Disney's A Christmas Carol

     The timeless classic, A Christmas Carol, made its way into theaters in 2009. This film was the first of any Disney film to be featured in IMAX 3D. By including popular actors voicing the characters in the film, such as Jim Carrey, the fans of not only Disney, but of Jim Carrey as well made up the target audience. According to PRnewswire, "This arrangement makes some of the Studio's most highly anticipated theatrical releases from November 2009 and beyond available to IMAX venues across the country and around the world." However, the film did make $30 million less the opening weekend setting their expectations way back. 
     The classic story A Christmas Carol will forever be a tale that is passed down through many generations. The film, with a Disney twist is loved by many and will without a doubt be played year after year on Christmas Eve.

Citation:

Disney's New Five-Picture Deal With IMAX to Begin With 'A Christmas Carol' (n.d.). Retrieved February 27, 2015, from http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/disneys-new-five-picture-deal-with-imax-to-begin-with-a-christmas-carol-65472392.html

Monster's University makes a Scare in Theaters

     Our favorite monsters took the big screen once again in 2013 with the release of Monsters University. This movie was produced as the prequel to Monsters Inc., the original film. This film was geared toward everywhere from young children, to teens that grew up with the original film, and to parents. Four teaser trailers kicked off the marketing of this film in 2012 followed by a full trailer release in 2013. Disney marketed this film in such a way that allowed audiences to see their beloved characters in a whole new light; the college years. Disney also had a total monster takeover at their theme parks leading up to the release. This included character interaction, posters for the film, recreations of the university featured in the film, and large amounts of merchandise. Making $268.5 million in box offices, the film was not only popular in the U.S., but in Europe as well.
     According to Rotten Tomatoes, "Monsters University unlocks the door to how Mike and Sulley overcame their differences and became best friends." This film broke barriers in creating such a large target audience because of its funny story line which appeals to all ages. This piece will continue to be enjoyed for years to come as the story of how two different monsters became more similar then they would have ever guessed.

References:
(n.d.). Retrieved February 19, 2015, from http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/monsters_university/

Monsters University. (n.d.). Retrieved February 19, 2015, from http://disney.wikia.com/wiki/Monsters_University

Monstrous Summer at Walt Disney World Resort. (n.d.). Retrieved February 19, 2015, from http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/let-the-memories-begin/monstrous-summer-walt-disney-world/

Be Careful What You Wish For With Disney's Into The Woods

    Disney entered into a new type of movie with the adaptation of Sodheim's musical Into the Woods. This fairytale which is a combination of many beloved stories, called for a different marketing and distribution approach. This included early announcements of the adaptation to audiences that reached to theater fans as well as Disney fans. Disney also released trailers early on in the films' journey to the big screen. The big name actors and actresses including Meryl Streep, hyped up the films expectations that much more. Additionally, by choosing Christmas as its release day, it had many families marking their calenders in advance. According to The Hollywood Reporter, "This twisty fairy-tale mash-up shows an appreciation for the virtues of old-fashioned storytelling, along with a welcome dash of subversive wit."
    Disney not only captured the beloved fairy-tale musical, but also made a film that will go into the Disney legacy as a high quality artistic piece. With a distribution and marketing plan that circled the globe, this film will be popular for many years to come. With Disney's first musical film adaptation, I do not doubt there will be many more to come.

References:
'Into the Woods': Film Review. (n.d.). Retrieved February 12, 2015, from http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movie/woods/review/758611

Bon Appetit! Disney's Ratatouille

     Step aside Mickey Mouse there's a new mouse, or rat, to be more specific in the kitchen. Disney's Ratatouille cooked up a new approach to market this new film. Disney reached out to bloggers to spread the word about this new film. According to Cinema Tech "It succeeded, but only because I think this kind of outreach is important for all filmmakers/studios to understand -- and I don't think you need to hire a marketing agency to make it happen." Additionally, Disney released many trailers prior to the movies release as well as featured the characters at Disney parks. Originally, Disney was not suppose to be creating this film so when they got on board with Pixar they knew they needed to reach out to bloggers to make the film popular.  
     This project brought along many new struggles in order for Disney to make this movie a success. It took experimentation of old marketing ways and new ones within social media to create the perfect combination to sell this film. This film is an example about how the media is powerful enough to boost viewings of the movie as well as advertise the next Disney movies that will capture our hearts as the rat in the kitchen did in Ratatouille. 

References: 
CinemaTech[ Digital cinema, democratization, and other trends remaking the movies ]. (n.d.). Retrieved February 5, 2015, from http://cinematech.blogspot.com/2007/06/how-disneypixar-is-using-blogs-to.html

Why For did Disney struggle to come up with a marketing campaign for Pixar's latest picture ? Because the Mouse wasn't originally supposed to release "Ratatouille" (n.d.). Retrieved February 5, 2015, from http://jimhillmedia.com/editor_in_chief1/b/jim_hill/archive/2007/06/28/toon-thursday-why-did-disney-struggle-to-come-up-with-a-ratatouille-marketing-campaign-because-the-mouse-wasn-t-supposed-to-release-this-particular-pixar-film.aspx#sthash.NrwjdYGG.dpbs