No older animated or stop-motion

[The Next Walt Disney]

I think that the people who worked on older animated films or stop-motion don't deserve Rifftrax. Now with CGI that's simple as video recording and is used often in the films that get the rifftrax treatment. Older films have 24 frames per second and definitely take a longer time to make. I'll let Mike go with Nestor but if older films like Bambi or Rudolph get riffed, you guys will feel my wrath

[AmandaGal]

I think a Rudolph riff would be hilarious.

I think Bambi would be hard because it'd be hard to riff on Bambi losing his mom and not look like an ass.  Same goes for the Lion King.  Some of the other Disney Films would work better.

[Isaac S.]

I've always thought that The Little Mermaid would make a fantastic RiffTrax.  And that's coming from an animation fan who even works for Disney.  Remember, riffing a movie doesn't mean disrespecting it (thus the recent tagline change -- "We make fun of them" to "We make them funny").  See the LOTR: Fellowship of the Ring (and, more debatably, X-Men and Spider-Man) RiffTrax.

And, for the record, I love traditional animation, but CGI isn't easy by any means.  Watch the special features on any Pixar disc, for instance.

[The Next Walt Disney]

I've always thought that The Little Mermaid would make a fantastic RiffTrax.  And that's coming from an animation fan who even works for Disney.  Remember, riffing a movie doesn't mean disrespecting it (thus the recent tagline change -- "We make fun of them" to "We make them funny").  See the LOTR: Fellowship of the Ring (and, more debatably, X-Men and Spider-Man) RiffTrax.

And, for the record, I love traditional animation, but CGI isn't easy by any means.  Watch the special features on any Pixar disc, for instance.

Okay, I will. I would've mentioned "The Little Mermaid" but it's a Howard Ashman film and since he was so important to Disney, I don't think his partner Alan would stand for it. By the way, I'm sending you a personal message. I would ask but I don't want to be laughed at?

[AmandaGal]

I've always thought that The Little Mermaid would make a fantastic RiffTrax.  And that's coming from an animation fan who even works for Disney.  Remember, riffing a movie doesn't mean disrespecting it (thus the recent tagline change -- "We make fun of them" to "We make them funny").  See the LOTR: Fellowship of the Ring (and, more debatably, X-Men and Spider-Man) RiffTrax.

And, for the record, I love traditional animation, but CGI isn't easy by any means.  Watch the special features on any Pixar disc, for instance.

I'm a huge Disney fan.  I don't talk it about much on here but some of my favorite movies are Disney movies.  I also have quite the collection of Disneyana.  (as a side note, one of my friends quit her job, packed up her life here to go to Disney and be Eeyore.  The last I heard, she was in Mickey Mouse training, which is apparently a big deal   )

I have a lot of respect for the franchise and the man.  Going to Disneyworld and seeing some of the things he came up when he was alive, I don't see how you could not.  They look cheesy now, but it's amazing to think of how much a visionary he was, so I mean no insult to insul...err..The Next Walt Disney when I say that I think many, many Disney movies *are* riffable.

They are movies for children.  They are formulaic, full of stereotypes (and archetypes) and mostly full of saccharine.  There's nothing *wrong* with that.  For children, it's ideal.  It's a familiar format to deliver a compact moral message and entertain at the same time.  However, I also think those are near ideal conditions for riffing.

The problem would be the long musical numbers.  Not much to riff during, "Under The Sea."   Perhaps the boys can sing along   And Disney is sue happy and very protective.  I imagine trying to sell a poster of Mike imposed in a Disney movie would get someone riled up.

I think you have respect for something and still see the humor in it.

[The Next Walt Disney]

I've always thought that The Little Mermaid would make a fantastic RiffTrax.  And that's coming from an animation fan who even works for Disney.  Remember, riffing a movie doesn't mean disrespecting it (thus the recent tagline change -- "We make fun of them" to "We make them funny").  See the LOTR: Fellowship of the Ring (and, more debatably, X-Men and Spider-Man) RiffTrax.

And, for the record, I love traditional animation, but CGI isn't easy by any means.  Watch the special features on any Pixar disc, for instance.

I'm a huge Disney fan.  I don't talk it about much on here but some of my favorite movies are Disney movies.  I also have quite the collection of Disneyana.  (as a side note, one of my friends quit her job, packed up her life here to go to Disney and be Eeyore.  The last I heard, she was in Mickey Mouse training, which is apparently a big deal   )

I have a lot of respect for the franchise and the man.  Going to Disneyworld and seeing some of the things he came up when he was alive, I don't see how you could not.  They look cheesy now, but it's amazing to think of how much a visionary he was, so I mean no insult to insul...err..The Next Walt Disney when I say that I think many, many Disney movies *are* riffable.

They are movies for children.  They are formulaic, full of stereotypes (and archetypes) and mostly full of saccharine.  There's nothing *wrong* with that.  For children, it's ideal.  It's a familiar format to deliver a compact moral message and entertain at the same time.  However, I also think those are near ideal conditions for riffing.

The problem would be the long musical numbers.  Not much to riff during, "Under The Sea."   Perhaps the boys can sing along   And Disney is sue happy and very protective.  I imagine trying to sell a poster of Mike imposed in a Disney movie would get someone riled up.

I think you have respect for something and still see the humor in it.

Thank you for that. You're a nice person AmandaGal, I to have thought of Disney being riffed. Perhaps "The Small One" which appears to follow up Nestor. Films like the Lion King have some riffing value until Timon and Pumba come in with MST3K jokes, and I'm not talking about Lion King 1 1/2.
My best bet for a Disney riff would be Cinderella 2.

[The Next Walt Disney]

I understand CGI takes up time. I mean the crappy, less detailed films I don't care if riffed. (Films like Barnyard) But Pixar is the best at what they do and actually WORK. Alwell, when I brought up the topic, I was assuming that 3-D was similar. Whoops. 

[Isaac S.]

They are movies for children.  They are formulaic, full of stereotypes (and archetypes) and mostly full of saccharine.  There's nothing *wrong* with that.  For children, it's ideal.  It's a familiar format to deliver a compact moral message and entertain at the same time.  However, I also think those are near ideal conditions for riffing.

Not to be difficult, but I'll let Walt speak for himself:
"I do not make films primarily for children. I make them for the child in all of us, whether we be six or sixty. Call the child "innocence". The worst of us is not without innocence, although buried deeply it might be. In my work I try to reach and speak to that innocence, showing it the fun and joy of living; showing it that laughter is healthy; showing it that the human species, although happily ridiculous at times, is still reaching for the stars."

But you're right, conditions in Disney films are perfect for riffing purposes, though I'd actually prefer a more modern one to any of Walt's films.

The problem would be the long musical numbers.  Not much to riff during, "Under The Sea."   Perhaps the boys can sing along   And Disney is sue happy and very protective.  I imagine trying to sell a poster of Mike imposed in a Disney movie would get someone riled up.

I think there's plenty to riff during "Under the Sea."  The thing is completely ridiculous, looked at from a real-life perspective.  And the lyrics are great, but there are any number of reasons why life under the sea is not better than life on land, and finding funny ways to point that out could be a big part of the gag.

And Disney has great lawyers.  Which is precisely why they'd know they didn't have a leg to stand on.  In fact, RiffTrax has already done several Disney-owned properties: Cocktail and Reign of Fire are from Touchstone Pictures, and Lost and Grey's Anatomy are from ABC Studios (formerly Touchstone Television).  I wouldn't worry about lawsuits with RiffTrax; there's simply no legal basis for one.

I think you have respect for something and still see the humor in it.

Absolutely!  And I'm fairly convinced that Mike can make anything funny, so I'm all for whatever he chooses, including anything I hold dear.

[The Next Walt Disney]

They are movies for children.  They are formulaic, full of stereotypes (and archetypes) and mostly full of saccharine.  There's nothing *wrong* with that.  For children, it's ideal.  It's a familiar format to deliver a compact moral message and entertain at the same time.  However, I also think those are near ideal conditions for riffing.

Not to be difficult, but I'll let Walt speak for himself:
"I do not make films primarily for children. I make them for the child in all of us, whether we be six or sixty. Call the child "innocence". The worst of us is not without innocence, although buried deeply it might be. In my work I try to reach and speak to that innocence, showing it the fun and joy of living; showing it that laughter is healthy; showing it that the human species, although happily ridiculous at times, is still reaching for the stars."

But you're right, conditions in Disney films are perfect for riffing purposes, though I'd actually prefer a more modern one to any of Walt's films.

The problem would be the long musical numbers.  Not much to riff during, "Under The Sea."   Perhaps the boys can sing along   And Disney is sue happy and very protective.  I imagine trying to sell a poster of Mike imposed in a Disney movie would get someone riled up.

I think there's plenty to riff during "Under the Sea."  The thing is completely ridiculous, looked at from a real-life perspective.  And the lyrics are great, but there are any number of reasons why life under the sea is not better than life on land, and finding funny ways to point that out could be a big part of the gag.

And Disney has great lawyers.  Which is precisely why they'd know they didn't have a leg to stand on.  In fact, RiffTrax has already done several Disney-owned properties: Cocktail and Reign of Fire are from Touchstone Pictures, and Lost and Grey's Anatomy are from ABC Studios (formerly Touchstone Television).  I wouldn't worry about lawsuits with RiffTrax; there's simply no legal basis for one.

I think you have respect for something and still see the humor in it.

Absolutely!  And I'm fairly convinced that Mike can make anything funny, so I'm all for whatever he chooses, including anything I hold dear.

I couldn't agree more. I'm sorry to everyone for being a jackass on the roundtable.

[James of LinHood]

You're a nice person AmandaGal

This is the first and last time AmandaGal will ever be told that.   

[AmandaGal]

Not to be difficult, but I'll let Walt speak for himself:
"I do not make films primarily for children. I make them for the child in all of us, whether we be six or sixty. Call the child "innocence". The worst of us is not without innocence, although buried deeply it might be. In my work I try to reach and speak to that innocence, showing it the fun and joy of living; showing it that laughter is healthy; showing it that the human species, although happily ridiculous at times, is still reaching for the stars."

That's just spin talk though.  "For the child in all of us."     At the core, they are geared towards kids.  Lots of things are geared towards that adults still enjoy.  I still enjoy a good old bowl of Cocoa Krispies but it's a cereal made for kids.  I like some children's books.

I think there's plenty to riff during "Under the Sea."  The thing is completely ridiculous, looked at from a real-life perspective.  And the lyrics are great, but there are any number of reasons why life under the sea is not better than life on land, and finding funny ways to point that out could be a big part of the gag.

Maybe. I don't think I've ever seen them riff a musical number?  I can't recall one anyway.  I think the singing might take away from or interfere with the riffing is all.  I guess what I meant is there's not much space for riffing.  It might be interesting to see them try.  You're right, some of the elements in the animation and even the words are ridiculous and could be riffed. Kiss The Girl would probably be funny too because that's one of the most ludicrous scenes ever, imho and The Little Mermaid is one of my favorite Disney films.

And Disney has great lawyers.  Which is precisely why they'd know they didn't have a leg to stand on.  In fact, RiffTrax has already done several Disney-owned properties: Cocktail and Reign of Fire are from Touchstone Pictures, and Lost and Grey's Anatomy are from ABC Studios (formerly Touchstone Television).  I wouldn't worry about lawsuits with RiffTrax; there's simply no legal basis for one.

I think the animated films that Disney makes millions of dollars off of licensing and parks with are a bit more Disney "canon" than Cocktail. Disney has been known to "suggest" things that they have no legal basis for suggesting.  You're probably right. I doubt they'd see Rifftrax as a big fish anyway.  I was mostly concerned with the poster art rather than the riff itself.  While I think poster art is technically fair use, that line can be blurred and while it's generally not won (Microsoft has taken a few parody cases to court), it's still a pain in the ass.  However, that's not for me to worry about.  I'm sure Legend films has lawyers too.

Absolutely!  And I'm fairly convinced that Mike can make anything funny, so I'm all for whatever he chooses, including anything I hold dear.

Me too.  If he ever does a movie that I'm offended by, I just won't buy it.  Problem solved.

[AmandaGal]

You're a nice person AmandaGal

This is the first and last time AmandaGal will ever be told that.   

Not true.  I'm always nice until it's time not to be nice.

[RVR II]

You're a nice person AmandaGal

This is the first and last time AmandaGal will ever be told that.   

Not true.  I'm always nice until it's time not to be nice.

Just don't let her fill your prescription bottle unless you're Sure she's in a 'nice' mood

[AmandaGal]

I work in a hospital buddy. It goes straight into you veins, bwhahahaha 

[The Next Walt Disney]

So, what Disney films do you want riffed. I know the Litte Mermaids one.