Puppy Dog Eyes

[tealin]

Dear Internet,

Please please please please please go see Bolt this weekend. I could mention the blood, sweat, and tears that went into it, I could tell its long and troubled history, I could list names of people to see it for, but I am going to forgo the heartstrings and stick to business.

Bolt is the first movie coming out that has been made entirely under the Pixar governorship. It's being seen as a test of how the Pixar alliance is working and whether or not the slow, baggage-ridden money pit that is Disney Feature Animation can pull its own weight. Opening against Twilight is, to paraphrase, a damned unfortunate business, albeit better than opening within a week of Harry Potter as was originally planned. Even so, Twilight is sure to cut into its success, and you can bet that when the money people look at the numbers at the end of the year they won't adjust for 'if we'd opened on a different weekend.' It's the numbers that matter in the end, and for that matter it's the opening weekend that matters most of all. The question 'do people want to see Disney animated movies?' will be answered by how many people bother to show up when one is released. I know it's kind of dumb that so much rides on opening weekend and not on what word-of-mouth can do, but that is the way the business works, and with the quick turnaround from theatres to DVD these days there really isn't time for word-of-mouth to work its magic if the film doesn't have a strong headstart. If you wait until it's on DVD, this tells the money people that the theatrical run is a waste of time and money, which can lead to straight-to-DVD movies and the attendant slide in story and artistic standards that results from a reduced budget and production schedule.

My main point here is consequences: The main thing riding on Twilight's success is the possibility of another Twilight movie. The reaction to Bolt will affect unrelated Disney Feature Animation projects all the way down the pipeline. Your money is your vote: if you buy a ticket for Bolt, you are saying 'yes, I enjoy Disney animation, please keep making it for many years to come.'

In case you're wondering if it's any good, my short answer is 'yes.' My long answer is: I enjoyed it, and the people I know who've seen it and haven't been surrounded by it for the last nine months really enjoyed it. It's been getting good reviews from critics as well. I haven't reviewed it here because I am coming at it from completely the wrong direction to do any objective commentary or even judge its entertainment value.

So GO SEE IT, okay?

Thanks,

Tealin

P.S. I may post some of the in-jokes this weekend.

Comments

[bonnieslasher.livejournal.com]

Seeing giving support to any movie besides Twilight is a good enough reason for me. Maybe I'll poke everyone I know whose planning on seeing Twilight for laughs, while paying for something else, and ask them to send their money to Bolt.

[bonnieslasher.livejournal.com]

^ cross out the 'seeing' before 'giving'

[http://users.livejournal.com/__lys_fleurx__/]

I'm so very jealous of your work.

[theatreotter.livejournal.com]

I was going to wait and see it later in the season, but my disdain for "Twilight", plus the solid reviews for "Bolt", make me want to funnel my cash into a worthy project. I'll be sure to go see "Bolt" this weekend!

[iseepurplehair.livejournal.com]

Anything to sabotage counteract Twilight.

Also: when I move my mouse over the 'work' link, one of the keywords that pops up is 'crawfish'.

[raddishh.livejournal.com]

Haha, TOO TRUE.

[caliypsoe.livejournal.com]

You've said it perfectly so I'll just leave a comment of support here.

Twilight will do well regardless (unfortunately), but PLEASE SUPPORT DISNEY!
Just think, how many of your childhoods were spent growing up with fabulous movies like Aladdin, The Little Mermaid, and Peter Pan? How many of you remember trips to Disney World and Disneyland and how much joy that brought you. Support Disney so they will continue to make amazing movies!

[(Anonymous)]

I unfortunately have to wait until January the 1st before if gets released here in Melbourne. Someone will have to go for me in the US.
-Colby

[ook.livejournal.com]

From the trailers, Bolt looks like lots of fun, so I'm actually planning on seeing it in the theaters. I'm looking forward to it. :)

[omgsellie.livejournal.com]

'yes, I enjoy Disney animation, please keep making it for many years to come.'
!
You've convinced me, my only problem now is finding ten dollars.

[jolly-kraken.livejournal.com]

I'd go see it if college application deadlines weren't eating my soul right now. D: From the previews I've seen, Bolt looked a little corny to me, but I always have to see Disney/Pixar movies just for the visuals even if the story looks lame. (And evidently it is NOT lame, so forget I mentioned it. Lol.)

I fully support the anti-Twilight movement as well, but I can't do much even for THAT worthy cause. The best I can do is discourage the fans I know and, although I know it won't work, I might at least get some lulz out of that discussion.

[auraesque.livejournal.com]

I am planning on seeing Bolt in the theatre no matter what, but it is too bad it isn't opening Thanksgiving weekend: That is when I will be at my parents where the little brother lives, and I can drag him along to see it. It looks too cute. :D

[twirlynoodle.livejournal.com]

I think they're definitely going to put a lot of focus on Thanksgiving weekend, too, otherwise why release it at this time? So you and your brother are good. :) It is very cute, but in a good way, not a cheap corny one. Funny, too.

[fani.livejournal.com]

Ma'am.

[shadowmaat.livejournal.com]

I was thinking I might go catch the earliest show first thing Friday. It looks like it'll be lots of fun and I'm also kinda relieved that my friend isn't going to be able to make it up here and forcibly drag me to see that scary Twilight thing. My brain will be safe with Bolt. Yay!

[capnflynn.livejournal.com]

Oh yes!

And your comments both put me at ease and make me even more determined to see it this weekend--tomorrow, if I can!

[septentrio.livejournal.com]

Well... I'll go see it, because it's Disney, but I feel a little conflicted about it because I am/was a pretty big Chris Sanders fan and I was very bothered by American Dog going belly up and becoming this. I'm not saying Sanders wasn't at fault, because I don't know the whole story and when I mentioned it to him at Comic Con he gave a very clean, kind story about how he was totally okay with what happened because he got to keep a single character for himself (that cat in his Kiskaloo comic now), and he didn't seem bothered by what happened at all. But I really like John Lasseter, too, and the stories about how much he dislikes Lilo and Stitch and how much he disliked what he saw of American Dog make me really sad because... I like Chris Sanders' stuff AND John Lasseter's stuff.

ANYWAY. Visually, Bolt doesn't do a single thing for me. I think the design is kind of vanilla, and I have trouble thinking of 3D as true Disney Animation, and unfortunately I bet a lot of other people (non-fans) do, too. BUT.

(And really, this is the only important part...) I love Disney and what they stand for as a company, no matter how confused things get, just because the company is SO massive, I still believe in what Disney can be at its best. So, because of that, I will make a real effort to see Bolt opening weekend, even though I'm kinda swamped with school.

I know, I didn't need to say all that stuff about being conflicted but I just wish I could have seen American Dog and decided for myself whether or not it was any good. :\

[twirlynoodle.livejournal.com]

I only ever saw a tiny tiny bit of American Dog (ironically it was a bit boarded by one of the guys who became a director on Bolt) and some of the concept art. I have to say, it looked pretty cool, but the consensus from people who actually saw it was that it was full of cool things but didn't work very well as a whole – like if you made a salad with everything you liked but forgot that tuna and jellybeans didn't actually go together. And Bolt does work. So there is that small bit of consolation. As for the Lasseter/Sanders politics, well, I have a number of opinions on the matter but all the information I have is second- or third-hand and gossiping is not in my job description no matter how much it is central to the life of an animation studio.

I agree the design is a bit blah (I have especial disdain for Mittens' model, alas) but keep in mind that at this time last year they hadn't even finished redesigning and modelling the characters. The fact that they finished at all is mindblowing, much less that they did such a good job.

[wizardelfgirl.livejournal.com]

What I would really want and appreciate would be if Disney spent a little more time on international promotion. They concentrate the bulk of their promotion strategies on the US, without realizing that the international market is also a very important source of money. So far we've only seen the international trailer and that trailer with Rhino singing HSM (not surprisingly it was shown with HSM3, which has been given a lot more promotion). So practically no one here (Mexico) knows about Bolt, and therefore there is no anticipation for the movie. And this goes for practically all Disney animated movies, really.

[twirlynoodle.livejournal.com]

If it makes you feel any better, they really dropped the ball on advertising it here, too – it's had way less attention than HSM3 or Beverley Hills Chihuahua. But yeah, I hear you on the marketing; there was rarely much promotion of anything in Canada either. Barring the obvious explanation (that Marketing is actually on another planet) I guess there's something to do with ... proportion of return compared to how much it costs to conduct international campaigns? I dunno, I just draw the pictures. :)

[sirose.livejournal.com]

I saw a sneak preview screening of Bolt and plan to see it again this weekend in 3-D. :)

It's such a great movie. Haven't laughed like that in ages!

[ardys-the-ghoul.livejournal.com]

Well, my brother and his fiancee are going to be stuck at home this Thanksgiving, so I'm sure they'll go see it, judging by the fact that the last movie they went to see together was Wall-E and they really liked it.

And I'll try to go see it if I don't have anything else to do. I can't remember the last time I went to see a movie in the theater. Probably when Harry Potter 5 came out, and I almost didn't go to see that one.

As far as Twilight goes, my love of vampires is completely overcome by my disdain for that series.

[lurkerlaine.livejournal.com]

I'm there. I'm glad to know that my financial vote can make a difference. I don't usually see movies until at least a week or two after opening, but I can make an exception. I've been itching to go see a movie anyway.

[ultra-taboo.livejournal.com]

why not go see it

it looks better than all the other options

[copperbadge.livejournal.com]

I had no idea you'd worked on this! You know I was super-excited to see it, right? I will see it if I can manage this weekend, otherwise, Monday (I'm leaving town Tuesday and have buttloads of stuff to get done this weekend).

Congratulations! It's A Bolt. :D

[copperbadge.livejournal.com]

OH HELL NO I am going TODAY, it's here today!

*buys tickets to super-swanky cinema*

[hobbitnat.livejournal.com]

I'm seeing it tomorrow, my friend and i were going to go today but she bailed yesterday :( I'm debating jus t going without her, but i don't have anyone else to go with, she's the onlly one that appreciates Disney movies with me :<
I will so rather see Bolt than Twilight....
srsly
plus Bolt looks just like my dog Jack, but Jack's black.
YAY DISNEY!

[mildlyconfused.livejournal.com]

Okay, envision: opening night in Germany. Late show. That girl at the head of the line? With the blond curls, clunky glasses and mad look of giddy excitment in her eyes? That's me.

I'll be there. If I hadn't been excited for this film for months already, the "uuuhhh... stealth modus *draws grin in fogged up ball*" bought my heart and put it in a little box.

I'll be there and drag as many friends along as I possibly can.

[twirlynoodle.livejournal.com]

Teehee, that's probably my favourite gag in the whole thing... :D

[ravin-raven.livejournal.com]

Just got back from seeing it. It was mind-numbingly awesome!

[noodledaddy.livejournal.com]

Saw the 8:35 show in 3D last night. Theate was 3/4 full, while the lines for twilight were filled with 15-22 year-old female clones.

Rather liked it. Rhino was the star, no doubt, but the pigeons were terrific, particularly Vinny. Some of the animation was unbelievably wonderful, particularly the effects. The smoke.

My favorite Disney movie since, I think, ENG.

[fairy-gany.livejournal.com]

Yes. (rhino)
Yes. (pigeons)
Yes. (effects)
Yes definitely. (ENG)

Rotten Tomatoes

[noodledaddy.livejournal.com]

Bolt 84%
Twilight 43%

Hehehe

Re: Rotten Tomatoes

[grafin-drachen.livejournal.com]

I was going to see Bolt tonight with a few frineds, But when we got to the theater, they didn't have it! So we ended up seeing Twilight(Second time for me..) Then after that we rented Wall-E on the way home..

Wall-E was ADORBALE! Nuff' said..

But when (If) Bolt comes out here, I'm planning on going to see it.. It looks adorable, and I've always liked Pixars films..