B.O.R.E.D.
Page 1 of 1
B.O.R.E.D
Box Office Reported Eloquently by Daniel
Why Mummies and Ogres are Good for Disney
I recently enjoyed two completely different experiences. One was a rather odd
film about a couple of ogres and their attempt to join in with society, and
the other was a hair-rasing adventure about a psychopath trying to kill you.
Now I'm sure you all know I'm talking about Dreamworks' Shrek 2, and Revenge
of the Mummy at Universal Studio Florida. While the two projects couldn't be
more different, in the end they share one major fact. They are both direct
competitive attacks at the Disney company in one way or another. Shrek 2 goes
after Disney's animation audience by spoofing and skewing the classic
fairy-tale genre. Revenge of the Mummy strikes Disney at it's theme park
branch, with a high-tech attraction designed to wow visitors like never
before. Now some fans of Disney might take a combative stance on these types
of projects. Both of them take staples Disney's brand. Shrek 2 while making
fun of formulaic fairy tales, turns out to be formulaic itself and in the end
turns out to be very similar in structure to a Disney film. Revenge of the
Mummy takes on Disney-type theming and is more than just a little reminiscent
of Indiana Jones Adventure in Disneyland park. In the end though, the "twist"
put on both of these projects is a similar one, and it's just enough a "twist"
to make them distinctively not Disney. The "twist" ends up making the
experiences harsher, more cynical, darker and more complex than what Disney
traditionally offers. Disney would never use drug-related humor in an
animated film, or have lines like "death is only the beginning" in a theme
park attraction. These two projects while featuring many Disney
characteristics end up being far enough removed from Disney that most people
wouldn't even confuse the two.
#5 - Troy $13.9 million
Discuss It
Related Links
-- Daniel Kaplan
-- Posted May 28, 2004