Many people have found this news odd, because although Avatar was wildly successful, that was mainly off the back of its spectacle, and it didn't lead to any long lasting cult fandom, such as we see with Star Wars. Well, we are soon(?) going to see the first of 4 (yes, I said FOUR) follow-ups to that first film, and this is the short answer to the question of why Disney have invested so much in the theme park. But one still wrestles with the rationale of this whole process. We're now used to CGI special effects to a degree we never were before, and when all's said and done, the actual story of Avatar was weak and unoriginal. Unless James Cameron has expert help with that for the follow-ups, it's hard to see them being as successful as that startling first film. There's no large fan base to guarantee success.
...Which leads me back to my first question. Do stories matter anymore? Does storytelling, in any medium - print, film, theatre etc.? I would suggest that it really doesn't, and I hate to say such a thing, because we're the poorer for it. However, my position is old-fashioned, isn't it? The cultural landscape is dominated by franchises, just as the commercial landscape is dominated by big brands. Obviously, that's what a franchise is, a brand. Because Disney is Disney, they know how to make money out of this 'property'. Instead of strong stories, I predict the storytelling will be dictated by the need to lead the viewer from one set piece spectacle to the next. Some scenes will have no function beyond providing the material for spin off computer games. We're now consumers, rather than intelligent readers, and we have become inured to digesting things in bites. Snacking, rather than dining, if you like.
