Jim Hill Media's blog

Post by **ShyViolet** » March 21st, 2007, 2:23 am

Me too!

Post by **droosan** » March 21st, 2007, 3:44 am

Sometimes I feel like I'm the only one in the world who actively avoids 'spoiler' info and 'insider' sites .. which may seem odd, coming from someone who works in film/TV.

To me, it seems to rob some of the 'magic' from the movie-going experience .. a bit akin to asking a magician to explain his tricks, or over-analyzing his act to discover how it's done.

I think Pixar has the right idea, in this regard .. and I'm glad to see Disney following their lead.

Post by **Meg** » March 21st, 2007, 3:06 pm

To me, it seems to rob some of the 'magic' from the movie-going experience .. a bit akin to asking a magician to explain his tricks, or over-analyzing his act to discover how it's done.

Me too...I'm more excited for the upcoming Pixar films than any of the future Disney projects, because Pixar seems to know how to really tease us and make us want more. With Disney I feel like I've already seen the whole movie months before it actually comes out. That's what those pinheads in the JH forums don't get.

(Not that I'm saying the upcoming Disney flicks look bad or anything - in fact they look far from it - I'm just sayin' that the less they show, the more I wanna see.)

GeorgeC · Post by **GeorgeC** » March 21st, 2007, 4:11 pm

droosan wrote:Sometimes I feel like I'm the only one in the world who actively avoids 'spoiler' info and 'insider' sites .. which may seem odd, coming from someone who works in film/TV.

To me, it seems to rob some of the 'magic' from the movie-going experience .. a bit akin to asking a magician to explain his tricks, or over-analyzing his act to discover how it's done.

I think Pixar has the right idea, in this regard .. and I'm glad to see Disney following their lead.

Let's hope that the films are actually something NEW that we haven't seen before.

I've gotten tired of all the retreaded stories, remakes, and sequels. Say NO to Princesses, BAD Musicals, and the latest attempts to BE KEWL.

Pixar is as guilty of this as anyone else. That's something the Pix-boys and Pix-girls still haven't gotten through their heads. Enough with the buddy stories already! Can't Pixar attempt another genre that hasn't been exhausted by Hope and Crosby?

I guess I'm one curmudgeon who ISN'T giving money to Disney/Pixar for Toy Story 3. They shoulda stopped at 2!

Post by **Ben** » March 23rd, 2007, 6:20 am

After I got past Jim's popups, this seems like the right direction to go.

Disney, of late, has been all-too easily letting future project details slip, making decisions like replacing Chris Sanders with Williams and the ups-and-downs of Rapunzel easy fodder for us to get upset over.

When Brad Bird was named new director of Ratatouille, hardly a peep was heard because we had not been given much to go on in the first place.

And releasing work-in-progress teaser trailers is what killed The Wild's chances. Waiting until they REALLY have something worthwhile to show us is the way to go, when we can all be awestruck and start anticipating the right way, without pulling a movie apart before it opens!

Building up too much from so far ahead also raises expectations to undeliverable levels. I know I was far more interested in the making of Superman Returns and about hearing all the supposedly cool things going on in it than watching the finished mess of a movie, and its the same with Disney animation...we often feel like we've seen the movie by the time it's come out.

Post by **ShyViolet** » April 30th, 2007, 8:13 pm

Building up too much from so far ahead also raises expectations to undeliverable levels. I know I was far more interested in the making of Superman Returns and about hearing all the supposedly cool things going on in it than watching the finished mess of a movie, and its the same with Disney animation...we often feel like we've seen the movie by the time it's come out.

I do agree that it's good to avoid spoilers and such, I actually try hard to do that. (religiously avoided reading the Ain't It Cool Spidey reviews.) But I still like to get occasional info on Disney animated features--even if it's just what kind of features are coming out. (What, Disney couldn't even give us the names those 3 "Untitled Pixar projects"??

)

It really seems like Jobs was true to his word, and all that's been on JHM lately is a bunch of Muppet stories....

(not that there's anything wrong with the Muppets.

)

But seriously, there's definitely been a decrease--if not a complete halt--of info from Disney, whether it's the parks, live-action films or most of all, feature animation.

Half the info we're getting now is coming from public press releases...

(That doesn't mean I still don't think this site is doing an awesome job in the news arena!!

)

Post by **ShyViolet** » April 30th, 2007, 8:22 pm

I like what this person said on TAG:

(I think it's CW Oberleitner, from O Meon)

From this story:

http://animationguildblog.blogspot.com/ ... crecy.html

At 3/21/2007 07:28:00 PM, chuck said...

I don't know about the "dweebs" but we're trying to help the "grownup geeks" that frequent our site get a better understanding of exactly what "hand-drawn animation" means in the 21st Century.

NO we don't want to go snooping around the production meetings for "Frog Princess," but we would like to better understand how stylus and computer are being used beside or in place of pencil and paper.

Anybody know of any seminars on modern hand-drawn animation I might be able to attend?

Animation sites are places for people who don't like feeling like total weirdos/freaks/dweebs every time they try to start a serious conversation with someone about an animated film they saw.

Jobs/Lassetter/Catumull: "What, do you actually need to know a bunch of facts about animated films before THEY EVEN COME OUT?? What are you, weirdos or something?? Grow up!"

I'm not saying I want to know the entire plot of Rapunzel, The Princess and the Frog, WALE-E, American Dog, and whatever else is coming out from Disney in the next few years or so--just maybe, y'know, see some pics, some.... concept art? Anything....?

It's called "getting a preview"!

This stuff actually used to come out in abundance not too long ago.....

******************************************

Post by **ShyViolet** » June 19th, 2007, 2:26 pm

Lately Jim's site (I still like him as a writer though) has basically been "Pirates. Muppets. Pirates. Muppets. Pirates. Muppets." With an occasional historical retrospective of animators from the past.

Not that there's anything "wrong" with that approach, but I personally think he knows much more about what's going on with WDFA projects and isn't telling. He's probably scared to--and with good reason.

However, thanks to the "Cone of Silence" the site just isn't what it used to be.

Back in the Eisner days, anything Disney screwed up on was front and center at least once every two weeks or so, if not more than that.
Now it's once every two months--if that.

Post by **Ben** » July 6th, 2007, 6:53 am

Couldn't find anywhere better for this little bit...

Jim has included his weakest link yet!

In the stories about the "Song of the South" DVD, "Hunchback" on Broadway and rumors of "Aida", scroll down to the "Hunchback" bit.

Check out the paragraph about the TV version that was rumored to have been shown on the "WONDERFUL WORLD of Disney". Now, can ANYone justify that "Wonderful World" link...<I>what??</I>

On the "Aida" news...that comes as no big shock. The project started as a movie for Walt Disney Feature Animation anyway. When it didn't gel there, it got moved to Broadway, where it had a successful, if not mega, run.

And Beyonce in the lead role? Who didn't see that coming from a mile off?

I will say, though, she'll need to put in a heap of work to beat Heather Headley, who I saw in the original Noo Yoik run...stunning (and the score ain't bad either)!

Post by **ShyViolet** » July 19th, 2007, 9:40 pm

Basically what's already been said, but somewhat interesting.

http://jimhillmedia.com/blogs/jim_hill/ ... pixar.aspx

Plus, it's cool to see a CL image again!

I didn't even realize how much I missed him. J/K

Post by **bawpcwpn** » July 20th, 2007, 3:36 am

I think Jim keeps missing out on the point that the 7.4 billion wasn't just for Pixar and it's movies, it was the people that came with i.e. Brain Trust, Jobs etc. Plus also they now have people like Ben Burtt which is also very cool.

Post by **ShyViolet** » July 21st, 2007, 10:10 pm

But those same people (Brad Bird, Andrew Stanton, etc...) have said they want to do live action....?

(at least for a while)

I think it was a good investment in the long range, but there needs to be more focus on Disney.