Monday Morning Quarterback Part III
By BOP Staff
November 13, 2014
BoxOfficeProphets.com

Don't ask me to teach you how to play defense.

Kim Hollis: Walt Disney Animation's recent run of films includes Tangled, Wreck-It Ralph, Frozen and now Big Hero 6. Would you rank them as the top animation studio at the moment, or is there another one that compares?

Jason Barney: As stated earlier, their holiday line up seems to do extremely well. This is an interesting question, and some would say that the second Despicable Me film topping the second Monsters film from Disney was a bit of a turning point. Clearly Disney is doing okay with its animated department.

Matthew Huntley: Yes, definitely, though I do wish they'd stop playing things so safe and make a movie that's more daring than all the films Kim listed. Don't get me wrong; I believe that some of them are good, but Walt Disney Animation hasn't quite gotten up to the level of boldness and originality as Pixar. Their films may earn top dollar, but they don't deserve top praise.

Felix Quinonez: I would say they are the top dog but I believe that it's a very close race and an argument could be made for Dreamworks or Illumination. I don't believe that Disney's dominance is as irrefutable as Pixar's was a few years back.

Edwin Davies: Quality-wise, I would say they are definitely up there, right behind Pixar who, despite producing films that haven't been as universally loved as their previous ones, still produce films that are interesting, consistently good and very successful. What's notable about Disney's current run is that they have had huge success with original (well, original-ish, since Tangled and Frozen are both based on fairy tales) projects. The strength of the Disney brand is important in that success, but that brand didn't exactly help their animated films in the early '00s, when they all but abandoned it after some very costly flops.

Since John Lasseter took over as the guiding hand of their animation department, something which may have actually hurt Pixar a bit in the intervening time, the studio seems to have recommitted to producing films that aren't sequels, look beautiful and are actually good. That initially produced films like Meet The Robinsons and Bolt, which were good but didn't really connect with audiences in a big way, and reached its peak with Frozen last year. I'd only count Tangled as a truly great film (though Wreck-It Ralph is very good), but they certainly seem to have benefited from trying to be more like Pixar but with that Disney familiarity. I still don't think that they are risky or daring enough to warrant being placed alongside Pixar 1995-2010, but they certainly a making the case that they could reach that level after a few more films.

Max Braden: I think Disney is enjoying the benefits of what Pixar realized in their beginnings: that although technical achievement and innovation is important, the real success to animation is the sincerity of the story that can really make a connection with audiences. Blue Sky (Ice Age and Rio) films do make a point of family being the essence of their stories, and they might be adventurous or catchy, but I don't think they quite connect at the heart of the story like these films have. DreamWorks and Sony have been making visually exciting or funny animation, but only Hotel Transylvania recently had something I could connect to. LAIKA (Boxtrolls, Paranorman, Coraline) just makes weird animation that isn't for me (or wide audiences).

Kim Hollis: I would actually say that they are ahead of their Pixar brethren at the moment. I grant that Pixar is under the Disney umbrella, but they have their own distinct releases and everyone recognizes them as such. Since Pixar has shown a bit of vulnerability with Cars 2, Brave and Monsters University, it's given the people over at Disney Animation a chance to shine. I realize some of our staff members have commented here that quality has been lackluster, but that sure isn't evident in either critical reviews (Tangled: 89%, Wreck-It Ralph: 86%, Frozen: 89% and Big Hero 6: 88%) or overall audience reaction (Tangled: $591 million worldwide, Wreck-It Ralph: $471 million worldwide, Frozen: $1.27 billion worldwide, and Big Hero 6: already almost $100 million worldwide). All these recent films have been fun, smart projects that appeal both to kids and the parents who have to sit through the movies. While I'd definitely say that DreamWorks had the better films in 2010 and this year (with How to Train Your Dragon and its sequel), Disney's were more widely accessible.

Kim Hollis: If you've had the opportunity to see Interstellar, where do you think it ranks amongst Christopher Nolan's films?

Matthew Huntley: Funny you should mention that, Kim, because I just e-mailed you my review of it and ended it by saying I think it's Christopher Nolan's very best film, at least as far as a pure movie-going experience is concerned. The dude has talent, that's for sure.

Max Braden: Right away I know I can say it's not his best, simply from a technical storytelling perspective. I thought the first act of Interstellar took too long and then the second act launches too abruptly. I think that epic storytelling is Christopher Nolan's style, but that he's done it with tighter pacing in his other movies. As a concept I'd pick Inception as his most exciting film, and for characters I'd pick either the first or second Batman installments (those were obviously enhanced by actor performances). Man of Steel (which he wrote but didn't direct) and Insomnia (which he directed but didn't write) are both long, drawn out, and weary stories. I'd put Interstellar in the middle. Interstellar's highlights for me are really the characters and their decisions and perhaps the theme, because despite how poorly I reacted to Amelia's baseless "love makes the world go round" philosophy, it was the love between father and daughter and even just the love of exploration that made me enjoy the movie in the end.

Kim Hollis: I think that Interstellar is an interesting but flawed film, which is something you could also have said about The Dark Knight Rises (and while I don't agree so much, others will say about The Dark Knight and Memento). I'm sort of sad to say it but for me, Interstellar is probably the least of Nolan's films as far as quality of entertainment. As much as I admire what he was trying to do, I feel like Nolan overreached. I'd agree with Max that the first act is drawn out too much, which makes the second act feel like it comes on too quickly. And yet if you asked me I'd give Interstellar a mostly positive review. I think the ideas are interesting (I very much appreciate the idea of love as a dimension) and it is obviously absolutely gorgeous to look at. Unfortunately, the reality of the situation is that I saw two movies this weekend and Interstellar wasn't the one I enjoyed the most. I think it's probably telling that I'm a mark for Nolan, but I wasn't really excited to spend three hours in the theater for Interstellar.