Why is Disney not putting their classic characters to good use?

[Sawyer]

I just saw a commercial for some new DTV movie starring Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Donald, Pluto and the rest of the Disney gang. A DTV movie.... not exactly Disney's strong suit, given that it's usually just the dumping ground for half assed sequels to their big screen movies or ****ing Tinkerbell.

So, why exactly is Disney not putting this group of characters to better use?

 

[danoyse]

It's Mickey's Road Rally - which is from the Playhouse Disney series Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. Which my nephew is obsessed with.

The animation is...what it is, but the show has actually done a great job re-introducing those characters to a younger audience. When you go to the parks now those characters are like The Beatles to anyone under 5.

But they do deserve better. They started to bring them back with a Goofy short in front of National Treasure 2 a few years ago, but I hear they've since been shelved.

 

[Spider-Vader]

Disney needs to get back into the cartoon business. Not only should they revive their classics, they should revive their '90s characters. The '90s characters like Launchpad, the Rescue Rangers & Darkwing are modern cartoon classic!

 

[Thundarr]

I agree 100%! A feature length Mickey Mouse movie would be great fun. Or a Darkwing Duck movie. Or Gizmo Duck. Or Rescue Rangers. Or another Duck Tales movie. There was a Goofy Movie about 14 or 15 years ago, they should do more.

 

[8wid]

^Because they are almost completely interested in devoting their resources to live action after school dramas and comedies because one small demographic makes more money than probably the others combined.

 

[Mace Dolex]

Disney has been caught up too much on their CGI creations that they think nobody cares for the classics.

 

[Mace Dolex]

Disney has been caught up too much on their CGI creations that they think nobody cares for the classics.

 

[Jackasscoley15]

I always figured that after A Goofy Movie, Disney would give each of the classic characters their own modern update movies, chronicling their everyday lives similar to AGM.

I was certain we were going to get A Mickey Movie.

 

[Vapor]

Gargoyles, Ducktales, Darkwing Duck, Rescue Rangers and even Goof Troop were some of the best shows growing up in the 90's so some sort of revival would be cool. I also liked (and still do) A Goofy Movie and also Ducktales: Treasure of the Lost Lamp... but I was never really that into Mickey Mouse.. Donald wasn't too bad but Mickey always seemed too "goody two shoes" for me... So I don't really know where you would go in a movie with him, unless you teamed him up with Donald and/or Goofy. The Goofy movie worked, imo, 'cos they could give him a son and he was clumsy which affected his adventure..

Perhaps a Mickey/Donald competitive neighbour plot... I actually wouldn't mind a Kingdom Hearts film. Or a similar style of film with the Disney characters perhaps having Pete as the villain.

At any rate, as is the popular opinion on here, I think something should definitely be done with Gargoyles (hopefully in the live action field) and after Alvin and the Chipmunks, perhaps a Rescue Rangers film.

 

[Dr. Evil]

Disney could always "Pixar" these characters, since Pixar has a successful track record of success, with no box office failures among its set of films.

 

[Lord Blackbolt]

They should redo a classic story with Disney characters. Like...uhm....the three musketeers...but with Mickey, Donald, and Goofy. Kinda like the old Robin hood cartoon.

 

[Prison Mike]

It was a great time growing up in the 90s. I miss it. I want to go back.

 

[Crockett]

They should redo a classic story with Disney characters. Like...uhm....the three musketeers...but with Mickey, Donald, and Goofy. Kinda like the old Robin hood cartoon.

Funny you mention that since Disney back in '04 actually did it. And is DTV.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mickey,_Donald,_Goofy:_The_Three_Musketeers

 

[Incrediblejeff]

Eh,I rather see them create new characters.

 

[GL1]

Pluto? Like the planet?

... I kid.

A Mickey feature could be pretty interesting...

 

[CGHulk]

The reason why Ovitz is not doing anything with Mickey because he said something about Mickey being to cute and not being hard edge enough for young viewers today, because he doesn't have enough tude!

 

[Crockett]

Although Disney is trying to re-brand Mickey by moving away from his current squeaky clean image and reintroducing the mischievous side of his personality and Epic Mickey is part of the effort for going in that direction.

 

[Doctor Jones]

A Mickey Mouse feature is box office gold. And a great idea.

 

[Mace Dolex]

The reason why Ovitz is not doing anything with Mickey because he said something about Mickey being to cute and not being hard edge enough for young viewers today, because he doesn't have enough tude!

Even as a kid I knew the Disney characters were miles away from the more in your face Looney Tunes shorts.

Mickey works best as the straight man, if you try to make him over as edgier Disney will alienate not only the younger generation but the old one as well.

 

[Thundarr]

Even as a kid I knew the Disney characters were miles away from the more in your face Looney Tunes shorts.

Mickey works best as the straight man, if you try to make him over as edgier Disney will alienate not only the younger generation but the old one as well.

Exactly. A feature length Mickey Mouse movie that's along the lines of the classic Disney shorts about Mickey preparing for a date with Minnie probably wouldn't work. But team him up with a sillier or edgier character like Goofy or Donald and you won't have to try and change what has been working for the past sixty years.

I like the idea of Mickey competing against Donald and/or Goofy in a race or some other competition. Mickey competes honestly. So does Goofy, but he's hampered by his clumsiness. Donald throws friendship and fair play out the window, pulling out all the stops in his attempt to win. He laughs hysterically whenever one of his dirty tricks works and he gets ahead, and freaks out whenever he's losing. I think that could work great.

 

[bullets]

Disney could always "Pixar" these characters, since Pixar has a successful track record of success, with no box office failures among its set of films.

What about a pixar fantasia?

 

[Thundarr]

Disney could always "Pixar" these characters, since Pixar has a successful track record of success, with no box office failures among its set of films.

Well it's kinda tough to have a successful track record of failures, lol.

But seriously, that's not a bad idea. A little gimmicky. "Kids are only interested in CGI characters now, so let's make Mickey, Donald, and Goofy CGI". However that is the sad truth these days. My 3 year old nephew has no interest in old school Disney cartoons, yet he loves Cars, Toy Story, and Shrek. A sign of the times I suppose.

 

[danoyse]

Well it's kinda tough to have a successful track record of failures, lol.

But seriously, that's not a bad idea. A little gimmicky. "Kids are only interested in CGI characters now, so let's make Mickey, Donald, and Goofy CGI". However that is the sad truth these days. My 3 year old nephew has no interest in old school Disney cartoons, yet he loves Cars, Toy Story, and Shrek. A sign of the times I suppose.

My nephew is 2-1/2 and loves Mickey Mouse, thanks to Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, which is computer-animated, and looks like this:

[YT]8ODPtsAJXgM[/YT]

It may seem like a travesty of animation, considering where Mickey started, but he can name all of the main characters and he's crazy about them. The show is really cute too. If he wants to watch it, he'll point to the TV and say "Mickey Mouse?"

I bought him some Disney Singalong videos a few weeks ago, and he went nuts seeing all of the characters, even though they were the costumed versions from the parks.

 

[Squidboy]

My niece is the same way with that show. She was Minnie for Halloween already and she's supposed to be Daisy this year, with her cousin being Donald, but I think she'd prefer being Goofy (and I can't blame her, because Goofy is pretty awesome)

 

[danoyse]

Last time I was in Disney World (which was about 6 weeks before my nephew was born), we met a little boy who had a crush on Minnie. He was about 3...it was quite possibly one of the cutest things I'd ever seen at Disney World.

My nephew calls Minnie "Mimmy".