Movie Gripe: Too Many "Animated" Movies These Days? (cinema, films)

[Mike from back east]

Warning: Old Cranky Guy Posting

I checked the schedule at two megaplexes in my area today (COLO SGPS, CO)

- Big Company "A" has 14 screens, 9 of them dedicated to animated movies.
- Big Company "B" had 17 screens, 11 of them dedicated to animated movies, including their IMAX house.

IMO, animated movies are little more than full-length cartoons. They grind these out on computers, pay little to any actors, don't need to adhere to much of a plot line, facts, truth or any semblance of reality.

Don't know about you guys, but these are not interesting to me. They may be good entertainment for kids, or they may be little more than just an easy way to get kids to sit still for 2 hours while they eat horribly bad food at usurious prices.

There are so many real, actual, true, factual, interesting topics and people out there to choose from, and I wish "hollywood" would get it's head out of it's cocaine jar and get busy doing something meaningful.

Can't these companies dedicate one screen to oldies? I'd love to see Casablanca on a BIG screen, same for the old Cleopatra and many more of the greats. With 14 or 16 screens, seems like an oldies screen would be a decent thing to do, a no-brainer. I know, it's all about the money, who gets X percent of the gate, etc. It's always about the money. What a country.

End of cranky old guy rant.

[Mark S.]

Originally Posted by Mike from back east

IMO, animated movies are little more than full-length cartoons. They grind these out on computers, pay little to any actors, don't need to adhere to much of a plot line, facts, truth or any semblance of reality.

True of many animated flicks. However, it's also true of most movies these days, no matter the medium.

A good movie is a good movie. A bad movie is a bad movie. Whether it is animated or live-action really doesn't have much to do with the quality.

I can understand complaining about animated movies being bad. Good call. I don't understand complaining about movies being animated. Some of my favorite films were animated.

Originally Posted by Mike from back east

Can't these companies dedicate one screen to oldies? I'd love to see Casablanca on a BIG screen, same for the old Cleopatra and many more of the greats. With 14 or 16 screens, seems like an oldies screen would be a decent thing to do, a no-brainer.

Depends on where you're at. We have a theater 10 minutes from my house that caters to the more "arty" films that don't play at the multiplex. There's another theater two towns over that does devote one screen for one week of each month to classic films. I think this month is Raiders of the Lost Ark.

It's a great idea. I wish more theaters would do it. The problem is getting moviegoers to pay an admission price to see a movie that they could easily rent front Netflix or get for free at the library. The theater in our area manages to do it by displaying films that you really do need to see on the Big Screen before you die.

[westhou]

I also love old movies. TCM is a great channel and in the past few weeks i've seen some excellent classics. I would love to be able to go to a cinema and see some of these movies on the big screen. I also checked the movie listings today and couldn't find a single movie worth seeing.

[ATLater]

Originally Posted by Mike from back east

Warning: Old Cranky Guy Posting

I checked the schedule at two megaplexes in my area today (COLO SGPS, CO)

- Big Company "A" has 14 screens, 9 of them dedicated to animated movies.
- Big Company "B" had 17 screens, 11 of them dedicated to animated movies, including their IMAX house.

IMO, animated movies are little more than full-length cartoons. They grind these out on computers, pay little to any actors, don't need to adhere to much of a plot line, facts, truth or any semblance of reality.

Don't know about you guys, but these are not interesting to me. They may be good entertainment for kids, or they may be little more than just an easy way to get kids to sit still for 2 hours while they eat horribly bad food at usurious prices.

There are so many real, actual, true, factual, interesting topics and people out there to choose from, and I wish "hollywood" would get it's head out of it's cocaine jar and get busy doing something meaningful.

Can't these companies dedicate one screen to oldies? I'd love to see Casablanca on a BIG screen, same for the old Cleopatra and many more of the greats. With 14 or 16 screens, seems like an oldies screen would be a decent thing to do, a no-brainer. I know, it's all about the money, who gets X percent of the gate, etc. It's always about the money. What a country.

End of cranky old guy rant.

guess it depends on where you live - yeah the amc and regald typically play whatevers hot but there are smaller theaters that play older movies too. but as far as the actors getting paid very little - mike myers said that he got paid more from doing the voice in shrek then he did any other movie - either that means the pay ain't that bad or he was getting paid in potatoes prior to shrek

[eevee]

aww, I love animated movies, esp. stuff from Pixar. seriously, how could you not like, or even love The Lion King, Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid, The Incredibles, Toy Story, The Iron Giant, Shrek, WALL-E, or Finding Nemo? they're just good fun, and many of them have a much better plot than some live action films. of course, some of them are trash (but then again, the same can be said of live action movies)

as for the oldies in the movies, in this age of Netflix and cable, I don't see it happening. theaters get more money for big blockbusters and wouldn't waste the space on older films that will only bring in a small audience. some theaters, most likely the smaller, indie ones, may have special nights where they show older movies, but not the big multiplexes. the only time I've seen these classics on a large screen is when my city does a "movie at the park" type of thing where they show movies on a large portable screen at a local park for free

[sportsfangal]

I totally agree, I love the animated movies! especially:

Toy Story
Monsters, Inc.
A Bug's Life
Coraline - claymation, not animation, but same basic idea
Up
Finding Nemo

Originally Posted by eevee

aww, I love animated movies, esp. stuff from Pixar. seriously, how could you not like, or even love The Lion King, Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid, The Incredibles, Toy Story, The Iron Giant, Shrek, WALL-E, or Finding Nemo? they're just good fun, and many of them have a much better plot than some live action films. of course, some of them are trash (but then again, the same can be said of live action movies)

as for the oldies in the movies, in this age of Netflix and cable, I don't see it happening. theaters get more money for big blockbusters and wouldn't waste the space on older films that will only bring in a small audience. some theaters, most likely the smaller, indie ones, may have special nights where they show older movies, but not the big multiplexes. the only time I've seen these classics on a large screen is when my city does a "movie at the park" type of thing where they show movies on a large portable screen at a local park for free

[BlueWillowPlate]

I concur with eevee and sportsfangal. I especially adore Pixar films.
But I understand how you can feel a bit overwhelmed with all the animated stuff these days.
And sometimes I do wonder how they decide which movies to show.
I live in a one-theater town. The theater has 8 screens, and it seems to me they could put the latest Harry Potter movie on two of them.
But I don't really understand how all that stuff works.

[bs13690]

Sadly, a lot of the animated films are better than the live action. I can see why the proliferation of this movies is disappointing if you are into more artsy, independent fare though.

I also would like to see older films played in more theaters but I understand why they aren't. They just wouldn't make as much money.

[Badger]

I think you hit the nail on the head with the cost to produce these. It's kind of like reality TV, cheap to produce so they make alot of it.

I don't know if it's what people really want or if it marketing or both but there sure does seem to be alot of both out there.

I've never seen an animated movie, can't say I've really ever wanted to, to me they're for kids and that's that. Is this part of the regression of our populace or just good entertaiment? Maybe I should watch a few to see if I'd like them, but on the surface as a genre it really does not interest me.

[Mike from back east]

We did go to see "UP" in 3-D, more for the gimmick than anything else. It was "cool" to see, but I hated paying $2.50 to RENT the 3-D glasses and then have to turn them in on the way out.

Some movies I've really liked in the past few years:

- All 3 of those Pirates of the Caribbean flicks with Johnny Depp
- Walk the Line, about Johnny Cash
- Charley Wilson's War
- Sicko
- He's Just Not That Into You
- Night at the Museum, Smithsonian
- Indiana Jones, the most recent one
- Haunting in Connecticut
- I Am Legend
- Norbit
- Devil Wears Prada
- Good Night and Good Luck
- Seabiscuit