tin7_creations Posted August 31, 2009 Posted August 31, 2009 People who want the Lego Marvel sets back may now have their dreams come true. I just read this earlier: http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/07c7233c-9633-11...144feabdc0.html Summary: In a $4 billion deal, The Walt Disney Company has purchased Marvel Entertainment and the rights to all of Stan Lee's characters; including Spider-Man, X-Men, Hulk, Iron Man, Captain America, Fantastic Four etc etc. Disney always builds upon it's franchises, maybe we'll see some of Marvel's characters come back to Lego through their Disney license? Any thoughts? ~tin7 Quote
Spyder Posted August 31, 2009 Posted August 31, 2009 I already posted this in the DC and Marvel topic, but I guess it deserves a topic of it's own. I don't know what to say, Marvel has always been there, and now it's gone. Sure, Disney has it, so technically it's not gone, but it will never be the same again. Quote
Siegfried Posted August 31, 2009 Posted August 31, 2009 I don't know what to say, Marvel has always been there, and now it's gone. Sure, Disney has it, so technically it's not gone, but it will never be the same again. I agree completely. I'm not even a huge Marvel fan, but IMHO this is bad news. I hate mergers. Quote
tin7_creations Posted August 31, 2009 Author Posted August 31, 2009 i agree that it will never be the same again. I'm pretty sure Disney will try to tone down Marvel comics. and they have so much crap to deal with too: 1) Marvel theme park in Orlando Universal Studios 2) Fox and Sony own Marvel movie rights; who are both Disney's competitors.... etc etc etc It's a steal for Disney, but what does it mean for Marvel... And since it's Disney, I don't doubt the fact that they might start putting Zac Efron in Marvel movies..... Quote
Spyder Posted August 31, 2009 Posted August 31, 2009 (edited) I'm pretty sure Disney will try to tone down Marvel comics. Your probably (and unfortunately) right. The marvel comics were never meant for kids in the first place, and now who knows where the comics and merchandise will go with Disney owning it. They'll bring down the level of violence and pretty much everything else to market it to kids. Heck, they'll probably come up with an alternate storyline in which Peter saves Uncle Ben and nobody dies. This is just too saddening to talk about. Marvel has always been there, I don't know why they would sell to Disney. Why Marvel, why!?! It's a steal for Disney, but what does it mean for Marvel... What do you mean? Marvel got it's $4 billion, and now it's gone. No more Marvel that we all grew up with, no more Marvel that we've all come to love. It's gone. Forever. Now it's all Disney Marvel crap. (Which isn't really Marvel. It's like Lego selling out to Mega Bloks.) This is just horrible. I'm sorry about all my mourning, but I just can't believe its gone. Edited August 31, 2009 by Spyder Quote
Commander Assassin Posted August 31, 2009 Posted August 31, 2009 People who want the Lego Marvel sets back may now have their dreams come true.I just read this earlier: http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/07c7233c-9633-11...144feabdc0.html Summary: In a $4 billion deal, The Walt Disney Company has purchased Marvel Entertainment and the rights to all of Stan Lee's characters; including Spider-Man, X-Men, Hulk, Iron Man, Captain America, Fantastic Four etc etc. Disney always builds upon it's franchises, maybe we'll see some of Marvel's characters come back to Lego through their Disney license? Any thoughts? ~tin7 All I can say is WOW! That's a shocker! Good news: Being a DC fan, I am happy that it seems that financially Marvel isn't doing the best. Bad news: With Lego owning the Disney license, the only superhero sets we can be expecting is Marvel. Quote
blueandwhite Posted August 31, 2009 Posted August 31, 2009 Honestly, I think that people are overreacting. While Disney is probably one of the most disliked companies out there, they certainly know a good thing when they see it. I very much doubt that they purchased the brand in order to bury it. When Disney purchased Pixar, the same sort of whinning started to run rampant. Despite concerns, Pixar still runs fairly independently and has continued to produce high quality products. I expect the same will hold true of Marvel. Do I think that Disney will attempt to tone down Marvel comics? I don't think so. Disney (while possibly the most evil corporation on the planet) has a history of smart marketing. Even apparent disasters like Euro Disney turned out in their favour. That being said; I do expect that Disney will attempt to expand Marvel's market share in some way. The idea that Marvel comics are not for children is utterly ridiculous. In fact, it's probably part of the reason that Marvel seems to have lost touch with many young readers in the first place. Just as with LEGO, there is a far larger child/teen demographic for comics. It's unfortunate that the comic industry has been so obsessed with pseudo maturity that it seems to have lost its connection with the young readers who helped catapult them to success in the first place. As a child/teenager I remember having a range of discussions with friends about Marvel & DC comics. As an adult these conversations are now few and far between as the majority of my peers could care less about the heroes they read about as children. In fact, beyond today's popular films most of these people would never mention Spider-Man, Iron Man or the Fantastic Four in everyday chat. Making comics relevant to younger readers isn't an insult to the spirit of Marvel comics. If anything, it's simply getting in touch with an audience that has been ignored and abandoned by the powers-that-be over at Marvel. If Disney can regain a younger audience without disregarding Marvel's existing fans then kudos to them. Quote
Zarkan Posted August 31, 2009 Posted August 31, 2009 Honestly, I think that people are overreacting.While Disney is probably one of the most disliked companies out there, they certainly know a good thing when they see it. I very much doubt that they purchased the brand in order to bury it. When Disney purchased Pixar, the same sort of whinning started to run rampant. Despite concerns, Pixar still runs fairly independently and has continued to produce high quality products. I expect the same will hold true of Marvel. Do I think that Disney will attempt to tone down Marvel comics? I don't think so. Disney (while possibly the most evil corporation on the planet) has a history of smart marketing. Even apparent disasters like Euro Disney turned out in their favour. That being said; I do expect that Disney will attempt to expand Marvel's market share in some way. The idea that Marvel comics are not for children is utterly ridiculous. In fact, it's probably part of the reason that Marvel seems to have lost touch with many young readers in the first place. Just as with LEGO, there is a far larger child/teen demographic for comics. It's unfortunate that the comic industry has been so obsessed with pseudo maturity that it seems to have lost its connection with the young readers who helped catapult them to success in the first place. As a child/teenager I remember having a range of discussions with friends about Marvel & DC comics. As an adult these conversations are now few and far between as the majority of my peers could care less about the heroes they read about as children. In fact, beyond today's popular films most of these people would never mention Spider-Man, Iron Man or the Fantastic Four in everyday chat. Making comics relevant to younger readers isn't an insult to the spirit of Marvel comics. If anything, it's simply getting in touch with an audience that has been ignored and abandoned by the powers-that-be over at Marvel. If Disney can regain a younger audience without disregarding Marvel's existing fans then kudos to them. Couldn't have summed up this better myself. Seriously, I'm actually rather glad about this deal, because it very well could mean that the Marvel comics will go in a more kid-friendly direction. And that's good, IMO, because comics these days are generally super violent and full of unnecessary content. Why is it that so many characters are being killed off or changed drastically in personality, just because it supposedly makes them darker and more mature? Mature storytelling doesn't need lots of "adult" content to be mature - in fact I'd say that many of the comics these days are far less mature than more kid-friendly media options such as the recent Spiderman animated series and classic superhero shows like Batman: the Animated Series. These shows manage to be both apropriate for all ages and enjoyable by people both in and out of the general comic geekdom - and they are filled to the brim with references to classic comics, characters, and even the occasional joke that only an adult will pick up on. But are they ultra violent and do they focus on shock value rather than storyline and characters? No - which is why I generally prefer modern animation over modern comics. Quote
Joebot Posted August 31, 2009 Posted August 31, 2009 Honestly, I think that people are overreacting.While Disney is probably one of the most disliked companies out there, they certainly know a good thing when they see it. I very much doubt that they purchased the brand in order to bury it. When Disney purchased Pixar, the same sort of whinning started to run rampant. Despite concerns, Pixar still runs fairly independently and has continued to produce high quality products. I expect the same will hold true of Marvel. Do I think that Disney will attempt to tone down Marvel comics? I don't think so. Disney (while possibly the most evil corporation on the planet) has a history of smart marketing. Even apparent disasters like Euro Disney turned out in their favour. That being said; I do expect that Disney will attempt to expand Marvel's market share in some way. The idea that Marvel comics are not for children is utterly ridiculous. In fact, it's probably part of the reason that Marvel seems to have lost touch with many young readers in the first place. Just as with LEGO, there is a far larger child/teen demographic for comics. It's unfortunate that the comic industry has been so obsessed with pseudo maturity that it seems to have lost its connection with the young readers who helped catapult them to success in the first place. As a child/teenager I remember having a range of discussions with friends about Marvel & DC comics. As an adult these conversations are now few and far between as the majority of my peers could care less about the heroes they read about as children. In fact, beyond today's popular films most of these people would never mention Spider-Man, Iron Man or the Fantastic Four in everyday chat. Making comics relevant to younger readers isn't an insult to the spirit of Marvel comics. If anything, it's simply getting in touch with an audience that has been ignored and abandoned by the powers-that-be over at Marvel. If Disney can regain a younger audience without disregarding Marvel's existing fans then kudos to them. Terrific post! I agree completely. The comparison with Pixar is where I'm holding out hope. Disney generally leaves Pixar alone to do their thing, then Disney backs it up with their marketing / merchandising dollars. I could see something similar with Marvel. I really can't see Disney meddling into the day-to-day publishing business of churning out monthly comics. The comic publishing industry is small potatoes. Disney is in this for the intellectual property and the licensing rights. That's where the real money is. And as blueandwhite argues above, I'm not convinced it would really be such a bad thing if Disney DID hand down some editorial mandates to Marvel. When you look at some of the shit that Marvel churns out, like that recent Ultimatum mini-series... blech. Filling a story with violence, blood, and cannibalism (yes, cannibalism) does not make it "adult." It makes it "shocking," which is not at all the same thing. As for the notion of Marvel Lego sets ... oh man, pleeeeeze make this happen!!! Quote
The Bricksmith Posted August 31, 2009 Posted August 31, 2009 Marvels fate is now in Disney hands, this is very shocking news. I think what happens to Marvel depends on how hands on or off Disney is. For many years especially in the 90's Marvel was struggling. They have had some recent success with their movie lines such as Iron man, but are kids reading more comics now than there were before? I think on the whole the comics industry is struggling and now with Disney backing Marvel will be around for a long time. But the direction that Marvel goes from here is anyone's guess. This reminds me of when a new write would take over a struggling series and change things up, sometimes for the better, sometimes not. Quote
Joey Lock Posted August 31, 2009 Posted August 31, 2009 Since Disney is buying Marvel, And theirs a new Disney sets being realeased...Could there be a chance for some new Spiderman and Marvel sets? It could compete with Lego Batman. What do you think? Quote
HumanPackMule Posted August 31, 2009 Posted August 31, 2009 I really really really hope this doesn't give us a superhero musical. It's worse than megab!@(k$ getting the Halo license. Quote
JCC1004 Posted August 31, 2009 Posted August 31, 2009 Wasn't there a rumor about Spiderman 4 being a musical? This is sad. What is wrong with Stan Lee? Disney probably doesn't like the amout of violence in Marvel moives. Quote
SuvieD Posted August 31, 2009 Posted August 31, 2009 There are a number of license issues that will have to be worked out first but if Toy Story and PoP sell better than the cheesy Mickey sets from years ago, I think there is a strong possibility for some sweet stuff. Most of the Marvel heroes are extremely American which might limit their use. It would be nice to see some X-men or Avengers LEGO though. Plus LEGO is going full steam ahead in making new molds for minifigure heads so we could easily see some awesome sets and figures if Disney does expand their effort with LEGO. I am not too hopeful yet. Disney owns a lot of companies. Hopefully the new sets sell well and Disney seeks to expand their efforts. Quote
blueandwhite Posted August 31, 2009 Posted August 31, 2009 Wasn't there a rumor about Spiderman 4 being a musical? This is sad. What is wrong with Stan Lee? Disney probably doesn't like the amout of violence in Marvel moives. Let's not forget that Disney has a wide range of companies under its corporate umbrella including Hollywood Pictures, Touchstone and Miramax. This is the company that released Pulp Fiction, Clerks, Gangs of New York, The Rock, The Sixth Sense and others under its other brands. Heck; you'd have a hard time convincing me that the cinematic versions of Spiderman, X-Men or Iron Man are any more violent than Disney's own Pirates of the Carribean. Quote
Omicron Posted August 31, 2009 Posted August 31, 2009 Just because Disney has it doesn't mean Lego will get a License. -Omi Quote
JCC1004 Posted August 31, 2009 Posted August 31, 2009 (edited) Let's not forget that Disney has a wide range of companies under its corporate umbrella including Hollywood Pictures, Touchstone and Miramax. This is the company that released Pulp Fiction, Clerks, Gangs of New York, The Rock, The Sixth Sense and others under its other brands. Heck; you'd have a hard time convincing me that the cinematic versions of Spiderman, X-Men or Iron Man are any more violent than Disney's own Pirates of the Carribean. Forgot about those pirates. I'm surprized Disney did those. I was think more of this Disney. I don't know jack when it comes to Disney. Edited August 31, 2009 by JCC1004 Quote
Omicron Posted August 31, 2009 Posted August 31, 2009 Let's not forget that Disney has a wide range of companies under its corporate umbrella including Hollywood Pictures, Touchstone and Miramax. This is the company that released Pulp Fiction, Clerks, Gangs of New York, The Rock, The Sixth Sense and others under its other brands. But were those production studios owned by Disney during the time those movies came out? -Omi Quote
Lt. Col. Thok Posted August 31, 2009 Posted August 31, 2009 SHOCKER! That is depressing. Another bastion of my childhood falls.... Just as long as they don't put the jonas brothers (gag!) in a comic....*shudder* Quote
Spyder Posted August 31, 2009 Posted August 31, 2009 Just as long as they don't put the jonas brothers (gag!) in a comic....*shudder* Please don't talk so vile, your making me nauseous. Quote
Svelte Posted August 31, 2009 Posted August 31, 2009 Whether this has any influence on Lego remains to be seen, as they're the ones who pick and choose the licenses, not the other way round. They don't have a great sales record when it comes to superhero based sets, like Spiderman or Batman, but pursuing one-off licences to coincide with summer blockbusters may be the way of the future rather than extensive multi-wave themes spanning several years. Most blockbusters make most of their ticket sales in the week or two of release, so it makes sense that Lego plan future releases around the same commercial imperative - the difficulty is completing the design, production and distribution cycles to coordinate with film release dates. I'm not panicking yet about the thought of Jonas Bros figs or a Miley Cyrus/ Hannah Montana based theme Quote
blueandwhite Posted August 31, 2009 Posted August 31, 2009 But were those production studios owned by Disney during the time those movies came out?-Omi Yes. Disney acquired Miramax in 1993. Under the Miramax label Disney released films like Clerks, the English Patient, Trainspotting and Kill Bill etc. Touchstone has always been a Disney brand. In the past Disney used it to release films that were less child-friendly. Let's not forget that Disney also holds ABC and ESPN as well. Despite popular opinion, the house of Mouse is not limited to Mickey Mouse and Hanna Montana. The best part of this buyout is that it frees up licencing issues which should make it easier to adapt various Marvel properties to TV or film. In the past, studios would need to acquire the rights from Marvel to make a film. This of course could leave a film in licencing limbo for years as several parties try to negotiate who owns the rights to what. With Disney becoming the parent company (much like WB is to DC); licencing issues become considerably less complex. Quote
Howard Moon Posted September 1, 2009 Posted September 1, 2009 Now that Disney is buying Marvel comics I'm wondering if lego might make some new sets with Marvel heroes? Lego and Disney just started to work together, so I hope we will see lego Iron Man or Avengers soon! Quote
Ricecracker Posted September 1, 2009 Posted September 1, 2009 Hey there Howard! Welcome to Eurobricks. Why not start a topic in the "Hello! My name is.." forum. This topic also happens to be discussed in this and this thread. Again, welcome to Eurobricks! Quote
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.