Like everyone else in the galaxy, I was somewhat surprised when I heard news of The Mouse buying out Lucasfilm. But if you think about it, that has been Disney's strategy this past decade; buy popular franchises and integrate them throughout their vast media empire. ESPN, ABC TV, Muppets, Marvel, PIXAR and now "Star Wars" and "Indiana Jones". Resistance of The Mouse is futile (but that's another franchise they'll have to buy another day.)
I actually like the deal very much. Disney has handled the Muppets and Marvel franchises well, and have pretty much let PIXAR be PIXAR. Back in March, I was invited to visit Disney Animation Studios in Burbank, CA.
The enthusiasm there was very encouraging and infectious. They were proud of what they were producing ("Wreck-It-Ralph" & "Paperman" at the time) and saw a bright future ahead for the company under the current leadership mantra of, in their words, "create the best art possible."
So if that attitude carries over to "Star Wars", the best films of that series may be yet to come. How exciting is that? Very.
The entire situation is almost as exciting as the prospect of Disney buying out Warner Bros. and combining the DC and Marvel Universes under one roof, thus completely reorganizing the ENTIRE major superhero comic universe.
That would be impressive. Most impressive.
-Rob
