I don't really see how this can be a good thing.

http://nymag.com/daily/entertainment/2009/08/breaking_disney_buys_marvel.html

Now you will need to go to the mall to get spidey stuff, and NOBODY will be marketing the stuff without lots of dinero...yikes..

Oh, crap.

Just think, soon, you could be buying Mouse claws or Wolverine ears. Either way, it sounds bad.....

For those who haven't seen the news, Disney has purchased Marvel Entertainment for 4 billion dollars.

For now all current movie deals with other studios will remain in place. Down the road though don't be surprised if you see Marvel characters in movies produced by Disney. Much the same way movies based on DC characters are produced by parent company Time-Warner.

Should be interesting to see how much influence Disney exerts on Marvel.

Whoopsie! Didn't see that Zorro has already covered this in his Uh-Oh thread.

Sorry, Zorro! Didn't mean to intrude on your post.

Oh dear God, NOOOOO!!

Shakka...when the walls fell!

The devil jest went out shipping for some snowshoes.

Just think how sanitized the books may become now.

[han solo voice] I've got a bad feeling about this [/han solo voice]

This will end in fire.

Sean

I'm not saying it's a bad thing. I'm also not saying it's a good thing. We'll just have to wait and see what developes and what Disney does with their new aquisition. Should be interesting, to say the least.

Zack and Cody join The X-Men! Miley Cyrus as the She-Hulk!

I've always liked Disney's "The Rocketeer" but it does suffer from vanilla.

The last thing Disney management wants is for the Marvel brand to become Disney-fied. Despite what fanboys may think, these guys are not idiots.

Just as it's been within Disney's best interest to let Miramax make Miramax films and to let Pixar make Pixar films, it will be in their best interest to let Marvel make Marvel films. Whether or not this last part is a good thing will depend on your feelings re: Marvel's films. At any rate, from a qualitative perspective, there is unlikely to be any change one way or the other.

The last thing Disney management wants is for the Marvel brand to become Disney-fied. Despite what fanboys may think, these guys are not idiots.

At any rate, from a qualitative perspective, there is unlikely to be any change one way or the other.

I have to agree. I don't think we will see any changes.

No, they're not idiots, they're merciless profiteers who know how to squeeze every last penny out of a product they can. They know how to expose kids to their brands at a very early age, knowing those same kids will beg Mom and Dad to spend their money on Disney movies, Disney merchandise, Disney etc.

I don't know what you see in your own kids' lunchrooms, but I've seen a Disney Channel "Got Milk" poster hanging in every one I've visited. Sometimes more than one. My own girls didn't even know what "High School Musical" was until songs from it were included in school pageants.

Marvel has few runaway, untouchable successes. Spider-Man does well, Iron Man is currently hot ... after that, who except a bunch of old guys (like me) is going to care if Dr. Strange is turned into a slightly sexualized teenage knockoff of Harry Potter and featured in his own animated blockbuster? Oooh ... and couldn't Power Pack make a terrific weekday afternoon show on the Disney Channel?

This is a company already struggling to find new ways to interpret well-known characters. It has milked most of the best fairy tales and probably is not happy that The Hunchback of Notre Dame and The Emperor's New Groove don't have the marketing power of Beauty and the Beast or Snow White. Now it has hundreds of new possibilities.

I hate to think that the day is coming when I'll start turning my kids away from the Fantastic Four as aggressively as I now do Hannah Montana.

^ Very well said, Todd.

Sean

The last thing Disney management wants is for the Marvel brand to become Disney-fied. Despite what fanboys may think, these guys are not idiots.

No, they are not...but, it is fun to make fun of them :thumbsup:

...they're merciless profiteers who know how to squeeze every last penny out of a product they can.

Please, don't hold back! LOL!

I will respectfully disagree. From my parents taking me to see Pinocchio and Herbie when I was a boy to the Illuminations, Fantasmic, and SpectraMagic displays I saw in Orlando this August, I feel Disney is quite right to celebrate it's success. For a while in my 20's I was very anti-Disney, very anti-captialistic, but as I've worked as an adult in entertainment I've seen that Disney, though hitting some bumps during the Eisner years, has consistently understood the marketing of story-telling. You don't have to like that it sells well to kids, but I don't see how anyone can stand in Disneyland (Anaheim, please!) and not admit to the high polish Disney can bring to the smallest detail.

That's my take anyway, but then I don't have kids who are tempted by every little Disney trinket they see in the store or on the tube.

BTW, I was involved with one of the first five live high school productions of High School Musical. We sold out all 8 perfomances, $12 a ticket, in a 900 seat auditorium. You do the math. I tell ALL of my collegues working anywhere to hold your nose and DO THAT SHOW! You're theatre program will be set for next five years!!! I promise that everyone who came to see our show was happy to see it and the performers wish that every production of Shakespeare we've done was as well received.

John O.

Those films you mention are also 40+ years old...ie: made in an era when Disney actually gave a little bit of a damn about anything other than the bottom line. In the worst recession since the depression, Disney actually raised their admission prices again this year.

They are motivated by nothing but the profit margin. We can also probably kiss any Marvel based kits goodbye for the same reason you've never seen an authorixed Nautilus kit...licensing fees that make profitability for anyone other than Disney impossible.

Disney's take on "family values" has been on life support for 20 years or more. They just finally pulled the plug...

No, they're not idiots, they're merciless profiteers who know how to squeeze every last penny out of a product they can. They know how to expose kids to their brands at a very early age, knowing those same kids will beg Mom and Dad to spend their money on Disney movies, Disney merchandise, Disney etc.

I’m a little confused.

Are you angry with Disney for effectively and aggressively marketing their products, or are you mad at Disney for making products in the first place? I realize there are plenty of folks out there who regard Disney as an evil empire, but as the father of two boys (5 and 9) let me assure you that there are at least two children on this planet whose minds have not been enslaved nor souls damned by the Disney Machine. Come to think of it, aside from one or two Pixar DVDs, I can’t think of one Disney-related item my kids have ever “begged” me to purchase. Now, Star Wars Legos and action figures are another matter…

This is a company already struggling to find new ways to interpret well-known characters. It has milked most of the best fairy tales and probably is not happy that The Hunchback of Notre Dame and The Emperor's New Groove don't have the marketing power of Beauty and the Beast or Snow White. Now it has hundreds of new possibilities.

The assumption seems to be that Disney will wreak creative havoc with Marvel’s characters. Seems to me Marvel is perfectly capable of doing this without any help from Disney, but in any case I doubt the filmmakers will complain too strenuously about a company that aggressively markets their films. If you’re concerned about the effects this marketing will have on your children I can only offer the suggestion that perhaps you discuss the matter with them. In my experience kids are far smarter and much less susceptible to corporate marketing ploys than we sometimes give them credit for.

I hate to think that the day is coming when I'll start turning my kids away from the Fantastic Four as aggressively as I now do Hannah Montana.

I know bupkus about Hannah Montana, but Disney can’t do anything to Fantastic Four that Roger Corman, Marvel, and 20th Century Fox haven’t already done. Come to think of it the best F4 movie yet made is probably The Incredibles – a film I hope Disney/Pixar will continue to milk in whatever ways they see fit. God forbid some impressionable youngster gets tricked into seeing one of the best films of the decade.

They are motivated by nothing but the profit margin.

Who is this "they?" The stockholders? The management? The marketing department? The gang at Disney/Pixar who are responsible for making some of the best family films anyone has ever made?

I'm sorry, but making it hard for Moebius to get a merchandising meeting ranks pretty low in the annals of Corporate Cruelty.

At any rate, my point here isn't that Disney is a benevolent force for goodness and light. My point is that Marvel could (and has) done a lot worse than what a partnership with Disney is likely to yield creatively.

I bet Universal is pissed...they have a whole section of Islands of adventure dedicated to Marvel.....

I know bupkus about Hannah Montana, but Disney can’t do anything to Fantastic Four that Roger Corman, Marvel, and 20th Century Fox haven’t already done.

That's an easy shot and a good one Carson. Except that Marvel Studios didn't have anything to do with those turkeys. That's my main concern. As a cinematic superhero "fanboy", Marvel's handling of "Iron Man", and "The Incredible Hulk" has been very encouraging for those of us who care about this stuff (continuity, fidelity, etc.) Disney may leave them well enough alone, as you say, but we all know about "corporate creep".

That said, my daughter loves "Hannah Montana" and I can't say that I find anything offensive about that show.

I bet Universal is pissed...they have a whole section of Islands of adventure dedicated to Marvel.....

Something tells me Universal's lawyers are at this very moment scrutinizing their theme park licensing and merchandising contracts with Marvel in excruciating detail.

Marvel's handling of "Iron Man", and "The Incredible Hulk" has been very encouraging for those of us who care about this stuff

I'm with you on "Iron Man." As for the Hulk, I stand by my previous comments re: Marvel's creative track record.

I'm with you on "Iron Man." As for the Hulk, I stand by my previous comments re: Marvel's creative track record.

And I'll just say what I've always said: "What exactly would constitute a good Hulk movie?" When your source material is a big green guy who smashes things, there's only so much you can do. :p

Those films you mention are also 40+ years old...ie: made in an era when Disney actually gave a little bit of a damn about anything other than the bottom line. In the worst recession since the depression, Disney actually raised their admission prices again this year.

Yes, those films are 40+ plus years old ...thanks for reminding me how old I am :hat: ...and my point was that I see direct lineage with those films to the new presentations I saw in Orlando just weeks ago.

Okay, Disney raised their prices. I'm not sure I see your point. Did you expect them to go down? The place isn't Walmart or Target, it's where you go to spend the very most for family entertainment. Seriously, people write books about how to plan and get the most out of a Disney vaction.

John O.

Plainly, I don't like Disney. Not everything about Disney (I've enjoyed most everything I've seen from Pixar), but a lot of it.

My problem is that I believe the modern Disney produces a whole lot of really awful stuff, particularly for the Disney Channel. If you don't have a problem with it then that's your prerogative, but much of it bothers me. The shows themselves bother me, and the way, as I see it, kids are exploited again and again to make these shows bothers me.

Well ... it all bothered me up until I turned it off for the last time about four years ago. What I've seen and heard since just confirms my determination to stay away.

And I'm bothered that the company can still get by claiming it's the embodiment of family entertainment when, in truth, the Disney of 1960 is nothing like the Disney of today.

The company's ability to sell itself so efficiently is indeed capitalistic. To me, Disney has become sort of the like Wal-Mart of movie studios. It's big, it's everywhere, it has a bottomless bank account and it's ruthless. I shop at Wal-Mart every now and then, but I always walk out feeling like I did something I shouldn't have, and also with one bag of stuff I didn't need and shouldn't have wasted my money on.

I think I became permanently suspicious of Disney when Peggy Lee had to sue for royalties on home video distribution of Lady and the Tramp.

The marketing people at Disney ARE very good at making money.

It seemed that everytime a Disney movie was released, they had Toys 'R' Us and Wal*Mart displays at the entrances and by the registers. No matter how good or bad the movie was, the amount of merchandise for each movie was incredible. As far as I could tell, all of their movies were either called masterpieces, classics, or sold as part of some golden collection. Sure people fall for much of their hoopla and they end up spending enormous sums of money. However, this is a capitalistic society. It's legal, and people can choose NOT to buy what they're selling. Parents who cave to their kids who simply MUST have something from one of their movies have nobody to blame but themselves. You're the boss---not them. If they hate you for NOT buying whatever it is they want, then you probably need to figure out what you did wrong as a parent. Don't blame Disney. I wasn't happy when Disney refused to lower the prices on their laserdiscs to anything lower than $39.99 for CAV and $29.99 for CLV versions. So, I just didn't buy their movies. Others could have done the same and forced them to lower their prices. Evidently not enough people chose to do what I did, so the prices stayed high. Did I cry and fuss about it? NO! I just spent my money on OTHER things.

As for whether Disney buying Marvel is a good thing or bad. Who knows? If the next few Marvel character adaptations do badly, then I imagine there will be a reboot or remake a few years later......and that will probably continue to happen over and over again. Of course, Disney could always choose to divest themselves of Marvel at some point, but I don't think so. Just think.....Super Goof in the Avengers.....a modern day Impossible Man! Holey Moley.....we could even see the first movie starring the not-so-original Captain Marvel of the original Kree Imperial Militia! Photographer Peter Parker gets hired for a Hannah Montana publicity shoot! The wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey mind boggles!

A few days ago I was reading that Marvel was set to make big bucks with their upcoming movies. And Wham. It's an investment, not creative.

When your source material is a big green guy who smashes things, there's only so much you can do. :p

I read Hulk comics for 10 years, and it wasn't because I was wondering what he would smash this month.
There's a story there. But Hollywood Don't Read.
"just give me the jist of it." "He's big, green, and smashes stuff.""Got it. Lots of cgi. people love cgi."

If you don't have a problem with it then that's your prerogative, but much of it bothers me. The shows themselves bother me, and the way, as I see it, kids are exploited again and again to make these shows bothers me.
SNIP
And I'm bothered that the company can still get by claiming it's the embodiment of family entertainment when, in truth, the Disney of 1960 is nothing like the Disney of today.

Yeah, well, I get that you’re “bothered.” The reasons are a little vague, particularly the part about kids being “exploited,” but maybe I haven’t watched enough Disney Channel. Are the themes, stories, and marketing tactics really that much more sinister and exploitative than what we saw on The Wonderful World of Color and The Mickey Mouse Club? Because that would be a crime against humanity.

The company's ability to sell itself so efficiently is indeed capitalistic. To me, Disney has become sort of the like Wal-Mart of movie studios. It's big, it's everywhere, it has a bottomless bank account and it's ruthless.

I hate to break it to you, but the major studios are all owned by giant media conglomerates, and all of them are in business to make money. I mean, if you think News Corp (Fox) is any less capitalistic than ABC/Disney you’ve never seen Rupert Murdock do business with China. That guy put the Rupert in Ruthless. And, when it comes to abusing talent, moguls like L.B. Mayer, Jack Warner, and Sam Goldwyn make Peggy Lee’s Disney antagonists look like a bunch of toothless amateurs. And L.B. Mayer made Andy Hardy movies for God’s sake! You know... for kids.

Sounds to me as if the real “villain” in your posts is corporate capitalism and consumer culture. In which case I have more sympathy for you than you might suspect. Nevertheless, if the erosion of family values in tandem with a rise in corporate greed is the underlying concern here, I submit the programming on the Disney channel should be the least of your worries.

"What exactly would constitute a good Hulk movie?"

Good question. The Jekyll/Hyde theme is as timeless as it gets, and where there’s a timeless theme there’s usually a good story. Probably a moot point at this juncture, because it will be a cold day in ToonTown before Marvel greenlights another Hulk feature.

But you raise an interesting question; one I’ve been pondering since I learned about the Disney/Marvel deal: What, exactly, did Disney buy for their $4 billion in cash and stock?

Obviously, it's pretty well-known to anyone who pays attention that I'm a pretty unabashed Disney fan. I don't like everything they do (I don't watch the Disney Channel, for example), but I'm still a fan. If you want to fault them for being capitalists, then you're on your own, as far as I'm concerned. I consider that a good thing.

For those of you who believe Disney does nothing they can't merchandise out the wazoo, here's a little reality check -- go forth to your nearest Toys R Us and tally all the Up-related merchandise you can find. I'll wait ...

I don't think I'll hold my breath waiting to see classic Disney characters cavorting en masse with Marvel characters. Remember all those crossover adventures between Goofy, Donald and the Power Rangers? Oh wait, that's right -- that actually hasn't happened. Amazing, considering that Disney has owned the Power Rangers for several years. There is a little show with those characters (and only those) in Disney's Hollywood Studios theme park, but that's about it, as far as I know.

I do, however, remember crossovers between the X-men and Star Trek: The Next Generation. Crazy of Disney to do such a thing, huh? Oh wait -- Disney wasn't a part of that decision. I guess it goes to show that Marvel always made great decisions when Disney wasn't giving them marching orders.

I think a lot of people don't realize that when Disney "swallowed" Pixar, Pixar also swallowed Disney to a large degree. John Lasseter's high position and great deal of power over films and theme park attractions is evidence of that. Best possible decision that could have been made, in my opinion, and one of Disney's best decisions ever, to be honest.

The reaction to this news does bring to mind one particular Disney film -- Chicken Little. You know, the one who always thought the sky was falling ...

Qapla'

SSB

I think a lot of people don't realize that when Disney "swallowed" Pixar, Pixar also swallowed Disney to a large degree. John Lasseter's high position and great deal of power over films and theme park attractions is evidence of that. Best possible decision that could have been made, in my opinion, and one of Disney's best decisions ever, to be honest.

I made a brief note about that on the SSM board as well. I do feel as if Disney got waaaay off track under Eisner's leadership, especially with the shopping mall emphasis which prevailed in park and attraction planning. Even before that, there was a degree of serious hunting around for creative identity, it's "soul" if you will, after Walt died. However, with John Lasseter running Imagineering, I have a far deeper positivity and confidence in where Disney is headed than I've had in 20+ years.

Pass the mouse ears, Scott!

John O.

NOOOOooooooo.........wow...you guys are way to serious about all of this. It's done. There's nothing we can or should do. Heck, nobody thinks twice that DC is owned by Warner Bros.

But, it is just such a surreal thought....Nobody seems to be having fun with this news. Wow.....:(

Read today that one reason for this move is to increase Disney's "male" audience/customer base.

For those who care about this sort of thing, the best source for insider dope on all things "Industry" can be found here...

http://www.deadlinehollywooddaily.com/

....It's a small world after all.....

....It's a small world after all.....
... There's a great big beautiful tomorrow, shining at the end of every day ...

Qapla'

SSB

But...but...you said this would not happen!!;)

http://www.childstarlets.com/lobby/bios/portraits/annette_funicello12.jpg


"It's Clobberin' Time!"

Well...she could clobber me at any time :)

I thought this was kinda interesting (from Nikki Finke's site)...

"(Disney Chairman) Bob Iger has comic books in his blood (and) his ties to Marvel go back two generations. His late great-uncle (his grandfather's brother) was illustrator/cartoonist Jerry Iger, who partnered with illustrator/cartoonist Will Eisner back in the 1930s to create -- you guessed it -- the comic book packager Eisner & Iger Studios. I couldn't make up this stuff if I tried... (Blackthorne Publishing has released three compilations of Jerry Iger-related comics: The Iger Comics Kingdom, Jerry Iger's Classic Jumbo Comics, Jerry Iger's Classic National Comics, and Jerry Iger's Golden Features. Will Eisner is no relation to Michael Eisner.) And their first hire was Jack Kirby, who as you know later became the co-creator of many of Marvel's best known characters with Stan Lee. So Bob Iger had an unusually rich appreciation for the comic book biz dating back to his childhood when his great-uncle would draw for him."

I thought this was kinda interesting (from Nikki Finke's site)...

"(Disney Chairman) Bob Iger has comic books in his blood (and) his ties to Marvel go back two generations. His late great-uncle (his grandfather's brother) was illustrator/cartoonist Jerry Iger, who partnered with illustrator/cartoonist Will Eisner back in the 1930s to create -- you guessed it -- the comic book packager Eisner & Iger Studios. I couldn't make up this stuff if I tried... (Blackthorne Publishing has released three compilations of Jerry Iger-related comics: The Iger Comics Kingdom, Jerry Iger's Classic Jumbo Comics, Jerry Iger's Classic National Comics, and Jerry Iger's Golden Features. Will Eisner is no relation to Michael Eisner.) And their first hire was Jack Kirby, who as you know later became the co-creator of many of Marvel's best known characters with Stan Lee. So Bob Iger had an unusually rich appreciation for the comic book biz dating back to his childhood when his great-uncle would draw for him."

Very interesting! Thanks, Carson.

From the same article, it's funny that they asked Stan Lee about what to do a few years ago and he said he could do it and, they shut him out at that time. ;)

Disney eliminates Marvel Studios marketing dept
http://www.deadline.com/2011/08/disney-fires-marvels-marketing-department/

This will end in fire.

hmmm... someone has watched B5!

Disney eliminates Marvel Studios marketing dept
http://www.deadline.com/2011/08/disney-fires-marvels-marketing-department/

having worked with disney, (and hearing how similar things worked with marvel), this is probably a good thing.