"It's as if a million fans cried out at once".."It really can't get any worse."..... "I have a bad feeling about this"..
You didn't have to look hard or far to find a general consensus when the news broke that Disney had purchased LucasFilm. To rub salt in the wound, Disney wasted no time, declaring at the same time as the announcement they were already working on Star Wars 7 for a 2014 release date. The fear and trepidation regarding the potential upcoming disaster was palpable. One could almost hear Vader's Theme playing in the background, the ominous tones setting the tone for the public sentiment.
But there may yet be hope in the Galaxy. Disney announced they have canceled the 3D treatments for Star Wars. To fans, this is welcome news, as the 6 current movies have been through enough treatments, re-releases and Special Editions that the horse has been beaten, run over, shot, stabbed, poisoned, nuked... You get the point..
But reading the news this morning on The Deadline.com got me thinking about how GOOD Disney could really be for the franchise and it's fans. Disney made a reputation for 76 years making the highest quality family entertainment in the world. From Steamboat Willie to their partnership with Pixar, Disney continued to make the most recognizable, memorable characters and stories one could watch. I find myself humming the music from films like The Lion King, Aladdin, Beauty & The Beast, Little Mermaid and Toy Story all the time, and almost any full time mother can recite most of those movies from beginning to end. As impressive as this reputation for quality children and family entertainment is, it is the one thing that initially truly frightened fans of the Star Wars series. Could a company that makes kids movies handle the most popular Science Fiction Franchise in history and NOT screw it up? I say YES.
In 2009, Disney acquired Marvel Entertainment. Since then, they have brought us The Avengers, Thor, Captain America, Iron Man, Iron Man 2, The Amazing Spiderman and soon Iron Man 3, and The Avengers 2. All of which were MASSIVE financial winners and major Blockbusters. And they have now seen fit to not continue in Lucas' egotistical need to milk the franchise for every penny through "Re-Imagining" the same material over and over and over and over an.......
I myself am hopeful about the future of the franchise, and I thing J.J. Abrams is an awesome choice to bring the vision and story of Star Wars to a new generation.
Time will tell. I am excited to see...
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