Jim on Film: The Problem with IMAX Releases - Part Two
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These stories are so carefully told in their original forms that adding anything to them after the fact damages the delicate labor of the original story artists. Furthermore, while Beauty and the Beast was an attempt to improve upon perfection, the addition of The Morning Report to The Lion King was not even added to the Imax release for artistic purposes but was only an effort to improve video and DVD sales. As a result, Alice in Wonderland and the upcoming release of Aladdin are both advertising new songs, even though they have only been added as behind-the-scenes bonus features (or so we can assume for Aladdin, considering press releases), suggesting that executives in the home video division are deliberately trying to deceive consumers and may resort to such real alterations to boost sales of other titles. While to the seasoned viewer, these scenes may be fun alternate versions, they will affect the perception of these films in the future. With sloppy storytelling as in the “Special Edition�? of Beauty and the Beast, one must wonder how future generations with feel about the film. In the future, reviewers and scholars taking a look at Beauty and the Beast or The Lion King may only view the “Special Edition�? versions, which will undoubtedly taint their analysis of these films. Furthermore, there is the danger that the studio might opt to only release these new editions in the future, which is a threat to those who really love the originals.
I will admit to being a hopeless purist but a purist whose ideas are rooted in artistic merit. With the release of Disney films to home video and DVD, they are no longer faint memories of a reissue from seven years before but are precious parts of our memory, enjoyment, and artistic passions. In an honorable attempt to provide the ultimate viewing experience, the reissue of films to Imax theaters resulted in taking away from the viewing experience for those who had seen the films many times. And the alterations to scenes and the addition of scenes have tainted the original versions of the films. These original versions are important in fully understanding and appreciating the history of Walt Disney Feature Animation. These changes also call into question the quality of the department’s other films, and they may lead the studio into a slippery slope of changes for financial reasons rather than artistic merit.
If this wasn’t enough, the Imax releases were not nearly as successful as they could have been because they not only cost money to prepare but limited the ability of the films to make money. It’s unfortunate that the studio has not learned from these mistakes. It will likely be some time before we see Aladdin, Pocahontas, or Bambi on the canvases they were originally intended to be viewed on, which will be a loss for future generations, animation fans, and Disney stockholders.
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-- Jim Miles
Jim On Film is normally published the first week of each month..
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 March 9, 2004