Legend of the Gudians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole

Director: Zack Snyder

Run Time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Rating: PG

The Bouw-Man.

I can’t imagine that the people at Warner Brothers have high hopes for this entry.  Although enhanced special effects and 3D have benefited animated films well as of late, most are lighthearted comedies with memorable characters that both adults and children find appealing.  I just don’t see any trace of this from “Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole.”  True, owls are as good as any creature to put on the big screen in animated form.  If you make them cute enough, I’m sure there will be some youths who will want to see them fly around in 3D form.  However, there doesn’t seem to be much humor here and a September opening for an animated film with little buzz is not a good formula (see “Alpha and Omega”).

 

I literally start to doze off whenever I’m in a theater and this trailer comes on.  The title is too cumbersome, the plot appears too complicated for kids and you can argue that no “big-time” celebrities have lent their voices to this production.  If that’s not a recipe for box office disaster, I don’t know what is.  Throw in the fact that the preview is awfully boring, and there is absolutely no excitement surrounding “Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole.”  

Prediction.

With “Alpha and Omega” sputtering badly last week, I think there should be real box office concern for “Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole.”  Animated films are best served as a source of fun for its younger audience members, while providing adults an enjoyable story.  I don’t see “Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole” accomplishing either.  The cinematography looks good, but I don’t think that will nearly be enough.  Let’s go with an $8.5 million haul, which would even put it behind the opening for “Alpha and Omega” last week. 

Opening Weekend Gross: $8.5 Million

Noodles.

Its kind of hard to get excited about a movie about owls, but if there was ever a movie that could do it, 'Legend' looks the part. In a summer ruled by movies intent on squeezing as much money out of a parents wallet with promises of 3D, at least this movie looks pretty enough to warrant the added expense. Plus it looks like it might have a decent story to tell, always a plus for a kids movie. 

I also like that Zack Snyder is directing, he's one of those directors that I would give the benefit of the doubt to before I pass too harsh a judgment. Watchmen...Loved It. 300...Loved It. Dawn of the Dead...one of my favorite zombie flicks. So I say bring on the owls!

Prediction.

I like this film's chances to do well this weekend. There's not very much quality competition, and kids movies where you can tell that the creators took some real effort into the project usually do pretty well. 

Opening Weekend: Gross: $50 Million

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Despicable Me

 

Directors: Pierre Coffin & Chris Renaud

Rating: G

The Bouw-Man.

On paper, “Despicable Me” looks like it has all the key elements to be a highly enjoyable animated experience.  For one, several comedic actors (Steve Carell, Jason Segel, Russell Brand) lent their voices to the main characters in play.  Even though they are all known for their “R-rated” work, their diverse backgrounds seem ideally suited to delve into an animated feature.  Couple that with a story that seems like it would be adult-friendly and you have captured the “older” population to go along with the standard kid audience.  One concern is the influx of animated features that have already come out this summer.  How many times will parents pay an extra few bucks on top of the regular admission price to have their children experience a 3-D film?  I’m sure “Shrek 4” and “Toy Story 3” has already exhausted a lot of family’s film budget for the summer months, so will missing this one really upset the “little ones?”  Well, we’ll know the answer shortly.  Another concern, albeit small, might be having a villain as the “good guy.”  Some overprotective parents may look at this as a clincher to stay away from “Despicable Me,” even if they are under immense pressure in their household to take the family to see it. 

Prediction.

I think it does well, but it hard to classify what this actually amounts to on the animated circuit.  Is $100 million overall a success?  “Toy Story 3” is approaching $300 million and “Shrek 4” is currently at approximately $230 million.  Base on that fact, $100 million might be considered a failure.  Well, I see $50 million during the opening weekend for “Despicable Me.”  I think when all is said and done, it should accumulate around $170-$180 million for its domestic run. 

Opening Weekend Gross: $50 Million

Noodles.

The trailer for this one leaves me a little cold. I like the premise, (a little) an "evil" super villain called upon to raise kids. I like the animation, although its hard to disappoint in that department these days. Even the title is catchy. But after sitting through 2 minutes of "zany" antics and sight gags, I still felt a little unenthusiastic about seeing this. 

Let's take another recent 3D film like UP, which tells a touching story of love and companionship while dazzling us with spectacle and good storytelling. This film doesn't seem like its going to reach those same emotional heights. I know each picture should be taken on its own but I still don't know if this is going to be another great CGI masterpiece like UP, or just another disappointment like Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs.

Prediction.

Its hard to bet against a 3D animation film, geared towards kids the way movie attendance has been going lately. The producers of Despicable Me have got to already be counting the money they're going to make this weekend. Let's face it these CGI films no matter what the quality are making all the money this summer. As for me, I don't think it will beat How to Train Your Dragon's $43 M opening.

Opening Weekend: Gross: $38 Million

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Shrek Forever After

Noodles.

I really want to like this movie. I enjoyed the original Shrek, and I can still sit through it when I catch it on cable. However, part two seemed like it rehashed a lot of jokes from part one, and then part three was a rehash of the rehash. My kids, who I thought loved ALL animated movies, treat the Shrek 2 DVD like a coaster. They consider it a punishment if I try to put it on. That being said, I really want to like this movie.

From the trailer I can already tell that they are going to revisit some of the same jokes that they've beaten to death by now, but I feel that with the Star Trek like reboot of the Shrek universe, it might be okay. Is it just me or has every character Eddie Murphy has played since this series started comes off as a weird reincarnation of Donkey? Think about it for a second...Listen to this song he sang from Dream Girls and close your eyes --that's Donkey singing. But I digress...

I like the premise, I like the added character of Rumpelstilkin, I even like that Donkey, Puss, and Fiona get a new lease on life here. I would call my feeling cautiously optimistic for this to be a good one.

Box Office: Let's face it Shrek's a juggernaut. I can remember that around the third movie I counted dozens of tie in products that had absolutely nothing to do with cinema, on sale in every shopping mall. This series is HUGE! Even if it fails it can't fail. We're talking about a kids movie that an adult wouldn't necessarily have to be dragged to go see, and its in 3D? No contest. So my honest opinion is that Shrek is going to blow Iron Man 2 from its perch at #1 and rake in an easy $97 Million.

The Bouw-Man.

Arguably the most successful animated franchise of all-time is back for its fourth installment, as it clings to the hopes of capturing the lucrative 3D market.  The trailer leads us to believe that nothing all that new or original will make this edition memorable, but rather it will play as sort of a “farewell tour” for fans of these legendary characters.  As is customary with most franchises, “Shrek” has gotten progressively worse with each sequel.  The first one was so groundbreaking, not to mention a thoroughly entertaining classic, for Dreamworks that it led other studios to challenge Disney for the animated dollar.  Animated films are now being produced at an alarming rate.  As a result, more and more are box office failures for a genre that used to be considered a “sure thing” in terms of financial success.  So, it only seems natural that the “Shrek” brand name would now reappear to batter the competition during the Summer 2010 season.   To increase its marketability, theaters will happily charge patrons a few bucks more to experience the green Ogre and his friends in 3D and/or IMAX.  Who cares if the preview leads us to believe that this shouldn’t have been made?  Kids will love it, adults will be disappointed, but Dreamworks sees green (and I’m talking dollars, not the Ogre).  

 
It will be highway robbery for Shrek this weekend at the box office.  Although it’s doubtful this franchise well past its prime will get many good critical reviews, it’s all about money.  With little animated competition for over a month, I see this being one of the top grossing films of the year.  Look for a $135 million take this weekend.