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Thursday, September 10, 2009
Do you see an animated movie because of the voices?
I notice that a number of animated movies, including 9, which opened on Wednesday, promote their voice casts. But I have to wonder …
Do you really go to see an animated movie because of who does the voices? I usually don’t.
In the more distant past, animated movies rarely promoted who did the voices. Typically, the story and/or a name brand (e.g. Disney) gave people all the reason they needed to go.
Non Disney-Pixar movies especially seem to rely on the name-dropping, I notice. But did you really go to see Monsters vs. Aliens because Reese Witherspoon was the lead? Or will you go see 9 because Elijah Wood voices the title character? Maybe it’s just me, but I tend to doubt it. I would guess these movies sell themselves more on their stories/visuals.
Disney-Pixar usually avoids this tact, because they can usually rely on their strong name brands to sell a movie. And Pixar, certainly, usually doesn’t cast for star power, but for the right voice. After all, Ed Asner (Up) and Patton Oswalt (Ratatouille) are not exactly A-list draws, but both of those movies made more than $200 million.
Ironically, one of the few instances I can think of where a voice DID sell a movie is Disney’s Aladdin - and Robin Williams had specifically requested that his name NOT be used in publicity, and he later butted heads with Disney when they did.
So have you ever gone to an animated film because of the voices? If so, which ones?
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What’s opening Friday, Sept. 11?
September usually turns out to be a pretty mild month for the movies, and this weekend is no exception.
9: This actually opened on Wednesday; my review of it is here.
Sorority Row: Maybe horror fans can help me with this one, but I really don’t see the point. Isn’t this basically I Know What You Did Last Summer, with a few nips and tucks?
Tyler Perry’s I Can Do Bad All By Myself: Perry’s movies appeal to a lot of people; I am not one of them. I will say I’m rather intrigued by a Madea movie with a semi (?) serious spin, though.
Whiteout: This action movie, starring Kate Beckinsale as a US Marshall investigating spooky goings-on in Antarctica, has received no press screenings in this market, and there are only two reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, only a day before opening. One can’t help but wonder if the movie would be better titled Wipeout.
At the arthouses
The Neon opens Departures, this year’s Oscar winner for Best Foreign Language Film, and O’Horten, a drama about the retirement of a train engineer. Little Art opens Evangelion 1.0: You Are (Not) Alone, an animated film about a young hero who must pilot a giant robot in a battle against alien invaders.
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