When did Disney get so desperate? Have they always been greedy and opportunistic? I suppose they have been. Any studio that is willing to market inappropriately violent or sexist films to kids for a buck has got some fundamental problems. While I could pull from practically any film in their library, I'm going to keep this limited Brother Bear 2.
Why would I target an insipid sequel to a modestly successful film? Having exhausted itself of any spark of creativity or originality, this film kind of embodies that terminal failure. It's not so much the poor animation or insipid story. It's the fact that this film joined a long list of poorly conceived, poorly executed straight-to-video sequels. This has become Disney's business model.
Every marquee feature that takes four years to churn out, they keep the lights on by cranking out schlock bound for the foreclosed Blockbuster shelves. Yes, most parents are that tired when they drag the kids into the video store -- they will pick anything that smacks of Disney and call it a day. Who can blame them? What happened to the fail-safes at the MPAA that are supposed to have the kids' interests at heart?
Now, if you can believe it, the Mouse is set churn out Cinderella 3 and Little Mermaid 3 as well. What happened to this once-dependable bastion of family entertainment. There was a day when you turned on the TV in the Fifties or Sixties, you could be sure the Disney flicks and cartoons were family-friendly. Now, as in Brother Bear 2, you have to spend the whole night explaining why the hero impales a mother bear to death.
Sorry, moms and dads. The world you kids are living in is decidedly more violent and terror-filled than the one you grew up in. Hard to imagine, but it's true. Moreover, the world your kids are growing up in far more expendable. Part one, part two, part three -- it seems a story just can't be told in one installment. It's a disposable, violent world, no thanks to Disney.
Why would I target an insipid sequel to a modestly successful film? Having exhausted itself of any spark of creativity or originality, this film kind of embodies that terminal failure. It's not so much the poor animation or insipid story. It's the fact that this film joined a long list of poorly conceived, poorly executed straight-to-video sequels. This has become Disney's business model.
Every marquee feature that takes four years to churn out, they keep the lights on by cranking out schlock bound for the foreclosed Blockbuster shelves. Yes, most parents are that tired when they drag the kids into the video store -- they will pick anything that smacks of Disney and call it a day. Who can blame them? What happened to the fail-safes at the MPAA that are supposed to have the kids' interests at heart?
Now, if you can believe it, the Mouse is set churn out Cinderella 3 and Little Mermaid 3 as well. What happened to this once-dependable bastion of family entertainment. There was a day when you turned on the TV in the Fifties or Sixties, you could be sure the Disney flicks and cartoons were family-friendly. Now, as in Brother Bear 2, you have to spend the whole night explaining why the hero impales a mother bear to death.
Sorry, moms and dads. The world you kids are living in is decidedly more violent and terror-filled than the one you grew up in. Hard to imagine, but it's true. Moreover, the world your kids are growing up in far more expendable. Part one, part two, part three -- it seems a story just can't be told in one installment. It's a disposable, violent world, no thanks to Disney.
About the Author:
It's not going to win any awards, but Brother Bear 2 is not bad for an afternoon of Disney fun.
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