Strange World Is a Historic Bomb for Disney on a Weak Thanksgiving Box Office Weekend

[BrianL]

Strange World had all the makings of an absolutely epic movie. The visuals, the concept, and even the plot should have made for a freaking incredible flick. I can't quite figure out why it wasn't, however. Something didn't click. Was it the writing? The characters? Was it missing "heart?" I just can't quite identify what went wrong, because even now, after having watched the movie, the idea gets me totally excited, and makes me want to go see it again, until I realize I just didn't enjoy it! What is going on!?? There is an intangible something that was missing.

I guess it's kind of like when you hire someone who has great credentials, skills, knowledge, and personality, and all signs point to them being successful, but for some reason they just don't gel in the position and things don't work out.

This is how I feel about Lightyear. I wanted to like it so much, and it looks like it has all the peices. I'm not sure I can really say what's "wrong" with ti, but something is.

I liked Strange World quite a bit more, and while it's not perfect, it's still very good. I think it had enough heart personally, but maybe it got a little lost. I actually think this is the rare movie that could have used a little extra runtime to flesh a few things out.

 

[Wiltony]

This is how I feel about Lightyear. I wanted to like it so much, and it looks like it has all the peices. I'm not sure I can really say what's "wrong" with ti, but something is.

I liked Strange World wuite a bit more, and while it's not perfect, it's still very good. I think it had enough heart personally, but maybe it got a little lost. I actually think this is the rare movie that could have used a little extra runtime to flesh a few things out.

Yeah there really was SO MUCH really cool world-building they could have fleshed out. Maybe a two-part movie or a TV series would have treated the idea better?

 

[Karin1984]

Yeah there really was SO MUCH really cool world-building they could have fleshed out. Maybe a two-part movie or a TV series would have treated the idea better?

I had that with Raya, I had a feeling we only saw a glimpse of the world and lore they created and then they cut too much out to get it to acceptable movie-length. Better for a series for sure.

 

[TsWade2]

I guess this might be the end of Pixar and Disney Animation, because I’m beginning to feel that Elemental and Wish might flopped next year. Disney is doomed!

 

[piccolopat]

I'm sorry but if other people believe that who others love is "not normal" that's a them problem. Love between LGBT+ folks is not abnormal in the same way love between het couples is not abnormal.

I see what you're saying but perhaps I just look at things a little differently. To me "normal" is just as it is defined: the usual, average, or typical state or condition. Nature created two sexes for a reason and that is the norm in most societies. Being abnormal isn't bad or wrong, just different. My DD's godmother is gay and her cousin is trans and we love them just the same.

 

[piccolopat]

I don't have an attitude. I happen to think that all movies should include all people. Not all people believe that, and that is sad.

I think that there are topics that are not appropriate for children. Examples include displays of sexual activity (of any type), drug and alcohol abuse, extreme violence, bigotry and hatred, etc. The standard of appropriateness should be different for older teens and then again for adults.

 

[DrunkJam]

I think that there are topics that are not appropriate for children. Examples include displays of sexual activity (of any type), drug and alcohol abuse, extreme violence, bigotry and hatred, etc. The standard of appropriateness should be different for older teens and then again for adults.

I think we need to be quite careful in considering this. I am sure you have already realised that if you apply these to your standards of appropriateness, most Disney films are not suitable for children.

 

[piccolopat]

I think we need to be quite careful in considering this. I am sure you have already realised that if you apply these to your standards of appropriateness, most Disney films are not suitable for children.

There were some topics in Disney movies that required us to discuss the issues with DD so she understood things and also what our values were. I think that is a role parents should always exercise with their kids. When she left for college, I told her that she would be exposed to a lot of different options and that she might end up with different opinions that us. My only requirement was that she needed to be able to defend her position, as I would. I didn't want her to just go with the flow but rather learn to think for herself.

 

[Aluminum Falcon]

I think we need to be quite careful in considering this. I am sure you have already realised that if you apply these to your standards of appropriateness, most Disney films are not suitable for children.

If you consider a kiss “sexual activity” then you are correct, but Disney doesn’t go beyond that, outside on innuendo and jokes that would be over a vast majority of children’s heads. Attraction/desire in my mind are separate, and relatable across all ages, so in that sense I don’t find that inappropriate

 

[DrunkJam]

If you consider a kiss “sexual activity” then you are correct, but Disney doesn’t go beyond that, outside on innuendo and jokes that would be over a vast majority of children’s heads. Attraction/desire in my mind are separate, and relatable across all ages, so in that sense I don’t find that inappropriate

But, if the LGBTQ+ depiction was inappropriate, because it counts as sexual activity, then all equivalent heterosexual depictions are equally inappropriate? And that doesn't even begin to cover the various examples of lack of consent, potential child abuse / neglect, and extreme violence depicted (and fwiw, we have watched nearly all of them, and generally, none of this gets unpicked, but on occasion, it does and we talk about it)

 

[Aluminum Falcon]

But, if the LGBTQ+ depiction was inappropriate, because it counts as sexual activity, then all equivalent heterosexual depictions are equally inappropriate? And that doesn't even begin to cover the various examples of lack of consent, potential child abuse / neglect, and extreme violence depicted (and fwiw, we have watched nearly all of them, and generally, none of this gets unpicked, but on occasion, it does and we talk about it)

Got it. I don’t consider any LGBTQ+ interactions as inappropriate, as I don’t any heterosexual interactions, ect ect. I just think a tit for tat isn’t helpful.
I personally find value in LGBTQ+ exposure, because I think my daughter can learn a lot, and the more she’s exposed to the better. I also feel like raising your kids is one of the few things people still get to do without a crazy amount of interference, so if they want to raise their kids in that fashion more power to ‘em, I just can’t get onboard with that

 

[BrightMorningStar]

It's not. It is how people who hate others find a way to deflect from why they really don't want it in movies.

Disagreeing with a lifestyle/belief is NOT hating others. That is a very strong emotion. Sadly, we live in a society that has the mentality of "if you disagree with me" or "you do not approve of my choices" it equals hate. It does not. It also is not judging. Many people can love others and still believe "you" (you, generally speaking) are wrong. People can have their convictions and still love you, be your friend/family. This may be about the company you keep, the religion you follow, the way you view marriage, the use or abuse of alcohol or drugs, your personal behavior, politics, the way you raise your kids, etc. It is very narrow thinking to believe that all people who disagree with LGBT hate those who support or are in that category. Again, hate is a very strong emotion.

 

[Aluminum Falcon]

Disagreeing with a lifestyle/belief is NOT hating others. That is a very strong emotion. Sadly, we live in a society that has the mentality of "if you disagree with me" or "you do not approve of my choices" it equals hate. It does not. It also is not judging. Many people can love others and still believe "you" (you, generally speaking) are wrong. People can have their convictions and still love you, be your friend/family. This may be about the company you keep, the religion you follow, the way you view marriage, the use or abuse of alcohol or drugs, your personal behavior, politics, the way you raise your kids, etc. It is very narrow thinking to believe that all people who disagree with LGBT hate those who support or are in that category. Again, hate is a very strong emotion.

That is a bit ignorant in my mind, because there are still groups in society that have been discriminated against or marginalized that haven’t necessarily been hated. I just don’t see how indifference, intolerance, or ignorance would make the situation any better than hateful.

Also the company you keep doesn’t have any direct pull on society, when the government puts out legislation against one group of people, they can’t just change their friend group to change the law, (that’s a little bit of burying your head in the sand)

 

[Suger Mag]

Disagreeing with a lifestyle/belief is NOT hating others. That is a very strong emotion. Sadly, we live in a society that has the mentality of "if you disagree with me" or "you do not approve of my choices" it equals hate. It does not. It also is not judging. Many people can love others and still believe "you" (you, generally speaking) are wrong. People can have their convictions and still love you, be your friend/family. This may be about the company you keep, the religion you follow, the way you view marriage, the use or abuse of alcohol or drugs, your personal behavior, politics, the way you raise your kids, etc. It is very narrow thinking to believe that all people who disagree with LGBT hate those who support or are in that category. Again, hate is a very strong emotion.

I dont hate you.... I just think your "lifestyle" is sick or abnormal (SARCASM ALERT) LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL

OH PLEASE... OWN IT

 

[Suger Mag]

I think we need to be quite careful in considering this. I am sure you have already realised that if you apply these to your standards of appropriateness, most Disney films are not suitable for children.

Exactly, not even just scenes of affection between characters. I still remember being a little shocked by the hanging scene (Clayton) in Tarzan....

I do think that often kids are not as upset about the same things that adults get worked up about... often children are much more accepting of differences

 

[AurumPunzel]

To harken back to an earlier post, to me these are the top-5 reasons why Strange World is a disaster. I think there is missing piece I've noticed in the more modern Disney movies is that sense of romanticism. Not romantic relationship, but the sense of romanticism. I think that sense is a huge reason why Top Gun: Maverick was so successful because it had a theme of romanticism with Pete Mitchell and his old aviation ways and dog-fighting without modern planes.

Also, that's why I don't think Avatar 2 will bomb. James Cameron, as filmmaker, has a sense of romanticism with his movies. Heck, even Aliens, is a story about two mothers or motherly-figures trying to protect their children and there is something romantic about mother's caring and protecting their children no matter the costs. I would fully expect Avatar 2 to have romanticism beats to it. It is a form of storytelling that I fear has been lost by Disney creatives and they don't understand the idea of romanticism in storytelling. Coco definitely had that sense. Not sure if there has been one sense. Maybe Moana and the sea?

I absolutely agree with you. The romanticism was what really worked for Disney. The issue with recent films I witnessed was how there's too much tendency to virtue signal and how everything had to be made prominent to the point that it all becomes a distraction. Yet Zootopia handled social commentary better, because it did it in a way that it wasn't too obvious, yet those who understood the message can see that the film is some kind of allegory for the current social climate. Much like how The Matrix served as an allegory for the Wachowski Sisters transitioning, yet those who didn’t care for the real meaning saw it as a technology-forward movie that combined John Woo-esque action with science fiction.

 

[Wiltony]

Exactly, not even just scenes of affection between characters. I still remember being a little shocked by the hanging scene (Clayton) in Tarzan....



I do think that often kids are not as upset about the same things that adults get worked up about... often children are much more accepting of differences

My wife feels this way about Judge Frolo's song about Esmeralda in Hunchback. She is very uncomfortable with the unadulterated lust that is overtly displayed in that scene.

 

[Wiltony]

Much like how The Matrix served as an allegory for the Wachowski Sisters transitioning, yet those who didn’t care for the real meaning saw it as a technology-forward movie that combined John Woo-esque action with science fiction.

lolwut

That is a bit of a stretch in my opinion, but you do you.

 

[Smugpugmug]

lolwut

That is a bit of a stretch in my opinion, but you do you.

Both of the Wachowskis have publicly stated that the Matrix is a transgender allegory, so it's not just a fan theory. Lily Wachowski discusses this in a video for Netflix Flim Club if you are interested in hearing what she has to say.

 

[Wiltony]

Both of the Wachowskis have publicly stated that the Matrix is a transgender allegory, so it's not just a fan theory. Lily Wachowski discusses this in a video for Netflix Flim Club if you are interested in hearing what she has to say.

I can fully understand looking back and re-interpreting it with a new perspective given their experiences. It sounded like it was being painted as if that was the intent of the film since inception.

Edit: just watched the video and that is exactly what they're contending. I'm not convinced, but I guess it doesn't really matter whether I am or not.