How does one create story? Director and screenwriter Andrew Stanton of Pixar fame and the soon to be released John Carter recently discussed this issue at TED. TED (Technology, Entertainment, and Design) offers global conferences for thought leaders where "ideas worth sharing" are discussed.
Warning, there is a usage of profanity in the video.
I found this to provide great insight into how stories are created. And I also enjoyed the window Stanton provides into the early days of Pixar. This is the first time I have heard a Pixar leader discuss their rules including no songs, and how they were pressured to break those rules, or maybe guidelines.
They buy comic books, I borrow some from the library!
They get paid by Disney, I like Disney!
So, let’s make it clear. This really is not a Disney podcast The Josh and Croz Show is a pop culture podcast. Now, Disney does come up as the company creates pop culture consumables. And the hosts get their regular paychecks from the Mouse. But just because they work at Walt Disney Imagineering (WDI) does not mean you are going to hear the inside track on future projects. In fact, you probably won’t. It’s not like I send them the secrets of my job! Okay, their jobs are probably a lot more interesting than mine! Though they have discussed how they got hired by WDI.
I said the show is about pop culture. Well, mostly. Sometimes it is honestly not clear what the show is about. Once they shared an episode that was an hour of giggling early in the morning after working all night on a project, a project they were not at liberty to discuss. And, as awkward as it sounds it was comedy gold! In fact one of my least favorite episodes was when tried to be really really focused on an aspect of the Disney community. I could have gotten the same content from WDW Today, WEDWay Radio, or other podcasts. The show succeeds when they do what they do best, let us eavesdrop on conversations with each other and friends with no boundaries. So if a Disney movie or trip to Disneyland comes up, let it. But if Disney never comes up, the show is just as good.
So why do I listen to Josh and Croz? First, because it’s fascinating to hear creative people talk about pop culture. And there is a mix of Disney items in there to keep me going. Second, they are my barometer of what geeks, like me, should be looking forward to. Third, I don’t read a lot of current comic books, so they help me keep track of the state of printed heroes. Fourth, I love hearing their opinions of movies. Finally, these guys are just funny. These guys can take a Fast Food Adventure, a story typically involving national chain fast food joint and the funny stuff they saw, and make you roll over in laughter.
This is the one Disney related podcast I listen to that I have been able to get friends to listen to because of their pop culture discussions.
I don’t listen because of how regular the show drops. There are long gaps between shows and I just let iTunes manage the download for me. And I don’t listen because they are highly prepared with a clear show plan. Because that clearly does not usually exist!
So like Moustaliga, its personalities that keep me coming back.
When I met one of my best friends for the first time we only talked about Lost, maybe I should watch it someday, and superheroes. Sadly, we should have probably started talking about Star Wars so I could understand how lost he was. It was a conversation that Josh and Croz could have easily have joined in. Thanks for letting us Between Disney laugh with you!
I have been working on cleaning up some of my Disney film history gaps. For some reason 2000 and 2001 must have been a busy time for me because it seems I was not going to Disney movies during those years including 2001’s Atlantis: The Lost Empire starring Michael J. Fox as Milo Thatch. Thatch leads an expedition in 1914 to uncover the lost city of Atlantis. As we would hope from a typical Disney movie, he finds the city and perhaps the heart of Princess Kida. Now with Fox and Leonard Nimoy providing voices I was very willing to say that it was a nerdy movie or a geeky movie but I really fought calling this a Mousey Movie. In the end, I lost:
·Jim Varney: Varney voices “Cookie” the expedition’s chef. Cookie in good western tradition swears to beans but not vegetables. Varney earned his Disney star voicing Slinky Dog in Toy Storyand Toy Story 2, a character you cannot help but love. Varney passed away before the movie was completed and he never saw Atlantis: The Lost Empire, which is dedicated to him.
·Joss Whedon: I about fell out of my chair when I saw Whedon’s writing credit for this film. Whedon got first crack at the script, but left to work on the story for Toy Story. Whedon known for television shows such as Buffy the Vampire Slayerand Fireflyreturns to the House of Mouse this summer as screenwriter and director of The Avengers.
·David Ogden Stiers: Stiers’ voice can be briefly heard as Fenton Q. Harcourt, Thatch’s employer at the Smithsonian Institution. Harcourt is not amused with Thatch’s dream of finding the lost city! Stiers has numerous Disney credits to his name including Cogsworth in Beauty and the Beast. But he can also be found as Governor Ratcliffe (fitting name) in Pocahontas, and Dr. Jumba Jookiba in Lilo and Stitch.
·Jules Verne Style Subs: The animators were charged in this movie to develop submarines, earth movers, hot air balloons, and gliders that would fit in 1914. The submarine that carries Thatch’s expedition, the Ulysses, may not be the Nautilus from 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea but they could definitely be cousins.
·Greed is the Root of All Evil: Like two other Disney movies from this time frame, greed destroys the natural and more innocent ways of the world. It feels as if Atlantis: The Lost Empire, Pochanotus, and Tarzan all came from the same playbook.
·Corey Burton: You probably won’t hear it in the voice, but Burton plays Mole. Mole is the team’s mineralogist and loves dirt, really loves dirt. I cannot hear anything in the voice that gives away the actor. Burton is a voice acting legend with numerous credits ranging from imitating the late Paul Frees, the original Haunted Mansion ghost host, for Disney parks attractions to the current Captain Hook voice in shows like Jake and the Neverland Pirates.
The Between Family enjoyed this feature much more than another from the early 2000s, The Emperor’s New Groove. The movie offers action, cool looking sets, a Disney princess and a somewhat predictable story that fits within the expectations of a Disney film. On a cold day in Betweenland, Atlantis: The Lost Empireis worth a watch.
In March 2012, Disney hopes for a new blockbuster franchise with Andrew Stanton’s John Carter. The movie tells the story of a Civil War veteran transported to Mars, or to the natives, Barsoom. Carter discovers being born and raised in earth gravity that he has superhuman powers and becomes a renowned warrior amongst the Martians.
I have paid a lot of attention to this movie release for three reasons. First, Andrew Stanton from Pixar is leading this effort. This may be his first “live action” film, though can you really call a film with this much computer generated graphics live action, but other Pixar family members such as Brad Bird have been successful in live action offerings. And I really want Stanton to succeed. Second, I missed Pirates of the Caribbean. I was very late to the party, like second movie on DVD late and with the original movie's run I completely was not part of the party. So if John Carteris starting something bigger I want to be there. Third, it has been interesting to watch the reaction to this film. Some claim this will be a huge Disney flop. I have to admit sometimes the trailers have been a little flat to me, though I really enjoyed the 3D version. From those who have seen the movie the reaction has generally been highly positive. I really wonder though if bad press can beat great word of mouth and hinder this film.
Though not an official trailer, this fan made trailer has gotten a lot of fans excited for the film's release.
I think part of the problem is that most moviegoers do not have a lot of background on the John Carter story. Edgar Rice Burroughs, who also created Tarzan, introduced John Carter in 1912 in the serialized story, “Under the Moon of Mars.” The story was published in 1917 in novel form as 1917 as A Princess of Mars. Those dates are correct, yes this movie is based on a story that is a 100 years old. And I will say for a tale that old, you will find the story to be engaging with interesting conflicts, characters, and cultures. It was the cultures that shocked me the most as Burroughs carefully crafted his world and its interesting biological and societal rules. I really recommend reading A Princess of Mars which can be found as a free EBook.
Disney realized that not everyone is familiar with the stories behind John Carterand its history so they have created this video to help orientate potential audience members.
There have been times that I have questioned my support but I am still being positive about John Carter. It is based on enjoyable source material and has a director with a proven track record. I hope other movie goers do the same and perhaps Stanton will have a chance for more Carter movies in the future.
"This post is part of the Disney Blog Carnival. Head over there to see more great Disney-related posts and articles.
More Mouse Tales: A Closer Peek Backstage at Disneyland by David Koenig picks up where his earlier book Mouse Talesleft off. He continues to explore the Disneyland Park and share stories of accidents, deaths, guest and cast member misbehavior and in general provides a look into the aspects of Disneyland that Disney executives would like to keep hidden from the typical guest. Koenig shares his stories in a land by land tour of the park, linking his collected tales, from past cast members and non-Disney sources, to the attraction or show the incident occurred. Other topics he details include a deeper look into Disney security, the business of parks and being a cast member. Koenig laments the late 1990s in which Disney managed invested less in park infrastructure and staffing, to the detriment of the guest experience and safety.
This book follows the same model as Mouse Tales and like the original is highly enjoyable. Honestly, I preferred Mouse Tales more when I originally read it, but that was a time when this sort of insider look to me was a somewhat new experience. I do believe that More Mouse Talescould serve as an enjoyable entry point to Koenig’s writings. As with the first offering, I found this book helped me have a deeper enjoyment of the parks as it helped me see behind the scenes so I could bore my family members with useless trivia. Especially interesting to me was Koenig’s discussion of The Jungle Cruise and changes in management and battles over spiel philosophies. Koenig offers another informative and entertaining book that should find a home in any well rounded Disney library.
The Between Family may
be a little late to the party, but recently we have picked up a copy of Kinect Disneyland Adventures. And
it has led the family to a whole new level of Dreaming Disney as we have
experienced a little piece of Disneyland right in our living room. You
can get a full review of the game elsewhere including walk throughs and
technical specifications. Instead I plan to provide you our observations
about using the game to connect to the Disney Parks experience.
Take a walk in the park!
·You
really are navigating through Disneyland. And the Between Kids love
walking around and trying to go from point A to point B.
They could use the map to jump right to the mini games they want, but they are
more satisfied when their character walks there on their own.
·The
graphics and soundtrack make you feel like you are really at Disneyland from
your living room. The background music is Disneyland background music.
The buildings are Disneyland show buildings. Kinect Disneyland Adventure
is likely the best virtual representation of the Disneyland Park that a family
can have in their living room.
·The
Between Kids love interacting with the park and hugging characters and
gathering autographs though we are nowhere near Disneyland.
Bring on the mini games!
·Players
do not ride the Disneyland rides per say, but instead plays mini games that have
links to the ride. So on the Matterhorn you ski with Goofy and have a
snowball fight with the Yeti. On Pirates of the Caribbean you battle
alligators and seek treasure. And in The Many Adventures of Winnie the
Pooh, you experience a completely random set of scenes, sorry that’s the ride.
I mean you float on a balloon gathering coins and honey pots. Though not
the rides themselves they are in the spirit of the rides.
·The
Between Family are not big gamers. But overall these games are easy to play and
even the youngest Between Kid can navigate through the games and control the
action on the screen.
Move It,
Move It!
·During
the winter I worry that the active Between Kids don’t have enough opportunity
to work off their excess energy. And I do not like them sitting
stationary in front of a television if we can avoid it. Instead with this
game they are moving moving moving. They have to reach, grasp, jump,
shuffle and move to make the mini games work, making happy Between
Parents.
Not all
animation is created equal.
·Some
of the animation in the setup scenes and mini games is really terrific.
Which makes it clear when animated scenes are not, well, that good. For
example the Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh scenes just does not compare to
well to others.
In or
Out?
·The
Between Family is not skilled with the Kinect yet. So we find it
relatively easy to be dropped in and out of the game by the X-Box. Now
one advantage this gives is easy handoffs so members of the family can easily
take turns without the game having to be turned off. But it also means
sometimes it is easy to accidently drop yourself out of the game because you
did not move enough or stood in the wrong place without knowing it, even if you
are an adult.
·The
game assigns players an avatar. With dropping in and out occurring
sometimes it is difficult to realize which avatar you are. Am I the girl
right now? Am I wearing a hat? It can get a little confusing.
Oui my
back!
·I
have a history of back issues. Strangely enough I have never had back
issues when visiting a Disney Park, I have felt very lucky about this. Kinect Disneyland Adventures is the
first game I ever played with Kinect. And I strained my back, my first
Disney related back issue. I was trying to walk through the park instead
of pointing my character through the park. This lead to what could only
be called a “silly walk.” So I would suggest game players if it feels
weird, you may be doing it wrong!
Despite
any negative points here, The Between Family love this game. It is the
perfect game for Disney fans connecting you in an active way to the Disneyland
Park in your living room. It is a whole bunch of awesome. Every
member of the family enjoys playing! It has brought one of our favorite
places virtually into our home and in a way where we can interact with it.
