babies CGI

 

[D'Snowth]

Didn't they just leave Disney?

 

[Fozzie Bear]

Actually at least for me, the topic of talking "Cars" seemed so boring that I wouldn't waste my time on seeing it in a theatre. On a sidenote, I'm looking forward to Paramount Pictures announced CGI trilogy of the Smurfs. Finally, since such big money is involved, Disney and Pixar will be kissing each other for a long-time, but where does that leave the Muppets?

I was wondering the same thing about the talking cars premise, but I feel like they've done so well in the past that I would give it a try.

Smurf trilogy??? Wha', huh? Coooool!

Yeah, I'm wondering where Muppets will fall into the mix with the Disney/Pixar deal. Now they have something else to work on. I'm sure they have different departments to handle each franchise as separate entities, so the involvement shouldn't be so overwhelming for them that they can't see to it that the Muppets are in good hands.

I'm still miffed, though, that the Disney spokes-person said, "Nobody would notice" when they cancelled Kermit's 50 city world tour!"

 

[OverUnderAround]

Smurf trilogy??? Wha', huh? Coooool!

Yep. I wrote a little about it here:
http://forum.muppetcentral.com/showthread.php?p=367825#post367825

 

[Drtooth]

I remember when I posted the news on several sites that Pixar broke from Disney, I said BIG MISTAKE (from Disney's POV, at least). This is one of the reasons why I was kinda worried in the first place. I had a feeling that either:
A) Disney would just cheapqual the Pixar released movies with their own studio, B) Pixar wouldn't do too well on their own, since without Disney's Muscle the films wouldn't have such a big hit at the box office (look at what WB did to Corpse Bride). and C) Dis would make plans to buy them out, and suck all the creative freedom out and make them joylessly crap out more Disney themed movies (ones they came up them selves).

But then, I realized they'd have more creative freedom without the mouse on their backs, and I was hoping to see more daring stuff, like the Incredibles. Plus, if Dreamworks was the new partner, they wouldn't have to keep ripping Pixar off all the time. (Antz was great, but Sharktale? What was that all about?)

Disney must have seen the mortality of their own CGI studio. Dinosaurs was an atrocious bore in the theaters. I thought Chicken Little did well, but I guess I wasn't too sure. I mean, Chicken little was surprisingly good, but compaired to anything Pixar does (animation and storywise) it couldn't measure up.

Plus this new, "The Wild" movie... I don't know if Dreamworks came up with the idea first, or Disney... Madagascar was a far superior film. I mean, the wild has Jim Belushi in it. that's a red flag right there.

 

[Vic Romano]

Pixar definately doesn't rely on just their anmation to create a great film. I read your post in the TS3 thread, drtooth and I agree that Pixar knows what they're doing when it comes to story telling and character development. Madagascar was cute, but it didn't leave me excited like all of Pixar's flicks. Shark Tale was a train wreck from start to finish, but Shrek 2 wasn't exactly a big parade either, it had it's moments, but now when I see Dreamworks has a new animated film out, I roll my eyes and pray it'll go by quick and painless. As far as the coruption of the mouse that everyone seems so quick to bash, they're not the company they are today by making bad deals, so I say give 'em a chance.

 

[Kimp the Shrimp]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060126/media_nm/media_disney_toystory_dc_1

 

[Vic Romano]

There you go; that's encouraging:

Current Disney CEO Robert Iger, who took over in October, returned all sequel-making to Pixar as part of the merger agreement.

"It was really important to me that the people who made the films originally ... get a shot at making any films that were derivative," Iger told analysts on a conference call earlier this week.

 

[Drtooth]

Pixar definately doesn't rely on just their anmation to create a great film. I read your post in the TS3 thread, drtooth and I agree that Pixar knows what they're doing when it comes to story telling and character development. Madagascar was cute, but it didn't leave me excited like all of Pixar's flicks. Shark Tale was a train wreck from start to finish, but Shrek 2 wasn't exactly a big parade either, it had it's moments, but now when I see Dreamworks has a new animated film out, I roll my eyes and pray it'll go by quick and painless. As far as the coruption of the mouse that everyone seems so quick to bash, they're not the company they are today by making bad deals, so I say give 'em a chance.

I gotta admit, I loved Shrek 2, if only for Puss in boots. It was fun, but anything not done by Pixar is only just pretty good, IMO. Personally, I'm going to wait on the Pixar thing. I guess, unlike the Muppet deal, they have to keep Pixar happy, otherwise they'll lose box office bucks.


With that aside, I am less than thrilled with Cars. I mean, I had an idea that the movie would be sort of like Robots was.... a bunch of useless cars in a junkyard living day by day, racing themselves by night.... but even then, it doesn't seem Pixar-like to me. Talking Cars, unlike talking toys, fish, or bugs just doesn't do it for me, and since I dislike any racing that isn't a 1960's anime, or involves Dick Dastardly in anyway (I don't like non-animated Wrestling either) I don't care. Plus, that pick up truck has a Jar Jar Binks level of annoying. Hardly Mike and Sully, or Marlin and Dory. I still think Cars was an *&^% you to Disney, just before they left. It just seems to be... bleh... especially after how Daring the Incredibles was.

I still hope they can make more artistic driven films, under the mouse.... I really hope they give Brad Bird a call again!

 

[Kimp the Shrimp]

I still hope they can make more artistic driven films, under the mouse.... I really hope they give Brad Bird a call again!

SIMPSONS ALUM