Seeing some of the talk on the internet about Disney buying LucasArts has made me realize that people have selective memory about Disney and how they have managed their creative partnerships.
"Coming soon: 'Star Tours, The Motion Picture!'"
I can see where some of this comes from. Disney saw the huge piles of cash that came in from Pirates of the Caribbean and obviously thought that more of that and more of any other great ride would be the key to more money than any company could ever spend. "Tower of Terror packs them in, has a great story and an existing IP, let's start there!" Then it tanked, hard. "Okay, let's spend more money, a bigger name on the marque and a more wide appealing ride at the parks!" This movie made money. If you are counting foreign sales as well, BIG money...but it sucked and sucked hard enough to actually damage the Disney parks value a bit. As a result, Disney has backed away. So, yes they have some really terrible ideas but they do seem to be able to learn.
"Won't someone think of the merch!?!"
This one made me laugh a bit. If anyone can be counted on to bring the merchandise, it is the mouse. At the parks Disney relentlessly sells Star Wars stuff, from spiffy Yoda backpacks to having an insanely cool "Build Your Own Lightsaber" station. Some of it is co-branded (what do you expect? It was a partnership) and some is not but even before buying the IP outright, Disney has shown their commitment.
"Disney let my favorite IP languish!"
If they did, either your favorite thing sucked or it has a niche appeal. Sorry but that's the truth. If Disney can turn a buck and do it with enough quality to bring more prestige to the mouse they will do it. Disney is all about building their properties. While they have really let the side down of late when it comes to ensnaring the minds of boys when it comes to the core Disney properties, they take great pains to own the hearts of little girls...and young Star Wars fans. At the parks, one of the most popular experiences is Jedi Training Academy. Watch a bit of the video and tell me that these young ones won't be life long fans.
"But Disney has made some really, REALLY suck movies!"
Yep, that they have. Especially live action and especially sequels but that's the law of averages. It takes some long and hard thought to think of a really, properly good sequel. There is Godfather 2 and well... Aliens and...hmmm. So yea, put out enough content and some of it is bound to suck. But for every Prince of Persia there is an Avengers. For every G-Force there is a WALL-E and for every Dragonslayer there is a Tron. Look back on all the theatrical features that Disney has created and you'll see a lot of stinkers but I bet you see a lot more than make you smile fondly. If you think that most of those movies that make you smile are historical and that the new ones just seem to suck, realize two things. First: Most of them aren't aimed at you anymore. Kids love the hell out of things like Cars 2. Second: Well I'll just let YouTube do the talking again. THIS is what Disney can do.
"Disney has a long history of really vigorously defending their copyright. Cosplay and fan art is over!"
That would have been true were it still the 1980s. Yes back in the Eisner era Disney didn't understand fans, it simply understood products. These days, Disney understands passionate fans and actually uses them to add value to what they are doing. As long as you don't try to horn in on their action, like say, dressing as one of the princesses at the park, they are very accommodating. This likely means an abrupt cease and desist to most sources of Amidala porn but can you really blame them? If you are a Star Wars and cosplay fan, you've likely heard of the 501st Legion. They have been invited to participate at Star Wars weekends at Disney parks and are even featured on the official promo page for the event. Disney is also very okay with people making fair use of their property. They now understand that most fan videos simply add more value and make people even more engaged. I'll close on that note with a brilliant fan video for the theme from Brave - Touch The Sky.
