Housepets!

It's one of my favorite movies although, truthfully, we haven't been much on movies for about a decade now.

I hadn't been on movies for a while until a few years ago when my mother started taking me after she got a movie card.

I read somewhere recently - don't remember where - the Disney folks are kicking around a Zootopia II which features a plot woven from adventures featuring the secondary characters, taking the spotlight off Judy and Nick.

That's an interesting concept, given the popularity of the franchise. First, it would allow Disney to dodge or postpone the whole "ship" issue between Nick and Judy. Given that some polls suggest the public is fairly evenly divided between "they live together/get married" and OH NO THEY DON'T, the question has become something of a "can of baby cobras".

... which, despite some resemblances, is a lot more harrowing than the standard issue "can of worms".

Second, Zootopia really is peopled ("animaled"?) with a strong cast of side characters, all fascinating, all fairly well-developed as personalities and all with their own fan bases. Really good comedy worlds (or dramas, for that matter) sustain a collection of supporting cast who are capable of taking the spotlight from the major players at times and delivering a strong story of their own. (Housepets is a powerful demonstration of that theatrical truth. Judy and Nick can feature in the background while Fennick, Duke, Manchas, Clawhauser, and others take the feature roles.

With the whole film industry still convulsing, Uncle Walt might be willing to take bigger risks. Me, I got very fond of Nick and Judy and i'd hate to see them relegated to walk-on status behind, say, "Mr. Big". But I don't want Zootopia to be a one-time "forgotten classic" like many of their properties have faded into.

I think focusing on other characters could be a really nice idea...
Could help make it feel like a whole world rather than the setting for one ongoing story

Unfortunately Finnick's voice actor passed away recently so they won't be able to do a movie about him unless they've prerecorded the lines or they've got someone to do a darn good impression of him. Probably more respectful not to though.

RIP Tom "Tiny" Lister Jr.

What a tender-heated tribute. I did not know he'd left us. "Zoo-Two" would be sorely lacking without a Finnick presence.

Thanks, Hla.

It was actually already mentioned a page back that he died but yeah in this case I think it would be better if they just have the character die with him.

Yet another reason why I want the Coronavirus to DIE.

Watched it for the first (and only) time back in February. It was ok, but only just.

Can you believe that I am into RPing with anthros and I haven't even seen this movie at ALL?

Amazee Dayzee wrote: ↑Wed Dec 30, 2020 12:50 am Can you believe that I am into RPing with anthros and I haven't even seen this movie at ALL?

Why not? Maybe it's a "lock-down thing".

If anything, lockdown has made going to the movies worse since my mother isn't interested and I usually go with her and most theaters near us are closed.

Even if I didn’t have Disney+, I got the Blu-ray almost as soon as it was released.

Even if we don't have it, if i wnated to watch it I'm sure I could on our Amazon Firestick.

So rather belatedly got around to watching Zootopia, enjoyed it, I though the first 20 minutes or so were the best. Great animation and I liked the Anthro theme, more could have been made of the animal puns I think, some laughs but I feel like there could have been more, Judy and Nick are strong characters well portrayed, if a second one comes out I'll probably watch. Shakira as Gazelle somehow suits her, made me smile as I remember Whenever, Wherever being a big hit when me and Mrs Deer started dating.

Daunted

Yeah, the animation is just jaw-dropping. It's a favorite of mine, but I travel in limited cinematic circles.

You want puns, the correlating Zootopia Crime Files mobile game was riddled with them, to the point of annoyance. It’s no longer listed, though, so it can’t be downloaded anymore.

Why isn't it listed anymore? Did it expire for some reason like it was only offered for a limited time?

The company that Disney had work on it went under. Didn’t know that also meant pulling the game.

Yeah, I'm not an expert on patent or creativity laws, but one doesn't follow from the other thinks I. Disney's very good at protecting their people, whether real or animated. Maybe Anaheim used the collapse of a key partner to let the whole thing evaporate because it wasn't making them enough money or some other complication. Would love to hear a bit more on this one........

Well, there were frustratingly long and often mandatory wait times. After you find evidence, it has to be examined, with the justification that the mammals running the labs were sloths. Or you could pay real money to speed through it. Thing is, the story can’t advance at all without examining things, and some examinations could take a literal 24 hours to finish if you don’t pay for it. Rather predatory design if you ask me. Especially since in-story, a few chapters in they stop taking evidence to the lab and instead directly to Clawhauser. And to make that worse, some examinations in-story are nothing more than looking closer with their own eyes.

The character interactions were usually kinda fun.

D-Rock wrote: ↑Fri Jan 01, 2021 6:29 pm Well, there were frustratingly long and often mandatory wait times. After you find evidence, it has to be examined, with the justification that the mammals running the labs were sloths. Or you could pay real money to speed through it. Thing is, the story can’t advance at all without examining things, and some examinations could take a literal 24 hours to finish if you don’t pay for it. Rather predatory design if you ask me. Especially since in-story, a few chapters in they stop taking evidence to the lab and instead directly to Clawhauser. And to make that worse, some examinations in-story are nothing more than looking closer with their own eyes.

The character interactions were usually kinda fun.

Sounds like a way to get more money out of people, I must admit I much preferred the old model of paying once for a game or software,. But too many puns, impawsible! (Sorry, I'll stop now ).

The downside of a free game on mobile. Also introduced a lot of new characters. Even the existing characters got some character development. The scrapped Zootopia idea before the current one had Nick be the son of a tailor. He mentioned in one case that he was surprisingly knowledgeable on different types of fabric after finding a torn piece at the scene of a crime.

Given how long it takes Disney to bring out prequels, sidestories, and "2" and "3" (especially compared to Pixar and Marvel, I doubt that I'll be around when Zootopia 2 hits the screens. Too bad, because Zootopia is a big favorite of mine.

Doesn’t help that there’s still the litigation that was brought against Disney regarding Zootopia. Someone is claiming that the story was pitched years ago but turned down, but that Zootopia was made by stealing his ideas.

NHWestoN wrote: ↑Sun May 30, 2021 3:40 pm Given how long it takes Disney to bring out prequels, sidestories, and "2" and "3" (especially compared to Pixar and Marvel, I doubt that I'll be around when Zootopia 2 hits the screens. Too bad, because Zootopia is a big favorite of mine.

I'll be very sad when you're gone.

D-Rock wrote: ↑Sun May 30, 2021 7:13 pm Doesn’t help that there’s still the litigation that was brought against Disney regarding Zootopia. Someone is claiming that the story was pitched years ago but turned down, but that Zootopia was made by stealing his ideas.

Heard about that. It wasn't just any "someone" who's suing, though. It's Bill Goldman, writer of Big Trouble in Little China and Total Recall!

Rydr Warklub wrote: ↑Mon May 31, 2021 4:14 am

NHWestoN wrote: ↑Sun May 30, 2021 3:40 pm Given how long it takes Disney to bring out prequels, sidestories, and "2" and "3" (especially compared to Pixar and Marvel, I doubt that I'll be around when Zootopia 2 hits the screens. Too bad, because Zootopia is a big favorite of mine.

I'll be very sad when you're gone.

... but we'll always have Housepets!, dear ....

D-Rock wrote: ↑Sun May 30, 2021 7:13 pm Doesn’t help that there’s still the litigation that was brought against Disney regarding Zootopia. Someone is claiming that the story was pitched years ago but turned down, but that Zootopia was made by stealing his ideas.

Heard about that. It wasn't just any "someone" who's suing, though. It's Bill Goldman, writer of Big Trouble in Little China and Total Recall!

Yeah, my sources at Disney tell me it's kind of a stalemate right now - and Disney has very deep legal pockets so there may be something to Mr. Goldman's complaint. There are also narrative issues to work out if a sequel is to go forward ....

Any updates on Zootopia 2 of late? Seems Uncle Walt could use a hit this summer.

Well, summer has turned to December, and Disney's pumping out movies that not enough people are paying to see. Both the Marvel World and the latest toontales are getting kinda tired, duplicative, and expensive to visit.

Perhaps it's just as well that Zootopia 2 has gone from back-burner to off-the-stove.

It's still in development, but it'll probably be 2025 at the earliest.

Just know that however long it takes won't be as long as it took between Bambi and Bambi II. Bambi was released in 1942 (or as I like to say, when Weston finally came of age. XD) and the sequel was released in 2006. That is 64 years.

I like that you say that.
Summer of 42, good flik, great score ... apropos of nothin'

Amazee Dayzee wrote: ↑Fri Dec 08, 2023 2:27 am Just know that however long it takes won't be as long as it took between Bambi and Bambi II. Bambi was released in 1942 (or as I like to say, when Weston finally came of age. XD) and the sequel was released in 2006. That is 64 years.

If I remember right that was a record for longest time between a sequel and the original.

Funnily enough, just got round to watching Bambi 2 after picking it up at an exchange store. I thought it was o.k. Apart from the odd un needed crude joke, the animation style was pretty close to the iconic original and it was fun to see more of some of the other characters, the songs could have been stronger, I’d love them to bring out a third one but I doubt it will happen any time soon. When the live action one comes out I’ll see it though not sure what it will be like, Lion Kind was ok but not as expressive as the cartoon, also singing realistic lions looked a little odd at first. I hope the have the Deer singing, that could look interesting!

Being a great fan of Felix Salten, the author of the Bambi books, I have something of a love-hate relationship with the Disney versions. Someday, I guess, I will have to steel myself for Bambi II, but I've also been somewhat put off by the decision to depict Ronno as a same-age rival and sort of a Reggie-figure to Bambi's Archie (comic strip "metaphor") there. Salten's Ronno is a very different figure - another reason to read the book.

Conversely, I'm heartened to hear that II maintains the same high standards as the Disney original.
Mryy Christmas, all.

Even if it wasn't really received well back when it first was released, it was a movie from 2006. It's been almost 18 years. I am sure time is kinder to it now than it would have been back then. That is usually how bad movies end up getting looked at better in later years.