trailer

Beauty and the Beast Teaser Trailer Response

| Rachel's Reviews

So today the teaser trailer for Beauty and the Beast came out. My response- it’s fine. I have no problem with it and it looks intriguing. Even with Cinderella and Jungle Book being strong films I am still suspect of these live action remakes but everything I’m hearing about Beauty and the Beast is encouraging.  I’m looking forward to it and this trailer did nothing to damper that enthusiasm.

That said, I hate to be a cold blanket over everyone but the response to this teaser I do not get. Let’s look at it objectively.  We get an image of a castle,  some shots of the inside, we see beasts claws on a painting,  hear Lumiere and Cogsworth briefly talk, see a door being opened and a rose. Aside from the vocals it’s basically just a bunch of set shots.  We love the music but this movie could totally suck and it have all the elements of this teaser trailer. Lots of horrible movies have decent sets and music. I mean Maleficent had decent sets to look at and look what we got with that film…

I guess I don’t really get why people are so excited about this trailer? It’s fine. It basically announces the film and that’s what it is supposed to do. But on twitter and at rotoscopers.com they are really going nuts about it.  Some quotes:

“Oh my goodness, when they showed the ballroom with the beautiful prologue music playing I was welling up!”

“CRYING! Singing and crying…”

“This looks absolutely gorgeous. The music made me so nostalgic”

“Oh come on… I can’t be the only one who got chills and audibly squealed.”

Now I remind you Beauty and the Beast is my favorite Disney film. So why am I not so excited by the teaser (again I don’t hate the teaser. I’m just not crying with excitement)? Well, I’m not really sure.

When I think back to the Star Wars teaser when we first saw the Millennium Falcon and Harrison Ford said “Chewie, we’re home” and how thrilled I was. Why was I super excited?  Because Star Wars had been in my opinion nearly ruined by the prequels. I know many like those films, but I hated them and so I was anxious for Star Wars to be redeemed. I wanted some hint they were going to be doing it right.

I have no such need for Beauty and the Beast. It was done about as perfectly as you can do a film (there are no perfect movies). I want the movie to be good but I am not nearly as anxious for it save the franchise I love. How do you improve upon what was already perfect?  I had been waiting for a good Star Wars movie for 17 years. Disney, on the other hand, if they never made another live action remake I would have no problem with that.

Anyway, people will probably walk away from this wondering why Rachel can’t just have fun with the teaser. I did. It’s fine. I like it but again it’s a bunch of shots of the set with music. I don’t get all the jubilant response but if you loved it let me know why.

Zootopia Teaser

| Rachel's Reviews

Big news today in the Disney world!  We got our first teaser trailer for next year’s Zootopia.

Up until now I had seen the image of the fox and rabbit but that’s about it.  I still kind of wish it was more like the concept art we got early on but I was charmed by the teaser.  I think it looks really funny and clever.

The only thing that makes me a little bit nervous is I hope they don’t go overboard in trying to be ‘hip’ and ‘cool’.  Some of the character designs bring back nightmares of Chicken Little but I trust John Lasseter wouldn’t let that happen again.  I also hope it isn’t too ‘shreckish’ with winky jokes only parents would get.  I hate that.

But worries aside I feel really positive about the trailer.  I think it is something different. Disney hasn’t done anthropomorphized in a while and the voice talent should be good.  Over all I’m excited about the project. Especially because it is coupled with the more traditional Moana.  Something for everyone.

What do you think of the teaser and Zootopia?

Star Wars Teaser Trailer 2 Reaction

| Rachel's Reviews

Can I just fangirl out on you all for a minute?  I know some of you aren’t as big of Star Wars fans as me but holy cow what a great trailer was released today!!!!  I am so pumped!  It had everything you could want.  We got to hear Luke’s voice.  We got an image of Vader from Return of the Jedi (and anyone else notice he said ‘his father HAS the force’…) harkening back to the old movies and then we hear about Leia who has the force (which I don’t recall ever seeing her use the force in original trilogy? Anyone know?) and his son (we can presume) also has the force!

Then we get chrome troopers, John Bodega in storm trooper outfit, battles, Poe Dameron in the Xwing craft!!!  Daisy Ridley looks like she is going to have a real gritty role to play.  This excites me as Star Wars could be a little bit male heavy (need I remind you of Leia and the gold bikini in most of Jedi…).

And then at the end to get Chewie and Han “we’re home”.  Nerdgasm!!!!  So cool!

It just makes me so excited that they are doing this right.  It doesn’t look all green screen.  It looks like there will be sand and real fighting and grittiness.  That’s what I want to see.  I want to see chemistry and a story with relationships I care about, not a fluffy soap opera.  I just want it to be good so bad!

It was just a perfect trailer.  It didn’t show too much.  It showed exactly what all the fans wanted to see without spoiling anything.  I loved it!  Chris Stuckmann and the Schmoes Know described it as bringing on ‘nerd tears’ and I’d agree.  Chris said it was ‘the best trailer I’ve ever seen and not just because I’m a fan”.  I’d agree.

Anyway I loved it.  What did you guys think?

Star Wars Trailer Reaction

| Rachel's Reviews

Let me just geek out on you guys for a second.  The new Star Wars trailer is out and it looks AWESOME!!!!

It starts out with a fantastic voiceover and then John Boyega gasping, looking like he is hunting something, then we get a droid who looks like a soccer ball, next a storm trooper army, then Daisy Ridley on a pod of some kind, then we see a rebel fighter (Oscar Isaac?) and a x-wing fleet zooming off, then  ‘the dark side’ with the villain with a light saber that has a cross hatch like a sword!!

‘And the light’

We get millennium falcon zooming off and our iconic music!!!!  December 15, 2015.  What a perfect teaser trailer.  It gives just enough to get fans excited.  CGI looked minimal with more grounded special effects.  You could see the sand in Tunisia and it didn’t look green screen or in a studio.  We also got no sight of the returning cast in the trailer, which is a good sign they are using them in the right way.  It was just so awesome!!!!!!

I’m so hopeful JJ Abrams is doing this right and this trailer is a huge vote of confidence!!!  I’m so excited! Wahoo!