Merida to Join the Disney Princess Line

[Atlantica]

Hmm I suppose so, maybe I just didnt 'get' her in that way. Rapunzel I found instantly likeable; she has character flaws and faults (more obviously seen than in other Princesses so far I felt), but I didnt warm to Merida in any real way.

Heck, maybe if the Princess cliche was there and she had an 'I Want' song I may feel different .... but right now, I got nada.

[Sotiris]

Source: http://www.disneystore.com/disney-princ ... 7/1000395/




Source: http://www.target.com/p/disney-princess ... A-13934329

[Atlantica]

I was having an in depth discussion with my friends 4 year old last night about the Princesses (:lol:), and what she thought of them....quite interesting!

She thought Merida was 'boring' as she 'doesn't have fun with friends'. Rapunzel was the favored by a long shot; she was 'funny, had nice songs and loved her friends Max and Pascal'. She felt neutral to the others, but is excited to see Mermaid in the cinema this year.

Her favorite Disney characters though are the Faries; she adores them and has seen the last two in the cinema and has them all at home. She is obsessed with the books too, and has the dolls. Also Jake and the Neverland Pirates is beloved as well.

[Sotiris]

I have received an update regarding Merida's coronation from a very reliable source. The source who asked to remain anonymous informed me that the coronation has been pushed forward from July to May. It will now be held on May 11th in Cinderella's Castle at the Magic Kingdom. The celebration will continue until May 13th and attendance is expected to reach 700+.

[disneyprincess11]

Thanks for the info, but why isn't it in Scotland anymore?

[pinkrenata]

I know I should be adding more to the conversation, but ....

Merida would not approve.

[Sotiris]

Thanks for the info, but why isn't it in Scotland anymore?

There were never any plans for the coronation to be held in Scotland as far as I know. That was only an unfounded rumor from an untrustworthy blog.

I don't like this one bit. Personally, I'm against it because it fundamentally confuses the identities of both animation studios.

That's my only quip with Merida's addition. She's a Pixar character and by adding her to the line they are blurring the identities between the two studios. It's bad enough the general public has difficulty differentiating between the two studios already.

[SWillie!]

That's my only quip with Merida's addition. She's a Pixar character and by adding her to the line they are blurring the identities between the two studios. It's bad enough the general public has difficulty differentiating between the two studios already.

I think the idea of blurring the identities of the two studios is something we're all going to have to accept. It's been happening more and more and the past several years, and what with Pixar characters joining Disney marketing lines and Disney making movies with Pixar characters, it's inevitable that they will continue to do so. Plus the fact, like you said - that the general public already doesn't understand that there's a difference.

And honestly, I don't know that that's necessarily a bad thing.

[Disney's Divinity]

And honestly, I don't know that that's necessarily a bad thing.

I do, considering I don't enjoy most Pixar films. But I know why Disney is so eager to push Pixar into everything--$$$. The prospect of seeing Nemo and Dory beside Ariel on a Disney product curdles my milk.

I disagree that the general public doesn't know the difference though. In ten years, they probably won't (and Disney's trying their best to hurry it along). But most people these days go on and on about how they love Pixar films; they don't say Disney.

[Sotiris]

The prospect of seeing Nemo and Dory beside Ariel on a Disney product curdles my milk.

I wouldn't want that to happen either.

I disagree that the general public doesn't know the difference though. In ten years, they probably won't (and Disney's trying their best to hurry it along). But most people these days go on and on about how they love Pixar films; they don't say Disney.

Perhaps teenagers and young adults know the difference but I doubt whether most parents or children do.

[Sotiris]

Disney Germany has officially announced that Merida will join the Disney Princess line in 2013.




Source: http://www.disney-reporter.de/media/Dis ... _Jan13.pdf




Source: http://www.disney.de/lieblingsprinzessin/

[kbehm29]

The prospect of seeing Nemo and Dory beside Ariel on a Disney product curdles my milk.

LOL! I just laughed so hard I choked on some trail mix.

[Elladorine]

I think the idea of blurring the identities of the two studios is something we're all going to have to accept.

Especially when people within the studio blur the lines.

I was working on a movie there called “American Dog” and it had the normal amount of problems, I think, that those movies have. And we were working out those problems. I take fifty percent of the responsibility for that thing. But at the same time I think it wasn't exactly Pixar’s cup of tea – that sort of story.

I honestly don't see it as a big deal, even though I typically prefer Disney over Pixar. But that's just me.

Even though it's kinda weird seeing Merida hanging out with the others.

[SWillie!]

Especially when people within the studio blur the lines.

I think for me this is one of the biggest reasons I don't have nearly as much of an issue with it as I might have a few years back. Getting to talk to some of the artists and understand a little better how they view the entire industry - it's not the brand name on the film that matters at the end of the day, it's the characters and the story. The artists bounce around from studio to studio all the time nowadays, so it's not necessarily the people that separate Disney from other studios (the way it was back in Walt's day or even up until the 80s and 90s). Instead, it's more a marketing thing.

If Dreamworks is making a great film, it has FULL support from the artists at Disney and Pixar and all the other studios. And vice versa. The artists don't feel competition with other studios (the way the corporate side of things does), as they just want to see great films get made. It's the hardcore fans that give them this distinct separation, and I don't think they (the artists) necessarily want that or feel that's necessary.

That said, I do still think ideally that people would know and understand the different studios and their films, but just not put as much weight into it. For instance, when Ralph came out last year and many reviews were calling it "Pixar's newest". That's just uneducated reviewing. Does it matter all that much? Not really. But should they know better? Yes.

I don't get the problem with seeing Disney and Pixar characters together. It's been happening for years at the parks and on other merchandise.

[Elladorine]

SWillie!

Although I've only enjoyed very fleeting moments of being in the animation industry, I've spent a lifetime following it and hate the idea of the blind brand loyalty a lot of the hardcore fans seem to emulate. I mean, I completely understand having a preference for one animation studio over another (whether it be Disney, Pixar, Dreamworks, etc.), but no matter what the marketing dictates, all studios are full of very talented, hard-working, passionate artists that care about making great films with wonderful stories and characters. Disney is amazing and awesome and all that, but they're not the be-all, end-all of animation, and artists scatter to wherever the work is available. That gives us a larger variety of animated films so I don't see that as a bad thing. And maybe that's why I really don't mind seeing Pixar and Disney under the same umbrella? I remember how awesome it was to recognize Woody walking around at Disneyland before the original release of Toy Story; no one else had any idea of who he was.

I had to laugh the other day because Rey and I were talking about The Croods. He'd heard some guys on the radio discussing it as the latest Pixar film, and then looked at me and was like, "Silly people, it's a Disney film, right?"



Well ok, Rey does appreciate animation more than the average audience member, but he doesn't actively follow who does what like we do. He did at least know it's a Chris Sanders film (we both met him a while back); I just had to explain to him that he's still at Dreamworks. But most of the general public has no reason to care about which studio did what; most likely they're just looking for an enjoyable family-oriented film. And I honestly don't see any real benefit of keeping Disney and Pixar separate entities, especially when they literally are under the same umbrella and have a lot of the same people working between the two.

[Sotiris]

Personally, I would like the studios to retain their own identity. Not just WDAS and Pixar but all of the six animation studios currently under Disney. I believe that fusing the product of all of the studios into one homogeneous entity is a disservice to the individual legacy of the studios, the brand image they've developed, and their fans.

There's a rumor circulating that Lucasfilm Animation will be disbanded and absorbed into Disney Television Animation. I find that a terrible idea and I'm hoping it won't come to fruition.

[SWillie!]

Good post enigmawing! Definitely agreed.

Sotiris, what benefits are there to keeping everything separate? I think it starts to become confusing at a certain point when there are too many things to keep track of, even as a hardcore fan. So really, what are the pros? I'm not saying there aren't any, simply asking.

[Sotiris]

Sotiris, what benefits are there to keeping everything separate?

From an artistic standpoint, there's more space and freedom to create a diverse product both in terms of style and of storytelling. From a cultural standpoint, the legacy, tradition and history of each studio is preserved and respected, and from a business standpoint, the brand image for each studio and its properties is strengthened.

I'm glad you're not in charge of Disney, SWillie! You would combine all of the studios into one and just call it Disney Animation.

[Disney Duster]

So some of you would be happy if people said Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was a Pixar film or one day Disney lost it's idenitity and legacy and just called themselves Pixar? Or they all became one studio called Great Family Animation Studios?

[SWillie!]

From an artistic standpoint, there's more space and freedom to create a diverse product both in terms of style and of storytelling. From a cultural standpoint, the legacy, tradition and history of each studio is preserved and respected, and from a business standpoint, the brand image for each studio and its properties is strengthened.

I'm glad you're not in charge of Disney, SWillie! You would combine all of the studios into one and just call it Disney Animation.

I can definitely understand all three points, and I would agree with all three were they being handled correctly at Disney right now. However, I think the only studio that is being handled correctly at the moment is Pixar. They have a strong brand image and seem to be sticking with it as much as they can, and so I think they ought to be able to continue to do so. I think that's a good thing.

My reasoning behind the thought the Disney Animation might be better off to rebrand themselves under one umbrella that we discussed before is because they don't have a strong enough brand image on their own. (Let me clarify here: I would not include Marvel, Lucas, or Pixar in this sort of rebranding, as they already have a strong brand on their own). While I think WDAS has at least been on the right track branding wise, I don't think they're there yet. And DisneyToon and Disney TV barely even have a brand image at all. It's those two studios that complicate the situation at Disney. I think they either need to work harder to brand each studio to have it's own individual identity, or they need to combine them to create a stronger, larger brand of "Disney Animation".

So, while I may very well not be the best candidate for Lasseter's position, I do think something needs to be done, even if grouping everything together isn't the right answer. If they were to brand DisneyToon and Disney TV to have strong individual identities, that would be great too. I'd be all for that. It just gets so confusing with this movie being produced here but animated here and now the rights to it are here but it's only considered Disney under these circumstances and this one was only distributed by Disney and only seasons 5-7 count and this sequel is part of the official canon but these other ones don't really count yada yada yada.

I mean, to understand it on a level that you and I might, you really have to put some time and energy into researching it and understanding how the company's branches fit together. On the other hand, one simply has to visit Pixar's website to see a clear, concise breakdown of every film they've made - shorts and features. That's the way it should be, and that's why I think Disney needs to figure their stuff out.