“The Disney business, previously built on creativity and bold new ideas, was now just an umbrella for the regurgitation of familiar brand franchises. These tried-and-true stories are seen as surefire winners. Nobody ever needs to take a risk on something bold and original ever again.”
Man, this hit home for me. I used to love going to th…
“The Disney business, previously built on creativity and bold new ideas, was now just an umbrella for the regurgitation of familiar brand franchises. These tried-and-true stories are seen as surefire winners. Nobody ever needs to take a risk on something bold and original ever again.”
Man, this hit home for me. I used to love going to the movies and haven’t felt compelled to see a new release in the last 5-8 years. I think the author aptly captures this lack of motivation; in a world where the next Marvel movie is almost guaranteed to offer ROI for the films producers and investors, what incentives exist to innovate? Produce the same tried and true CGI battle scenes, couple that with carbon-copy story arch’s and you have the cinematic equivalent of a savings CD; something that won’t move the needle too much much but is guaranteed to allow Disney to make a tidy profit. The only problem with this type of media? It’s boring. It lacks any of the originality and risk that make truly original films great. I see this happening with Disney’s takeover of Star Wars as well: spin as many side series off as you can, douse everything in CGI and offer a couple characters that can go viral, and you have yourself a cash cow. It feels hollow and unconsidered, the media equivalent of fast food. Couple this with a general cultural environment where original or controversial thought is marginalized due to fear of cancellation or missing out on capital funding, and you have the perfect recipe for mediocrity. Here’s hoping the new environment the author describes changes things for the better like this site has! mahalo.
“The Disney business, previously built on creativity and bold new ideas, was now just an umbrella for the regurgitation of familiar brand franchises. These tried-and-true stories are seen as surefire winners. Nobody ever needs to take a risk on something bold and original ever again.”
Man, this hit home for me. I used to love going to the movies and haven’t felt compelled to see a new release in the last 5-8 years. I think the author aptly captures this lack of motivation; in a world where the next Marvel movie is almost guaranteed to offer ROI for the films producers and investors, what incentives exist to innovate? Produce the same tried and true CGI battle scenes, couple that with carbon-copy story arch’s and you have the cinematic equivalent of a savings CD; something that won’t move the needle too much much but is guaranteed to allow Disney to make a tidy profit. The only problem with this type of media? It’s boring. It lacks any of the originality and risk that make truly original films great. I see this happening with Disney’s takeover of Star Wars as well: spin as many side series off as you can, douse everything in CGI and offer a couple characters that can go viral, and you have yourself a cash cow. It feels hollow and unconsidered, the media equivalent of fast food. Couple this with a general cultural environment where original or controversial thought is marginalized due to fear of cancellation or missing out on capital funding, and you have the perfect recipe for mediocrity. Here’s hoping the new environment the author describes changes things for the better like this site has! mahalo.