Mousey Movie Review - The Lone Ranger

The Lone Ranger must be horrible!  Seriously, it was a box office bomb so it must be really really bad.  Estimates say that for Disney it was a loss of anywhere between $160-190 Million (capital M). But box office success does not mean good.  And I can thing of plenty of movies that were not good that were huge successes financially.  And others that the box office was a disappointment but a personal hit for me.  As many of you can guess, John Carter for me is a movie that I loved despite receipts.

So I was not out to get The Lone Ranger.  And I was willing and wanted to go see this western starring Armie Hammer as the masked lawman and Disney golden boy Johnny Depp as the Native American warrior Tonto.  But the summer schedule kept me out of the theater and by the time the summer was over we decided financially it made more sense to buy the movie instead of rushing into the theater while the film was on its way out (very quickly). 

• Mrs Banks: Someone at Central Casting must really like English actress Ruth Wilson.  I first saw her in a theatrical release in Saving Mr. Banks as Margaret Goff.  And though I thought her character was very understated, I did feel sympathy for her as we experienced the Goff family troubles through her oldest daughters eyes.  What I did not realize is that Wilson had made her Disney debut earlier in the year as Rebecca Reid, wife of Texas Ranger Dan Reid, in The Lone Ranger and served as the primary romantic interest in the movie.  As both characters, Wilson in effect plays pioneer women who work on the edges of modern society.  And Wilson brings to both roles brings the air of someone who longs for a more civilized life.  

• The Disneyland Railroad:  One of the reasons I did not see The Lone Ranger in the theater was because I was traveling to Disneyland for my summer vacation while Depp's newest film was released. When we arrived at Disneyland we entered the park for the first time on the Sunday after and sitting in front of the park right after the bus loading area was The Constitution the train from the film.  Two cast members dutifully guarded the train.  And it was really impressive to see the size difference between this train and the ones in the park.  Now I really had not listened to box office reports, because I was too busy with my family.  And I took some pictures in front of the train with my kids. But I have no family free pictures to share with you. Because on Wednesday the train was gone.  The way I remember it was we went into the park and the train was there.  And then we came out after lunch for a nap and the entire train was gone.  Seriously, it was a huge engine.  But it was gone.  It was like it never existed!  Then I knew it had not gone well for Mr. Depp and I figured The Lone Ranger was getting the John Carter treatment!   

• Family Friendly: I do not want to sound like I am a grumpy guy, but I really do wonder if Walt Disney would have released The Long Ranger under the Walt Disney name.  I did enjoy the action adventure that the movie provided.  And I thought the moral compass was true to a Disney family film with the Lone Ranger being a champion for justice.  But, it has a huge body count!  It has to have more deaths that any of the Pirates films, maybe more than the four combined.  And this is not the A-Team where shooting happens but bullets only hit non-living things.  No, this is a movie that I would question before showing a youngster.  A day before I watched The Lone Ranger I received a text asking if it was kid approved.  I said it was Disney so how bad could it be!  I may have been wrong.  And Disney may have done their core audience a favor be releasing this film under Touchstone instead.  

• The Old Mill:  The William Tell Overture by Gioachino Rossini has been used in a number of media pieces.  These include the Disney classic short The Old Mill which uses the "Ranz des Vaches" or "Call to the Cows" segment to open the morning.  But probably the most famous use is in the classic television show The Lone Ranger, which used the "Finale" as its theme song.  As a kid who grew up with four television stations, I saw a ton of the Clayton Moore and Jay Silverheels program despite the fact it entered production nearly 30 years before I was born!  The Hammer and Depp collaboration pays homage to the classic show by using the Overture throughout the final big action segment (maybe it should be BIG ACTION).  And because of the use of this musical tribute it makes the ending sequence even more enjoyable.  Honestly, it really does show how a piece of music can set a mood.  For someone like me, I knew something exciting was happening.  For the Between Kids who have no idea who Clayton Moore is, they knew something fast paced was breaking out in front of them.  

• Infinity: Okay, it is not part of the movie, but the Disney Infinity Lone Ranger Play Set is really really fun.  The Between Kid and I crushed it over our holiday break.  And even for me as a fairly mature adult I enjoyed playing cowboys and robbers, occasionally going out on our own two man posse on missions.  You may have overlooked this Play Set if you play Disney Infinity.  If you have I recommend grabbing it since it may be my favorite Play Set to date.  

• John Carter: Everyone is going to compare The Lone Ranger to John Carter.  I will admit they did get the same post-release treatment.  Disney quickly washed their hands of both.  And I do not expect Disney to try a Western again soon.  But let us remember they did not get the same treatment before their releases.  John Carter was marginalized.  The Lone Ranger was included with the release of Disney Infinity!  John Carter did not have a big name actor.  The Lone Ranger had the Disney golden boy Johnny Depp.  Yes, Disney wanted this film to succeed, so its failure is even more disappointing than the film Disney wanted to forget! 

Like John Carter I enjoyed the escapist adventure in The Lone Ranger.  I still prefer  Andrew Stanton's sci-fi film on a critical level.  Which did not lose quite as much for Disney as Depp did in this adventure.  But like Stanton, Depp has a good Disney track record so he is allowed a Disney stumble, though the relationship with producer Jerry Bruckheimer is effectually at an end for new intellectual property.  I would say if you have not seen The Lone Ranger, grab some pop and popcorn and give it a chance some Friday night.  It might just be fun. 

Mousey Movie Preview - Frozen's First Trailer

Disney has released the first trailer for Frozen to be released November 2013.

This movie has had a lot of excitement and hype around it..so let's see if it lives up to it.

You know what, I just feel like I have seen this before.

Yeah it seems to be something like that.  Scrat finds nut.  Scrat loses nut.  Scrat chases nut.

But this time it is a carrot.

The Between Wife says I am thinking too hard!

The Between Tweens says it is cute.

The Between Kid says, awesome.

A faithful blog reader says, " I've heard the Ice Age comparison. I will agree they are similar but the other part of me knows that Frozen will...be nothing like Ice Age."

As one who was interested but not yet excited by Frozen, I have become scared for the production.  Trailers should make you excited.  For me this one just lands flat.  And as someone who lived through John Carter, well trailers are important!

Dreaming Disney - Interview with Michael D. Sellers

Recently I joined my friend Matt Anderson, along with Koby Radcliffe, on The Sci-Fi Christian to interview Michael D. Sellers, the author of John Carter and the Gods of Hollywood.

Topics in this interview range from the history of John Carter, Disney Marketing, fandom and the future of the franchise.

I hope you enjoy this interview, I thought it was really fun. 

Between Books - John Carter and the Gods of Hollywood

I have been a fairly outspoken supporter of Andrew Stantons’ 2012 John Carter. The marketing campaign stole some of my excitement before I saw the film, but the finished product pushed itself into my top five movies of 2012. I am someone who would love a sequel and further exploration of Barsoom. And it is because of the movie that I picked up the original A Princess of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs and found myself entranced by a really well developed world in the midst of romantic adventure. I would say due to the film, I am a new convert to Barsoom, and I think there are others like me.

Michael D. Sellers however is part of the pre-movie fan base. For Sellers, awaiting John Carter, was a dream come true where his beloved franchise would finally get its proper due on the big screen. Sellers may have found the final product on the screen satisfactory, but the support given it by Disney was a clear disappointment. For a movie that was budgeted to be a tentpole movie for Disney, the movie was never given the support its $250 million budget should have warranted. The fact that this blockbuster in waiting became either invisible or misunderstood by the potential audience largely led to the label as Disney’s Ishtar.

Sellers in John Carter and the Gods of Hollywood examines the historical development of the film from the Edgar Rice Boroughs decision to write his first short story to the home video release of John Carter. He examines the multiple attempts to bring Barsoom, or Mars, to the big screen including failed efforts by Disney and Paramount. With the Pixar acquisition of Disney just finalized and the John Carter rights being released from Paramount, Carter fan and director Andrew Stanton suggested that Disney studio head Dick Cook pursue the franchise. Cook wishing to please a key member of the Pixar team and a proven director agreed to purchase the rights, despite an earlier Disney failed attempt to develop a Carter film. Stanton, who became a John Carter fan through the 1970s Marvel comics, diligently worked with fellow Carter fans and a supportive producing staff to bring the century old story to a modern audience while staying under the enormous budget. But with the replacement of Cook by Rich Ross, the corporate enthusiasm for Stanton’s first live action release ended. Ross would never give his full support to this project green lighted under the old regime. Ross’ newly hired marketing head, MT Carney, a new voice in movie marketing, was focused on a backlog of projects releasing before John Carter and departmental reorganization. These priorities were placed before the marketing of the potential tentpole film. Additionally, Carney’s research led Disney to remove the phrase “of Mars”, a change that generally meant much of the potential audience was not aware the film was a science-fiction offering. And Disney CEO Bob Iger, while not actively sabotaging the film was interested in acquiring LucasFilm, a desire which could have been hindered by a successful film. The lack of enthusiasm, and marketing, lead the movie to underperformed and be labeled a failure by Disney within ten days of release and before entering the world’s two largest film markets (China and Japan). Sellers finishes his story by discussing a real win for John Carter, being ranked number one in DVD sales upon release. He closes by discussing the possibility of future Carter movies and the circumstances under which a sequel could be made. And Sellers reviews the various personalities in the real life story of John Carter’s failure and identifies their role in the movie’s bust label.

John Carter and the Gods of Hollywood is probably one of the best corporate history titles I have read since Disney War. Sellers does an excellent of job of trying to understand the politics of Disney and why decisions were made. And I think it is fair. For example, as a hardcore Burroughs fan it would be easy for him to paint a picture of Carney that is, well, evil. Many have lambasted her efforts in marketing the film including the decision to remove “of Mars”. Instead Sellers attempts to paint a picture where readers can understand what Carney had to overcome and the competing priorities of her short lived Disney posting. One can understand the pressures and blind spots that Carney was not able to overcome. Still he is honest in showing how the social media campaign failed, and was lacking, for this expert in new media. Additionally, he could have painted Iger as a villain killing the Carter film. Instead, Sellers explains Iger’s acquisition strategy, making it clear why he may have lacked excitement for a film that could have hindered his ability to bring Star Wars fully into the Disney family. Additionally, Sellers deeply analyses the Disney marketing strategy for the film including its poor poor results, especially when compared to The Avengers and The Hunger Games.

Sellers as an author is not just analyzing this story but is also part of it. Sellers was a proactive member of the Burroughs fan community who attempted to move the needle in support of the film. He discusses how he built the fan site www.thejohncarterfiles.com and edited his own fan trailer, one that Andrew Stanton declared was the only trailer that got the movie. Sellers is realistic about the obstacles that a John Carter film had to overcome and looked to the fan community to help Disney overcome them. For example, the number of Burroughs fans had declined severally and the Barsoom stories were a century old. So it did not have an active fan base as vocal as more recent The Hunger Games to bolster the film and other films such as Star Wars and Avatar had strip-mined the film of key story elements. Sellers as a character in the book had sought to convince Disney and the fan base that the fan community should be actively seeking new members and explaining that John Carter was the inspiration for many popular movies, not a cheap carbon copy of them. Sellers’ attempts were not supported on many sides. While Stanton may have supported his fan trailer, Disney was not interested in seeking inroads with fans. And even the fan community spoke with negative voices expressing concerns about Stanton’s movie and story changes. Some did not see as Sellers predicted that the movie could bring new fans to the Burroughs’ library, like myself.

John Carter and the Gods of Hollywood is a fair, factual and enlightening assessment of what went wrong with the development, marketing and release of John Carter. The book is well written and clear, and has a personal touch as Sellers enters the story describing his own efforts to support a movie sight unseen. Sellers closes with the belief that there could still be life in the Carter franchise, just not with Disney, and for fellow Carter fans I hope he is right. John Carter and the Gods of Hollywood is a tragedy, showing us the blockbuster that could have been and how the efforts, or lack of, made it one of the most ridiculed movies of 2012.

Review Copy Provided by Author

Dreaming Disney - Monsters University

In my day job, the one that pays for my Disney addiction, I work for a major university.  And I have worked in higher education for well over a decade.   During that time I have visited many college and university websites.  Honestly, some are really useful, both full of information and easy to navigate.  Others well are horrible, where the website actually blocks you from finding the information you need.

So, I was really shocked and amused to be directed to the newest University website on the web,Monsters University.  It has all the sections one would expect to find from a major university in the human world’s website.  Sections for current students, faculty and alumni are really standard.  And of course there plenty of information about athletics.  The history of Monsters University seems very slim, but I have also seen human universities with history sections even more lacking.  And it is a thrill to see the cutting edge research Monsters University is completing, answering the questions which is better one head or two.

For my personal area of responsibilities there is a policy section.  My favorite includes:

BASIC MONSTER RESPECT

Monsters University is proud of its diversity, with monsters from every background and nationality. By valuing the uniqueness of every individual monster, MU hopes to create an atmosphere of open-mindedness and understanding. Through awareness and acceptance, students can learn to build relationships based on mutual respect, clear communication, conflict avoidance, and positive affirmation. All monsters are unique -- by heritage, number of appendages, or simply number of eyes -- and all monsters deserve respect.

The Basic Monster Respect program creates a safe environment for personal growth and cultural education, where students can learn to judge each other by content of character, not color of fur. A place where more arms means more hugs not more fists, where all students put their heads together to solve problems whether they have two heads or just the one.

The site is far from static.  One can access, the university store and buy actual Monsters University gear.  Some of the items that one can pursue are very amusing.  They are also in my opinion really pricey!  And the part I am most hopeful for is the login to the M.U. Net portal, just like a real school.  I cannot wait to get my hands onto an ID number so I can create an account and access student specific information.  Clearly there is more to come.  Maybe the ID number comes when we get to apply to Monsters University next semester!   

Congratulations Disney Marketing you have my attention.  I love this site!  I love this viral campaign and the pains taken to make it look better than many higher education website, complete with the right sort of content.  Alas, I am not willing to forgive for John Carter.  And I wonder why movies that will be clear hits in Monsters University and Wreck-It Ralph are getting the most innovative marketing?  I have not shared trailers of Monsters University at work, but working in higher education I have shared the Monsters University website with colleagues. 

I applaud this effort, but would like to see similar efforts for movies that are likely to have smaller visibility in the marketplace. 

  

Dreaming Disney - Disney Movie Rewards



Sometimes it is easy to forget that there was a time when some tips that were second nature to you were not a no brainer.

So today’s public service announcement is the following, if you are buying Disney movies for your home collection you may be eligible for free stuff.  And let’s be honest if you have children you have probably already have a movie collection with a few Disney movies and you may be eligible for free stuff right now.

Did I mention free.  Free is good!

In most Disney DVD and Blu-Rays you purchase you can find on the outside of the box a Disney Movie Rewards symbol.  If you see this symbol, you will find on the inside a sheet with a code which you can enter at www.DisneyMovieRewards.com for a specific number of points.  Points vary by the format you have purchased, with more expensive formats generally having more points assigned to them.  You collect your points on the website and redeem them for rewards that range from a few hundred points to 25,000 points.  Though for most folks the most desirable big point item is the 15,000 point Walt Disney Studio private tour. 

So far what have I gotten?  Well, one thing I have gotten is coupons, coupons for buying more movies.  Through Disney Movie Rewards, Disney has promoted coupons to upgrade old VHS or DVD copies of movies to Blu-Ray.  And to be honest these coupons have been nothing to sneeze out with savings from $5 to $10.  Our upgraded copies of Toy Story and Toy Story 2 were downright cheap when combined with an in store savings.  And recently they promoted a coupon for John Carter at $5 off, which again is a significant amount to a busy family. 

There have also been offers specific to specific home video title.  For example we have redeemed for the cost of shipping, or a small fee, a stuffed Bolt and another time Tinker Bell charms. 

But then we have not even spent any of our points yet.  It’s the redemptions that we have been the most excited about.  We have been saving for years for an item that we seem to miss every time it is offered.  But I promise you someday we will get it!  But we have still had some nice items with shipping costs paid by Disney.  These have included a youth sized Cars 2 hat and a massive Cars LED sign.  The sign was something that we got for less than 1,000 points as part of a Christmas promotion.  We thought it would be small wall light.  Instead two days later we received a very unique LED sign.  It helps give one room of our house a really cool Cars feel.  And we have been known to drag guests past the sign.    

I think one question, especially for point hoarders like me, is when will it end?  Well I guess technically the program could end anytime.  But since it has continued for the last several years I hope this loyalty program does not end anytime soon.  Seriously, I am hoarding points!  Please don’t end! 

So why a public service announcement today?  Earlier this month I told a co-worker about the program.  She commented they had a few movies, but would be shocked to find out they had any points of significance.  Well her family had nearly 2,000 points sitting in their movie collection and was looking at some fairly nice rewards on the website for them to choose from.  So be aware, you could have the cost for some fairly nice free, did I say free, stuff hiding in your movie collection.  And at the very least you could be denying yourself some coupon savings on movies if you are not signed up at www.DisneyMovieRewards.com.  It is always a bonus when you can dream of Disney free or discounted!

Mousey Movie Preview - Oz The Great and Powerful First Trailer

Disney at the 2012 San Diego Comic-Con has released the first Trailer for Oz The Great and Powerful.

What do you think?  Does Disney have another franchise smash in the mold of Pirates?

Personally, I have been somewhat apprehensive.  I really enjoyed Sam Raimi's Spider-Man, but had lost excitement by the third installment in the franchise.  And James Franco has not been a favorite for me, but then I have not disliked him either.  It has a real Alice in Wonderland feel to me in some scenes, with a pinch of John Carter.

Mousey Movies - The Black Hole

I’ve been really critical of Disney sci-fi properties.  I will continue to argue that if Tron and not John Carter serves as the Disney sci-fi standard, Houston we have a problem!  I wanted to find a Disney film that helped me show that John Carter was part of a tradition of some decent Disney sci-fi and was not just an aberration.  Searching the corners of my mind I remembered many a weekend afternoon as a child where with 4 channels and no VCR it was Read a Long Story records that replayed The Empire Strikes Back, Raiders of the Lost Ark and other classic stories in my mind.  And one of those worn out records was a Disney movie, 1979’s The Black Hole. 

How I Remember the Black Hole

It has been decades since I had last seen The Black Hole.  And seeing it again frustrated me!  Frustrated me because we have talked about Tron and made it cult classic, while The Black Hole has been largely ignored.  Maybe it gets lost in the wake of Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope.  With both films having roundish robots and standardized henchmen, maybe Lucas has overshadowed Disney.  I have to admit that both films also share a chase across a massive spaceship as the heroes attempt to escape the villain.  But honestly, though they share themes they are very different movies with Lucas using the heroes journey as a template and Disney using the quest for discovery as theirs.  There are so really interesting sci-fi additions too including an ESP connection between a robot and a human along with the back story of the robots that man the Cygnus.  And with a cast including the likes of Maximilian Schell, Robert Forester, Anthony Perkins, Roddy McDowell and Ernest Borgnine, we are given a group of actors who brought skill to the production.  Honestly, this may have been one of Disney’s Mouseyest movies ever:      

·      Disney Legend:  Peter Ellenshaw was named a Disney Legend in 2003.  Ellenshaw served as a matte artist for numerous Disney films.  A few you may have heard of include Treasure Island, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Old Yeller, Johnny Tremain, and Swiss Family Robinson.  He went onto special effects in other Disney movies including The Love Bug and this little picture you might not know a lot about called Mary Poppins!  Basically Ellenshaw built a career on the Disney live action Parthenon.  For The Black Hole, Ellenshaw created the miniature effects which make us believe that we are in space and not a studio.  For his efforts, the movie was nominated for an special effects Academy Award.  The effects for being over thirty years old really are good.  They may not of the Industrial Lights and Magic quality but they are believable, and you are sure you are looking at real objects and not animated effects.   

·      Freaky Friday: Director Gary Nelson may have seemed like an odd choice to helm The Black Hole.  I do have to admit with credits including Get Smart, Gilligan’s Island, Gunsmoke and The Andy Griffith Show; Nelson did bring experience to the film.  And he had directed 3 films before The Black Hole, all for Disney.  So maybe it wasn’t his experience directing sci-fi epics that got him the job, and instead the fact he was a known Disney director after leading Jodi Foster through the original Freaky Friday. 

·      The Final Frontier: Disney seems to think that humans need some living space.  In The Black Hole Captain Dan Holland’s (Forester) on the USS Palomino is exploring space for worlds to open up for humanity’s use.  If you want to explore this concept yourself, I suggest riding Mission Space at Epcot, so you can simulate a visit to Mars.  Sadly, no black holes though the location of the landing strip next to a giant canyon still seems odd. 

·      Is that you Captain Nemo?: Is this movie The Black Hole or 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea?  You can’t help but compare Schell’s Dr.  Hans Reinhardt to Captain Nemo.  Both have vast intellects who find it difficult to be understood by mere men.  Both live solitary lives on vessels; one in space and one in the sea.  Both are surrounded by a crew whose loyalty is unquestionable.  And most of all both have fantastic beards!

Schell's Dr. Han Reinhardt

James Mason's Captain Nemo

·      The Son-in-Law: The Black Hole was produced by Ron Miller, which actually links The Black Hole to Walt Disney himself.  The former football player married Diane Disney in 1954 and was convinced by his father-in-law Walt Disney to enter the family business, film making.  Miller produced a number of films before becoming the President of Walt Disney Production in 1980 and CEO in 1983.  Miller left the company in 1984 in the upheaval that saw him ousted and Michael Eisner and Frank Wells joining the company.  Not looking behind him, Miller has thrown himself into the Silverado Winery and supported the development of the Walt Disney Family Museum.  And according to some Mousetalgia hosts, he is still a very handsome man to this day.  

The Black Hole really does hold up over time.  It is well acted, has a good story and decent effects.  I do not understand how this is not a Disney cult classic.  It is a movie sci-fi fans, families and Disney enthusiasts can all enjoy.  It is Mousey through and through and maybe someday the rumors of a remake that surface every few years will come true.

Mousey Movies Preview - John Carter

I have been really critical of Disney and science fiction offerings in the past.  So I have been watching reports and rumors for John Carter with both hope and fear.  I have said several times that Andrew Stanton’s involvement convinced me that the film would be solid.  And I read the original John Carter book Princess of Mars and loved it.  I could see how it would be the great foundation of a movie.  But reports that are predicting that John Carter will be a flop have worried me.  And I have had my own fears because the initial trailers did not do justice to the movie I hoped for.  I was finally able to form my own opinion of John Carter at the D23 nationwide previews held before the movie release.

The bare basics of the story are that John Carter is a Civil War veteran and cavalry officer attempting to find his fortune and maybe himself in the western frontier.  In the search for his cave of gold he is transported to Mars, or Barsoom.  On Barsoom he finds himself meeting new peoples and cultures such as the Tharks, a green Martian race, and getting caught up in a struggle for control of Barsoom.  Once it is discovered that Carter has super strength and jumping ability due to his Earthly birth, he is urged to enter this struggle by Princess Dejah Thoris, who of course serves as a love interest.  Here are my initial thoughts on John Carter:

·        Beauty:  This film is wonderfully framed with vast and intriguing landscapes.  Mars may not be red, but it is a desert world with sweeping views and interesting geological features.  Let’s be honest this is kind of a weird place to start, but those of us raised on Star Wars learned to look to the background because it sets the mood of the movie.  I honestly believed that the story was occurring in an interesting and alien world, not on a Utah set.  Because of these great shots I would skip the 3D personally. I find 3D to be distracting at time, maybe the technology is just not there yet.  And it gave depth to the scenery, but I also felt like the glasses, weird flickers, and the dimness that comes with the glasses at times kept me from fully entering the frame.        

·        Story Changes:  The source material Edgar Rice Borroughs' Princess of Mars is a century old and never envisioned as a movie.  And having read the book and seeing the trailer I could not always determine how they paralleled.  For example I knew that the Therns a villain group from the second John Carter book The Gods of Mars were added to the movie.  So I was a little confused if the movie adapted one or two books.  First, I now understand why the Therns were added, as the seemed to lack connective material and seemed like thinly connected adventures to me.  The Therns now provide the story a consistent villain.  Second, I still found the movie to honor the original Princess of Mars very well.  Scenes are repurposed.  So Dejah, John and the Thark Sola still take a river voyage but now it is for a different purpose.  And key elements are retained though abbreviated for the delivery of a movie.  So the movie still explains the relationship between Sola and Thark Jeddak, chief, Tars Tarkas, but it is explained in seconds not a chapter. 

·        Tars Tarkas:  If John Carter had one character that I would have critical expectations of it is Thark Jeddak Tars Tarkas.  Tars Tarkas needed to be big, green, fierce, compassionate, loyal and loving all at the same time.  Visually, I was impressed with the green Martian.  Story wise, Tars Tarkas delivered for me. And actor William Defoe delivers in voicing the Jeddak, giving him wisdom, maybe Martian Yoda, mixed with experience.  If I was going to be lost with a character it was Tarkas and I was pleased.  

Tars Tarkas Meets John Carter

·        Is Something Weird Here:  Many of the scenes in this movie include live action and computer generated animated characters in the same frame.  Most of the time this works very successfully.  There is only one scene I can remember where I felt like I could tell that there was a mix of real and animated actors.  But for me most scenes are like the scenes with John, Dejah and Sola canoeing down the river, nothing strange here.  Humans interact with green Martians all the time!  It all seems to blend. 

·        Woola: Woola is a hairless Martian dog, one who loves John Carter.  Now in line I had a conversation with another dad a few years older than me.  The discussion started with Star Wars, led to Jar Jar Binks and climaxed with his hatred of Ewoks.  Now I live on the other side of the Ewok Line as described on How I Met Your Mother.  I’m very okay with Ewoks.  The key is the Ewoks were written to satisfy my young self, where older viewers just found them campy.  Woola is the Ewoks of John Carter.  Older viewers are going to question Woola’s extraordinary abilities, but the Between Kid with me loved it.  Woola is going to make the kids happy.  Now if the movie wasn’t rated PG-13!



The Ewok Line

·        Of Mars?:  When I originally read Princess of Mars, John Carter did not always resonate with me.  Sometimes he seemed unfamiliar.  He was a veteran of the civil war, he had extraordinary abilities on Mars, and sometimes he did not seem nice.  He did not connect with me in the same way as a character like farm boy Luke Skywalker.  Originally the title of this film was John Carter of Mars.  There has been a lot of debate about why they shortened the title artistically and marketing wise.  Now I understand more, John Carter really is John Carter of Earth for most of this film.  They have added to the story to ground him on earth, give him a back story that I can better relate to and in many ways I am more sympathetic to the character in the movie than in the book.  In short, John Carter the man is better fleshed out in the movie and I understand him better now thanks to a few screenwriting additions.

·        Sequel: I want a sequel.  I have seen interviews with Stanton where he points out the movie can stand alone, though he would like a trilogy to be completed.  Yes John Carter could stand alone.  But they have left it open for a second offering.  And knowing the content of the Gods of Mars which they would work from for a sequel they have done an excellent job preparing us for a follow-up.  I’m crossing my fingers this is not a Disney financial write off and hoping for a box office that forces Disney to make a sequel.     

I have not been a fan of Disney sci-fi.  Everyone debates how to fix Tomorrowland.  Tron is a cult classic.  And that is not even addressing animated films like Mars Needs Moms and the critical reaction.  But I won’t complain about John Carter.  Instead I am excited for more adventures on Barsoom.  And I hope enough of us vote by visiting the theater to give Stanton the green light to jump into the next production.