Disney’s Rogue One Problem??

I’m a huge Star Wars fan.  I’ve seen all the movies.  I’ve watched the Ewok specials.   I’ve seen every episode of the Clone Wars and Rebels and read about 100 Star Wars books.  I waited all week for the Rogue One Trailer and watched it at least 7 times the night it came out.    I personally can’t wait for the movie so as far as Disney is concerned they have this Star Wars fan wrapped around their finger.  

The problem Disney faces with Rogue One is the casual Star Wars fan.  The marketing for a Rogue One is a challenge for Disney.  This movie has no recognizable characters from previous Star Wars films with the exception of Vader.   As I sat mouth a gape in front of my big screen TV during the Olympic coverage as the Rogue One trailer rolled across the screen my wife turned to me about one minute in and said “Are there any characters we know in this movie?”    And that is the problem.   The diehard fans like me get that this movie takes place right before  A New Hope.    The average casual fan that showed up to see Han Solo in the Force Awakens remains confused.   As much as Disney will try to get the message out as to what this movie is about and when it takes place in the Star Wars Timeline---there are going to be people that show up to the theater and wonder ……”Where is Luke?”   “BB-8 isn’t in the movie?”   Despite the ads people are going to think this is Episode 8.  People are going to ask “ I thought Vader died?”     How is Disney going to solve this problem?  How will they get the message out to the average fan and how will that effect the box office for the film?    Disney can’t expect this film to even come close to what The Force Awakens did.  The Force Awakens marketed itself.   It was the right movie at the right time.  
I assume Disney will expect Rogue One to be more like a Thor or Antman at the box office movie when compared to The Avengers, but what if they mistakenly think this will be just as big?  

Personally I think the are doing a good job of explaining what this movie is.....But is that enough for the average viewer to get it?

Here is the trailer.

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Cinderella 2015 6 out of 10 (Disney Family Film #4)

Cinderella  2015  6 out of 10

I finally got around to seeing the new Disney version of Cinderella.  It was a good quality remake of the animated film.  I personally think that the classic Cinderella story just isn't that interesting or exciting to me.   I can't find a flaw in the film making itself.   

The acting was solid and the visuals were stunning.   My favorite segment was the Fairy godmother transformation sequence, which I had seen previously in a sneak peek at the Disney parks.  So I guess my only issues with both this live action remake and the original animated feature are the simplicity of the story.   Everyone knows the story.   Cinderella is under the thumb of her evil step mom and her two horrible daughters.  They basically treat her like a servant.  Every women in the kingdom is invited to a big dance at the castle.  Cinderella helps her sisters get ready -but isn't allowed to go.  Then her fairy godmother helps to transform her for the dance with the help of some magic.  She shows up to the ball and falls in love -until she is forced to run away at midnight when the fairies spell is broken.   The end of the movie --is all about finding the girl that fits the glass slipper that was left behind.    

Girls love this fairy tale about a simple girl finding her prince.  It is a classic love story, but nothing exciting really happens in either the animated film or this remake.   She simply falls in love and then the prince searches for the girl that fits the shoe. 

Like I said everything about the movie itself was well done and stayed true to the classic tale.  I just don't think the story of Cinderella is too dull.    

It is definitely worth a rental as a family film if just for the transformation scene, but not one of my favorites among the recent Disney Films and if I had seen it in the theaters I wouldn't have bought it on DVD.

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(Disney Animated Movie Review #12 ) Zootopia 2016 9 out of 10

The whole family headed out to Downtown Disney the other day to watch Zootopia and everyone left the film in a great mood.  

Just like Pixar’s Inside Out last year this film has a great message.   The main theme of the film is a very uplifting one.  The main theme is that anyone can be anything.  That even if people try and put you down or hold you back –if you work hard enough you can achieve anything.   The main character Judy Hopps is the perfect example of this.  She is a little female rabbit that grew up out in the countryside of Bunny Burrows.  She is determined to be the first Bunny cop.  She keeps being told that this is a goal that she will never reach, but she shows through hard work and determination that she can achieve her goals.    The film also has the strong theme of not judging a book by the cover.  
These great messages carry the movie plot forward and make for an entertaining and great film and although this is the heart of the film- There is something else which I believe is making the film so popular with audiences.

And that is World Building:

I mentioned this key ingredient before I even saw the film after the sneak peek at the Disney Parks.

Here is the blog about the sneak peek.
http://braddisneylandblog.blogspot.com/2016/01/zootopia-sneek-peek-in-disneys.html

World building is a key ingredient in why Star Wars, Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings are so popular.  It was probably a big factor in Monsters Inc. as well.   Zootopia does an amazing job of World Building in setting up the world that the animals of Zootopia live in.  There are different climate regions such as TundraTown and Sahara Square.   These areas of Zootopia make for an interesting world that leaves you wanting to see more of it.  You get a really good look at Zootopia as Judy Hopps arrives to the main police station via Monorail early in the film.   The monorail ride takes the viewer through several sections of the world they have created and the imagination just runs wild .   Like in Harry Potter where every kid wants to go to school at Hogwart’s,  I think every kid would like to visit or live in Zootopia.  My teenage step son left the movie asking when they would come out with a sequel.    
The movie ends in a perfect place for there to be sequels in which we could explore more of this interesting world they created.

To sum it up:

The animation was excellent.  The characters were interesting. 
The casting of Jason Bateman as the Nick Wilde the Fox sidekick to Ginnifer Goodwin's  Judy Hopps was perfect. 
The plot was good, even though I figured out the twist fairly early on (I think because I've seen so many Scooby Doo episodes).   
The World of Zootopia was amazing just like like Inside Out and definitely has the potential for sequels or cartoon shorts.
Disney has another hit on its hands.

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Tomorrowland 2015 9 out of 10: A Movie Review

Tomorrowland 2015  9 out of 10

I’ve been waiting for Tomorrowland to come out for awhile.  It is one of those films that I was looking forward to seeing in the theaters –but never got around to for some reason.

My wife and I had seen the great 4-D sneak peek for the movie at Disneyland and its ties to the 1964 World’s fair and mysterious nature intrigued me.  

Here is a link to my thoughts on the sneak peek with pictures of the movies props.

http://braddisneylandblog.blogspot.com/2015/05/tomorrowland-movie-sneak-peek-small.html

The film turned out a little different than I had imagined it would.  It was part action adventure and part comedy which didn’t come across in the trailers.  

The film didn’t perform as well as Disney hoped it would at the box office which was a disappointment since it was original film as opposed to a reboot, remake or sequel.  I hate when films I like don’t do as well at the box office as they should. 
I can see how it was a hard movie to market….to get across what the movie was about without ruining the story.   I absolutely loved the marketing personally.  The mystery of Tommorrowland left me looking forward to the film.     

Disney Connection

Being a huge Disney fan I loved the links to the Small World and the 1964 World’s Fair –being a gateway to this magical place.  Between this movie and Escape From Tomorrow   (add link to blog and podcast here)   a ride on the Small World will never be the same again.     What kid hasn’t fantasized about a secret path on the Small World.   Aside from the Small World ride of course the name of the film itself is named after the land in the parks.  The theme of the film reminds me of Walt's vision for Epcot.

The movie iteself:

The concept and story of the film are magical.  I love the concept of the film and this secret place where all of the world’s imaginative people have created something special.  The best part of the film was near the start when you get to actually visit Tomorrowland in all it’s glory through the eyes of the main character (played by Brit Robertson) as she first experiences it via the magical Tomorrowland pin.  Tomorrowland looks amazing.  
 I will revisit this part of the film many times just to take it all in.  One of the biggest complaints about the film was that we didn’t spend enough time there…..(but that would have made the movie cost even more and slowed down a good story).     Of course no Utopia ever ends up prefect and Tomorrowland is no different.   The main character becomes the only hope to save humanity and its future.   With the help of a good Animatronic girl and a grumpy old George Clooney (that was once an optimistic young boy at the beginning of the film) she must give the world hope and save the day.  The message of the movie is great….  Imagination and Optimism need to thrive….. The story that delivered that message was fun and entertaining.    I would totally recommend this film.    It made for a great family movie night.

I can’t wait to dive into the bonus features ---which I will discuss in a future post.

Check out Part 2 of our Disney Discussion on our Podcast. 

We Briefly discuss the Star Wars Trailer, Tomorrowland movie and all things Disneyland

http://www.superfantasticterrific.com/super-fantastic-terrific-show-10-disneyland-fun-and-star-wars-news/

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Tomorrowland Movie Sneak Peek: (The Small World Ride will never be the same again)

Disneyland's 60th Anniversary has officially kicked off.   It was time to return to the park and start to catch up on everything that is going on.   Our first stop was the Tomorrowland sneak peek in while Tomorrowland of course.

The movie Sneak Peek is currently in the old Captain EO theater and like the other sneak peeks that Disneyland has shown it was great.  This Sneak Peeks really make you want to see the movies and once again wish that the whole movie could be shown with the in theater effects.    The sneak peeks really blow you away –(literally in the case of the wind effects in the jet pack sneak peek scene).  

 My wife asked “ Why do we need to see the sneak peek –we are going to see the movie itself next week and we have already seen the long trailer—it will be just the same?”   Well after we saw the sneak peek she didn’t feel the same .  The in theater effects and extended scene were tremendous.  It covered stuff not previously seen in the trailers and just sparked my imagination for what the film will hold.

With cool displays from the 1964 World Fair and clips of Walt himself it really set the perfect mood.

The Small World factor:

 After watching this movie or sneak peek you will probably never look at the Small World ride the same again.   I personally used to wonder as a kid where the boats went when you see the routes that go off stage.   Having worked at the parks and on the subs in particular I know as an adult that it is probably into a repair shop or just off track storage,  but my imagination as a child always pictured some secret ride sections or something amazing.    
The directors of this movie must have thought the same thing –because they reignited all those childhood fantasies all over again.  See the film and you will know what I’m talking about.

In addition to the sneak peek for the movie that once again made it a must see for me—there was a cool little exhibit in the Starcade that had props and concept art from the film.   Here is a sample of some of what is there.  The concept art is amazing...I wish Tomorrowland looked like the Tomorrowland from the film.

 I pondered in a separate blog that I hoped for but didn’t expect Disney to give the same treatment to  Avengers and Star Wars –since those movies are so big that they practically market themselves.  Avengers has come and gone with no such sneak peel (I was unfortunately right).   I so wish they would have a Star Wars Force Awakens one….but that seems unlikely.

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Saving Mr. Banks 2013 8 out of 10

                         Saving Mr. Banks  2013  8 out of 10

Being a huge Disney fan I was really looking forward to this movie about the making of Mr. Poppins.

I was interested in seeing how Tom Hanks pulled off Walt and thought it would be interesting to get a behind the scenes look at the making of this classic film.  The movie was pretty much exactly what I thought it would be.   It had a cool retro feel and look and dove into the struggles of getting Mary Poppins to the screen. 

All the actors were great in their roles.   Emma Thompson was excellent as P.L. Travers and Hanks did a good job playing Walt. 

As a movie the story just wasn’t compelling enough though to be great.  I guess a story about the making of a better story ---can never really be as good as the classic movie it was made about.    The plot was really simple and there were no real surprises yet it was entertaining. 

I’d recommend it to any true Walt Disney fans --- just for the behind the scenes look at how he got P.L Travers to agree to let him make such a classic and unforgettable film.  

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Disney Animated Movie Review: #6 Tangled 2010 9 out of 10

Tangled  2010  9 out of 10

The movie was magical. I didn't catch it in the theaters , but I have now seen it several times at home and each time I like it a little bit more. (Oh and by the way kids don't think the character's name is Rapunzel they want to go and meet Tangled so I will refer to her as "Tangled" for the rest of this review). The film is beautifully animated. The first glimpse of Tangled's tower is inspiring.  I've always looked on animated movies as a work of art greater than some of the world's most famous painting. The film paints a colorful picture. The characters are great. Flynn Rider is dashing (I joked with my wife one night asking if I was dashing, her response "Your no Flynn Rider"). The horse is awesome and has a wonderful action scene with Flynn that made me think of a great scene from Emperor's New Groove. 

The movie has a little bit of everything. Humor is the "I have a dream" song. Action in Tangled and Flynn's daring escape from those trying to capture Flynn via a Star Wars Luke and Leia escape using Tangled's hair. And romance in a truly beautiful scene right up their with "Kiss the Girl" from Little Mermaid where they set afire the lanterns setting them aloft into the air to light up the sky in a magical dance. I think with time this film will go down as a Disney classic. The music was good but not great like the early 1990's Disney films.