The state and future of animation

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Why did Alpha and Omega get a fandom?

Post by GeffreyDrogon » July 18th, 2021, 7:31 pm

One thing that bothers me is why in the world did something like Alpha and Omega get a fandom? It makes no sense because it wasn't a great movie to begin with, not even a good one either. I understand why people may think a Romeo-and-Juliet style inter-class romance works well, but the way it was set up in that film made no sense.

Believe me, I like wolves (and canines in general), but I grew out of AAO in subsequent years after realizing how mediocre it is. I don't know why people think it's a good movie despite doing its research only to just WING IT. Cue the wolves on their hind legs dancing suggestively. I also think the movie had a mortally missed opportunity at worldbuilding, as what one commented on a video review by Dumbsville, "The only thing that was prioritized was the romance itself."

What do you all think?

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Re: Why did Alpha and Omega get a fandom?

Post by Randall » July 18th, 2021, 8:00 pm

I really wasn't aware that anyone cared about Alpha and Omega. And I've never watched it, though I was astounded to learn there had been sequels! So, I guess I'm not the best person to answer that. :)

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Re: Why did Alpha and Omega get a fandom?

Post by EricJ » July 18th, 2021, 11:17 pm

About the only "fandom" I've ever seen of it is the Furry fandom that seems to latch on to the 90's Wannabe era for identifiable characters, and...that's a whole different category.

(Personally, thought the wolves in "Sheep & Wolves" were hotter, but...ahem, from what I hear, anyway. :oops: )

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Re: Is the future of animation hopeless?

Post by GeffreyDrogon » July 20th, 2021, 3:02 pm

I don't understand why Furries would fall for mediocre animated films with characters that appeal to them instead of better works.

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Why did Crest Animation go bankrupt?

Post by GeffreyDrogon » July 23rd, 2021, 2:52 pm

It still makes no sense that if Alpha and Omega was successful enough to get seven direct-to-video sequels and a fandom, then why did Crest Animation go bankrupt?

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Why are small studios not that successful with animation?

Post by GeffreyDrogon » July 23rd, 2021, 4:11 pm

A question I am wondering is when it comes to animation, why aren't small studios and distributors that successful with animation, while only big studios like Disney and Universal have success with animation? It makes no sense why The Nut Job, Hoodwinked, and Gnomeo and Juliet got sequels that made far less money than the original movies despite said films being well-liked.

It also makes no sense that Despicable Me was such a success when a decade prior, Universal's other animated films released in theaters typically did so poorly (i.e. Balto), and that movie came from a small studio.

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Re: Why are small studios not that successful with animation?

Post by Dacey » July 23rd, 2021, 4:52 pm

I'm not sure if it's accurate to say Balto came from a "smaller studio," since it was from Spielberg's Amblin Entertainment, which had found great success with American Tail and Land Before Time. Worth noting is Balto didn't get much of a marketing boost, and at the time it opened (right before Christmas), a little movie called Toy Story was still cleaning up the box office.

Also worth noting is that Balto still found an audience, even if not in theaters, thanks to home video and especially being shown over and over again on The Disney Channel (seriously, they aired the movie like every other week back in the day). That's how it, for better or for worse, got its own sequels.

With Despicable Me, Universal had marketed that film for an entire year before it came out. They had built it up as a big deal, and since it ended up being a fun movie with broad appeal, it became a very leggy hit (especially since it came out when 3-D was still lucrative for cinemas).

As for Hoodwinked, it was well-liked around these parts--it seems everyone here enjoyed it--but critics were much harsher on the film. The sequel, however, kept getting delayed and delayed (Burger King had the toys a whole year BEFORE it came out), resulting in it bombing. As for The Nut Job, that film had a decent opening largely due to no new competition for the family market, but even then, Frozen had jumped back ahead of it in no time.
"Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift--that is why it's called the present."

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Re: The state and future of animation

Post by GeffreyDrogon » July 23rd, 2021, 7:11 pm

I don't know why the sequels to The Nut Job and Gnomeo and Juliet did so poorly at the box office, even though their predecessors were successful. It's also strange why Crest Animation had to shut down despite Alpha and Omega being successful, especially on DVD.

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Re: The state and future of animation

Post by Dacey » July 23rd, 2021, 7:20 pm

I actually thought that Sherlock Gnomes was—and I know Ben will agree with this—quite funny and even delightful, but again, by that point seven years had gone by. Also, the original had the marketing muscle of Disney behind it. The sequel didn’t,

As for Crest, eventually you aren’t able to pay the bills sometimes. One film being a modest enough success on home video to spawn a “franchise” won’t stop that.
"Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift--that is why it's called the present."

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Re: The state and future of animation

Post by GeffreyDrogon » July 23rd, 2021, 9:26 pm

Why wouldn't a film being successful on home video save a corporation? Crest could've been sold to Lionsgate or Disney. Why couldn't making a theatrical sequel to Alpha and Omega be made to save that company?

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Re: The state and future of animation

Post by GeffreyDrogon » July 23rd, 2021, 9:36 pm

Here is a good article about Crest Animation, back in the middle of 2013...
https://vfxsoldier.wordpress.com/2013/0 ... ts-unpaid/

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What if Richard Rich returned to Disney?

Post by GeffreyDrogon » July 26th, 2021, 6:34 pm

I was thinking about what happened with Crest Animation, and I wonder, would Richard Rich be able to return to Disney, and would he be accepted in some department?

If Richard Rich was such a long-time veteran animator at Disney, then why is his work in general considered mediocre? If he directed The Fox and the Hound, wouldn't he have the potential to do wonders in animation? Would Bob Iger accept him, or would Rich be turned down?

It also makes no sense that if Richard Rich had decades in experience, then why are the sequels toAlpha and Omega and The Swan Princess so bad? He seems to really like animation, then why is he considered by most people as mediocre?

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Re: The state and future of animation

Post by Randall » July 26th, 2021, 10:28 pm

Experience doesn't equate with excellence. They are two different things. Though he deserves respect for keeping his studio going for so long, and he managed a handsome production or two, his films are not seen as all that great.

Also, Rich is 70 years old. I don't necessarily see him snooping around for work at this point.

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Re: What if Richard Rich returned to Disney?

Post by EricJ » July 28th, 2021, 1:40 am

GeffreyDrogon wrote:
July 26th, 2021, 6:34 pm
If Richard Rich was such a long-time veteran animator at Disney, then why is his work in general considered mediocre? If he directed The Fox and the Hound, wouldn't he have the potential to do wonders in animation?
And TF&tH is an example of a NON-mediocre Rich film??

(I certainly don't recall that impression in the theater... :? )

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Re: The state and future of animation

Post by Daniel » July 30th, 2021, 2:31 pm

Technically, he was *one* of the directors...

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