PSF
The Lounge => Television & Film Discussion => Topic started by: Silverwing on 2019-07-20 14:14:50
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Blue Sky Studios Discussion
A topic for past, present, and future Blue Sky Studios (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Sky_Studios) films.
They are known for films such as the Ice Age franchise, Dr. Seuess' Horton Hears a Who!, Rio franchise, and The Peanuts Movie.
They were owned by 20th Century FOX as their animation arm, but have sense been consumed by the Walt Disney Company. No word if they will eventually fold, merge, or remain their own operations.
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They have two upcoming films planned at the moment.
Spies In Disguise - Dec 25, 2019.
Nimona - March 5, 2021.
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Hmmm, don't know much about their upcoming films. This studio can do good things but they also know how to make lame films.
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Still looking for direction, I don't think this latest film will be a success.
Since Disney bought some assets of FOX, they now officially own Blue Sky Animation Studios.
I am predicting in the future Disney will dissolve or blend this studio in with other studios. They are the weakest link of Disney's owned studios.
It's a shame, they had some decent films. The best film by far was their heartfelt PEANUTS movie. Rio was pretty good and the original Ice Age too. But just a lot of mediocrity. I don't think they have the leadership to go beyond that and find their calling and direction. I know they are passionate, but just don't have the writing talent.
Either Disney will hook them up with some new writing talent or they will be gone.
Which leads me to this new film of theirs just released. I don't think it will be a success.... Just average or below average. It doesn't even have that interesting a premise... or at least one to draw me to a theater to see it.
Spies In Disguise (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spies_in_Disguise).
Loosely based on Lucas Martell's 2009 animated short Pigeon: Impossible, the film will be directed by Nick Bruno and Troy Quane in their directorial debuts, and will star the voices of Will Smith and Tom Holland, alongside Rashida Jones, Ben Mendelsohn, Reba McEntire, Rachel Brosnahan, Karen Gillan, DJ Khaled, and Masi Oka in supporting roles. The film premiered at the El Capitan Theatre on December 5, 2019, and is scheduled for wide theatrical release on Christmas Day, December 25, 2019. It received generally positive reviews from critics and audiences, with praise for its animation, action, music, and Smith and Holland's voice performances.
It is projected to gross $23–30 million in its five-day opening weekend. But I don't think it will do that. I truly just don't see an interest for this film. It has no personality and if you see the ads for it, you would have no idea which animation studios did it. It just seems forgettable.
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It will be forgettable.
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So the film recouped it's costs, but it wasn't stellar in anyway. It made $136.1 million. So it made about $36 million over its budget.
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So since Disney bought 20th Century Fox Animation, that means Disney owns, Blue Sky Studios too.
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The next scheduled film to release for this studios is a long time from now. It is set for January 14, 2022 and it is something called, "Nimona."
That is three years since their past release before this next film will come out. Why so long?
This may help explain that:
"Blue Sky Studios was acquired by The Walt Disney Company as part of their 2019 acquisition of 21st Century Fox, which concluded on March 20, 2019. On March 21, Disney announced that Blue Sky Studios and its parent company 20th Century Fox Animation would be integrated as units within the Walt Disney Studios with co-presidents Andrea Miloro and Robert Baird continuing to lead the studio reporting to Walt Disney Studios chairman Alan Horn. In July 2019, Miloro announced that she would be stepping down from her role as co-president leaving Baird as sole president.
In August 2019, former Walt Disney Animation Studios head Andrew Millstein was named as co-president of Blue Sky Studios alongside Baird, while Pixar Animation Studios president Jim Morris would also be taking a supervising role."
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Makes me wonder if this topic should cease to exist to be merged with Disney animation? Maybe not... I don't know. Maybe once they get things calmed with their new owners, they will have more projects in the works.
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As some expected, Disney will KILL Blue Sky Studios. I think this was pretty apparent this would happen. Buy them out, then kill them, get rid of competition and thy have no need for another animation studio.
Disney Closes Animator Blue Sky Studios Amid Cost Cuts
Disney is shuttering Blue Sky Studios, the animation studio it acquired as part of its purchase of the majority of Fox's assets two years ago.
Disney's decision, unveiled on Tuesday, will eliminate about 450 jobs.
Blue Sky Studios, which Fox bought in 1999 following the success of Disney's Pixar studio, is best known for the animated films "Ice Age" and "Rio."
Its most recent film was 2019's "Spies in Disguise" which made $171.6 million at the box office.
Last year, Disney said that an "Ice Age" series for its Disney+ streaming platform would be available in early 2022. That plan is still in place despite Tuesday's move.
The studio will unwind over the next two months. Entertainment Weekly reported.
The move resulted from the losses the media group has posted amid the coronavirus pandemic lockdown.
"Given the current economic realities, after much consideration and evaluation, we have made the difficult decision to close filmmaking operations at Blue Sky Studios," Disney said in a statement.
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Well that's too bad. I can't say anything they made was spectacular but they had talent and some unique ideas. They also did have some good films like the first Rio and first Ice Age. I can't believe Disney would just let the Ice Age IP just disappear like that... It is a $6 billion dollar franchise after all.
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Disney really is trying to become the one and the only one in the world of entertainment isn’t it?
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I really hate to hear this. :( One less studio making unique content.
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Bye competition.
Can't say I was too surprised Disney would shut them down once they owned them. I mean, they already owned several top tier animation studios. In Disney's eyes, "Blue Sky" was probably a lesser company.
Disney did say they are working on a tv show spinoff for the Ice Age characters.
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I didn't hear that Ice Age would be kept by Disney. Interesting.
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They've been an irrelevant studio for quite some time. They had their cash cow in Ice Age, and that was fading. There isn't much more to this studio, no classics beyond the first Ice Age movie.
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^ That is sadly the case.
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It is time we change the name of this topic to 20th Century Animation, formerly 21st Century FOX Animation and FOX Animation Studios and 2st Century FOX. Blue Sky Animation was their main division for making animated films, but now owned under Disney, Blue Sky has been shut down. All that is left is the newly renamed (by Disney) 20th Century Animation. This is their first official new film under this moniker and it is made by a studio called, Locksmith Animation, a British animation studio. This studio has never made a film before, but they claim to be "the only high-end computer-animation studio in the UK making computer-animated family films." Interesting.
Ron's Gone Wrong (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron%27s_Gone_Wrong)
Premise: "Set in a future where walking, speaking, digitally connected "B-bots" became kids' friends, Ron's Gone Wrong tells the story of Barney who finds out that his new B-bot, Ron, never quite works."
The film releases October 22, 2021.
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Well, Blue Sky isn't fully over it appears. I mean it is... but it isn't. The new film, Nimona was originally by them.
From wikipedia.
In June 2015, 20th Century Fox Animation acquired the rights for an animated feature film adaptation of Nimona, a webcomic by ND Stevenson. Patrick Osborne was set to direct, from a screenplay by Marc Haimes. The film was to be produced by Fox's former subsidiary, Blue Sky Studios, alongside Vertigo Entertainment.In June 2017, 20th Century Fox scheduled Nimona to be released on February 14, 2020.
In March 2019, The Walt Disney Company completed its acquisition of Fox, then in May 2019, the film was delayed to March 5, 2021. In November 2019, the film was delayed again to January 14, 2022. Through 2020 there was word that the film would be released in 2022, Stevenson stated in June 2020 that the film was still happening, and said the same in an August 2020 podcast. In August of that same year, Den of Geek reported that the animated film was still scheduled to be released in 2022, but gave no further details, with Deadline reporting the same in October.
Osborne would depart the film by March 2020, and after his departure, Nick Bruno and Troy Quane were brought on in to work on the story after directing Blue Sky's previous film Spies in Disguise (2019).
Following The Walt Disney Company's acquisition of 21st Century Fox, the parent company of Blue Sky, the production received pushback from Disney's leadership due to the film's LGBTQ themes, after which it was delayed multiple times before being canceled due to Blue Sky's closure in April 2021. On February 9, 2021, Disney announced it was shutting down Blue Sky Studios, and that production of the film was canceled.
However, Annapurna Pictures revived the project the following year, with Bruno and Quane announced as directors, DNEG Animation providing animation, and Netflix acquiring worldwide distribution.
Nimona had its world premiere at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival on June 14, 2023, was released in select cinemas on June 23, 2023, and made its streaming debut on June 30, 2023, by Netflix. The film received critical acclaim from critics for its animation, themes, humor, characters, faithfulness to the source material, musical score, tone, and vocal performances. The film has received mixed to middling reviews from the public with an average score of 6.4 out of 10, with many citing self-righteousness, hypocrisies, and moral direction. Other criticize the use of swear words in what is supposed to be children's film. Other positives include not judging someone or something based on the cover.
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The studio that never goes away. Their movies weren't the worst, but better than Illumination. At least this studio made original content.
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Yeah, they had some decent movies. Rio was okay and so was Peanuts.
I'm surprised the new owners haven't tried to revive Ice Age or use the brand name.