Spring Break
Letting the movie speak for itself
Scott Dennis
Issue date: 7/2/08 Section: Forum
For years Disney has been using its own good name to pass off uninspired drivel as quality family entertainment. With "Bolt," Disney's marketing department is attempting to use the actors' prior successes as proof of "Bolt's" quality.
They tried the same tactic in response to criticisms of the ongoing plans to add characters to the "It's a Small World" attraction. In order to quell the fandom, Disney had veteran employee Marty Sklar write a letter supporting the changes.
Disney hoped that, because of Sklar's friendship with Walt and involvement in creating popular Disney rides, fans would accept his explanation and calm down; it didn't happen.
By significantly promoting Travolta and Cyrus' involvement in "Bolt," Disney is committing a grave transgression against the public, itself, and its legacy.
The movie-going public - especially those going to Disney movies - want to step outside of their own reality for a couple of hours to experience something sincere as well as entertaining. As Stanley Kubrick put it, "A film is - or should be - more like music than like fiction. It should be a progression of moods and feelings."
Disney's advertising for "Bolt" goes out of its way to keep you in reality by reminding you that, not only is the movie fiction, but the characters are really just voices supplied by actors - but not just any actors - high-priced celebrity actors.
Disney is trying way too hard to connect to audiences. People don't need to be told that a movie has a celebrity voice cast in order to be interested in a film. To see evidence of this simple fact, Disney need only look at its business friend Pixar.
The studio with the lamp has delivered hit after hit for Disney, and they have accomplished it all without trumpeting each picture's voice cast. Like the DreamWorks films and "Bolt," Pixar's films do tend to have a few celebrities in the cast, but they have the good sense to promote the characters instead of the voices behind them. And that makes all the difference.
They tried the same tactic in response to criticisms of the ongoing plans to add characters to the "It's a Small World" attraction. In order to quell the fandom, Disney had veteran employee Marty Sklar write a letter supporting the changes.
Disney hoped that, because of Sklar's friendship with Walt and involvement in creating popular Disney rides, fans would accept his explanation and calm down; it didn't happen.
By significantly promoting Travolta and Cyrus' involvement in "Bolt," Disney is committing a grave transgression against the public, itself, and its legacy.
The movie-going public - especially those going to Disney movies - want to step outside of their own reality for a couple of hours to experience something sincere as well as entertaining. As Stanley Kubrick put it, "A film is - or should be - more like music than like fiction. It should be a progression of moods and feelings."
Disney's advertising for "Bolt" goes out of its way to keep you in reality by reminding you that, not only is the movie fiction, but the characters are really just voices supplied by actors - but not just any actors - high-priced celebrity actors.
Disney is trying way too hard to connect to audiences. People don't need to be told that a movie has a celebrity voice cast in order to be interested in a film. To see evidence of this simple fact, Disney need only look at its business friend Pixar.
The studio with the lamp has delivered hit after hit for Disney, and they have accomplished it all without trumpeting each picture's voice cast. Like the DreamWorks films and "Bolt," Pixar's films do tend to have a few celebrities in the cast, but they have the good sense to promote the characters instead of the voices behind them. And that makes all the difference.
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