Animation Magazine’s Post

Disney Trivia: Did you know that Mickey Mouse once worked as an accountant in a Disney cartoon? Even our favorite animated characters dabble in finance! Explore the magic of Disney in a whole new way. 🎥📜 #MickeyMouse #DisneyTrivia #AccountantMickey #AnimatedFinance #CartoonFun #DisneyMagic

Happy New Year everyone! The two hot family movies in my house during the festive period were: 1) Puss in Boots: The Last Wish from DreamWorks Animation on Netflix What an awesome movie, great villain, able to stand totally on its own despite being a derivative of a derivative. Andrew W., I know you liked this too. 2) Wallace & Gromit: Vengence Most Fowl from Aardman on BBC Fully delivered for existing fans, whilst capturing new ones too. Great fun, did not disappoint. Both provided franchise entry points for younger viewers and drove further engagement to other related content (Puss in Boots series in the first instance, other W&G movies and specials in the second). Got me thinking on where the halo value lies in content planning. #kidscontent #animation #streaming

"Moana was released in 2016, but it’s much bigger on streaming than it ever was in theaters. It has been viewed for a total of more than 1 billion hours...And it’s somehow still getting bigger. It was one of the most-watched movies in 2020, 2021 and 2022 for U.S. audiences. Then we managed to watch more of “Moana” on Disney+ in 2023. It was both the No. 1 movie in all of streaming last year and the No. 1 movie over the past five years combined." https://lnkd.in/er5MBXTW

Gorgeous. That’s the perfect word to describe Disney’s upcoming Moana sequel. The original Moana has already cemented itself as a cultural juggernaut, with consistent engagement on streaming platforms. Now, the sequel is poised to become the biggest box-office hit of the fall season. One concern many fans had has been gracefully resolved: Lin-Manuel Miranda has passed the musical torch to the talented duo Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear, and they absolutely deliver. Barlow and Bear infuse the world of Motunui with a fresh, youthful energy that honors the spirit of the original while making it feel new. Their soundtrack is brimming with sonic callbacks to the first film, striking a perfect balance between nostalgia and innovation. While the first movie followed 16-year-old Moana, this sequel catches up with her at 19. This new chapter explores themes of responsibility and growth in ways the first film couldn’t. Leading a full crew on her voyage will present challenges that add even more layers to her journey. It’s a story of ongoing personal growth, and that’s a theme worth celebrating. If you’re worried about the project’s origins as a Disney+ original series, don’t be. The shift to a theatrical release brought even more care and attention to the film, transforming it into something truly special. This Walt Disney Animation Studios sequel is a heartfelt adventure, filled with everything we love about Moana and The Walt Disney Company magic of moving making. #disney #boxoffice #streaming #licensing

From the Journal: It didn’t make a billion dollars at the box office. It didn’t bring home any Oscars, either. It wasn’t even the most popular Disney animated movie in the year it came out. “Moana” was released in 2016, but it’s much bigger on streaming than it ever was in theaters. It has been viewed for a total of more than 1 billion hours, according to Nielsen, which amounts to one person sitting through the movie 775 million times. Or watching “Moana” for 150,000 years straight. And it’s somehow still getting bigger. It was one of the most-watched movies in 2020, 2021 and 2022 for U.S. audiences. Then we managed to watch more of “Moana” on Disney+ in 2023. It was both the No. 1 movie in all of streaming last year and the No. 1 movie over the past five years combined. But it’s not just the biggest hit of #Hollywood’s streaming age. It also happens to be the biggest surprise. “Moana” is one of those movies that kids see one time, then a second and third time. Before long, the whole family has seen it a hundred times. All of the top streaming hits are children’s movies, but “Moana” stands out for its consistency and stickiness: It’s the only one that ranked in the top 10 of Nielsen’s annual streaming lists in 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023. The movie business is unpredictable because all sorts of factors can determine success in theaters—timing, marketing, competition. And even a bad movie can outperform expectations at the box office. But only a great movie can have staying power at home. [...] One of the many peculiar things about the most popular streaming movie is that it’s not on the most popular streamer. At least not any more. But before Disney+ existed, “Moana” was available on Netflix in 2017 and 2018. By the time Disney’s rival streamer launched in late 2019, there was already a huge audience that had been primed to watch and rewatch Disney movies whenever they wanted. Back then, Netflix wasn’t publishing its own data about what people watched and for how long, so it remained a secret that “Moana” had become a smash hit at home. But as soon as their streamer went live, it became clear to The Walt Disney Company executives that “Moana” was going to be much, much bigger in living rooms than it ever had been in theaters. And when Nielsen began releasing weekly top 10s for #streaming viewership in 2020, “Moana” was on the list and it’s been there for 60% of the weeks since. I suspected there was some kind of hidden explanation for the movie’s seemingly inexplicable second life, but the company’s executives insist that its success was entirely organic—and I now believe them. It’s all but impossible to artificially, algorithmically manufacture a hit streaming movie because it depends on people feeling a natural urge to watch it again. And again. And again. “It’s not something that you can make happen,” Bush said. “A swell of interest is something that has to be homegrown.” #film Disney Streaming #cinema

Win or Lose...

Disney has revealed that the cost of making Star Wars streaming show Andor has surged to $645 million (£504.8 million) after it spent a record $290.9 million (£232.1 million) last year on filming its second season which will debut in April 2025. It is the highest-ever annual spending on a Star Wars production disclosed in Disney's public filings. The staggering sum eclipses the $280.7 million (£211.8 million) spent on Star Wars: The Last Jedi over the almost 11 month period to March 16, 2019. Likewise, it is higher than the $243.8 million (£193.6 million) cost of The Force Awakens, Disney's debut entry in the sci-fi saga, during the year-ending November 15, 2016. Remarkably, the cost of Andor's second season is set to soar even higher as the $290.9 million was spent during the year to November 22, 2023 which doesn't even cover all of the shoot. https://lnkd.in/eV2uyKCJ

5 great Disney+ movies to watch on Christmas Eve 20th Century Fox Table of Contents Table of Contents Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992) The Santa Clause (1994) Frozen (2013) Cool Runnings (1993) The Ultimate Christmas Present (2000) Christmastime is the perfect holiday for watching movies. For starters, Christmas is the holiday with the most movies dedicated to it. You can probably name 10 Christmas movies before you can think of one about Thanksgiving. Something about the season of giving makes for a good movie. Santa Claus is also a popular character that audiences respond to well. When you want to watch some quality holiday movies, the best streamer for family-friendly Christmas movies is Disney+. Thanks to the vault, Disney+ hosts all of the animated classics plus a wealth of recognizable characters from the 1990s. Disney+ has a terrific selection of Christmas movies. To narrow down the search, try streaming one of our recommendations below. Need more recommendations? We also have guides for the 10 best TV shows to watch on Christmas, the best Christmas movies on Netflix, the best Christmas movies on Hulu, the best Christmas movies on Amazon Prime Video, the best Christmas movies on Max, and the best Christmas movies on Hallmark Channel.  Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992) 20th Century Fox Home Alone is considered a sacred text. Few Christmas movies have reached Home Alone‘s popularity levels and cultural impact. Home Alone 2: Lost in New York has a legitimate case for being the superior Christmas movie. It’s bigger, better, and utilizes the Big Apple to its advantage. After heading to Paris two years prior, the McCallisters have elected to spend their Christmas in rainy Florida. It’s another race to the airport on the morning of their flight. Thankfully, the family does not forget about 10-year-old Kevin McCallister (Macaulay Culkin). However, a mix-up in the terminals causes Kevin to board a flight to New York City instead of Florida. At first, Kevin enjoys his newfound freedom in New York. His spirits drastically change when he runs into Harry (Joe Pesci) and Marv (Daniel Stern). Instead of saving his house, Kevin must now protect a toy store from being robbed by the Sticky Bandits. Stream Home Alone 2: Lost in New York on Disney+. The Santa Clause (1994) Walt Disney Studios The Santa Clause is an aptly titled movie because of a legal matter involving the North Pole. On Christmas Eve, divorced dad Scott Calvin (Tim Allen) and his young son Charlie (Eric Lloyd) catch Santa Claus on their rooftop. Startled by their presence, Santa falls off the roof and dies. After putting on his suit, Scott and Charlie deliver the rest of the gifts and head to the North Pole. This is when the legal issue comes into play. By putting on the suit, Scott is subject to the “Santa Clause,” meaning he inherits all of Santa’s duties and responsibilities....

In depth conversations with Pixar Animation Studios (£ gifted link in comments). Did the decision to flight Soul, Luca and Turning Red on Disney+ train audiences to expect Pixar films to premiere on their phones and in their homes instead of in cinemas? Or was Lightyear just weak (and unnecessary) which soured audiences a bit for Elemental? Speaking of Elemental, the movie is presented as a flop in this article, when it really wasn't, see below charts. Not by way of box office, nor by way of streaming. I'm not saying that there isn't an issue with Disney's hit rate on animated films in recent years but I'm not sure doubling down on sequels is learning the right lesson. Audiences, particularly Disney audiences, are quite fatigued by all the extensive world-building that came from the streaming boom. They touch on this question in the article but does this story need to be told is what Nina I. Hahn asked when she joined us on the Kids Media Club Podcast. #streaming #disneyplus #kidscontent