Thompson on Hollywood

Telluride Day One: The Road, Waking Sleeping Beauty

At LAX this morning I chatted with indie press agent Laura Kim and ex-Disney exec Peter Schneider, who produced Don Hahn's documentary Waking Sleeping Beauty. The doc tells the story of how Michael Eisner, Jeffrey Katzenberg and the 80s generation of Disney animators woke up the sleeping Disney animation giant between 1984 and 1994. Schneider, who has been working on Broadway, showed the film to ex-Disney chairman Michael Eisner, who isn't a fan. The current Disney management--Bob Iger and Dick Cook--are supportive of the movie, however. In fact, Leonard Maltin told me on the shuttle through the splendid Rockies this afternoon, Cook has been supportive of a number of Disney animation docs that needed help with clips, cooperation, and even release, from Frank and Ollie to Walt & El Grupo, about a Disney excursion to Latin America. It's in Disney's interest to keep fanning the old Walt flame.

By Anne Thompson
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September 3, 2009 12:12 PM
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Marvel Update, Netflix Refunds, Simple and Cheap is Good

Thankfully, a cooling marine layer blew in over L.A. Tuesday morning, which shifted the balance a bit for exhausted firefighters battling the huge Station fire which has destroyed some 63 homes and threatens some 12,000. "The Station fire grew to more than 122,000 acres overnight and continued to burn out of control despite some signs of improving weather conditions," reported the LAT. UPDATE 4:20 PM: "Firefighters made significant progress today in the Station fire, but a tense battle was underway this afternoon to save the communication centers atop Mt. Wilson. By 3 p.m., the fire was approaching closer than ever from two directions: one-half mile to the north and three-quarters of a mile to the west." Here's a NASA space photo from Sunday--the fire is now twice as big.

By Anne Thompson
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September 1, 2009 10:43 AM
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Festival Season: Feast and Famine, Ten Hot Toronto Pick-Ups

Going into the fall festival season in Venice, Telluride, Toronto and New York, we know the following:

By Anne Thompson
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September 1, 2009 10:07 AM
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Disney/Marvel Reaction Around Web

The reaction around the web to the news that Disney is buying Marvel for $4 billion was swift--and mixed. Here's a sampling of reporting and culled Tweets:

By Anne Thompson
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August 31, 2009 9:00 AM
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Disney to Acquire Marvel Entertainment for $4 Billion

Marvel Entertainment was so successful as an independent studio that it's a surprise to see it gobbled up by the Mouse House. Disney announced early Monday that it plans to acquire the comics company that spawned Spider-Man, Iron Man, X-Men and The Hulk, among some 5,000 Marvel characters. “We believe that adding Marvel to Disney’s unique portfolio of brands provides significant opportunities for long-term growth and value creation,” said Disney chairman Robert Iger.

By Anne Thompson
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August 31, 2009 4:34 AM
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Five or Six Things I Learned at the Extract Premiere

1. Mike Judge is a terrific writer and not such a terrific movie director. Extract is one of those comedies that reads hilarious on the page and flattens on execution. Judge makes Kevin Smith and John Waters, who are also snappier writers than they are directors, look like geniuses. (And I love King of the Hill.)

By Anne Thompson
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August 26, 2009 6:30 AM
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Awards buzz, Indie News, Disney Confab

In Indie news, despite Inglourious Basterds' rousing start, the Weinsteins aren't out of the woods. They weren't taking any chances. They upped their media spend by several millions in the week before the opening, targeting their weakest link, women. It worked. The WSJ explains why the Weinsteins face a long road ahead.

By Anne Thompson
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August 25, 2009 4:00 AM
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John Carter of Mars Adds Morton, Walker, West

I was brought up in Manhattan by a single Dad. His best pal Jerry Rubenstein's idea of a birthday present for an eight-year-old, girl or boy, was Tarzan of the Apes, by Edgar Rice Burroughs. I scarfed it up and read every single book ever written by Burroughs, especially his Barsoom Martian novels. I read The Chessmen of Mars over and over. Burroughs took you into an exotic world, much as Burroughs fan James Cameron does in Avatar, or Wall-E writer-director Andrew Stanton will do in his first live-action feature, a film take on John Carter of Mars. In both stories, an American visits a faraway planet inhabited by strange creatures. In John Carter of Mars, co-written by Mark Andrews, Civil War hero John Carter is transported to the red planet Barsoom, where he must adapt, and meets a princess.

By Anne Thompson
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August 24, 2009 6:48 AM
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Hollywood Goes Yellow

Hollywood is in a mellow yellow mood.

By Anne Thompson
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August 20, 2009 1:00 AM
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Hollywood Health Report

Each day brings more news of a troubled company needing debt restructuring or a management overhaul. The Weinstein Co. and MGM are just the latest examples. All the studios face pressure from their corporate parents in a grim recession amid declining ad and DVD revenues. Sales are down across the board, including classic rereleases, and less precipitously, specialty titles.