General

Steve’s salary?! Duff as Dorothy?! It must be time for another Monday Mélange

Want some fun factoids to start out your week with? Then how about taking a stab at what Steve Jobs' Pixar salary might be? Or guessing which tween Disney now wants to send over the rainbow? Jim Hill has these and other stories.

Published

20 years ago

August 22, 2004

Jim Hill

Want to really jumpstart the conversation around the watercooler this morning? Then try tossing out this question to your co-workers today:

"How much do you suppose Pixar paid Steve Jobs last year?"

For those of you who don't know: Steve Jobs is the Chairman & Chief Executice Officer of Pixar Animation Studio. Mr. Jobs also owns 30,000,001 shares of Pixar common stock. That means — in essence — that Steve owns 53.1% of that corporation.

Okay. So Mr. Jobs is the Chairman & CEO of Pixar as well as the company's largest shareholder. Which means that Steve wields tremendous control over the corporation.

So I ask you again: How much do you suppose Pixar paid Steve Jobs last year?

Still don't feel that you have enough info to draw an accurate bead on Jobs' compensation package? Okay. What if I were to tell you that the combined worldwide box office receipts of the five films that Pixar Animation Studio has produced & released to date (I.E. "Toy Story," "A Bug's Life," "Toy Story II," "Monsters Inc." and "Finding Nemo") totaled more than $2.5 billion.

And — last year — Pixar paid John Lasseter (The studio's Creative Executive Vice President as well as the director of "Toy Story," "Toy Story II" and the studio's 2005 release, "Cars") $2,776,988.

Okay. Now that you've got all of those numbers rolling around in your head, would you care to take a stab at the salary that Steve Jobs drew from Pixar Animation Studio last year? Would you believe $53.00?

No, that's not a typo. I'm pulling this info straight off of Page 17 of Pixar Animation Studio's proxy statement. Which was mailed out to all of the company's shareholders in preparation for Pixar's annual stockholders meeting. Which was held this past Thursday at San Francisco's Museum of Modern Art.

"Why $53.00?," you ask. Well, the way I understand it, Steve Jobs only pays himself $1 a week for all his Pixar-related efforts.

"But — if there are only 52 weeks in a year — then why did Jobs pay himself $53.00 for 2003?," you continue. Well — according to Pixar's proxy statement — fiscal 2003 was actually a 53-week year. Which means that Steve earned $1 more than he paid himself back in 2001 & 2002.

Okay. I know. That salary may seem ridiculously low. But that $53.00 that Jobs paid himself for working at Pixar last year is actually $52.00 MORE than Steve got for running Apple in 2003.

Yep. As the CEO of Apple Computer Company, Jobs (on paper, anyway) only took home $1.00 in 2003. Which — according to the folks at the Guinness Book of World Records — makes Steve the lowest paid Chief Executive Officer in the world.

Which — in theory — should make us all feel pretty good about our own miserable salaries.

Speaking of salaries … Guess which tween star the Walt Disney Company supposedly recently offered a very nice chunk of change, with the hope that she'd then agree to pull on a pair of ruby-red slippers and play Dorothy in "The Muppets' Wizard of Oz"? Would you believe Miss Lizzie McGuire herself, Hilary Duff?

Yes, this is the same performer who — back in May of 2003 — angrily stormed away from the Mouse House. Reportedly because Hilary's mother (who also acts as Duff's manager) wasn't "feeling the love" from Disney company executives. At the time, mother & daughter Duff were allegedly asking Mickey for a whole lot more moola if Hilary were to continue working for the Mouse.

Back then, Disney supposedly had big plans for Ms. Duff. These included a new "Lizzie McGuire " TV series (which would have taken the lovable tween from junior high to high school) which was then to have aired on ABC as part of that network's "TGIF" line-up. The company also allegedly wanted to make several sequels to Hilary's highly successful movie debut, "The Lizzie McGuire Movie" (Which wound up grossing $42 million during its domestic run last year).

According to published reports, Disney reportedly offered Duff $35,000 per episode to appear in a new "Lizzie McGuire" TV series. There was also talk of a $500,000 bonus if the tween star would sign to do two sequels to "The Lizzie McGuire Movie." But mother & daughter Duff wanted more. LOTS more. Which is why they noisily walked away from the Mouse House in May of 2003 and began to negotiate with other studios.

Still, it didn't make sense — career-wise — for Hilary to totally cut her ties to the Mouse House. Which is why — back in June of last year — Ms. Duff signed a three record deal with Disney's Buena Vista Music Group. This turned out to be a pretty shrewd move on on both Hilary & Disney's part. For Ms. Duff's first album — "Metamorphosis" — eventually became the 8th biggest selling LP for 2003. This recording sold over 2.4 million copies in the US alone.

Since then, the Mouse has been desperate to kiss & make up with the mother / daughter team. With the hope with the Duffs will eventually return to the Disney fold and make lots more money for the Mouse in the years to come. This is why the "Muppets' Wizard of Oz" script supposedly got dropped in Hilary's lap earlier this month.

Yes, I know. As recently as last Monday, I was telling you guys that Natalie Portman & Anne Hathaway were supposedly the front runners for Dorothy in "The Muppets' Wizard of Oz." But — according to Mouse House insiders who reached out to me last week — this is no longer the case.

Mickey's new plan is supposedly to use this project to lure Duff — who's said to be a huge Muppet fan — back into the Disney fold. The current hope is that Hilary will jump at the chance to work with Kermit & Co. And that — sometime over the six weeks that "Wizard of Oz" will be in production this fall — Disney will finally be able to mend fences with mother & daughter. Which will then clear the way for that new "Lizzie McGuire" TV series for ABC (which could really use a hit right about now) as well as those sequels to the "Lizzie McGuire" movie.

Mind you, nothing's been signed yet. But those in the know consider it very significant that Ms. Duff has chosen to wrap her latest concert tour on September 12th. Just a day before before shooting on "The Muppets' Wizard of Oz" was supposed to begin.

Okay, I know. That evidence — all by itself — seems somewhat slim. But what if I were to remind you that "The Muppets' Wizard of Oz" is being shot up in Northern Vancouver. And that — on September 11th — Hilary will actually be performing at Vancouver's Pacific Coliseum. Followed by a one day jaunt over to Alberta to play at Calgary's Pengrowth Saddledome.

So — given that she's going to be across the border already anyway — is it really such a stretch of the imagination to think that Hilary Duff would then take advantage of this opportunity to head over the rainbow?

L. Frank Baum fans that I've spoken with about this proposed casting actually seem cautiously optimistic. Why for? Because — should Hilary Duff sign to play Dorothy in "The Muppets' Wizard of Oz" — this will be the first time in Hollywood history that Baum's heroine is portrayed just as L. Frank originally envisioned her … as a blonde!

In other news … Remember last Tuesday, when I talked up Buena Vista Home Entertainment's new release, "The Three Musketeers"? Well, over at IGN Filmforce, Ken Plume recently reached out to that film's director — Donovan Cook — to ask him about what was involved with the creation of this BVHE video premiere. Cook responded with a detailed letter that walked Plume through the entire process of making the picture. Which — me personally — I think makes for excellent reading.

Speaking of Mr. Plume … Ken has a weird sort of bet going with the folks over at SideShow Collectibles. That toy company — which reportedly has the rights to reproduce action figures that feature the likenesses of the performers that appeared in the original "Star Trek" TV series — doesn't believe that there'd really be a market for a talking William Shatner doll.

Mr. Plume — on the other hand — believes quite strongly that there are a large number of us dweebs out there who'd love to have our very own plastic James T. Kirk seated on our desk. Who — at the mere touch of a button — could scream "KHAAAAN !?" at us. Or perform "Promise" margarine commercials. Or — for those of us who are doing a lot of traveling lately — give us the latest update on what flights are costing over at Priceline.com.

So could you nice folks please do me a favor and help out my pal, Mr. Plume, by heaving a note at this e-mail address? A message which insists that — yes — you'd love to have your very own talking William Shatner action figure? Thanks in advance for all your help here.

Okay, we've gone from salaries to Shatner. Muppets to Musketeers. All the dough that Disney will give Hilary Duff if she'll just agree to be Dorothy. Me personally, I think that that's quite enough mindless muttering for one Monday's Mélange … don't you?

Your thoughts?

General

Seward Johnson bronzes add a surreal, artistic touch to NYC’s Garment District

Published

9 years ago

June 23, 2015

Jim Hill

Greetings from NYC. Nancy and I drove down from New
Hampshire yesterday because we'll be checking out
Disney Consumer Products' annual Holiday Showcase later today.

Anyway … After checking into our hotel (i.e., The Paul.
Which is located down in NYC's NoMad district), we decided to grab some dinner.
Which is how we wound up at the Melt Shop.

Photo by Jim Hill

Which is this restaurant that only sells grilled cheese sandwiches.
This comfort food was delicious, but kind of on the heavy side.

Photo by Jim Hill

Which is why — given that it was a beautiful summer night
— we'd then try and walk off our meals. We started our stroll down by the Empire
State Building
…

Photo by Jim Hill

… and eventually wound up just below Times
Square (right behind where the Waterford Crystal Times Square New
Year's Eve Ball is kept).

Photo by Jim Hill

But you know what we discovered en route? Right in the heart
of Manhattan's Garment District
along Broadway between 36th and 41st? This incredibly cool series of life-like
and life-sized sculptures that Seward
Johnson has created.

Photo by Jim Hill

And — yes — that is Abraham Lincoln (who seems to have
slipped out of WDW's Hall of Presidents when no one was looking and is now
leading tourists around Times Square). These 18 painted
bronze pieces (which were just installed late this past Sunday night / early
Monday morning) range from the surreal to the all-too-real.

Photo by Jim Hill

Some of these pieces look like typical New Yorkers. Like the
business woman planning out her day …

Photo by Jim Hill

… the postman delivering the mail …

Photo by Jim Hill

… the hot dog vendor working at his cart …

Photo by Jim Hill

… the street musician playing for tourists …

Photo by Jim Hill

Not to mention the tourists themselves.

Photo by Jim Hill

But right alongside the bronze businessmen …

Photo by Jim Hill

… and the tired grandmother hauling her groceries home …

Photo by Jim Hill

… there were also statues representing people who were
from out-of-town …

Photo by Jim Hill

… or — for that matter — out-of-time.

Photo by Jim Hill

These were the Seward Johnson pieces that genuinely beguiled. Famous impressionist paintings brought to life in three dimensions.

Note the out-of-period water bottle that some tourist left
behind. Photo by Jim Hill

Some of them so lifelike that you actually had to pause for
a moment (especially as day gave way to night in the city) and say to yourself
"Is that one of the bronzes? Or just someone pretending to be one of these
bronzes?"

Mind you, for those of you who aren't big fans of the
impressionists …

Photo by Jim Hill

… there's also an array of American icons. Among them
Marilyn Monroe …

Photo by Jim Hill

… and that farmer couple from Grant Wood's "American
Gothic."

Photo by Jim Hill

But for those of you who know your NYC history, it's hard to
beat that piece which recreates Alfred Eisenstaedt's famous photograph of V-J Day in Times Square.

Photo by Jim Hill

By the way, a 25-foot-tall version of this particular Seward
Johnson piece ( which — FYI — is entitled "Embracing Peace") will actually
be placed in Times Square for a few days on or around August 14th to commemorate the 70th
anniversary of Victory Over Japan Day (V-J Day).

Photo by Jim Hill

By the way, if you'd like to check these Seward Johnson bronzes in
person (which — it should be noted — are part of the part of the Garment
District Alliance's new public art offering) — you'd best schedule a trip to
the City sometime over the next three months. For these pieces will only be on
display now through September 15th.

General

Wondering what you should “Boldly Go” see at the movies next year? The 2015 Licensing Expo offers you some clues

Published

9 years ago

June 10, 2015

Jim Hill

Greeting from the 2015 Licensing Expo, which is being held
at the Mandalay Bay
Convention Center in Las
Vegas.

Photo by Jim Hill

I have to admit that I enjoy covering the Licensing Expo.
Mostly becomes it allows bloggers & entertainment writers like myself to
get a peek over the horizon. Scope out some of the major motion pictures &
TV shows that today's vertically integrated entertainment conglomerates
(Remember when these companies used to be called movie studios?) will be
sending our way over the next two years or so.

Photo by Jim Hill

Take — for example — all of "The Secret Life of
Pets" banners that greeted Expo attendees as they made their way to the
show floor today. I actually got to see some footage from this new Illumination
Entertainment production (which will hit theaters on July 8, 2016) the last time I was in Vegas. Which
was for CinemaCon back in April. And the five or so minutes of film that I viewed
suggested that "The Secret Life of Pets" will be a really funny
animated feature.

Photo by Jim Hill

Mind you, Universal Pictures wanted to make sure that Expo
attendees remembered that there was another Illumination Entertainment production
coming-to-a-theater-near-them before "The Secret Life of Pets" (And
that's "Minions," the "Despicable Me" prequel. Which
premieres at the Annecy International Animated Film Festival next week but
won't be screened stateside 'til July 10th of this year). Which is why they had
three minions who were made entirely out of LEGOS loitering out in the lobby.

Photo by Jim Hill

And Warner Bros. — because they wanted "Batman v
Superman: Dawn of Justice" to start trending on Twitter today — brought
the Batmobile to Las Vegas.

Photo by Jim Hill

Not to mention full-sized macquettes of Batman, Superman and
Wonder Woman. Just so conventioneers could then see what these DC superheroes
would actually look like in this eagerly anticipated, March 25, 2016 release.

Photo by Jim Hill

That's the thing that can sometimes be a wee bit frustrating
about the Licensing Expo. It's all about delayed gratification. You'll come
around a corner and see this 100 foot-long ad for "The Peanuts Movie"
and think "Hey, that looks great. I want to see that Blue Sky Studios production
right now." It's only then that you notice the fine print and realize that
"The Peanuts Movie" doesn't actually open in theaters 'til November
6th of this year.

Photo by Jim Hill

And fan of Blue Sky's "Ice Age" film franchise are in for an even
longer wait. Given that the latest installment in that top grossing series
doesn't arrive in theaters 'til July
15, 2016.

Photo by Jim Hill

Of course, if you're one of those people who needs immediate
gratification when it comes to your entertainment, there was stuff like that to
be found at this year's Licensing Expo. Take — for example — how the WWE
booth was actually shaped like a wrestling ring. Which — I'm guessing — meant
that if the executives of World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. didn't like
the offer that you were making, they were then allowed to toss you out over the
top rope, Royal Rumble-style.

Photo by Jim Hill

I also have to admit that — as a longtime Star Trek fan —
it was cool to see the enormous Starship Enterprise that hung in place over the
CBS booth. Not to mention getting a glimpse of the official Star Trek 50th
Anniversary logo.

Photo by Jim Hill

I was also pleased to see lots of activity in The Jim Henson
Company booth. Which suggests that JHC has actually finally carved out a
post-Muppets identity for itself.

Photo by Jim Hill

Likewise for all of us who were getting a little concerned
about DreamWorks Animation (what with all the layoffs & write-downs &
projects that were put into turnaround or outright cancelled last year), it was
nice to see that booth bustling.

Photo by Jim Hill

Every so often, you'd come across some people who were
promoting a movie that you weren't entirely sure that you actually wanted to
see (EX: "Angry Birds," which Sony Pictures Entertainment / Columbia
Pictures will be releasing to theaters on May 20, 2016). But then you remembered that Clay Kaytis —
who's this hugely talented former Walt Disney Animation Studios animator — is
riding herd on "Angry Birds" with Fergal Reilly. And you'd think
"Well, if Clay's working on 'Angry Birds,' I'm sure this animated feature
will turn out fine."

Photo by Jim Hill

Mind you, there were reminders at this year's Licensing Expo
of great animated features that we're never going to get to see now. I still
can't believe — especially after that brilliant proof-of-concept footage
popped up online last year — that Sony execs decided not to go forward
with production of Genndy Tartakovsky's
"Popeye" movie. But that's the
cruel thing about the entertainment business, folks. It will sometime break
your heart.

Photo by Jim Hill

And make no mistake about this. The Licensing Expo is all
about business. That point was clearly driven home at this year's show when —
as you walked through the doors of the Mandalay
Bay Convention Center
— the first thing that you saw was the Hasbros Booth. Which was this gleaming,
sleek two story-tall affair full of people who were negotiating deals &
signing contracts for all of the would-be summer blockbusters that have already
announced release dates for 2019 & beyond.

Photo by Jim Hill

"But what about The Walt Disney Company?," you
ask. "Weren't they represented on the show floor at this year's Licensing
Expo?" Not really, not. I mean, sure. There were a few companies there hyping
Disney-related products. Take — for example — the Disney Wikkeez people.

Photo by Jim Hill

I'm assuming that some Disney Consumer Products exec is
hoping that Wikkeez will eventually become the new Tsum Tsum. But to be blunt,
these little hard plastic figures don't seem to have the same huggable charm
that those stackable plush do. But I've been wrong before. So let's see what
happens with Disney Wikkeez once they start showing up on the shelves of the
Company's North American retail partners.

Photo by Jim Hill

And speaking of Disney's retail partners … They were
meeting with Mouse House executives behind closed doors one floor down from the
official show floor for this year's Licensing Expo.

Photo by Jim Hill

And the theme for this year's invitation-only Disney shindig? "Timeless
Stories" involving the Disney, Pixar, Marvel & Lucasfilm brands that
would then appeal to "tomorrow's consumer."

Photo by Jim Hill

And just to sort of hammer home the idea that Disney is no
longer the Company which cornered the market when it comes to little girls
(i.e., its Disney Princess and Disney Fairies franchises), check out this
wall-sized Star Wars-related image that DCP put up just outside of one of its
many private meeting rooms. "See?," this carefully crafted photo
screams. "It isn't just little boys who want to wield the Force. Little
girls also want to grow up and be Lords of the Sith."

Photo by Jim Hill

One final, kind-of-ironic note: According to this banner,
Paramount Pictures will be releasing a movie called "Amusement Park"
to theaters sometime in 2017.

Photo by Jim Hill

Well, given all the "Blackfish" -related issues
that have been dogged SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment over the past two years, I'm
just hoping that they'll still be in the amusement park business come 2017.

Your thoughts?

General

It takes more than three circles to craft a Classic version of Mickey Mouse

Published

9 years ago

June 9, 2015

Jim Hill

You know what Mickey Mouse looks like, right? Little guy,
big ears?

Truth be told, Disney's corporate symbol has a lot of
different looks. If Mickey's interacting with Guests at Disneyland
Park (especially this summer, when
the Happiest Place on Earth
is celebrating its 60th anniversary), he looks & dresses like this.

Or when he's appearing in one of those Emmy Award-winning shorts that Disney
Television Animation has produced (EX: "Bronco Busted," which debuts
on the Disney Channel tonight at 8 p.m. ET / PT), Mickey is drawn in a such a
way that he looks hip, cool, edgy & retro all at the same time.

Looking ahead to 2017 now, when Disney Junior rolls out "Mickey and the
Roadster Racers," this brand-new animated series will feature a sportier version
of Disney's corporate symbol. One that Mouse House managers hope will persuade
preschool boys to more fully embrace this now 86 year-old character.

That's what most people don't realize about the Mouse. The
Walt Disney Company deliberately tailors Mickey's look, even his style of
movement, depending on what sort of project / production he's appearing in.

Take — for example — Disney
California Adventure
Park's "World of Color:
Celebrate!" Because Disney's main mouse would be co-hosting this new
nighttime lagoon show with ace emcee Neil Patrick Harris, Eric Goldberg really had
to step up Mickey's game. Which is why this master Disney animator created
several minutes of all-new Mouse animation which then showed that Mickey was
just as skilled a showman as Neil was.

Better yet, let's take a look at what the folks at Avalanche Studios just went
through as they attempted to create a Classic version of Mickey & Minnie.
One that would then allow this popular pair to become part of Disney Infinity
3.0.

"I won't lie to you. We were under a lot of pressure to
get the look of this particular version of Mickey — he's called Red Pants
Mickey around here — just right," said Jeff Bunker, the VP of Art
Development at Avalanche Studios, during a recent phone interview. "When
we brought Sorcerer Mickey into Disney Infinity 1.0 back in January of 2014,
that one was relatively easy because … Well, everyone knows what Mickey Mouse
looked like when he appeared in 'Fantasia.' "

"But this time around, we were being asked to design
THE Mickey & Minnie," Bunker continued. "And given that these Classic
Disney characters have been around in various different forms for the better
part of the last century … Well, which look was the right look?"

Which is why Jeff and his team at Avalanche Studios began watching hours &
hours of Mickey Mouse shorts. As they tried to get a handle on which look would
work best for these characters in Disney Infinity 3.0.

"And we went all the way back to the very start of Mickey's career. We began
with 'Steamboat Willie' and then watched all of those black & white Mickey shorts
that Walt made back in the late 1920s & early 1930s. From there, we
transitioned to his Technicolor shorts. Which is when Mickey went from being
this pie-eyed, really feisty character to more of a well-behaved leading
man," Bunker recalled. "We then finished out our Mouse marathon by
watching all of those new Mickey shorts that Paul Rudish & his team have
been creating for Disney Television Animation. Those cartoons really recapture
a lot of the spirit and wild slapstick fun that Mickey's early, black &
white shorts had."

But given that the specific assignment that Avalanche Studios had been handed
was to create the most appealing looking, likeable version of Mickey Mouse
possible … In the end, Jeff and his team wound up borrowing bits & pieces
from a lot of different versions of the world's most famous mouse. So that
Classic Mickey would then look & move in a way that best fit the sort of
gameplay which people would soon be able to experience with Disney Infinity
3.0.

"That — in a lot of ways — was actually the toughest
part of the Classic Mickey design project. You have to remember that one of the
key creative conceits of Disney Infinity
is that all the characters which appear in this game are toys," Bunker
stated. "Okay. So they're beautifully detailed, highly stylized toy
versions of beloved Disney, Pixar, Marvel & Lucasfilm characters. But
they're still supposed to be toys. So our Classic versions of Mickey &
Minnie have the same sort of thickness & sturdiness to them that toys have.
So that they'll then be able to fit right in with all of the rest of the
characters that Avalanche Studios had previously designed for Disney Infinity."

And then there was the matter of coming up with just the
right pose for Classic Mickey & Minnie. Which — to hear Jeff tell the
story — involved input from a lot of Disney upper management.

"Everyone within the Company seemed to have an opinion
about how Mickey & Minnie should be posed. More to the point, if you Google
Mickey, you then discover that there are literally thousands of poses out there
for these two. Though — truth be told — a lot of those kind of play off the
way Mickey poses when he's being Disney's corporate symbol," Bunker said.
"But what I was most concerned about was that Mickey's pose had to work
with Minnie's pose. Because we were bringing the Classic versions of these
characters up into Disney Infinity 3.0 at the exact same time. And we wanted to
make sure — especially for those fans who like to put their Disney Infinity
figures on display — that Mickey's pose would then complement Minnie.

Which is why Jeff & the crew at Avalanche Studios
decided — when it came to Classic Mickey & Minnie's pose — that they
should go all the way back to the beginning. Which is why these two Disney icons
are sculpted in such a way that it almost seems as though you're witnessing the
very first time Mickey set eyes on Minnie.

"And what was really great about that was — as soon as
we began showing people within the Company this pose — everyone at Disney
quickly got on board with the idea. I mean, the Classic Mickey that we sculpted
for Disney Infinity 3.0 is clearly a very playful, spunky character. But at the
same time, he's obviously got eyes for Minnie," Bunker concluded. "So
in the end, we were able to come up with Classic versions of these characters
that will work well within the creative confines of Disney Infinity 3.0 but at
the same time please those Disney fans who just collect these figures because
they like the way the Disney Infinity characters look."

So now that this particular design project is over, does
Jeff regret that Mouse House upper management was so hands-on when it came to
making sure that the Classic versions of Mickey & Minnie were specifically
tailored to fit the look & style of gameplay found in Disney Infinity 3.0?

"To be blunt, we go through this every time we add a new character to the
game. The folks at Lucasfilm were just as hands-on when we were designing the
versions of Darth Vader and Yoda that will also soon be appearing in Disney
Infinity 3.0," Bunker laughed. "So in the end, if the character's
creators AND the fans are happy, then I'm happy."

This article was originally posted on the Huffington Post's Entertainment page on Tuesday, June 9, 2015