Papa Nolan earned his name in sixth place with the release of the sci-fi epic Inception. Leonardo DiCaprio is Dom Cobb, a professional thief who steals corporate information by going into the subconscious of his targets and extracting their information. Cobb finds himself in his biggest case yet that will allow him to have his criminal history erased. The task? Inception, aka implanting another person’s idea into a target’s subconscious.
When he first started out as a filmmaker, Nolan began working on an 80-page treatment for a heist film about dream-stealers. The script was worked on for nine to ten years, with influences coming from films like The Matrix and Dark City and even his own film Memento. Nolan would pitch his idea to Warner Bros. to 2001, but it’s here where the studio got cold feet. The project seemed too ambitious and cost way too much for a guy who really only had one major film under his belt. Instead, WB offered the director a chance to work on Batman Begins and The Dark Knight to help him become more familiar with blockbuster big-budget filmmaking. And after The Dark Knight happened...yeah I think WB had faith in Nolan’s crazy idea by then. Theypurchasedthe spec script in February 2009 and got Leonardo DiCaprio, who always wanted to work with Nolan on a film, on board as star.
And with a $160 million budget, Nolan’s ambitious idea was going to be executed with spectacle and style for days. Filming took place across the globe, with shots in Tokyo, the United Kingdom, France, Morocco, Los Angeles, and Alberta. And with Nolan wanting to use as little CGI effects as possible, the production also called for distinct practical effects that made the film stand out. Perhaps the most ambitious special effect is the hotel corridor sequence, which actually rotated 360 degrees, creating a new sense of gravity when entering the second level of dreaming. This 100 foot long corridor was suspended on eight concentric rings and powered by two massive motors.
The star of this scene was Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who spent weeks learning how to fight in this giant hamster wheel of an effect. Levitt was thrashed around this corridor for weeks and was forced to find a certain rhythm in order to pull this scene off. But despite the battery taken on him, the effect paid off tremendously, creating something otherworldly and unlike anything ever seen before. And that idea of Inception being something never seen before was the big selling point for the movie.
WB’s worldwide marketing president Sue Kroll, among others, knew the potential they had for this movie. They knew that Nolan was starting to become an exciting director to people, arguably a brand of some sort, and that the idea had enough potential for some quality trailer money shots. Sure enough, Inception earned itself a massive $100 million marketing campaign, with too many “braam” sound effects in the trailers to count.
Opening in both regular and IMAX theaters on July 16, the patience Nolan took with taking this to the silver screen wonderfully paid off. Opening to $62.8 million on its opening weekend, this was an incredible first start, becoming the biggest debut ever for a DiCaprio production and the second-biggest original sci-fi film opening, only behind Avatar. A low 60s opening is usually something given to films with brands and IP attached to them. And yet, here was Nolan’s weird film about dreams making all this kind of money.
But for Inception, the film’s success was more than just its opening weekend. As a film, Inception is a meaty one. Its themes focus on dreams, reality, the subconscious, and more. And as a film that tackles so many complex subjects and ideas, it was necessary to see the film multiple times in order to fully understand it. In a way, that idea seems backwards. Wouldn’t you want people to enjoy the film for the first time to encourage people to see it out of the gate? But because Inception was so good and so fascinating to watch, people were more than eager to catch the movie again and again just so they could fully understand what the damn thing was all about.
Weekend two saw Inception stay at #1 with a slim 32% drop, earning $42.7 million for a $142.9 million 10-day haul. It was a sign right then and there people were loving it, coming back for more, and eager to discuss their theories and understanding of the film. And that continued in weekend three where Inception was #1 yet again, dropping only 36% and earning $27.5 million, totaling up to about $193.3 million in 17 days. It was pretty clear this was going to be a sensation, and the film continued to hold well through the summer and into the fall, with the film not even dropping more than 40% until Columbus weekend. Inception stayed in the top 10 for 11 straight weeks, finishing in the States with $292.6 million, 4.66 times its opening. Worldwide was $826.1 million.
It was an incredible feat, even for 2010. This was a movie that sold itself on its star, its director, and its concept, and people ate it up. If anything, the film excited them so much they watched it over and over again just so they can truly enjoy it, interpret it with friends, and so on. It’s the kind of film that is almost an anomaly, and is where I truly believe Christopher Nolan got the “Papa” moniker. I give this moniker to people on the idea they can sell a movie just by their very presence. And while Batman Begins and The Dark Knight still had the Batman name to them, Inception was all on Nolan. It was all on his unique idea executed beautifully in a way that took the world by storm and excited a mass group of people that appreciated everything that came with it. It’s the kind of skill and understanding of a general audience that most filmmakers wish they could achieve, but makes Papa Nolan’s work all the more special
Inception has lived on as one of the most iconic films of the 2010s, being referenced and parodied to death, as well as hailed by some as one of Papa Nolan’s best ever.
Illumination saw its humble beginnings in seventh place (ninth worldwide) with Despicable Me. Steve Carell voices the supervillain Gru, who plans to do the heist of a lifetime and try to steal the Moon. And his way to get his heist is complete is by adopting three sisters from the local orphanage. But despite Gru treating them like dirt at first and only using them for his villainous intentions, Gru grows a soft spot over these girls and discovers that being bad isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.
This project first began under Spanish animator Sergio Pablos, best known for his work in Disney productions like The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Hercules, Tarzan, and Treasure Planet. Pablos’ idea, initially titled Evil Me, was then brought over to Universal Pictures. The company was fond of the idea and Pablos began working on the screenplay and became an executive producer. Sadly, the one drawback was that Universal didn’t have an animation arm to call their own.
But lo and behold, Universal found luck with famed producer Chris Meledandri. Meledandri was president of Fox Animation and Blue Sky and oversaw hit films like Ice Age, Robots, and Horton Hears a Who!. But in late 2007, Meledandri left his post at Fox in favor of creating his own production company known as Illumination Entertainment. And by 2008, Illumination struck a deal with Universal Pictures by becoming the family arm of that company, producing one or two movies a year. Illumination saw complete creative control while Universal saw exclusive distribution.
And sure enough, Meledandri bought Sergio Pablos’ pitch and hired Horton’s Cinco Paul and Ken Daurio as screenwriters. Meledandri also got Pierre Coffin and Chris Renaud as directors, and hired the French-based company Mac Guff as the animation studio. Illumination would later acquire Mac Guff in 2011. And thus, the project was formally announced in 2008, becoming Ilumination’s first ever project.
The most defining aspect of this film and the series as a whole has been the side characters known as the Minions. These yellow pill capsule-designed creatures had a very distinct energy and character to them, with their defining traits including childlike behavior, gibberish language, silly voices and slapstick, and goofy incompetence at their jobs.
They may be oversaturated and obnoxious today, but back in 2010, their comedy was pretty fresh. Their manic energy and goofy personalities made them identifiable and fun to both kids and adults, and were the main centerpiece for the film’s marketing. And thanks to Universal also owning NBC, the Minions and the film itself were marketed everywhere, with synergistic ads on The Biggest Loser and Last Comic Standing and cross promotions with IHOP and Best Buy among many others. This type of massive in-your-face marketing would be a staple for Illumination productions for years to come.
Opening on July 9, Despicable Me was opening just after Shrek Forever After and Toy Story 3, both of which were highly-anticipatedand had incredible brand recognition behind them. So this movie really needed to prove itself if it wanted a piece of the animation pie. And it very much did, with a very strong $56.4 million opening weekend. Below Shrek and Toy Story, but still an amazing feat for an animation studio with no brand recognition. In fact, it was the third biggest opening for a non-sequel non-Disney animated film, only behind Kung Fu Panda and Monsters vs. Aliens, both of which had the Dreamworks name.
This was a hail mary for Universal Pictures. It might seem surreal to say this now, in a day and age where Universal has the likes ofJurassic World and Blumhouse, but back in 2010, NBC’s film division was struggling to get any headway in the box office for about three years, with their only other strong hit at the time being 2009’s Fast & Furious. But after years of struggling to find their footing when it comes to franchise fare, they just managed to land themselves a potential animated powerhouse here. And any potential fears of the film’s longevity and appeal would later be squashed when the next few weeks arrived. With solid reviews and zero family competition, Despicable Me would go on to play like gangbusters in the weeks to come.
Its second weekend saw about a 42% drop, but still managed to reach $118.4 million in just 10 days, ensuring Universal would get to at least $200 million with this. To let people know how important that was to Universal, between 2005 and 2010, only King Kong and The Bourne Ultimatum hit $200 million. Weekend three was especially great, dropping 27% for $23.7 million and a current total of $161.3 million, becoming the biggest Universal movie since Ultimatum in 2007. And sure enough, not only did Despicable Me cross $200 million, but it managed to actually outgross Shrek Forever After, a film with far more anticipation and excitement going in.With a heftytotal of $251.5 million,Despicable Me served as the biggest non-Dreamworks/non-Disney animated movie ever. Worldwide was also great, with about $543.1 million.
This was yet another feather in Meledandri’s cap after the success of Ice Age. His new studio managed to hit it right out of the park on their first try and finally made Universal competitive in the animation landscape for the first time since the mid 80s. And this would lead to a pretty big embarrassment of riches for both Universal and Illumination in the years to come, all of which we’ll talk about in the future.
And for this franchise in particular, Despicable Me would go on to become one of the biggest animated franchises in film history, earning hit after hit. Two hit sequels, with another one in the works, a hit prequel with a sequel to said prequel currently set for 2021, several short films, an active presence at Universal Studios, and so much more since 2010. Not so despicable, eh?
Eighth domestic, fifth worldwide saw the epic conclusion of Shrek (at least for now) with Shrek Forever After. Shrek has become a family man and massive celebrity to his name. But that comes at a price: a lack of privacy and feeling as if he is living the same day over and over again. With a yearning to live the glory days of being a scary ogre again, he makes a deal with Rumpelstilskin. But like with the original tale, Shrek’s deal with Rumpel causes disastrous consequences for him and his loved ones. Stuck in aWonderful Life scenario, Shrek has to find a way to reverse the curse and save Far Far Away before it’s too late.
The massive success of Shrek 2 encouraged Dreamworks Animation head Jeffrey Katzenberg to have not one, not two, but three more Shrek movies. October 2007 saw Katzenberg announce the next title Shrek Goes Fourth, where as Katzenberg beautifully explains, “Shrek goes out into the world, forth!” Tim Sullivan was hired to write in March 2005, but would later be replaced by Darren Lamke and Josh Klausner.
As the two men began developing the project, Katzenberg realized he had something special here. The story’s emphasis on Shrek’s family life and coming to grips with who he is was the perfect fit for a conclusion to Shrek’s long-gestating character arc and a solid conclusion to the franchise itself. Therefore, Shrek 4, now titled Shrek Forever After, would serve as the final chapter to the Shrek saga, thereby scrapping Shrek 5 altogether. And boy would Katzenberg let you know this was the final chapter. Every poster, trailer and ad tried to push that in your face as a way to get audienceshooked to come back one last time. And it did work, albeit not as well asDreamworks likely hoped.
Opening in 4,359 theaters, the widest release ever for an animated film, Forever Afteronly generated $70.8 million in its opening weekend. A strong amount for sure, but it was a pretty big drop from what Shrek 2 and Shrek the Third generated a couple years agowithout 3D and IMAX surcharges. It would finish its run in the States with $238.7 million, the lowest gross in the franchise.
It was an obvious hit here, and Dreamworks executives did mention they were pleased with these results, considering much of the Shrek fanbase had outgrown the franchise once 2010 rolled around. But it was a clear sign that interest in the franchise was diminishing in America. On the other end of the spectrum, overseas did very well here, earning $513.9 million, the highest of the franchise, with a record animated opening in Russia of all places. Its worldwide total was $752.6 million, the third-best of the franchise.
At the very least, there was still money to be made here with Shrek, even if this is the final chapter. And sure enough, a Puss in Boots spin-off was released in 2011, earning positive reviews and $554.9 million at the box office, as well as the biggest Halloween opening of all time. A television show based on Puss also released on Netflix, and a Puss in Boots sequel has been in an on-again off-again status for years.
And despite Shrek Forever After being the “Final Chapter”, a fifth Shrek movie has been lingering in development hell for years. Itslast reports were in November 2018, with Chris Meledandri in charge of revivingthe Shrek series with plans to bring back the original cast. Guess it's not ogre after all!
Ninth place (tenth worldwide) was yet another Dreamworks hit with How To Train Your Dragon. The Viking village of Berk deals with dragon attacks on a daily basis, teaching their younglings how to kill these beasts. But one boy named Hiccup manages to capture a dragon, the rare and uncatchable Night Fury. It’s here where Hiccup learns not how to slay a dragon, but how to train a dragon and create a friendship between them. And it’s through his actions he may just be able to convince anyone that their fighting is a misunderstanding and there is something beautiful about these dangerous creatures.
The original book series written by Cressida Crowell was beingshopped for film rights around Hollywood, with Dreamworks Animation being no exception. And after producer Bonnie Arnold saw success with the 2006 comedy Over the Hedge, she decided this would be her next project over at the studio.
Originally the movie was going to lean heavily towards the book’s story and tone, offering a sweet, whimsicaltone that leaned towards a younger audience. But when Lilo & Stitch directors Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois joined the project, they felt the film wouldn’t work being so close to the original book, resulting in heavy alterations in the story, characters, and especially tone, offering a more serious and mature take. The director team also hired Roger Deakins as a technical consultant to help make the lighting and overall look of the film feel like a live-action movie. They also did extensive research on both flight and fire. For the latter, because animation could far exceed what was possible in live-action films and the former because they knew the flying scenes would be the most dynamic for 3D screenings.
There was even a bit of a controversy when the film was set to release. Back when 3D was the hip new thing, every studio was cashing in on the trend, with an infamous example being WB’s Clash of the Titans remake. Not only was the film hastily converted into 3D at the last minute, it actually moved down a week from its original release date March 26, the same as Dragon. Katzenberg considered this sabotage, because at that time theaters would typically host only one 3D auditorium. Theater owners then accused Paramount and Dreamworks of using high-pressure tactics to convince theaters to play Dragon in 3D rather than Clash of the Titans orAlice in Wonderland, creating an awful logjam for theaters who were trying to capitalize on the 3D hype for all these anticipated movies. 2010 was a wild time to be alive.
Anyways, How to Train Your Dragon was released on March 26 and was advertised as being nothing like the typical Dreamworks production. There was no all-star celebrity voice cast, no hip pop culture references, no in-your-face attitude. It was kind of a risk in fact, considering it didn’t have the hallmarks typically found in Dreamworks productions, which could have alienated their core fanbase. But that wasn’t the case. The movie opened to a solid $43.7 million,the eighth biggest March opening ever, albeit just average forthe usual Dreamworks opening. But at the very least, it did show people were interested in the final product. However, things started to get crazy in the weeks ahead.
How to Train Your Dragon was by far the biggest critical hit Dreamworks ever saw, earning praise for its story, characters and especially its animation. And audiences couldn’t get enough of the thing, as the following weekend, Easter weekend in fact, Dragon saw the smallest drop in the top 10, 34%, and earned $29 million for the weekend. This was a better hold than previous spring animated titles and was a clear sign word of mouth was working its magic here. Weekend three was when things really got crazy, with only a 14% drop for $24.9 million, despite it being the weekend after a holiday. With $133.4 million in the tank by then, it was a certainty it would cross $200 million. Weekend four saw it just barely miss the #1 spot, falling 21% for $19.6 million. And on weekend five, the Dreamworks film actually went back to #1 after languishing below the mark in previous weekends. The last time a film opened to #1 and regained the crown a couple weeks later was the first Narnia movie in 2005.
Basically, HTTYD was a sensation and a WOM behemoth. People couldn’t get enough of this movie, and the toon finally ended with $217.6 million domestically, almost five times its opening. This surpassed Kung Fu Panda as the biggest non-Shrek title for Dreamworks and gave the studio a new potential franchise to call their own. Worldwide was $494.9 million. And with this immense success, we saw one strong animated franchise. Two sequels were released in 2014 and 2019 which diminished in the States but still surpassed the first movie globally. This movie also spawned two television series, several TV specials and short films, and even an arena show. It continues to be a favorite amongst Dreamworks and animation fans.
Our animation section finally concludes with Disney’s Tangled, which earned tenth domestic and eighth worldwide. A retelling of the Rapunzel story, this is the story of a young princess with magical blonde hair who is locked away in a tower by her adoptive mother, using her hair to stay eternally young. Yearning to leave her tower, she forces a reluctant thief to rescue her from her home and get a chance to see a world she never experienced before.
This Disney animated film was the passion project of famed Disney animator Glen Keane, who began developing a story based on Rapunzel in 1996. When he pitched the idea to Michael Eisner in 2001, Eisner would sign off, so long as the film was CGI. Keane was hesitant on telling the story in this medium, but Keane trusted Eisner, and thus Rapunzel Unbraided began development in 2003 for a 2007 release date. This was a Shrek-style spoof of Rapunzel, focusing on witty dialogue and mocking the conventional Disney fairy tale. Eisner even suggested the film take place initially in San Francisco with Rapunzel being transported into a magical fairy tale world because...reasons.
However, while Rapunzel Unbraided probably would have been a fun movie, Glen Keane knew that the film deserved a sincere and genuine interpretation in line with the classic fairy tale and many of Disney’s most successful feature films. So when Ed Catmull and John Lasseter became in charge of Walt Disney Animation Studios, the entire project was reworked from the ground up and retitled Rapunzel. Keane and Disney animator Dean Wellins were set to direct, but after Keane suffered a heart attack in 2008, he stepped down from the role, giving it to Bolt director Byron Howard and Meet the Robinsons writer Nathan Greno.
Despite being a CGI film, Glen Keane envisioned Rapunzel as an extension of the 2D Disney aesthetic. Traditional oil paintings were used as a reference for the art direction, with Disney creating new computer programs that allowed greater expression from the artist and a distinct blend of both CGI and 2D animation, all to suit Keane’s vision. But even with the new tech, there were still a lot of problems the animators had to deal with, the biggest being the one thing they could not screw up: hair. Hair is one of the hardest things to animate in CGI, and Keane was adamant it had to look lush and lively. Senior software engineer Kelly Ward spent six years developing programs to make Rapunzel’s hair move the way they wanted it to.
With six years of production, countless changes and rewrites, and creating brand new tech that allowed the film to have a unique and memorable art style, the cost for Rapunzel was getting high. Very high. With a production budget of $260 million, this was by far the most expensive animated movie ever made, a record it still holds to this very day. For a while, it was only behind At World’s End for the most expensive movie of all time. And after the last Disney Princess title, The Princess and the Frog, did lukewarm business, Disney knew this movie had to make its money somehow. This resulted in a very controversial title change.
Ed Catmull and John Lasseter felt that the title The Princess and the Frog caused an idea that the film would only appeal to little girls and limited its box office appeal across demographics. So as to avoid the same mistake again and show audiences that this had something for everyone, Rapunzel was changed to Tangled, while the marketing put just as much, if not more emphasis on the male lead Flynn Rider compared to Rapunzel. This title change saw heavy criticism, though its directors did defend the change, arguing both Flynn and Rapunzel have their own compelling story arcs. But while it may not have been the main factor, this title change might have worked.
Opening on November 24 (my birthday btw), Tangled’s opening day amounted to $11.9 million, the biggest pre-Thanksgiving Wednesday opening ever, beating out Toy Story 2. And while it couldn’t totally beat out the Pixar sequel’s opening, it still managed to see $48.8 million for the three-day and $68.7 million for the five-day, becoming the second-biggest Thanksgiving debut. And Tangled’s three day became the biggest opening ever for Walt Disney Animation Studios, beating out The Lion King. And with critical praise behind it, Tangled continued to bring in the crowds through the holidays, finishing its run with $200.8 million domestically, becoming the fourth-biggest film from WDAS, only behind Lion King, Beauty and the Beast, and Aladdin. Worldwide was $592.5 million, second only to The Lion King.
Whether changing the title helped or not, this movie was just as important to Disney as Toy Story 3 and Alice in Wonderland were. It signaled to audiences that Walt Disney Animation Studios was a division that had something special and distinct about them. It showed that Disney can evolve from what they did in the 90s. It showed to Disney that fairy tale adaptations can still work, so long as you give them enough of a modern spin to make new audiences invested in the story.
And sure enough, Tangled would go on to be one of Disney’s biggest franchises ever. While a sequel was discussed, we would instead see a short film titled Tangled Ever After in 2012. And a few years later, Disney Channel aired Tangled: The Series, which lasted three seasons, ending this past March. In fact, Tangled saw a bit of a resurgence in popularity this year when people realized the setting of the movie was the kingdom of Corona and it was about a girl isolating herself away from Corona. Weird. And of course, Tangled has sold way too much merchandise and dolls to count.
