Disney and Star Wars – Some Serious Doubts

Yes, the Internet already exploded with the news that Disney bought Star Wars. Here’s a few thoughts to add to this deal. First off, Lucas is probably the worst person to write or direct Star Wars sequels, so I guess we should all be relieved that he’s no longer in charge of it. I’m still afraid of baby Boba Fett playing with baby Chewbacca and the Ewoks, but Disney hasn’t made a baby Avengers movie yet, so there is hope.

Now, there’s hope, but there’s not a huge amount of hope. The two reactions tend to be either, “No, Disney will just ruin it more!” and “Yes, Disney will tell us all awesome stories!” Disney tries to close the argument in their press release by claiming that :

The Lucasfilm acquisition follows Disney’s very successful acquisitions of Pixar and Marvel, which demonstrated the company’s unique ability to fully develop and expand the financial potential of high quality creative content with compelling characters and storytelling through the application of innovative technology and multiplatform distribution on a truly global basis to create maximum value.

I’d have more faith if I didn’t feel like Disney was slowly squeezing Pixar to death.  I spoke with Brenda Chapman and Mark Andrews back when Steve Jobs still owned the company, and they told me that sequels were just not part of Pixar’s DNA. The only reason Toy Story 2 got made was because Disney demanded it, and I’m willing to bet that’s also the only reason for Toy Story 3, Nemo 3D, Monster University, Cars 2, etc. If Disney truly let the brain trust create, we’d see more original stories and fewer sequels. Instead, we see merchandizing opportunities turned into movies.

So what I expect from the Star Wars deal is an occasional hit and a lot of misses every 2-3 years. And lots and lots of merchandising, theme park rides, and games. So while I do not expect anything as disastrous as the stilted dialog and horrible I am your father, and I designed all your droids plot lines, I don’t expect to be wowed. I expect to be bored. I don’t expect Avengers. I expect Cars 2. Please, Disney. Prove me wrong and make something fantastic.