It was just announced that Paramount has transferred the worldwide rights to two of its Marvel properties, The Avengers and the Iron Man franchise, to Walt Disney Studios for at least $115 million.
When the Mouse bought Marvel a while back, I was wondering how this was going to work out, and I'm still curious. Now it's obvious that Disney will get the lion's share of the box office, including their cherished merchandising and theme park rights. However, who is going to be paying the millions of dollars it takes to produce the films? Marvel Studios (a.k.a. Disney)? Jon Favreau's production studio? Did Disney pay $115 million to get the movies after they were in the can and have no say in what happens during production? It's all very confusing.
It's also worth mentioning that Paramount still owns the rights to Thor and Captain America, Sony owns the rights to Spider-Man, and other Marvel properties have been sprinkled throughout Hollywood over the years. This means that Disney won't get to distribute these films, but will still retain their merchandising, etc.
Don't feel too sorry for Paramount, though, because they still have tons of tentpole franchises they've yet to milk completely dry: Mission: Impossible, Jackass, Transformers, Star Trek, Paranormal Activity, and G.I. Joe.
It may all be very difficult to understand, but the bottom line is that Disney will be distributing The Avengers in 2012, and Iron Man 3 in 2013, which means they'll be basking in the glory of billions at the box office. I'm glad that they're making all of this Marvel-ownership business slightly less confusing, but it is also starting to look like Disney will soon have a monopoly on the entertainment industry...
Oh well. As long as they keep giving Pixar their creative autonomy and don't destroy Pirates of the Caribbean at Disneyland, I'll stay a happy camper.
For a more detailed account of the deal and a little clearing up as far as studio logistics go, check out Variety.
Monday, October 18, 2010
Marvel to Disney transfer complete (Or is it?)
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
'Epic Mickey' Featurette: Oswald the Lucky Rabbit
Every Disney buff knows the story of Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, the forgotten Disney character that predates even Mickey Mouse. What you may not know, however, is that he has a pivotal role in the upcoming video game Epic Mickey, bringing about a kind of "sibling rivalry" with Mickey.
To learn all about one of my favorite characters, Oswald, and to see just how he will be portrayed in the upcoming Warren Spector video game, watch the above video. Great stuff. I am so glad that, after almost 80 years on the shelf, Oswald is finally getting work again.
He deserves it.
Monday, October 11, 2010
Why You Cried During 'Toy Story 3'
Briefly: TIME has recently published an article entitled Why Adults Cry So Easily in Animated Kids Movies. While the term "kid" is certainly not needed when referring to the films, it is still an interesting topic to try and dissect.
And who better to try and answer this big question than Toy Story 3 director Lee Unkrich? In the article, Mr. Unkrich states that "Live action movies are someone else's story. With animation, audiences can't think that. Their guards are down."
This is a peculiar thing to think about, but seems more true the more I think about it...
Story, story, story!
Read the full article here.
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
For Your Consideration: 'Toy Story 3'
The Walt Disney Company has decided that they will promote Toy Story 3 as a challenger for the Best Picture Oscar at the this year's Academy Awards, reports the New York Times. As awards season nears, expect to see tons of 'For Your Consideration' ads as Disney pushes the Best Picture nom "with all its might."
Only two animated films have ever been nominated for the Oscars' top prize: Beauty and the Beast, and last year's Up, neither of which won.
I will guarantee all of my readers right now that Toy Story 3 will be one of the ten films nominated for Best Picture, and it actually has a decent shot at winning. It is by far the most critically-acclaimed film of the year, and doesn't have much competition, besides Fincher's The Social Network.
Stay tuned for more TS3 and Oscar news...
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Willis: 'Die Hard 5' is on the way
Good news: In the above video, Mr. Bruce Willis claims that the
As far as mindless action flicks go, it's hard (if not impossible) to beat Bruce Willis as the New York Cop with nothing to lose.
Stay tuned for more concrete news on the next Die Hard installment...
Source: Ain't It Cool News
Sweetland goes Sony
Doug Sweetland is a cinematic master. Doug Sweetland, in case you wondering, is a cinematic master because he is the man behind my third favorite Pixar short of all-time, Presto. (My first being For the Birds, and the second being Geri's Game).
In addition to accomplishing the enormous feat of directing Presto, Mr. Sweetland was an animator on Toy Story, A Bug's Life, Monsters Inc., Toy Story 2, and Finding Nemo, and then moved up in the food chain to become a Story Artist for The Incredibles and Supervising Animator on Cars. He has won two Annie Awards, been nominated for several others, and was also nominated at the Oscars for Presto. It is fair to say that he is a fairly high-regarded bigwig up in Emeryville.
Announced earlier today, however, Doug has left his position at Pixar in the dust. He left the dream job of a lifetime in order to direct a feature for Sony Pictures Animation. The film is entitled The Familiars, and is based on a children's book of the same title by Adam Epstein (who also worked on the screenplay for the film).
Hannah Mighella, president of the studio, had this to say about the ex-Pixarian:
It was clear from our first conversation with Doug that we'd found our director. Not only does he possess a keen story sense and a wonderful sense of humor but his passion for animation and for this project are unrivaled.Although Doug has to be slightly insane to just pick up and leave Pixar, I am very excited to see what he does with The Familiars and Sony Pictures Animation. Perhaps I will finally be able to rate a non-Disney/Pixar animated film 10 out of 10 for once.
Developing...
Source: PR Newswire
Monday, October 4, 2010
Itchy and Scratchy meet 'Up'
Briefly: Above you will find the Itchy and Scratchy clip from last night's episode of The Simpsons (courtesy of Hulu). It parodies the brilliant 'Married Life' segment from Pixar's masterpiece Up, and even features Giacchino's wonderful score.
The episode also features Zuckerberg and numerous references to Facebook, most likely due to the recent release of The Social Network (which was, by the way, my favorite film of the year besides Toy Story 3).
I love when pop culture references other pop culture...
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