Heads Up Hollywood

Tang En is very concerned about the animation industry, not only to attack Disney's core industry, but also for the future layout of Tang En Pictures.

Who can imagine that in 2004, the NBC Group under General Electric acquired Universal Pictures at a total cost of only 4 billion US dollars. And the market value of Pixar that year had already exceeded $4 billion!

The animation department is definitely the rarest treasure in Hollywood!

Animated movies are by no means like live-action movies, which can be produced with money, connections, and resources.

Talent is needed!

Not only technical talents, but also creativity, modeling, painting, simulation, dubbing and many other aspects. This is an exclusive option for animated films that even the sunglasses system cannot provide.

Twentieth Century Fox's animation department has been in business for more than ten years, but in the end it had to be axed and replaced by the acquisition of Blue Sky Studios. As for the animation departments of film companies such as Universal, Columbia, and Paramount, they have even more empty names.

Twain knew that animated films were difficult to produce, so he started with the simple ones. He planned to cooperate with Viacom's Nickelodeon Channel to launch a series of children's cartoons. On the one hand, he could compete with the Disney Channel, and on the other hand, he could cultivate his own animation talents.

But now it seems that the situation is not good.

Bill McNick saw Tang En's dignified face, and stretched out three fingers, "Three aspects. The first, and the one that I care about the most, is the soul of the animation department, Chris Meledandri. "

"He doesn't want to come?" Tang En understood what he meant.

Bill McNick sighed, "Chris is now the top person in charge of Fox Animation, and is currently cooperating with Blue Sky Studios to launch the first computer-generated 3D animation film "Ice Age". Chris has invested heavily in this film. It took a lot of hard work, and he is not willing to leave at this time of failure."

Ice Age, Blue Sky Studios' well-known animated series, was indeed a huge success.

Twain was a little disappointed. Chris Meledandri is a true master of the animation industry, a figure who can be compared with Dreamworks' Jeffrey Katzenberg and Pixar's John Last.

It can be said irresponsibly that in today's Hollywood, except for these three people, no one can hold up the banner of animated films!

Jeffrey Katzenberg served as the chairman of the Disney Animation Department from 1984 to 1994. That was the second golden age of the Disney Animation Department, and successively launched "The Little Mermaid", "Beauty and the Beast", " Aladdin, The Lion King and other classic animations.

But in 1994, a major power change occurred within Disney, and a large number of executives left, including Bill McNick, Jeffrey Katzenberg and others.

As a result, the Disney Animation Department, which lacked the soul of Jeffrey Katzenberg, fell directly. Over the next decade or so, the animation market in Hollywood has become the three kingdoms of Pixar Animation, DreamWorks Animation, and Blue Sky Animation.

It was not until later that Disney acquired Pixar and let Pixar's great god John Last lead the Disney animation department, which reversed the defeat and successively launched many excellent animated films such as "Frozen", "Wreck-It Ralph", "Zootopia" and so on. .

Now, Tang En failed to recruit Chris Meledandri, so he basically gave up his idea of ​​cultivating animation talents on his own.

"What about the second?" Tang En rubbed his forehead with some headaches.

Bill McNick said: "Your idea of ​​buying a stake in Nickelodeon was rejected by Viacom."

"ah?"

Tang En couldn't believe his ears.

With Comcast as the matchmaker, Tang En as the guarantee for the content, and the strong pressure from the Disney Kids Channel, how could Viacom refuse to cooperate?

"It's not a refusal to cooperate. Viacom just doesn't want us to stretch our hands too far. It's impossible to defeat a tiger outside and attract wolves at home, right?"

What Bill McNick said immediately hit the heart of the matter.

Viacom is a media group, and it is true that it is a competitor with Disney. Similarly, it has a lot of competition with Tang En Pictures.

Needless to say, Paramount under Viacom, as long as it is a film company, there is competition.

Now HBO's biggest competitor, Showtime, is a professional cable TV station owned by Viacom. Twain Films has now acquired Starz TV station and entered into the same market, which will definitely threaten Showtime in the future.

Viacom will never allow Tang En Pictures to complete the layout of the cable TV network.

Tang En sneered a little, his face full of disdain and ridicule.

It’s no wonder that Viacom fell rapidly later, and its industries continued to be split up. From a large company with nearly 100 billion U.S. dollars, it was reduced to a market value of only more than 10 billion U.S. dollars.

Vision is too low!

Sumner Redstone may be confused, or he may be busy cutting off the father-son relationship with his son, and has forgotten how to manage the company and strategic layout.

Typical shortsightedness!

By cooperating with Tang En Pictures, at least half of the equity can be kept. If you don't cooperate and wait for the Disney Channel to sweep the world, there will be nothing left.

"An old family business, Viacom is capable of this!" Tang En sneered very bluntly.

Bill McNick shook his head, "Nick Rodion has his own animation studio, maybe...they don't think it's time to hang on."

Tang En frowned, "What? Don't they even want to accept our cartoons?"

Bill McNick said: "That's not true, Nickelodeon is very happy to play superhero cartoons, but Marvel, the view is a little different."

"how to say?"

"Marvel Entertainment and Marvel Pictures do not approve of your idea of ​​adapting Marvel superheroes into young-age cartoons, especially Nina, who is very firm, and she believes that this will seriously affect the high-quality image of Marvel movies. And Kevin said something, and I think it makes sense."

"Kevin?"

"That's right, Kevin Feige, the assistant to the president of Marvel Studios." Bill McNichol paused, "He said that since he wants to form the series of 'Avengers', there must be a line of thought that runs through it." The main style, humorous mass entertainment is the best choice. Therefore, there is no need to worry that Marvel movies will not have a children’s market, and more and more children will enter the cinema in the future.”

"It makes sense!"

Tang En nodded in agreement, "If that's the case, let's seal up those mainstream superheroes, and we can shoot the cartoons of "Fantastic Four."

The "Fantastic Four" movie is difficult to shoot, not only because of special effects, but also with the setting of the four protagonists. At least for a short period of time, Tang En has no idea of ​​starting the "Fantastic Four" project.

It can be made into a cartoon and played on Nickelodeon.

After more than ten years, the special effects are mature, and after the Marvel movies have swept Hollywood, the "Fantastic Four" movie will be released on the occasion. The impact of the current low-quality cartoons is minimal.

Although Viacom refused to cooperate, Dunn had to make an animation. Because in his public relations crisis, Viacom has played a lot.

Taking out the copyright of "Fantastic Four" to shoot cartoons is enough to repay the favor.

"By the way, Bill, how is your relationship with Jeffrey Katzenberg?" Dunn pondered for a while, then suddenly asked.

Bill McNick glanced at him in surprise, "It was okay when he worked at Disney, but after he came out to start a business, the relationship faded."

Tang En looked at him expectantly, "Bill, what do you think I bought Dreamworks Animation Department?"

The animation industry must be indispensable. Since Chris Meledandri had no plans to leave Fox, Twain set his sights on another animation master.

"ah?"

Bill McNick was taken aback.

Tang En was a little excited, "Bill, the current situation of DreamWorks is very bad. It has successively sold its publishing, game, Internet and other departments. The music department has been losing money year after year, and the situation of the animation department is even worse. Last year's "Prince of Egypt" had no box office. Having achieved the expected success, this year's "Race to the Golden City" can even be described as a disastrous failure!"

"Rush to the Golden City" is an animated film released at the end of March this year, with a total investment of 95 million US dollars. It has been two months now, and the global box office is only 43 million U.S. dollars. According to authoritative media forecasts, the total box office will not exceed 80 million U.S. dollars!

Even if the peripheral industry of cartoons is strong, the peripherals are often driven by the influence of the box office.

The disastrous box office failure of "Bravely Entering the Golden City" is doomed to be a serious loss-making movie.

As early as a month ago, there was news in Hollywood that the DreamWorks Animation Department would go bankrupt.

"This... I'm afraid it will be difficult." Bill McNick was not optimistic about Tang En's idea, "Jeffrey is the founder of DreamWorks, and he is in charge of the animation department himself. It is impossible for him to agree to sell the animation department. It's like music The department has been losing money for many years, but because David Geffen is in charge, it has not been abolished or sold."

Tang En did not give up, "Bill, this matter, I have to trouble you to make a few more trips. Tang En Pictures must have an animation department. If it doesn't work today, then tomorrow, and if it doesn't work tomorrow, then the day after tomorrow! Animated movies, if you want to win!"

Hollywood's window marketing business model was gradually established in the 1990s.

The animation industry is still too avant-garde.

Its huge prospects, right now, Jobs and the foresighted Twain can see clearly that many big companies are abandoning the animation department.

Including Bill McNick.

He is an older generation of filmmakers with conservative and traditional thinking, and his views on the animation industry are far less passionate than Tang En's.

However, seeing that Tang En was so interested in animated films, Bill McNick could only act according to the boss's intention, "Okay, I will communicate with DreamWorks, but... Dunn, if you are really interested in animated films , I hope you can make more preparations."

Tang En smiled and nodded, "I know."

Besides Blue Sky Studios, DreamWorks Animation, what else?

Pixar!