The state and future of animation

[ShyViolet]

In Hollywood, EVERYTHING is about money.

EDIT: Oops didn’t read it was for small studios. Yeah, that’s more about Awards/prestige.

[EricJ]

No, meant that for small studios, they don't HAVE anything else to develop--
And can either take their chances on another unknown project, or delusionally tell themselves that the public is clamoring for another Swan Princess or Norm of the North as their new house franchise because the first one got a lucky wide release and kids probably noticed it afterwards on video! It's a childhood favorite!
(Suuuure, they did... )

Or, it could just be that they had to make Nut Job 2 because the first one left so many unanswered questions.

And I repeat: When even a Wishbone episode has a better grasp of HG Wells' literary themes of "The Time Machine" than his own grand-nephew did...

[Dacey]

Okay, everyone, let's please try to stop the "merry-go-round" we have going on here.

Geff, it's great you're an active member here. But please try to refrain from essentially making the same post repeated times.

Everyone else? Please quit responding when he does. Such posts will be deleted immediately. We love having productive discussions around here...but this is not how we do it.

Thank you. Dacey out.

[Ben]

When even a Wishbone episode has a better grasp of HG Wells' literary themes of "The Time Machine" than his own grand-nephew did...

(Great-grandson)

[GeffreyDrogon]

What caused the end of Don Bluth's dominance over animation? Will he ever attempt to revive his career?

[Farerb]

As far as I know he was a difficult man to get along with and he wasn't pleasant to his workers so nobody wanted to work with him or for him.

[GeffreyDrogon]

Don only focusing on animated films where characters (typically cute ones) struggled to survive in a harsh world was probably another factor.

[Farerb]

I'm not sure.. I was never a fan of his films and he used to rely heavily on rotoscoping so his characters always moved weirdly.

[GeffreyDrogon]

I have to agree. It makes no sense how a cat can manage to cram itself into a tiny rat disguise in An American Tail.

[Ben]

Bluth didn’t exactly dominate animation, did he? That’s a stretch!

[EricJ]

As far as I know he was a difficult man to get along with and he wasn't pleasant to his workers so nobody wanted to work with him or for him.

And his movies were so bizarre (and not in the good way), they never made back their budgets, and bankrupted almost every studio he formed after An American Tail.

Assuming, by that point, they got salvaged theatrical releases at all, after the fact.
About the only post-Tail film he had that turned a profit was "Anastasia", but then he had to go and do that Bartok video, and Fox had to exploit his name for "Titan AE"...

[droosan]

The Land Before Time turned a tidy profit, with a box office take of $84 million; not bad, for the late-1980s.

All Dogs Go To Heaven made considerably less ($27 million; which was still roughly 'double' its $13.8 million budget) .. though, it had the misfortune of opening in the same week as The Little Mermaid.

But, yes; it was all downhill from there, for the remaining Sullivan/Bluth films.

[GeffreyDrogon]

How were Don Bluth's films considered "bizarre"?

[EricJ]

But, yes; it was all downhill from there, for the remaining Sullivan/Bluth films.

I've never actually SEEN Rock-a-Doodle or A Troll in Central Park in their entireties except for the funny bad-movie-recap deconstructions on YouTube, and, um...wow.
I remember seeing Thumbelina in theaters on a bored afternoon, and that seems like dodging a bullet by comparison.

[Ben]

How were Don Bluth's films considered "bizarre"?

Have you *seen* anything between the Spielberg and Fox films…!?

I also remember seeing Thumbelina on a bored afternoon…and was confused from around two minutes in!