John Carter of Mars becomes animated by Pixar

[Chain Lightning]

Animated movies for adults are unmitigated box-office flops. Titan A.E. killed the animation branch of 20th Century Fox. Final Fantasy was a financial disaster.

It is almost inconceivable that Pixar would do a non-G-rated version of this. There is some slight hope that they would do so and release it under another studio's name.

Titan A.E. was not "animation for adults". Final Fantasy was meant to be for an adult audience. But just because both were bad movies doesn't mean it can't be done. Its not that animation for adults doesn't work, its that bad movies don't work. Live action or Animated.

 

[Berandor]

Titan A.E. was not "animation for adults". Final Fantasy was meant to be for an adult audience. But just because both were bad movies doesn't mean it can't be done. Its not that animation for adults doesn't work, its that bad movies don't work. Live action or Animated.

I refer you to Norbit and various other examples proving the opposite. The problem with bad animation is, it's still expensive animation. You can do a cheap, bad movie and still make dough. For a CGI movie, you need to have top-notch animation or most people will not even go there for cheap laughs; but the hit-and-miss rate is not so good that you can take a script and automatically predict box-office success – which is the only measure of success worth anything to the studios (in addition to DVD sales, etc – I'm talking about money, not any other kind of quality).

So it's dangerous to do a "serious" CGI movie, especially since some moviegoers might avoid the film because of the animation, thinking it to be child's fare.

 

[horacethegrey]

So it's dangerous to do a "serious" CGI movie, especially since some moviegoers might avoid the film because of the animation, thinking it to be child's fare.

And there be the heart of it. Unlike Japan, animation by and large is still considered kid's fare to the West, so I do understand why people would be reluctant to put forth an adult animated film.

That doesn't mean it shouldn't be done however. Like other genres of film, if animation is to grow as a medium, it must break the perceptions that has been placed on it. Let's hope Disney decides to go the adult route with John Carter, in the hopes that they make a animated flick we can be proud of.

 

[David Howery]

I think the movie will do fairly well just because of the subject... really, how many us read Burroughs' Mars books when we were kids? It may not be a blockbuster, but like LOTR, there is a built in fan base that will see it just because it's John Carter of Mars...

 

[Klaus]

I think the movie will do fairly well just because of the subject... really, how many us read Burroughs' Mars books when we were kids? It may not be a blockbuster, but like LOTR, there is a built in fan base that will see it just because it's John Carter of Mars...

That I know of? Precious, precious few.

Burroughs' most famous creation is Tarzan, and the vast majority of people who know Tarzan know him from the old serials, not from the novels.

 

[bento]

That I know of? Precious, precious few.

Burroughs' most famous creation is Tarzan, and the vast majority of people who know Tarzan know him from the old serials, not from the novels.

Tarzan has always been much easier to film than the Mars (or most any other ERB) series.

Tarzan also had a large media push starting in the 1930s through the 1980s. Between the comic books and strips, there's been years and years of material out there for public consumption. Compared with the on-again, off-again interest in Mars in comics....

 

[Wolv0rine]

Tarzan has always been much easier to film than the Mars (or most any other ERB) series.

Tarzan also had a large media push starting in the 1930s through the 1980s. Between the comic books and strips, there's been years and years of material out there for public consumption. Compared with the on-again, off-again interest in Mars in comics....

Of course, close to (if not) all of that media history has painted a Tarzan so drastically not the Tarzan that Burroughs wrote about that it's almost as if the public has NO knowledge of Tarzan.

 

[The Grumpy Celt]

((please let they hire Frank Cho as Consultant Designer...)

Somebody likes MonkeyBoy...

(Grumpy thinks of Brandy and stares off blankly into space)

Anyway way, Pixar has not disappointed me yet. Monsters Inc is weaker than Toy Story and Bugs Life is weaker than Increadables, but by Brandy's sweet curves.... I mean, for Pete's sake, they are all solid features.

So, yeah, let's see how this turns out. I'm expecting it to at least be worth the ticket price.