Disney Just Bought LUCASFILM LTD. = Star Wars Franchise

[chartle]

Originally Posted by pharmermickey

Is there any way they could give the Imagineers access to ILM? I don't know exactly how that would work, but just the idea of it is wondrous. What might they do in the parks with those toys?

Sure Disney would own ILM.

But ILM is pretty much visual movie effects, effects that Disney has already used them for.

[lockedoutlogic]

Originally Posted by chartle

Sure Disney would own ILM.

But ILM is pretty much visual movie effects, effects that Disney has already used them for.

Correct on all accounts....

Disney is now the owner of ILM and Sywalker Sound...the two main technical houses that were originally spawned for starwars because hollywood had nobody that could do the job. (ILM immediately...the sound later)

But as stated....ilm is not "imagineering"...it doesn't build stuff other than models and tools to aid in digital imaging and special effects.

Disney has used ILM for many movies...narnia and the pirates of the caribbean franchise as well as countless others.

But they don't build rides....at least not beyond some consulting or film production for them.

This doesn't change any of that....and hopefully it doesn't really shake up imagineering or ilm.

This is about CONTENT.
as in the mouse has alot more money, time, and energy to use the lucas characters...star wars being the crown jewel. (yes...it has declined...and that is the gamble/challenge)

You hope that the pricetag brings a certain level of understood committment from disney...as in they know that their product is a juggernaut, but has been tarnished and needs alot of reorganization/ devotion.

And that i hope brings the understanding that...
A. In order to continue with endless merchandise (and its disney...thats the ultimate prize) the brand needs to be injected with more quality to continue.
B. New movies, tv, products, theme parks ventures HAVE to be fantastic - because the franchise is listing some from the last ten years of junk. Not necessarily in profits in the short term but in lasting value for future generations.
C. This had better be done right...cause this is a major play and it affects the company longterm if they don't manage to turn it around. i.e. they best not being doing it to do more DVD re-releases and sling the same low quality merch that we have seen on shelves for the last 10 years.

I'm 50/50 on this...hopeful that based on the marvel acquisition Disney understands that it should let the characters breathe and put more value into quality and the creative people behind it (as opposed to late Eisnerian slash and burn of creative talent in house)
...but apprehensive that they could just want to peddle the same junk.

All will be told when they release the next movie. If the decision is made that it HAS to be a top notch film...with actual people being the focus - not computer created garbage...then they can reset the dial to when star wars was legendary/ revered...but lots of questions

[DCTooTall]

Ya know....

With Lucas out of the "direct" picture, I'm wondering if we might FINALLY get a HD/modern format version of the ORIGINAL films.

...As in... The Classic Han shoots first, Practical Model X-wings, Pre-Lucas 'Fixing' versions of the movies that I'd personally LOVE to see again in their original groundbreaking and slightly cheesy glory.

[t_daniels]

Originally Posted by DCTooTall

Ya know....

With Lucas out of the "direct" picture, I'm wondering if we might FINALLY get a HD/modern format version of the ORIGINAL films.

...As in... The Classic Han shoots first, Practical Model X-wings, Pre-Lucas 'Fixing' versions of the movies that I'd personally LOVE to see again in their original groundbreaking and slightly cheesy glory.

Okay. Excuse my ignorance. But the Han shoots first, what's up with that? Was it something changed?

[jamarmiller]

Personally I prefer the new versions of the original trilogy ( except the han shoots 2nd change ) I think they are major improvements over the original versions, HOWEVER I can understand how some fans who grew up with it might want the original unaltered versions on Blue Ray

Just not me as again I love the newer versions EVERYTHING, except the han shoots 2nd thing

[MADnNOLA]

You've got to love some of the Photoshop pictues showing up!

[IMG][/IMG]

[DCTooTall]

Originally Posted by t_daniels

Okay. Excuse my ignorance. But the Han shoots first, what's up with that? Was it something changed?

In the original version of the first movie, Han shot Greedo first before Greedo had a chance to shoot.

Then in the mid-90's, Lucas introduced the 'Special Edition'. While the Special Edition did introduce some nice updated CGI effects, and restored a few deleted scenes... it also introduced Lucas' tendency to make seemingly minor changes that ended up doing a lot more to mess with the films. He added Greedo Shooting first, a rather cheap looking CGI head-bob from Han to dodge the shot, and THEN Han shooting Greedo.

The Greedo shot first was drastic change to the original film that many fans strongly disliked. The dislike stemmed from various factors such as it was seen as Lucas messing with a classic, to the feelings that it impacted and ultimately changed Han's character development and motivations.

In the Later Blue-ray release, Lucas attempted to address some of this by shortening the delay between the Greedo shot and Han shot to an almost same-time firing.... But it's still not the same.

Another item many people miss from the original versions of the film are items like "Yub-dub" during the Ewok celebration at the end of Jedi, as well as Annakin appearing as his older self as a jedi-ghost, instead of the prequel actor.

While there are some aspects of the Special Editions (and later 'fixes' to the film) I enjoy... I think it would be nice to be able to actually see the ORIGINAL version of the film again.

Originally Posted by jamarmiller

Personally I prefer the new versions of the original trilogy ( except the han shoots 2nd change ) I think they are major improvements over the original versions, HOWEVER I can understand how some fans who grew up with it might want the original unaltered versions on Blue Ray

Just not me as again I love the newer versions EVERYTHING, except the han shoots 2nd thing

Again, I enjoy some of the updates.... But at the same time, I'd like being able to see (and own) the original versions again as well. I see it as the difference between a Theatrical cut of a film, and a Directors cut. Sometimes both versions have their own advantages and disadvantages that can be enjoyed differently by equally.

[ABE4DISNEY]

Originally Posted by MADnNOLA

You've got to love some of the Photoshop pictues showing up!

[IMG][/IMG]

Outrageously funny!

[XGrumpy1]

I was panning down the pictures and right before I got to the Death Star, the wife said "They should put the mouse ears on the Death Star" and then I panned down.

[lockedoutlogic]

Originally Posted by DCTooTall

In the original version of the first movie, Han shot Greedo first before Greedo had a chance to shoot.

Then in the mid-90's, Lucas introduced the 'Special Edition'. While the Special Edition did introduce some nice updated CGI effects, and restored a few deleted scenes... it also introduced Lucas' tendency to make seemingly minor changes that ended up doing a lot more to mess with the films. He added Greedo Shooting first, a rather cheap looking CGI head-bob from Han to dodge the shot, and THEN Han shooting Greedo.

The Greedo shot first was drastic change to the original film that many fans strongly disliked. The dislike stemmed from various factors such as it was seen as Lucas messing with a classic, to the feelings that it impacted and ultimately changed Han's character development and motivations.

In the Later Blue-ray release, Lucas attempted to address some of this by shortening the delay between the Greedo shot and Han shot to an almost same-time firing.... But it's still not the same.

Another item many people miss from the original versions of the film are items like "Yub-dub" during the Ewok celebration at the end of Jedi, as well as Annakin appearing as his older self as a jedi-ghost, instead of the prequel actor.

While there are some aspects of the Special Editions (and later 'fixes' to the film) I enjoy... I think it would be nice to be able to actually see the ORIGINAL version of the film again.

Again, I enjoy some of the updates.... But at the same time, I'd like being able to see (and own) the original versions again as well. I see it as the difference between a Theatrical cut of a film, and a Directors cut. Sometimes both versions have their own advantages and disadvantages that can be enjoyed differently by equally.

Agree...and the greedo thing wasn't even in my top three...

One of the biggest, most unforgivable "tweak" has to be the insertion of the darth vader "shuttle sequence" into the escape from cloud city at the end Of empire...
In the original...the piece of music that lead from "no...I am your father" to Luke falling to leia turning back to get Luke was entitled "Losing a Hand". It was a great piece of score...
And then it transitioned into "Hyperspace"...the rising strings that watched the millennium falcon escape into hyperspace and set up Jedi...

He inserted a couple of boring sequences...ironically almost identical to the shuttle sequence at the beginning of return of the Jedi (15 years earlier) that added nothing...and ruined one of the best parts of that or any John Williams score. The music is part of the soul of the movie...if it ain't broke - don't fix it.
Particularly with this sequence in empire and the best scene of the whole series: yoda lifting the ship out if the swamp. (Which was the best "Jedi" moment to date...as we painfully realized after the prequels)

Bad judgement.

The other complaint that sticks out is Han Solo saying to lando "it's alright...I can see a lot better" before he shoots the tentacle away and pulls him to safety in ROJ. (The pit sequence being the most pure fun sequence of any Star Wars movie)
The original line: "it's alright...trust me" fit the character. The new line was just plain stupid...and seems to dumb down the sequence (if possible).
Again...bad...and the harbinger of things to come.

[chartle]

Originally Posted by t_daniels

Okay. Excuse my ignorance. But the Han shoots first, what's up with that? Was it something changed?

It also has its own Wikipedia page.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Han_shot_first

And a number of t shirts

[t_daniels]

Originally Posted by chartle

It also has its own Wikipedia page.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Han_shot_first

And a number of t shirts

I had seen the shirts and heard the catch phrase, just never caught why!

Thanks, all!

[Josh Hendy]

This is very logical and I think it could result in some very good rides in the parks. I read a biography of Lucas years ago where he said that Disneyland was a huge influence to him, to the extent that as teenagers he and his brother would create miniature "environments" (3D dioramas) at home under the inspiration of what they saw at DL. One of the best things about the SW movies are the incredibly detailed and cool-looking planets and the virtual "rides" they slip into every film.

I have a beef with the Star Wars franchise as a whole though ... the first movie in its original form was one of my all-time favorites, but they got worse and worse after that. Boring and incomprehensible plots, wooden characters (except the bit where Anakin goes bad), endless, boring CG battle scenes, stupid dialog and worst of all, ridiculously stupid racial stereotyping (Jar Jar the idiot Jamaican, the hook-nosed middle-eastern junk dealer, and the greedy and stupid Chinese traders). There is a very funny (and somewhat disturbing) youtube out there where a guy analyzes the Phantom Menace and absolutely exposes it as a piece of junk compared to the earlier films. His analysis of the first minute of A New Hope compared to the opening of Phantom Menace is devastating ... and if you don't laugh at the part where he shows the Lucasfilm executives trying to look happy and not tell Lucas that his movie is lousy after the first screening of Phantom Menace then your heart is made of stone ... just google "Phantom Menace Review".

The re-tooling of the older movies was I believe an exercise in pure greed ... Lucas vandalized his own classic films, changing and updating as many frames of the movies as possible so that he could say that they are virtually new movies and thus claim all of the royalties from future sales rather than letting the money go to the original investors. After the E.T. fiasco Spielberg was shamed by the writers of South Park into leaving Raiders untouched, but evidently Lucas has no shame. It's his movie franchise and his life, he can do whatever he wants, but I reserve the right to disrespect and chastise him for turning himself from a fine filmmaker into a desperate hack.

So here's my take ... Disney people are pretty smart, as smart as Lucas, and even better than that, being a publicly traded company they are forced to actually listen to the ideas and opinions of other smart people, adapt to them and learn from them ... as opposed to locking yourself up in an isolated ranch, counting the money you get from toy sales and then writing and directing 3 entire movies of complete drivel with no other input except from toadlicking employees. So I'm sure that Star Wars movies and TV shows will get better from here on, and the attractions spun off from them will be great.

[HubbDave]

Originally Posted by Josh Hendy

This is very logical and I think it could result in some very good rides in the parks. I read a biography of Lucas years ago where he said that Disneyland was a huge influence to him, to the extent that as teenagers he and his brother would create miniature "environments" (3D dioramas) at home under the inspiration of what they saw at DL. One of the best things about the SW movies are the incredibly detailed and cool-looking planets and the virtual "rides" they slip into every film.

I have a beef with the Star Wars franchise as a whole though ... the first movie in its original form was one of my all-time favorites, but they got worse and worse after that.
.

Wait...ESB was a step back????

Agree otherwise...

[GreenCntryGirl]

Originally Posted by HubbDave

Wait...ESB was a step back????

Agree otherwise...

"Empire Strikes Back" was the best of all of them because Lucas didn't direct it or write the screenplay, IMO.

He didn't direct "Return of the Jedi" but he wrote it.

I still remember doing my own version of Luke's "Noooooooo!!!!!!" when someone in my class spoiled the ending for me before I saw it.

I fixed that with "Return of the Jedi" by standing in line for hours on opening day!