Jim On Film
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In 1959, Walt Disney released the expensive Sleeping Beauty to lackluster critical acclaim and mediocre box office receipts. What was to be his crowing achievement ended its original theatrical run as an overblown budget-gobbling extravaganza. In response, budget and scope was pared down for the charming comedy One Hundred and One Dalmatians which, today, remains one of Disney best-loved films.
As the release of Lilo and Stitch draws near, Atlantis: The Lost Empire could become the Sleeping Beauty to Lilo and Stitch’s One Hundred and One Dalmatians. The important phrasing here is "could."
In order for Disney to extinguish the fire in their traditional animation paradise, traditional animated features have to prove themselves to be more than just profitable in the sense of Mulan or Tarzan; they need to be mega-profitable. They need to earn the respect and adoration of the Hollywood community.
Because Hollywood analysists always compare the box office take of a Disney feature with the box office take of previous Disney features, one can hope that they will be kind to Lilo and Stitch as long as it earns over $100 million. This, however, in unlikely. These analysists and insiders have been predicting the death of traditional animation for two years now, and they will enjoy proving themselves right. Disney fans cannot simply hope that Lilo and Stitch is a success.
In order to make Lilo and Stitch a success and, thereby, pulling nails from the coffin of Walt Disney Feature Animation, each self-proclaimed Disney fan needs to support the film. Some ideas:
1. The first weekend box office take is crucial to the Hollywood community. A large opening-weekend box office tally defines how successful a film will be for the course of its run. It is also an ego-feeder for the studios, especially for those films who win the right to lay claim to the number one spot. It is also valuable in publicity for films as box office gets reported on most major morning news programs, newspapers, and many important Internet sites. Go to the film opening weekend and bring plenty of kids or friends.
2. The box office weekend tallies that following opening weekend are also important indicators for the Hollywood community. A film that holds strong from one weekend to the next is said to have positive word-of-mouth, a measure of the quality of a film. If you like it, tell your friends about the film, discuss it on the Internet, and see it again yourself sometime soon after its opening weekend.
3. On opening weekend, buy Lilo and Stitch products (and if possible, buy it from The Disney Store). For summer family movies, product tie-in merchandise is an important source of revenue. If it flies off the shelf quickly, it sends a strong message to both Disney and the Hollywood community. Some fun products to look at are the Lilo and Stitch soundtrack (which sports two new songs), a book on the making of the film, and a box of the Lilo and Stitch PVC figures available at The Disney Store for only $12.
Lilo and Stitch appears to be a true departure for Disney, at least in terms of what we’ve seen from them in the past fifteen years. If, as some say is true, that filmgoers felt betrayed by a perceived formula, Lilo and Stitch has the potential to change their perspectives. Advanced word-of-mouth from preview screenings suggests that Stitch and friends have strong audience-appeal, which may mean that it has what it takes to shatter those perceptions. If Disney fans want to see more traditionally Disney animated features, they need to not only put their money where their mouth is, but speak and pay quickly.
When money talks, Disney listens.
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-- Jim Miles
Jim On Film is published every other Thursday.
The opinions expressed by our guest columnists, and all of our columnists, do not necessarily represent the feelings of LaughingPlace.com or any of its employees or advertisers. All speculation and rumors about the future of Disneyland and the Walt Disney Company are just that - speculation and rumors - and should be treated as such.
-- Posted June 13, 2002
Copyright Jim Miles. Licensed to LaughingPlace.com.