General

“Pirates” already under attack? “Mansion” to be closed before it even opens?

In the wake of the disastrous box office performance of “The Country Bears” movie, the word out of Hollywood is that the Mouse may be having second thoughts about making more movies based on popular Disneyland attractions.

Published

22 years ago

August 8, 2002

Jim Hill

Hollywood is a very strange town, kids. A place where people take great pleasure in witnessing the failure of the competition. So imagine how many studio execs were made positively giddy when news broke about how poorly Disney’s “The Country Bears” movie was faring.

This past weekend, it was all that “Bears” could do to collect a measly $408,814 at the box office. Which means that – even though “TCB” has been out in theaters for four weeks now – the film had only grossed $15,365,476. Making it highly unlikely that “Country Bears” will ever be able to cover its $30 million production costs (Not to mention the $10 – $15 million that Disney reportedly poured into promoting the project).

This grizzly news – to put it mildly – did not go over well in Bearbank … er … Burbank. Disney Studio executives had been so certain that “The Country Bears” would at least be a medium-sized hit (something in the $50 – $75 million gross range) that they had already ordered scribe Paul Rugg (“One Saturday Morning” vet AKA Manny the Uncanny) to start work on a sequel to the film.

Well, given how poorly “The Country Bears” has been performing, it now seems unlikely that we will ever see Rugg’s “Bears II” (Which – of course – is not to be confused with two bear rugs). But now the more pressing issue is: How will “TCB”‘s under-performance effect the two other based-on-classic-theme-park attractions movies that Disney currently has in the pipeline, Gore Verbinski’s “Pirates of the Caribbean” and Rob Minkoff’s “The Haunted Mansion”?

In spite of any misgivings that Disney studio execs may now be having about this two proposed films in the wake of “The Country Bears” poor performance, “Pirates” still seems ready to set sail. Production – which was initially supposed to get underway earlier this summer – will now begin in October. Academy Award winner Geoffrey Rush has reportedly been tapped to play Captain Blackheart, while Tim Burton favorite Johnny Depp has allegedly agreed to play the lead pirate in the picture, some “scurvy nave” named Jack.

Sounds like somewhat smooth sailing for Disney’s “Pirate” picture so far, right? Not according to “Daily Variety.” In the past six months, no less than four different writers have tried to get the script in shipshape. First Stuart Beattie (reportedly an expert on all matters piratical) was brought on board to take a shot at polishing Jay Wolpert’s original screenplay. Then Terry Rossio and Ted Elliot (best known as the screenwriters of Disney’s “Aladdin” and Dreamwork’s “Shrek”) were piped aboard to up the script’s scare factor.

The film – which will reportedly feature a storyline in which modern tourists find themselves battling with bloodthirsty pirates who are out to undo an ancient curse – will actually be shot on location in the Caribbean. Just last week, Industrial Light and Magic revealed that it had been signed to do FX work on the picture. And sources deep inside Disney Studios say that the company still expects big things from “Pirates of the Caribbean.” That Mickey and his minions still envision “POTC” as being the company’s “tentpole” picture for the summer of 2003 (I.E., the film that the studio will pin most of its economic hopes on- the movie that Disney expects to be its biggest success in the summer of 2003).

Well … if that’s really the case, then why is Disney reportedly already leaning on Verbinski (the film’s director) and Jerry Bruckheimer (“Pirates” producer) to scale back some of the movie’s more expensive-to-shoot sequences? Could it be – in the wake of “The Country Bears” non-performance – that Mickey’s now having second thoughts about the company spending a bloody fortune to make “Pirates of the Caribbean – The Movie”?

What exactly is Disney’s problem with “Pirates”? Well, given how the audience DIDN’T exactly turn out in record numbers for “Country Bears,” there are now executives in the Team Disney building who are wondering aloud if there’s really an audience out there for films based on Disney theme park attractions. Which doesn’t exactly bode well for Disney’s “Haunted Mansion” movie.

The buzz on the lot right now suggests that the start of production on “Mansion” – which was originally supposed to get underway in November – may now get pushed back, perhaps by as much as a year. Originally, Disney’s “Haunted Mansion” movie was supposed to the studio’s big release for October 2003 (Just in time for Halloween). Nowadays …well, the word is that Disney wants to first see how “Pirates” does during the summer of 2003 before it agrees to plow another $100 million or so into the production of another big effects picture that’s based on a theme park ride. If “Pirates of the Caribbean” fails to pull in a huge pile of box office gold next summer, you can bet that Disney’s “Haunted Mansion” movie won’t go forward as it was originally envisioned- as a big budget major theatrical release.

What’s that you say? You’ve heard that Rob Minkoff (The director of “The Lion King” & “Stuart Little I & II”) has already been hired to helm Disney’s “Haunted Mansion” movie? And that funnyman Eddie Murphy has been signed to be the film’s lead?

Well, back in July, this might have been construed as good news. But this is mid-August, folks. A time when Rob Minkoff is now known as the director of “Stuart Little II,” a film that Sony Pictures spent at least $120 million to make but has only grossed – to date – $54 million. And Eddie Murphy is currently the star of “The Adventures of Pluto Nash,” that sci-fi mega-bomb that Warner Bros. reportedly blew $100 million on. This past weekend – the film’s opening weekend, mind you – “Pluto Nash” only managed to pull in $2.1 million.

So here you have the first two “talents” that Disney has signed for its “Haunted Mansion” project. A director and a performer whose reputations have both taken a major ding at the box office this summer. So – given what’s just happened – would it really be all that surprising for the Mouse now to suddenly say “You know … due to scheduling conflicts (Or script concerns. Or some other lame sounding excuse), we’re going to push back the start of production on ‘Haunted Mansion’.” Just so the Walt Disney Company then has the time to properly evaluate the project, to see if it’s actually wise to go forward with production of a big budget “Mansion” movie.

Sounds kind of unlikely to you that Disney would derail a project this far into pre-production? Well, think back to November 2000, when Disney’s “102 Dalmatians” was under-performing at the box office. That Kevin Lima film was the movie that made Mouse House executives think that maybe moviegoers weren’t all that eager to see sequels to recent Disney releases. Which is why Mickey (even though a trailer for “The Santa Clause 2: The Escape Clause” trailer was already attached to the front of every single print of “102 Dalmatians”) opted to “postpone” production of that Tim Allen comedy in January 2001. Reportedly because the studio suddenly had “script concerns” with the project.

The good news is that – 13 months later – executives in the Team Disney building suddenly had a change of heart. Which is why “Santa Clause 2” (which now features the subtitle “The Mrs. Clause”) was put back into the production pipeline and will now hit theaters nationwide on November 1, 2002.

So – even if “The Haunted Mansion” does get postponed (Which – given all that’s going on with “The Country Bears,” Rob Minkoff and Eddie Murphy these days – this is looking more and more likely) – there is still a very strong possibility that this film will eventually get made, perhaps in time for release for Halloween 2004. Provided – of course – that Disney’s “Pirates of the Caribbean” movie manages to haul in plenty of loot during the summer of 2003.

This last bit of news must be of some sort of comfort to Andrew Gunn, the producer of Disney’s “Country Bears” movie. For Gunn – as luck would have it – is also the producer of Disney’s “Haunted Mansion” film. Andrew’s also the guy who pursued Minkoff to direct the project, then signed Murphy to star in the movie. So Gunn would probably actually be thrilled if production of Disney’s “Haunted Mansion” movie got pushed back for a year or so. That way, that box office stink that currently surrounds Rob & Eddie & “TCB” would have a chance to dissipate.

A delay in the start of production might also give Andrew a chance to read & re-read David Berenbaum’s “Haunted Mansion” script. Which (hopefully) would give Gunn the opportunity to avoid the mistakes that he made on “The Country Bears” on his next based-on-a-theme-park-attraction movie. Whatever those might have been.

Anywho … Here’s hoping that Andrew’s very next picture for Disney – a big screen remake of that 1976 pseudo-classic, “Freaky Friday,” starring Annette Bening, Lindsay Lohan and (Can you believe it? Straight from MTV) Kelly Osbourne – does a lot better at the box office than “The Country Bears.” Otherwise, Rob Minkoff and Eddie Murphy may not be the only people that Disney will start having second thoughts about.

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