The state and future of animation

[GeffreyDrogon]

If animated films that anyone can enjoy are typically bland, then why are Pixar films so good?

[Randall]

Pixar doesn't typically pander. They just seek to tell great stories, and see what happens. (Certain sequels notwithstanding.) Pixar filmmaking is story-driven, and doesn't worry so much about focus groups or playing it safe. Some other studios just try to copy what they think made a film popular, without bothering to craft a great story.

But Pixar can also afford to take chances. They have money in the bank, a strong reputation, and oodles of talent. Other studios are not so fortunate.

[GeffreyDrogon]

If Studio Ghibli is so acclaimed around the world, then why didn't Disney buy the company, as well as giving up theatrical and home media rights to those films?

[Ben]

Because Ghibli wasn’t for sale, and because Disney only had limited time lengths on distribution (rights that were not pursued after champion John Lasseter excited the company).

[GeffreyDrogon]

Then why was Disney able to buy Pixar, Lucasfilm, Marvel, and 20th Century Fox?

[Randall]

Because they were for sale. And Disney wanted them, as they were valuabe companies. Plus, they are all American companies, making things much easier in many ways.

Is Ghibli even valuable? Debatable. They almost folded not long ago, and the aging Miyazaki remains the soul of the company. Once he finally retires, it seems likely the company will close for good. Producer Suzuki is also getting old, and Takahata is dead. But even at their strongest, their output was really quite small.

And would a Disney buyout even be allowed under Japanese law? I doubt it. Disney doesn't even own any part of Tokyo Disneyland! Yes, they built it and have creative control, but they don't own it.

As for letting go of distribution rights... Disney never put much effort into theatrical releases for Ghibli in the States, and home video sales were likely weak to modest for many Ghibli films, at least by Disney standards. And with Lasseter gone, no one was left to convince the growing corporation to continue licensing another company's output. Disney has plenty of their own properties to exploit already.

[EricJ]

As for letting go of distribution rights... Disney never put much effort into theatrical releases for Ghibli in the States, and home video sales were likely weak to modest for many Ghibli films, at least by Disney standards. And with Lasseter gone, no one was left to convince the growing corporation to continue licensing another company's output. Disney has plenty of their own properties to exploit already.

Plus, Disney seemed to keep brushing aside anything that wasn't Miyazaki (ie. "From the director of the Oscar-winning Spirited Away!"), and those waiting for double disc dips on Takahata and other directors, like "The Cat Returns" and "My Neighbors, the Yamadas" would usually have a long, long wait.
Their ambitions for what they were expecting from the Ghibli deal were shrinking smaller and smaller, and by the time GKids bought the catalog as part of their general marketing for all world-animation titles, they were likely glad to get rid of it.

I don't think it was lingering grudges over Princess Mononoke, as all the acclaim for Spirited made them forget it, but once they thought Miyazaki had "retired" after The Wind Rises, they may have assumed that was the ballgame.

[GeffreyDrogon]

It's strange to see people in the animation industry (like Richard Rich) to step down and retire at an elderly age. I thought he would still be interested in animation because there are other (older) people like Don Bluth and Hayao Miyazaki still working on animation, and they're much older than Rich.

[Ben]

Bluth is still working in animation…?

Sometimes people just burn out and give up. Sure, if Rich had had more success and bigger hits (and freedom, like Miyazaki), he wouldn’t be struggling to make films *and* keep a studio going. And why not retire? He probably had enough of the whole thing, knows he wasn’t making classics for all time, and got to the point where he could sell up and have enough money to just sit back and relax. That’s not strange at all.

[GeffreyDrogon]

Don Bluth is working on a live-action Dragon's Lair series on Netflix as an executive producer...I think.

[GeffreyDrogon]

Correction: Dragon's Lair will be adapted into a live-action film, not a series.

[Ben]

Yes, so that’s not animation, then…

[GeffreyDrogon]

It's odd why most small-studio animated films don't do well, even if they cast well-known veteran actors in them. Honestly, why didn't Alpha and Omega make more than $25 million domestic and $50 million worldwide despite casting actors like Justin Long, Hayden Panettiere, and the late Dennis Hopper? Some movies have actually done very well because they were the last films of certain actors, like the impressive numbers made by The Dark Knight because of Heath Ledger, and Furious 7 because of Paul Walker. Also, Alpha and Omega was about wolves, and that would've attracted a lot of people, especially Furries.

[Ben]

And the merry-go-round broke down… Woo-hoo!

[Randall]

Seriously. Ya gotta let Alpha and Omega go, man.

Little known fact (to the studios): The public rarely cares who voices an animated film, unless it's Robin Williams' Genie. And they won't even find out who does the voices unless there's a massive marketing campaign, which small films can't afford. Which is another reason why they fail, aside from the less impressive animation and often rightfully perceived second-rate status.