Posts Tagged ‘Disney’

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DVD REVIEW – MONSTERS, INC.

by Tom on November 24th, 2009
7 votes, average: 7.14 out of 10
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DVD REVIEW – MONSTERS, INC.

In 2001, the proposition of Monsters, Inc. must have been a scary one for Disney / Pixar.

Coming fresh off the success of Toy Story 2, A Bug's Life and the original Toy Story (all directed by Pixar King John Lasseter)Pixar put an unproven director in the driver's seat for Monsters, Inc. - Pete Docter.

Of course, time would prove that Docter's madcap vision of a world inhabited by monsters who collect the screams of human children to power their communities proved to be a smash hit. But it's interesting to learn about the behind-the-scenes hand wringing that occurred at Pixar before the release of the film.

One of the bonus features of the movie is a film makers round table with Docter, co-director Lee Unkrich, producer Darla Anderson, and script supervisor Bob Peterson (who also lent his voice to the surly clerical worker Roz in the movie). In their round table, they discuss not only their uncertainty over the somewhat complex idea of a world powered by screams, but also the real-life intrusions that threatened the success of the film.

For example, I had completely forgotten how Monsters, Inc. had come out one short month after the terrible events of 9/11. An even that lead Pixar to wonder if they should push the film back. Ultimately, according to the feedback they received, the film became a refuge for families looking to steer themselves away from the unending and horrible coverage of that day. The insight that the round table provides certainly adds a layer of enjoyment to hard-core fans of the film.

Eight years after its theatrical release Monsters, Inc. holds up incredibly well and the Blu-ray transfer gives the film a candy-coated shot in the arm. Colors are richer, details are more pronounced. Even the hair on Sully's arms looks more refined. A more perfect version of the film I can't imagine unless you were sitting in Pixar's offices, watching it over the shoulder of one of the animators.

In terms of extras, the Blu-ray doesn't bring much that's new to the table. A short documentary about a Monsters, Inc. ride at Disneyland Toyko made me want to hop a flight to Japan immediately and an interactive game featuring over 100 doors intimidates more than it inspires gameplay.

Additional features include those already packaged on the Collector's Edition that was released in 2002. The animated shorts "Mike's New Car" and "For the Birds", storyboards, a database of monsters featured in the film, and multiple gag reels.

However, the Blu-ray package gives you a bevy of formats including a digital copy of the film as well as a DVD copy of the film, which are nice bonuses.

As a Pixar fan, I have no problem replacing all of my DVD copies with Blu-ray editions of the film. I believe they are the most authentic reproductions of the movies possible and a visual treat. However, it would have been nice to see a few more extras with the film and I probably wouldn't have minded waiting another 2 years for a 10th anniversary edition if it meant getting additional content.

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DISNEY BUYS MARVEL

by Tom on August 31st, 2009
Posted In: Blog
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Mickey + Spidey = $

Unless you've been completely cut off from the internet today (in which case, I'm glad Theater Hopper was your first stop after being plugged back in to The Grid), then you might have missed the news that Disney has acquired Marvel Entertainment for $4 billion.

There aren't a lot of details at the moment, but the news pretty much set the internet on fire this afternoon. Since I'm a bit of a movie nut AND a bit of a comic book nut, I feel a responsibility to comment.

A lot of people are responding to the news Chicken Little-style. They swear up and down that the sky is falling and that the House of Mouse is going to ruin their favorite super heroes by flattening their appeal, making them more mainstream and toothless.

As much as I have enjoyed portraying Disney as the Evil Empire in the past (and it is likely I will continue to do so in the future), I'm optimistic about this deal with Marvel.

People forget that roughly 15 years ago, Marvel declared bankruptcy. Getting in bed with Disney means the likelihood of that happening again are slim to none. Anything that protects Marvel's solvency at this point is a-okay in my book.

Some people claim that Disney can be careless with the properties they acquire - citing Mirimax and The Muppets as examples. I don't know if I see a lot of evidence supporting that. If anything, Marvel being associated with Disney gives them far more opportunities to cross-pollinate their characters into other media outlets than they would have been able to do otherwise.

Never mind the distribution advantage they now have with their movies. What other studio besides Disney can put a movie on 3,000 screens opening weekend every single time? Not many.

I guess I'm trying to be more pragmatic in my response to the acquisition rather than gloom and doom. If Spider-Man could survive The Clone Saga, he'll survive this.

What are your thoughts about the Disney / Marvel merger? Are you a fan of the comics, movies or both. How do you think this will affect Marvel's output in the coming years? What was your first reaction to the news?

Leave your comments below!

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NATURE IS CRUEL

by Tom on April 24th, 2009
23 votes, average: 7.87 out of 10
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NATURE IS CRUEL

You'd think for as much as our 2 year-old son makes us watch Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, I'd have a better idea of how to draw Mickey Mouse. I guess I was in a rush. To see Mickey as the leader of a post-apocalyptic dystopia, vote for Theater Hopper at Top Web Comics.

Under the branch of their new Disneynature studio, the planetary documentary Earth comes out today. I'm actually very excited to see it despite the fact that it was originally released internationally 2 years ago as an accompanying cinematic experience to the popular television series Planet Earth The series, which was shot by the BBC, aired on The Discovery Channel during that time as well.

I don't know. Maybe I'm just a sucker for for animals. Maybe I fell in love the minute they played "Hoppípolla" from Sigur Ros in the trailer. Either way, it looks great. A fantastic cinematic experience.

Disney is catching a little guff from critics, believe it or not. Jesse Ellison from Newsweek suggests that the film is too harsh to be rated G because it implies (but doesn't show) the death of a few animals at the hands at of the elements.

On the other hand, Jeffery Wells from Hollywood Elsewhere suggests that the film doesn't go far enough and obscuring the harsh reality of nature coddles children too much.

I guess I fall somewhere in the middle. Certainly I don't derive much entertainment value from watching wild animals die on screen. I wouldn't seek it out. As the parent of a young child, I can see how such scenes could be upsetting.

But at the same time, I agree with Wells that you can't shield children from everything. The challenge of being a parent isn't measured by your ability to protect them from everything that might upset their limited world view. Rather, I feel it's my responsibility to arm my kids with information in context so they can make sense of their own feelings and opinions to interact properly with the world at large.

But I shouldn't presume to tell anyone how to raise their kids. Fundamentally, you have to be aware of what you think your kid can and can't tolerate and be prepared to help them make sense of things if it's too intense for them.

At least, that's what my common sense tells me.

Is anyone else excited to see Earth this weekend or do you think it's redundant 2 years after Planet Earth aired on The Discovery Channel? Are you concerned about the realities of nature being toned down or "Disney-fied" to meet the standards of being a family friendly film?

Leave your comments below!

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MOM APPROVED

by Tom on September 28th, 2007
3 votes, average: 8.33 out of 10
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MOM APPROVED

I'm not as adverse to Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson making kids movies as I depict myself in this comic. But I have to admit scratching my head in puzzlement when I first saw the trailer for The Game Plan. THIS was the guy that was supposed to replace Schwarzenegger? It might be a moot point. Truthfully, I don't think we'll ever see another era in action movies quite like what we had in the early 80's. To that end, The Rock is smart for doing a kids movie - if it's well crafted. As my good friend Joe pointed out, "one needs only say The Pacifier to know that even a successful family vehicle can stall an action heroes career."

I think The Rock will emerge unscathed. I think that he moves quickly enough from role to role that audiences aren't associating him with any one chracter - and that's good. Plus, the guy has enough natural charisma, he won't have trouble finding work.

People hold up Schwarzenegger as the pinnacle of action movie heroism but they kind of overlook the fact that action movies were all he was good for until he became bankable on name-recognition alone. Let's face it - there's not a lot of work for a near-mute, extremely musclebound guy in leading man roles. In many respects, Schwarzenegger had to pay his dues first.

Not much else going on at the moment. Although I want to remind you about the DVD giveaway I have happening right now. Two copies of Stargate Atlantis: Season Three. All you have to do is bookmark you three favorite Theater Hopper strips using the social bookmarking network of your choice and then e-mail me either a screen cap or a link to your profile page for the proof along with your name and mailing address to be entered. I can tell you right now that so far only FOUR people have entered the contest. So if you want some free stuff, your odds are pretty good. It's a small way to help promote Theater Hopper and get something for yourself to boot.

I realize that Stargate Atlantis is probably a niche interest for some of you. But the next opportunity I get, I'm going to try this with a more popular selection and see if it sticks. Stay tuned.

I kind of got some bad news this week in regard to a site redesign I had been planning. I was trying to work with a local web design firm to help me impliment some air-tight comic archiving, blogging and content systems as well as helping me more fully integrate the site with social bookmarking networks. We had a few conversations over the phone, I met with them in person and outlined my thoughts, even the president of the company got involved to oversee things.

Then I get a note from them this week saying that they really aren't equipped to partner with me in this way. Typically they design a site from concept to completion and don't do much in terms of consulting. I was kind of pissed. I spent a month waiting for them to steer the ship in a certain direction and they totally bailed.

I'm very interested in taking Theater Hopper to the next level and I think a lot of that will rest of me elevating the design and interactive elements of the site to a competitive level. I need outside help to do this because I've been stewing in my own juices for too long.

Does anyone have suggestions? I want to work with a company. Not a freelancer. I need someone who will be accountable and on the clock if something breaks.

I've been fortunate enough to have some great people help me keep things running around here for a long time. I'm not discounting their efforts. But I want to build on their foundation and I don't know where to go.

Part of me wonders if I should just switch everything over to WordPress and use the ComicSpace mod. I know a few people who have tried it and liked it. But the more I think about it, the more I'm convinced I need a customized buisness solution to meet my needs.

If you have any suggestions, please e-mail them to me at theaterhopper@hotmail.com.

Have a great weekend, everybody!

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DESECRATOR

by Tom on January 16th, 2004
8 votes, average: 6.88 out of 10
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DESECRATOR

[This blog post was lost when the site was moved to WordPress in January 2009 - Tom]

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IT’S THE MOST WONDERFUL MARKETING TIME OF THE YEAR

by Tom on November 1st, 2002
9 votes, average: 7.22 out of 10
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IT’S THE MOST WONDERFUL MARKETING TIME OF THE YEAR

I gotta say that must be one of the longer titles to one of my comics in recent memory.

I hope all of you had a wonderful Halloween. Hopefully none of you are in a recovery room somewhere after eating razor leaden candy apples. Or worse, suffering the indignity of getting a bag of pennies from the crazy Cat Lady from down the street.

My goodness. Can it be November already. Terrifying. Normally I begin to look forward to this time of year because my birthday is December 21 (jot that down). But anymore, I just look past my birthday and that holiday for the big J.C. and focus on the end of the year. New Year's has become more important to me now. I guess I just like fresh starts.

As Jared mentioned Wednesday, he's finished up the Theater Hopper documentary. I had a chance to look at it and it is very, very good. Jared did an excellent job of setting up the story, what Theater Hopper is about and where it's going. He did all of this in a very tidy 6 minutes.

With that in mind, it may be time to note that we probably aren't going to be selling VHS copies of Jared's work as previously promoted in this space. Since the length is so short, we can't justify the expense of producing these at any scale.

That's not to say we're not sitting on some quality stuff here. But why get in a tizzy over 6 minutes?

We're exploring the option of putting Jared's short film up on the site in installments. Of course, bandwidth consumption is still a concern. Maybe we'll have one big blow out at the end of the month where we'll put the film up in it's entirety and we'll take our chances getting cut off. If anyone wants a permanent copy, they can save it to their hard drive.

If anyone has ideas, suggestions or preferences, please e-mail them to me. We'd love to get some feedback on this. In what format would you like to see Jared's good work?

I'd like to give a shout-out to a few new link-buddies. It would behoove you to check out The Aylumantics, The Magic Armadillo, and the good folks of Next Generation Comics. They are all worthy of your love.

Spread that love like a fine cheese...

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