posted 11-16-2004 05:09 AM                       

quote: Joe Redifer

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I couldn't understand anything the elephant was saying.

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posted 11-16-2004 08:28 AM                       

quote:

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Disney booting up 'Toy Story 3'
Walt Disney Studios is actively moving ahead with its long-in-discussion sequel to Pixar Animation's two "Toy Story" movies, a move that could bring Woody, left, Buzz Lightyear and the gang back to the big screen.

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posted 11-17-2004 10:22 PM                    

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STUDIOS SUE PIXAR, DEMAND BAD MOVIE

"Stop making the rest of us look bad," demand Hollywood executives

Hollywood — The eight major Hollywood studios have filed suit against CGI animation company Pixar for its consistent record of quality movies. The complaint alleges that with its sixth consecutive profitable and critically acclaimed film in “The Incredibles,” Pixar is overturning a decades-long public relations campaign waged by Hollywood studios to convince the public that it’s impossible to consistently make high quality films. “If Pixar doesn’t get with the program, we’re going to have to fundamentally change the way we do business,” groused Paramount chairwoman Sherry Lansing, whose studio hasn’t produced a hit film in several years. “I repeat my recommendation to Steve Jobs that he pay John Travolta and Halle Berry $20 million each to provide voices for an effects-laden remake of ‘The Fox and the Hound.’”
Plaintiffs in the suit are Paramount, Universal, MGM, Fox, Disney, Warner Bros., Dreamworks, and Sony Pictures. All eight studios have worked together since 1980 in a sophisticated PR effort to make all Americans believe that it’s inevitable most films will be poor to mediocre. The campaign has included payoffs to critics, training for film school professors, and talking points distributed to corporate spokespeople. Because of the successful campaign, executives have successfully built a system in which they spend tens of millions of dollars each year on development and end up producing as many critically and commercially successful films as a monkey throwing darts at a board would, according to scientific studies.

Asked for comment, a Pixar spokesperson said he believes the suit was motivated by studio executives’ indignation that Pixar and Apple CEO Steve Jobs refused to send them each a free iPod Photo.

According to the studios’ talking points, it’s impossible to consistently make more than 50% of films be high quality, with an average hit to miss ratio of 1:2. But with its six profitable and acclaimed films, Pixar is beginning to make many Americans questions why it actually seems possible to consistently make successful films.

“Those guys are ruining it for everybody,” said Warner Bros. president Alan Horn. “We can’t possibly be expected to stay in business when we’re up against a studio that doesn’t have dozens of unqualified young executives with little or no background or interest in film meddling in the creative process of all their movies.”

“It just goes to show what I’ve always said,” added Universal Chairwoman Stacy Snider. “It should be illegal for companies outside of Los Angeles to produce motion pictures.”

The complaint asks that a court award the eight studios $1 billion in damages or compel Pixar to hire 118 unqualified development executives, option the rights to 38 scripts and books it has no intention of turning into films, and immediately greenlight sequels to “Toy Story” and “Finding Nemo” with $100 million-plus budgets and hire directors whose only experience is in music videos to oversee them

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posted 11-18-2004 09:17 PM                       

quote: Joe Redifer

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and I was extremely annoyed by the painful-to-the-ears happy birthday song at the beginning of the trailer

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I agree ... but I guess it's not easy to sing in key or time when all the voice actors record their parts weeks apart, never even meeting their co-stars. That was my first impression. It sounds that bad.

Like anything else, the "quirky/clever" CGI full-length feature has turned from an event into a novelty. Pixar started by doing tons of well-planned shorts, developing writing along with the animation. And good for them. Now it seems that any studio can just hire a team and a render-farm, and throw together something in a year. I personally lost my taste for it long ago. I think A Bug's Life was the last one. Well ... I liked Monsters Inc., too. And, of course, Incredibles. Okay, so I'm sure I'll love Cars.

And that Suing Pixar article could have been straight out of Atlas Shrugged. It screams satire, but, you know, I'm just not sure anymore!

Edit: Okay, I love that Dateline: Hollywood site!