Disney Pixar's Cars

[Ben]

Haha!

Okay... Cars HAS been picking up buzz, and the newer trailers have been building good word of mouth (he says, backtracking)...

That said, it HAS been scheduled amazingly well. Cars hasn't got anything up against it in the same demographic (no, Garfield 2, opening the following week, doesn't count, and X-Men, from two weeks before, would have died down) so it could make a big splash in its first couple of weeks before the mighty Man Of Steel comes back to Earth in Superman.

If Cars has legs, it could still pull in Incredibles numbers, but I will stand by my original thought that it won't be a huge Toy/Nemo bonanza, but am quite happy to be proven wrong, given Ice Age 2's surprise knock out of the park.

There. Happy now?

[Dacey]

We'll see what happens.

Doesn't "Fast and the Furious III" come out a few weeks after "Cars"?

[PixarVixen]

Even though Cars merchandise isn't coming to Disney Stores until May 25th, I found an entire display of Cars books at Barnes & Noble. It had the storybooks, coloring books, activity books, and the junior novelization. Most of the books are kiddish, but if you're a collector, you'll still want to pick these up, like I did with all of the Incredibles books when they were out.

I flipped through the pages at just the right speed so I could see enough of the illustrations but wouldn't ruin the story too early. But oh, the temptation!

~~=oP

[ShyViolet]

There. Happy now?

Yes. Just one question though, even though technically it opens three weeks earlier, Over The Hedge is competiton for the same demographic. Do you think these movies will go head to head?
If you think back to Shrek, it massacred everything during that summer. (including Pearl Harbor and Atlantis. )

[PixarVixen]

But it didn't go up against a Pixar movie. Monster's Inc. came out later that year in November.

This is my opinion, but I think people enjoy Pixar movies better. I'm not sure how Cars will do, but in the end, Pixar movies triumph.

I know this has nothing to do with ticket sales, but The Incredibles beat out 2 very popular DreamWorks films (Shark Tale and Shrek 2) for the Oscar for Best Animated Feature. I think that's because while both companies produce very good original ideas, DW films are usually filled with more pop culture references and toilet humor. Pixar movies focus more on the storyline and the characters.

Once again, that's my opinion. Argue away. ^__~

~~=oP

[Meg]

OtH is supposed to be really, really good, though. I'm sure both movies will do well.

[Ben]

I don't think Over The Hedge will still be as stong three weeks later. Cars is going to blow that one out of the water.

I think OTH will do Madagascar type business and that Cars will do Incredibles size business.

Apart from DreamWorks trying to get everyone jazzed up about it, I don't think OTH is registering with the general public as much as "hey, what about that cars movie?" is doing.

Pixar's masterstroke was simplifing the title to just Cars. You can't not mention the title when talking about the film!

[PixarVixen]

It's probably been mentioned in the forums already, but I believe the original title was "Route 66". "Cars" is much better.

~~=oP

[Dacey]

"Cars" is what I would call an"Obvious" title. Then again, that seems to be a Pixar habit.

[PixarVixen]

Of all of Pixar's movie titles, "Cars" is the least creative. When doing Toy Story, they could've easily just called it "Toys", but it wouldn't have been so special.

And yes, I am well aware that there's already been a movie called "Toys". ^^

~~=oP

[PixarVixen]

I usually don't post 2 times in a row, but I wanted to share some more merchandise info with everyone.

Kelloggs currently has several Cars offers with their cereal and snacks. I've listed the links to all of them plus the descriptions of each one. Each page includes end dates, descriptions, requirements, and products that the offer order forms can be found on.

Free in the Box:

Racers inside specially marked packages of Kellogg's® cereals
Look inside specially-marked packages of Kellogg's® cereal for one of six different racers:
Sally
Luigi
Doc Hudson
Mater
Sheriff
Lightning McQueen

Mail-in Offers:

Custom License Plate Offer
Make a custom license plate! Two roadworthy designs to choose from! Mater the tow truck or Fillmore the van! It's perfect for your room, your locker or anywhere you want! Put your name on a license plate with included stickers.

Street Sign Offer
Get the stars of Cars on traffic signs! Ready to control traffic to and from your room!

Breakfast Set Offer
Cars Exclusive Breakfast Set! 4-piece set includes: Plate, Knife, Fork and Cup.

RC Racer Pen Offer
Get Your RC Racer Pen! And take a high-speed drive around your desk! You Control Lightning McQueen! Get ready to write and race!

Key Chain Offer
Drive off with this exclusive engraved Cars key chain!

I'll definitely be ordering the Mater license plate. That's the only item you can personalize.

~~=oP

[ShyViolet]

Entertainment weekly has a whole big feature on John Lassetter and animation. (Summer Movie Preview) They predict about 275 million for Cars.

I think that's because while both companies produce very good original ideas, DW films are usually filled with more pop culture references and toilet humor. Pixar movies focus more on the storyline and the characters.

O.K....no gripe meant here... I know you're a big Pixar fan (as your name obviously suggests) But....have you seen EVERY DW film? Spirit, Prince of Egypt, and Sinbad have 0% to do with pop culture or toilet humor. And as for the others....if you watch those films again, and really pay attention, you'll notice that there really aren't that many pop culture gags at all and that most of the jokes come from the CHARACTERS. Ask yourself: did you really notice that DW doesn't have good stories or is that just what the media has said over and over? (websites, fans, reviews, etc, etc...)I know it's easy to think that about DW since everyone and his mother repeats this ad nauseum....but really, when you get right down to it, it just isn't true. And the films are good. They focus on the stories and characters every bit as much as Pixar films....maybe the stories aren't the same, but there's a whole lot more going on there than just "pop culture gags." REALLY!

I loved Oscar trying to get rich quick and Sykes blowing up (literally!) I loved the animals in Madagascar and Alex and Marty's friendship. The films are funny and SWEET. And the best thing about Shrek and Shrek II wan't the pop culture stuff but the relationships...Shrek really loves Fiona and you can feel it. And you can tell that he and Donkey really care about each other. Am I like, imagining this stuff? I don't think so...I have a woman professor who LOVES Madagascar and always mentions it in class... Whenever my friend and I used to watch Shrek on DVD our favorite part was always when Shrek said to Fiona: "I love you." Not when everyone dances The Macarena at the end. So go figure.

Apart from DreamWorks trying to get everyone jazzed up about it, I don't think OTH is registering with the general public as much as "hey, what about that cars movie?" is doing.

That may be from the very mediocre trailers. But that doesn't mean OTH won't be just as good as Cars. And how do you know people will stop going to it just because there's another animated film out there? I think they'll be able to share the marketplace.

[Meg]

Actually, I think "Route 66" was a better title. But that's just me, so...

[ShyViolet]

This is my opinion, but I think people enjoy Pixar movies better. I'm not sure how Cars will do, but in the end, Pixar movies triumph.

Well, not everyone is the same. People have different tastes and there are people whow prefer DW. Also you have to remember that Pixar films are marketed MUCH, MUCH better than the not-very-good marketing at DW. Pixar has Disney behind them for crying out loud! Of course there films perform better on average, but that doesn't mean they ARE better. More people go to see Pixar films because, like Ben said, more people are aware of them. Look at Sinbad and Finding Nemo....everyone in the free world saw Nemo that summer but I could count on one hand the number of people I knew who had even HEARD...no, not SEEN, HEARD of Sinbad.
DW didn't have a chance, and Sinbad was a complicated film with a subtext that was much harder to sell than "Overprotective father loses his son" in a big colorful ocean. Pixar has a much easier job marketing their films not just because of the Disney connection but because their concepts can be summed up in less than a sentence. That doesn't make their films bad but it does make them much more likely to succeed. (and less likely to be seen as deep and profound as the years go by. In my opinon. Because it's hard to see college media professors writing essays on Woody and Flick the way they do about Pinnochio and Bambi.)

It's like Bush winning the election the first time....he won the big states so he got to be prez, but he didn't get the popular vote. I sort of see the animation situation as the same thing. Pixar has the goods, so they get the "big states." DW well....they have Rhode Island, Vermont and Maine. Those states don't win an election. It's not their fault they couldn't sell a film about a pirate with a guilt complex. Maybe if they had also had a powerful father/family who backed them (even with a C average, and yes, the lack of a powerful antagonist in every single film), they might get to be president too.

(BTW I'm just using this as context, I don't hate Bush or anything. I voted for him both times.)

[PixarVixen]

That's a very good metaphor, SV!

~~=oP