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After a few discussions with a co-worker about general Star Wars stuff, it occured to me some of the similarities between the way LucasFilm and Imagineering has done business over the years.
Both started out with a brilliant creator and a dedicated team of storytellers. Both had their share of budget issues but made the most of what they had. Both were also massive successes after a short time.
It was clear in the Star Wars movies and the Disney theme parks, that even though they might not be able to do everything they always wanted, the quality showed and the creators clearly put everything into making the best product possible.
But the real similarities begin after a few decades, when both Lucas and WDI seemed to be altering things from the way they used to be. Both seemed to succumb to either internal or external forces to change the way they did things.
The more recent attempts seemed to be driven more by marketing potential than true storytelling. The original movies/attractions were updated in order to be more acceptable to a wider audience, only to be criticized by loyal fans (POTC, SW 4-6). Characters added were seen as unrefined and annoying (Tiki Birds at WDW, Jar Jar Binks). Instead of classic techniques, more often new technology was used (CGI in SW Ep 1-3, hi-def screens in Finding Nemo) which was also not liked by many.
I think its an interesting comparison that both entities seemed to be unsure of how they achieved success to begin with and were convinced to alter the way they got there in the first place. I believe both suffered because of it.
Both started out with a brilliant creator and a dedicated team of storytellers. Both had their share of budget issues but made the most of what they had. Both were also massive successes after a short time.
It was clear in the Star Wars movies and the Disney theme parks, that even though they might not be able to do everything they always wanted, the quality showed and the creators clearly put everything into making the best product possible.
But the real similarities begin after a few decades, when both Lucas and WDI seemed to be altering things from the way they used to be. Both seemed to succumb to either internal or external forces to change the way they did things.
The more recent attempts seemed to be driven more by marketing potential than true storytelling. The original movies/attractions were updated in order to be more acceptable to a wider audience, only to be criticized by loyal fans (POTC, SW 4-6). Characters added were seen as unrefined and annoying (Tiki Birds at WDW, Jar Jar Binks). Instead of classic techniques, more often new technology was used (CGI in SW Ep 1-3, hi-def screens in Finding Nemo) which was also not liked by many.
I think its an interesting comparison that both entities seemed to be unsure of how they achieved success to begin with and were convinced to alter the way they got there in the first place. I believe both suffered because of it.
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