Tascar wrote:With all due respect to you, I really can see where Michael Mackenzie is coming from and I have to agree with his comments. I have great respect for animators such as Andreas Deja and the ones working at DisneyToon Studios, but the work coming out of them, just simply does not deserve to be mentioned in the same sentence with the original films.
That's where you're wrong. In the review Michael clearly said that it's sad that Andreas Deja is working on the Bambi sequel. Now, why is that so sad? I think it's incredible that he has such strong principles that he would rather work on a handdrawn movie than a CGI movie. Michael might have said that he has "respect" for the animator afterwards, but seeing his hate for the DTV titles I don't think he has that much respect anyways... Don't forget that Andreas Deja is only doing his job in the bussiness of animation. I don't think it's sad that he went to work at the DisneyToon Studios. It gives me even more hope for future releases!
Tascar wrote:I have seen Mulan II (bootleg DVD rips have been circulating around the Internet for over two months now) and it is truly a godawful film.
Well, everyone has a very different opinion about it so I see... I think your final opinion about it depends on a lot of factors like when you see it (maybe on a bad monday?) and how you see it (open-minded or narrow-minded). I do care that people won't see the little greatness in this film, but I just can't change someone's mind when he watched the movie narrowminded. You know that when I saw The Lion King 1 1/2 I thought it really sucked? I really didn't like it because I thought it was going to be a more serious movie... I watched it openminded some months after, and I loved it. That proves a lot...
Tascar wrote:And while the artwork released and the participation of Andreas Deja on the Bambi sequel is giving me hope, I am also prepared to be very disappointed when I see the final product and based on their track record, I see no reason to be very skeptical.
There you go... I'm also prepared to be very dissapointed in the Bambi sequel. But that's where I actually have more hope than you and Michael Mackenzie. He's seeing the track level of the DisneyToon Studios as horrible... Well, I have seen a great level raise in both their animation and story. It's not fully perfect, but I think especially with Andreas Deja we will be expecting a great movie. But like you, I'm also prepared to be dissapointed.... I just don't show it in public a lot, as I want to support people to give the sequels a chance at least.
Tascar wrote:I am sure that DisneyToon Studios has the potential to do great things. But as long as they are being confined to creating cheap derivative work by a management that is content to make mediocrity, there are severe limits to which the studio and its work will shine.
The DisneyToon Studios are doing great work animationwise, and it won't take long untill they really start producing feature quality movies for DTV releases... The problem is that the story often (if not all the time) happens in the US, where Disney hires a small team of scriptwriters to come up with a script of a sequel. Sometimes they do a great job, sometimes they don't...
Paka wrote:Jens, you've got to understand that these statements (and yes, even prejudices) against these cheapquels do not translate as an insult on the people that made them. As Mackenzie said, he's reviewing an end product, not passing judgement on the "nice people on the crew who worked so hard on it."
Well that's where he's wrong... He is NOT reviewing an end product. He's reviewing a PREVIEW and just like that he has reached thousands of people that won't want to give this movie a chance just because his stupid remarks on a PREVIEW. He's not passing judgement on the "nice people" you say? Well, then you should really read his previous review about Mulan II, where he really attack the DisneyToon Studios name and all the people working there. I don't think it would be fun as a DisneyToon Studios animator to read his reviews...
Paka wrote:There is no doubt that the DisneyToons crew is talented and hard-working, but they also have no power to control what type of projects they work on. It would be very nice to see them be able to create their own original stories without executive intervention and micro-management, but sadly, that's not the case. They do work very hard on what they're given, but alas, they are not allowed to change the story - at least to anything above "banal."
I agree, but again I would like to stress that they do not have the budget and mostly not even the time to really micro-manage their movies. I agree that the external story "making" is not a good thing, but at least they're not letting unexperienced people from the DisneyToon Studios handle the scriptwriting part, if that makes any sence.
Paka wrote:I think Mackenzie responded quite thoroughly and eloquently to your feedback on that review page, and explained his case very well. The cheapquels do have a record of mediocrity, and the odds are stacked against Bambi II being anything spectacular. But Mackenzie admitted it himself - he (as well as I) will gladly be proven wrong if this cheapquel turns out, storywise, to be great.
He responded quite thoroughly indeed, but he just suddenly played the nice guy on me and tried to fluff everything up he said in the review. Where did he state that he would be gladly proven wrong if this sequel turns out great in the review? Nowhere! I don't think he will ever give the sequels a chance because he will always find something that isn't like the original, or that is too knocked in, or whatever... There are lots of people like that now, and they're just spreading the disease further and further and further...
Paka wrote:But again, the criticism leveled at the cheapquels is for the films, and the films alone; it's not meant as an insult against DisneyToons, or Andreas Deja, or anyone involved in the crew. It's the Men In Suits - those clueless execs in upper management, who greenlight, and at the same stunt the growth of, these projects - who are to be blamed.
While giving critism to the "film alone", you have to understand that he IS damaging the reputation of the DisneyToon Studios and that he IS influencing people that want to be influenced and THAT is my main problem. He has no right to critisize a PREVIEW like that... For all we know, this sequel might turn out as the best one from the DisneyToon Studios!