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DISNEY EXEC: MOVIEGOERS WANT SPECTACLE, NOT STORY

August 9, 2011 by · 7 Comments 

Walt Disney Animation Studios chief technical officer Andy Hendrickson has argued that the notion that what draws moviegoers to the theater is a good script is utter “bull***t.” Daily Variety reported today (Tuesday) that on Sunday, Hendrickson showed a chart of the top 12 films of all time to attendees at the Siggraph conference in Vancouver. Every one, he noted, was a spectacle. Pointing out that one of them was his own studio’s Alice in Wonderland, which was released last year, Hendrickson said, “The story isn’t very good, but visual spectacle brought people in droves. And Johnny Depp didn’t hurt.” As reported by the Vancouver Sun, Hendrickson also urged studios to let go of their penchant for trying to keep technical developments shrouded in secrecy. “There needs to be sharing and collaboration between the different studios because the more people understand coming in, the better off they will be,” he said.

             

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  • Ilkazapata

    And now we know why Disney ‘s been producing all those crappy mvoies lately. With execs like this…

  • michael kotschi

    What do you expect from the chief technical officer?  He probably wouldn’t understand what it takes to make a good script in the first place. His only credit on imdb is Shrek 2 and again in a technical position. John Lasseter needs to send these types of execs back to school.

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  • Jubalearly

    If Walt were still alive, this moron would never have been hired 

  • Kevin

     Yes spectacle does well internationally since bold visuals have no language barrier.  But not all spectecals are hits.  Just ask the producers of Speed Racer and Cowboys Vs. Aliens and Mars Needs Moms.  Well written films do very well.  King’s Speech cost nothing and made over 100 million.  And the Pixar  films are all well written. 

  • Palmtree

    Gotta love someone who says “the story isn’t very good” when talking about a classic book that has been filmed dozens of times.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/James-Nelson-Smith/1520149907 James Nelson Smith

    Though I don’t agree with him on the whole, when it comes to just boxoffice and butts in the seats on opening weekend, he’s technically right.  Well written movies have become a bit of a niche market.  Also decades of television, with it’s style over substance and quick mtv editing,  along with  the increase of “effects” over story has trained the average movie goer to look on movies as disposable entertainment.  Studio are no longer (if they ever really did) thinking of posterity, but rather the quick buck.