Star Wars: The Complete Saga (1977-2005)

[Monolithium]

Originally Posted by thebard

No... The Lightsaber In the Stone.

Lasersword in the Stone

[BillieCassin]

Originally Posted by Ill_Be_Back

Star Wars VII?

[Show spoiler]

This is one of those funny Internet things that people think is somehow an example of something that it is not, when in context.

I think this one is big enough to go into Snopes - it keeps coming up. And it's funny, I brought it up a few pages back - and then it happens.

Disney characters dressing as Star Wars characters is nothing new. It's been going on for the last 15 years. Almost all of it revolves around Walt Disney World (they really don't do much at all at Disneyland, outside of the Star Tours gift shop).

They have stage shows at Star Wars Weekends where Chewie and Darth Vader dance to 70's disco hits with kids.

There is an incredible amount of Disney/Star Wars merchandise - Minnie as Leia and Mickey as Luke are just the tip of the iceberg - off the top of my head I think Goofy is Vader. You can even get Minnie as Jabba's Slave (I actually own her, LOL). They are in figures, stuffed animals, T-shirts, towels, posters, anything they can plaster it on.

And again, it's been this way for...fifteen years.

Absolutely nothing has gotten more or less "Disnifed" - and to be honest, it's likely going to go in the other direction now. That's the ironic thing here.

The reason Disney did so much with "Disney Characters as Star Wars" was because they were trying very hard to tie the brands together so they weren't just shilling Lucas' merchandise (which as we all know Lucas made his entire fortune on). All the Disnified stuff was so Disney could make their own merchandise, and simply pay the licensing as part of the overall package - which was incredibly cheap for them (I read the figure the other day and it was astronomically low - I feel like it was 1M a year?) Which seems insane...but apparently it was the same agreement from the 80's when they originally built Star Tours, and for some reason the fee never increased.

Now, Disney owns the whole dang thing - lock stock and barrel. We aren't going to see the Mickey as Luke, Minnie as Leia stuff totally disappear - it's for the kids - but now that Disney owns Star Wars there is going to be a lot more just plain "Star Wars" merch because they are now their characters. They are all just one big happy family now, and Disney doesn't have to work nearly as hard to ingratiate to the in-laws now that they are married.

I think what they have already done has shown, they are doing this right - just like they are doing Marvel. Disney is out of the "let's make everything Disney" business. They understand that if they cater to the same crowd they always have, the company will always be limited. They have known that for decades, which is why we got Touchstone, etc. They tried to diversify as a movie studio (Miramax) but they realize that the movie industry is becoming a very dangerous place to be (where a film tanks and you lose half a billion dollars when all is tallied up between the film itself and marketing). So they are going after media franchises - Pixar, Lucasfilm, Marvel. Things that cross media and enhance their character library, which is where it all breeds from.

I tell you, Iger is fracking brilliant. Seriously. Disney is going to be in business for a long time, and someday, really, people will forget all this nonsense about "oh now it's gonna be for kids". 'cause I bet you a $100 Amazon gift card to buy the Blu-rays of your choice that the next three films are going to be a HELL of a lot darker and less-kid-like than Lucas managed to make the prequels.

Films are part of Disney. Theme parks are part of Disney. Television is part of Disney. Publishing is part of Disney. But almost all of it ties back to...their stable of characters and story rights. And if you let go of the "Disney means kids" stuff, you realize it's one hell of a well oiled machine. With the right creative people involved (and Disney seems to be allowing that, they are hiring the right people to have creative control and not depending on internal sources).

In this case, with the exception of LucasArts (which hasn't been the LucasArts we grew up with for many years - they basically had been licensing everything out anyway, but I hate EA as much as the next guy so that's the one choice I wouldn't have made, but it makes sense why as Disney has such a long relationship with them) they are keeping all the same folks in line. Hasbro just signed again through 2020 to make toys. Other smaller deals have been renegotiated and just about everything is staying the same - or getting better (again, excepting video games, which we will just have to wait and see).

This is a hell of a happy time to be a Star Wars fan. It's a shame that people are so used to being disappointed that they see such terror in this - but you know what? I think these new films will be very well received. Why? Because the common wisdom is that fan expectations set up the prequel trilogy to fail. I don't think that was really true. I had no expectations but new magical Star Wars movies. I was in college when the first prequel came out, and rather isolated from pop culture, so I really didn't know a whole heck of a lot going in aside from Natalie Portman was Leia's mother.

I remember sitting and watching it at the midnight showing, and I liked it - IT WAS STAR WARS!!...but...I didn't really care that much about anyone. I didn't care about the story. I didn't care about Anakin and all that stuff. It was the whole concept, not that I went in there with a list of things I must see or I will be disappointed. Never in my life had I (or anyone I ever heard) say, "Hey! I wanna see Darth Vader as a little kid!" I was happy with the few lines about it in the OT - that explained all I ever wanted to know. This time, unless they put in stupid musical numbers and fart jokes (which I honestly think isn't even remotely going to happen), I'm happy Luke, Leia, and Han are back. I don't really care what happens - I don't have a story in my head. Just tell me a story about my favorite heroes in my favorite world, and I won't have any criticism at all.

(That's a lie on one point - Carrie Fisher better be in more than like ten minutes of the movie - and I think that Abrams is just the guy to give us more of the Leia we saw on the Death Star and in ESB - girl can fly a ship, girl can shoot a gun, girl can out think the guys. The biggest failure for me of the prequels was Amidala, because if she had been more satisfying, I might even have not cared about the other stuff. But he completely ruined the character at the end of Sith, and just proved why the Sarlacc looked like a big vagina. The man has fear and doesn't understand women worth a damn. Abrams is known for writing strong, amazing female characters. The only other person I would have been as happy with would have been Joss Whedon, but then we'd have weird aliens carrying cheese slices around, so Abrams is the dude.)

[IndyMLVC]

Originally Posted by Lemmy Lugosi

Oh, George. How the mighty have fallen. \facepalm\

[Show spoiler]

Let me tell you something: if the marriage of Lucasfilm and Disney gets me the OUT on Blu-ray, I'll make out with Mickey AND Goofy.

[Thomas Guycott]

Originally Posted by Lemmy Lugosi

Oh, George. How the mighty have fallen. \facepalm\

[Show spoiler]

Stormtrooper Donald only further accentuates the character's lack of pants.

[HomerThompson]

Originally Posted by RyanPom

Star Wars sold out years ago when Lego took it over.

Uh, Star Wars never "sold out". It was always a merchandising conglomerate.

[BouCoupDinkyDau]

Originally Posted by Thomas Guycott

Stormtrooper Donald only further accentuates the character's lack of pants.

It's an appropriate costume though. With his anger outbursts, he should be about as good a marksman as any other stormtrooper.

The most feared soldiers in the universe fire semi-automatic weapons, can't hit anything, are weak minded, and their armor can be defeated even by teddy bears throwing rocks.

Why did I like these movies again?

Originally Posted by IndyMLVC

Let me tell you something: if the marriage of Lucasfilm and Disney gets me the OUT on Blu-ray, I'll make out with Mickey AND Goofy.

+1

[JavaJulien]

Originally Posted by RyanPom

How is that a facepalm. Star Wars sold out years ago when Lego took it over.

It was the Holiday Special that did it?

[The Fallen Deity]

Originally Posted by JavaJulien

It was the Holiday Special that did it?

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=oS6PwQcCIXo

The funniest review of the special ever. My god it's an abomination.

[Johnny Neat]

While I continue to hope for an eventual remastered release from Disney containing the original trilogy as they were originally shown theatrically alongside these forced special edition releases, I'm weakening to purchase this insulting monstrosity. I have hopes for Disney to respect film history and eventually discontinue this forced and insulting revisionism, but anyone know if there's a chance this set will drop this holiday season to Indy box-set like pricing?


(P.s. Saving Star Wars)

[Falaskan]

Originally Posted by HomerThompson

Uh, Star Wars never "sold out". It was always a merchandising conglomerate.

Yeah, it's about the Star Tours ride at Disneyland! What's with you people?

[BillieCassin]

Originally Posted by Johnny Neat

While I continue to hope for an eventual remastered release from Disney containing the original trilogy as they were originally shown theatrically alongside these forced special edition releases, I'm weakening to purchase this insulting monstrosity. I have hopes for Disney to respect film history and eventually discontinue this forced and insulting revisionism, but anyone know if there's a chance this set will drop this holiday season to Indy box-set like pricing?


(P.s. Saving Star Wars)

Oh, buy it.

It's still Star Wars.

LOL.

The sets are very nice. It's two more years minimum before we see a release from Disney period, and who knows - if they do the OT, it may not be until the very end of this new 3-film cycle.

The extras are rather skimpy. If you said that back when these sets came out, people set you on fire - but people have pretty much accepted it by now. And I think it's pretty clear why - so the new owners have a huge amount of unreleased on Blu-ray material to include in future box sets.

But I don't regret buying them at all - I got the UK versions at release (I prefer the packaging, and it was like $30 cheaper to boot). Just watched it the other day after being in this thread made me think about it.

It's the best we have for now, and they really are very nice transfers (even if what was transfered wasn't exactly the films we wanted) and the sound is unbelievable - I upgraded my HT set up for it and worth every penny.

[JoshKelhoffer]

You should get it. We're not going to get a new set for a while, it seems. Maybe 2015 to promote the new film, maybe not. This is just a guesstimation.

The blu ray is great. It has some faults, mostly with the craptastic slid in/slide out packaging, but it's worth it. I've hunted down some great cover art with the original posters to make due until the next release.

The picture is great, though not as perfect as one would hope for with one of the greatest, biggest film series of all time. I think beyond that, my only real complaint was that a lot of the new interviews included in the set were presented in box within a box, instead of using the entire screen, but, oh well, not that big of a deal.

[rnt]

I remember buying the Star Wars complete saga the day it came out. They even gave me a darth vader t-shirt at best buy lol. I have since watched each episode once and have not touched the saga since.

It is definetely a nice addition to my collection (approx 200 blu rays and counting) but I should have waited a few months until the price got cheaper to buy a sega which I have already seen many times. I find that now; I wait for sales before I purchace any more blu-rays (unless it's a movie I really want to see).

[stvn1974]

My mother bought me the Original Trilogy set on release day when she saw a display at Wal-Mart. She didn't know that they weren't really the Original Trilogy since it didn't mention on the box that Lucas screwed with them again. She wasn't upset when I explained to her that I was going to take it back. She knows how I much I hate the bastardized versions of the films.

[Dynamo of Eternia]

Originally Posted by rnt

I remember buying the Star Wars complete saga the day it came out. They even gave me a darth vader t-shirt at best buy lol. I have since watched each episode once and have not touched the saga since.

It is definetely a nice addition to my collection (approx 200 blu rays and counting) but I should have waited a few months until the price got cheaper to buy a sega which I have already seen many times. I find that now; I wait for sales before I purchace any more blu-rays (unless it's a movie I really want to see).

While there have been some decent sales here and there, I've never seen any that I recall that have really dropped the price by an insane, unbelievable amount. At best you might have saved $10 or $20.

[Dynamo of Eternia]

Woohoo! Post #44444 of this thread!

STAR WARS!!!!

[The Fallen Deity]

Originally Posted by Dynamo of Eternia

Woohoo! Post #44444 of this thread!

STAR WARS!!!!

Star Wars Theme By John Williams **HIGHEST QUALITY!!** - YouTube

Wooooo!!!!!

[Blu-21]

Now that I have a 5.1 home theater system I look forward to re-watching the OT again, before it was just maxing out the custom settings with my TV speakers which whist not horrible does not do Star Wars any justice.

[JavaJulien]

Originally Posted by Michael Harper

I wonder if closer to the release date of Star Wars Episode VII (or the Home Release of said film) we'll get individual releases of the six previous films. I can't see them not capitalising on the release of the seventh film, and giving us 3D re-releases individually released.

Disney will apparently have to work a deal out with Fox since they still own the Original Trilogy.

[rexcrk]

I can't imagine why Fox wouldn't want to bite on that deal. I mean, unless there's no money to be made on a deal like that.

But I really can't imagine there NOT being money to be made on restoring the originals, either lol.