When Spidey meets Mickey Adrian Dy Philippine Daily Inquirer
September 12, 2009
THE HOUSE of ideas has been relocated to the Magic Kingdom. Like a plot twist, no one saw coming, comic fans and mouse fans alike were shocked by the late Monday evening news that Disney had purchased Marvel Comics for $4 billion.
But now that the dust has settled on this startling development, questions linger among both fandoms. Will we now see Spiderman, Captain America, Iron Man and Wolverine on a special superhero float during the Main Street Parade? Will Buzz Lightyear or the Jonas Brothers become Avengers?
Like a great comic book cliffhanger, we’re not quite sure yet. But here’s what we do know:
Marvel will still be Marvel
After the deal was announced, Marvel’s editor-in-chief Joe Quesada was active on his Twitter account, trying his best to extinguish fears that the Mouse will kick off its reign with huge upheavals and policy changes.
“Everybody, take a deep breath, all your favorite comics remain unchanged,” wrote Quesada, later adding, “If you’re familiar with the Disney/Pixar relationship, then you’ll understand why this is a new dawn for Marvel.”
Disney has been hands-off for the most part with Pixar, because the company has been aware that creative people needed their space. Fans should expect a similar treatment with Marvel. For one thing, you’re definitely not going to see the Disney logo on Marvel comics.
If you’re worried that Disney might tone down the violence in the comics, think again. Disney also owns Miramax Films, which has in its film library of controversial and violent flicks like “Kill Bill,” “Dogma” and “No Country for Old Men.” So yes, Wolverine fans, he will still be ripping foes to shreds with his claws.
Boys and their toys
In recent years, Disney has been a brand primarily targeting teenaged girls. In between “Hannah Montana,” “High School Musical,” and the Disney Princesses, there’s not a lot of reasons for boys to switch to the Disney channel, unless their dream is to become the next Jonas Brother.
But in the US and other select countries, Disney has launched “Disney XD,” a cable channel targeted towards boys. A quick look at its lineup unearths a ton of ’90s Marvel toons like “Iron Man,” “Silver Surfer” and “Spider-Man,” just to name a few.
With this deal in place, Marvel and Disney can easily work together to make new Marvel cartoons, with high quality animation, star-studded voice casts and, of course, great storytelling. Any comic book fan will tell you that DC cartoons have usually been superior compared with their Marvel counterparts, with great shows such as “Batman, the Animated Series” and “Justice League Unlimited.” So this might just be the catalyst to spark a reversal in roles.
The Pixar connection
Scant moments after the deal was in place, John Lasseter, Pixar’s chief creative officer, met with his Marvel counterpart, and word is that both came away “pretty excited, very fast.”
Given the high quality of Marvel and Pixar films, anything coming from these have the potential to blow audiences away.
It must be noted, though, that most major Marvel movie rights have been signed away to other companies. Sony has Spider-Man, Fox has the X-men, and Paramount has the rights to Iron Man and other major Avengers like Thor and Captain America.
In time, those rights will expire, as Disney is interested in becoming the sole studio in charge of Marvel movies. But that might not be anytime soon.
The truth of the matter is, fans have plenty of reasons to be excited, though a lot of these plans are still long-term ones. Ironically, Warner Brothers has owned DC Comics for quite some time now, but no one has made a peep about it.
Expect the opposite, though, for the new dynamic duo of Disney and Marvel. Both companies have been nothing short of aggressive in getting maximum exposure for their characters and stories. If you’re a fan of either company, or even just a casual observer of the media world, this is one team-up you ought to keep your eyes on.
