by John | Sep 15, 2023 | Alex Ross, News
BLOCKBUSTED author speaks out on modernizing Disney’s problematic older content
As controversies rage about the problematic features of traditional Disney films and content, Newsweek has published an article about how “Disney Is Offending Its Audience”, and our founder is prominently featured. Here’s what Dr. Alex Ross had to say when featured in Newsweek:
“Disney would face an “impossible” task to ensure its vintage titles met today’s standards, according to Alexander Ross, author of The Evolution of Hollywood’s Calculated Blockbuster Films: Blockbusted.
“What would be even worse would be to ban the inappropriate; elements. We need to see these within a historical context [as a] reflection on the times. They shed light on our past, however unpleasant,” Ross told Newsweek. “With the now usual advisories, they should remain accessible to those who are interested. We need to continue engaging with these, the worst thing that could happen would be to shut down the debates.”
Ross was referring to Disney’s decision to put advisories ahead of older shows and films on its streaming service, Disney+, warning of potentially offensive content and even putting age restrictions on beloved titles such as Dumbo, Peter Pan and The Aristocats.
“Whether Disney can sanitize some of the problematic IP [intellectual property] in order to commercialize it is an entirely different matter. Some of their older IP, going back to their earlier, classic animation films is very valuable and adds hundreds of millions to the value of the studio’s library,” Ross added. “Does re-tooling it to make it acceptable and relevant to new generations make sense? Absolutely.”
CLICK HERE to read the full article at Newsweek.com!
CLICK HERE to hire Dr. Alex Ross as consultant for your own project.
by John | Jul 23, 2021 | Ian Kennedy, Writing Insights
Sanjay Dutt – Infamous Bollywood Actor
As more of us get the chance to discover Indian films on streaming services, WriteMovies’ Director Ian Kennedy explores these often lavish films to ask whether Hollywood should take Bollywood more seriously. He discusses the appeals of Bollywood films for English-language audiences, and asks whether Bollywood should take ITSELF more seriously to break through to the rest of the world now that PARASITE has shown that non-English-language films can triumph!
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by John | Dec 14, 2020 | Industry News
2020 hasn’t been the year anyone expected for movie releases, and the entertainment world has changed a lot. This week’s entertainment news shows the ongoing shift towards streaming services as movie theatres continue to struggle, with huge new projects for STAR WARS and a price rise for Disney+. Here’s our pick of the news…
- A new adaptation of ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT is said to be one of the biggest budget films to ever be made in Germany, and it’s already been picked up by Netflix. Streaming services are competing more and more in the biggest leagues with movie theatres shut worldwide because of the pandemic; how this will affect the future remains to be seen, but Warner Bros already announced that they plan to simultaneously release all their productions in 2021 simultaneously in cinemas and on HBO Max. – Variety
- Subscribers to Disney+ in the United States will see a price rise in 2021, increasing by $1 to $7.99 per month. With Disney shifting a number of major films from cinema to streaming releases, and with their streaming service becoming increasingly more popular, this is unsurprising – but also demonstrates how significant streaming is now. – The Verge
- The price rise comes as Disney lays out their plans for Marvel going forward. They announced that THE FANTASTIC FOUR will receive a new movie (hopefully better than the last one…), Chadwick Boseman’s iconic role in BLACK PANTHER will not be recast, and explained how the films and TV shows will interweave with one another from now on. – Hollywood Reporter
- Keeping with Disney news, they’ve announced a whole lot of new STAR WARS projects for the next ten years, including new seasons of THE MANDALORIAN and new Disney+ series such as RANGERS OF THE NEW REPUBLIC and AHSOKA. The next STAR WARS feature film has also been announced: ROGUE SQUADRON is set to be directed by Patty Jenkins, best known for WONDER WOMAN. – Hollywood Reporter
- Among other Star Wars news, the original actor for Darth Vader, Dave Prowse, sadly died this week at the age of 85. The character was voiced by James Earl Jones, but Prowse was responsible for the iconic physical performance that made him so intimidating. Darth Vader will live on though; it’s been revealed that Hayden Christensen is set to return for the role in the OBI-WAN miniseries, which will also star Ewan McGregor. – Entertainment Weekly
- Good news for fans of Robert Eggers (like us here at WriteMovies), who directed THE VVITCH and THE LIGHTHOUSE: he’s completed production of his latest feature film, THE NORTHMAN. In a year when so many productions have been delayed and disrupted, it’s great to know that significant progress is being made by one of the most exciting directors out there right now. – IndieWire
We’re always keeping a close eye on our industry, and it’s something all screenwriters should do too. Because we pitch all our winners to industry, we need to know the lay of the land – and the landscape keeps changing rapidly at the moment!
If you want us to get your script out there, submit now to our contests. Enter our Romance and Comedy Award and you’ll also get free entry to the Winter 2021 Screenwriting Contest, with the chance to win script development, pitching to industry, and the $3500 Grand Prize!
by John | May 4, 2020 | Movie Reviews and TV Reviews
Happy Star Wars Day everybody – May the Fourth be with you! To celebrate, we’re taking a look at the latest instalment from a galaxy far, far away: the first season of THE MANDALORIAN.
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by John | Jul 8, 2019 | Industry News
The first footage from Disney’s live-action remake of MULAN has landed, and it’s got plenty of people excited. But there’s also a good number of people who are already tired of seeing Disney dredge through its catalogue of animated classics for films to remake.
Since Kenneth Branagh’s CINDERELLA in 2015, no animated classic has been safe – and 2019 has already been the busiest year of all. DUMBO and ALADDIN have both already been released to mixed reviews, and they’re soon to be joined by THE LION KING in just a couple of weeks time.
And after that? We’ve still got MALEFICENT: MISTRESS OF EVIL (sequel to MALEFICENT) and LADY AND THE TRAMP (to be released exclusively on Disney+) before we even get to MULAN early next year!
At first glance, it might seem that Disney are in danger of over-saturating the market with remakes. However, the numbers don’t support that idea.
ALADDIN didn’t impress the critics (or us!) all that much, but that didn’t put people off, taking an extremely healthy $921.7 million at the box office. And just two years ago, BEAUTY AND THE BEAST managed a monstrous $1.2 billion!
The simple fact is that it doesn’t matter if a few people get tired of seeing these remakes because Disney has a core audience who will happily line up to see their films no matter what. Playing on childhood nostalgia and the strength of their own brand, these remakes are always going to be sure-fire hits.
And that brand strength gives these films yet another advantage: Disney doesn’t need to worry so much about casting big-name actors who will help attract audiences. Look at ALADDIN as an example, where the only famous name in the project was Will Smith. Just being remakes is enough to bring audiences in.
So don’t expect these remakes to stop coming any time soon. Disney has already announced a whole host more, including THE LITTLE MERMAID, THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME, and LILO & STITCH.
You may be getting tired of the endless Disney remakes, but there’s a core audience which isn’t – and it’s that core audience that ensures they’ll keep getting made.
by John | Dec 19, 2017 | Movie Reviews and TV Reviews
Ian Kennedy and John Sullivan both give their opinions on the latest installments of Disney’s STAR WARS film in this THE LAST JEDI review… SPOILER WARNING – there are some mild spoilers for STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI ahead.
Ian says:
I really enjoyed this one, and as a writer and analyst there was plenty to make me smile about it. Like THE FORCE AWAKENS it shows the right amount of respect and reverence to the original series and characters while pushing the familiar premise and themes firmly into a new generation and new world. At times during the battles, key characters and their craft got an easy ride – often for long unexplained periods while it was clear that they ought to be taking a lot of fire (like the others around them). Other than that, a few gimmicky jokes (“I’ll hold”) and the ultimately pointless time at a casino – which wasn’t other-worldly enough for a STAR WARS movie, and unnecessary anyway – this one worked for me.
From an analyst’s point of view, here are some of the things that were great. Somehow, ALL of the characters we care about – and there are a LOT of them now – get the right amount of screen time and strong character arcs that complement the main story. (R2-D2 only really gets one moment, but c’mon, BB8 is better anyway; the ever-annoying C3PO gets interrupted every time, and even Yoda gets another chance to mentor Luke.) We see Luke Skywalker complete his character arc from farmboy to transcendent Obi-Wan Kenobi. The lightsaber fights and the new uses of the Force are fresh and eyecatching, as are some of the uses of other tropes we’ve seen before (lightspeed, for example). There are plenty of new quirky aliens and droid moments – I liked the nuns at the Jedi temple, for example. Just as the plot and premise of THE FORCE AWAKENS mirrored the original STAR WARS (EPISODE IV), this one mirrors THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK in that it’s a long dark night of the soul for the Resistance, who are down to almost nothing by the end. This film finds new shades of grey to enrich its binary central conflict (the Resistance vs the Dark Side) – with new kinds of dilemma and battle for the hearts of the central characters, and reference to the arms dealer selling to both sides, for example. There are new kinds of heroism, self-sacrifice and resistance – contrasting the strategic rivalry between the wasteful hotshot methods of Poe, and the more subtle and clever methods employed by his superiors. All of this explores the series’ themes and conflicts further and better than before.
All in all, the movie ticks all the right boxes. Sure, not an Oscar-winner, but a great blockbuster sci-fi action adventure and a strong STAR WARS movie. And let’s be honest, those are more fun than most Oscar-winners.
Meanwhile, John says…
A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away there used to be amazement and anticipation surrounding STAR WARS. But after watching THE LAST JEDI I’m only left with a remarkable feeling of being underwhelmed.
It’s hard to put into words how disappointed I am with THE LAST JEDI, but I’ll do it anyway. THE FORCE AWAKENS, while not magnificently original, felt like a STAR WARS film. The plot followed the same pattern as both A NEW HOPE and THE PHANTOM MENACE, stakes were high, the new characters were well-introduced and we spent a good amount of time with one character we loved.
THE LAST JEDI was just… a whole lotta nothing. For a 2-and-a-half-hour flick, there’s a lot going on, but nothing ever really happens. The film never really expands on what it’s logline is. The last of the Resistance forces try to escape the clutches of the First Order, while Kylo Ren and Rey come into conflict with themselves and each other. You’d imagine that’s a good set-up for a STAR WARS film, right? Wrong.
There is no expansion on the story, or the characters. Whole subplots, that are made out to be vitally important and integral to the storyline are made redundant with certain character and writing decisions. Characters that were made out to be hugely important were shoved aside meaninglessly. This film just did not have an end goal in sight. There were no major consequences in the film, or rather, none that were logically formed from the plot or character decisions. We are more or less in the same spot that we were in at the start of the film thematically and in terms of the greater story – nothing of any substance happened… at all.
THE LAST JEDI was just so… sigh… What was it Yoda used to say? “Do, or do not. There is no try.” Well, there was no trying with this film’s plot.
Who do you agree with? What did you think of THE LAST JEDI? Let us know on our Twitter and Facebook pages!
© WriteMovies 2017. Exclusive to WriteMovies – To syndicate this content for your own publication, contact ian (at) writemovies dot-com.
