1) Kathleen Kennedy is firmly in charge of Lucasfilm. This is a good thing.
2) Disney may actually manage the brand better than Lucas. Disney gets nostalgia. Sure, they've been known to wring the life out of beloved classics (I believe the term "suckquel" was coined to discribe the direct-to-video sequels they produced of Disney animated classics. And what's the deal with the Tinkerbell movies?! A talking Tinkerbell?) But hey -- Guillermo del Toro is working on that new Haunted Mansion film. As much as the sequels suck, Pirates was a pretty genius move. And the Epic Mickey games shows that they are at least cognizant of how inherently cool their legacy properties are. And with a guy like John Lasseter running around doing his best impression of Walt, there is some great potential here.
3) It's not just Lucasfilm, it's also ILM. Once upon a time Disney was at the forefront of big, special effects-heavy, live action family films. 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Mary Poppins, etc. Maybe having this sort of access to ILM will facilitate a return to big screen family spectacles! Maybe.
4) Seriously? Disney has bought out another company? They own Spider-man, Kermit the Frog, and now Luke Skywalker. It just seems so ... Imperial.
5) I wonder what this will mean for the culture of fan-fiction and fan films that exists around Star Wars. Disney is a copyright heavyweight itching to put the pinch on infringers. Will be interesting to watch.
6) Episode 7. I can't ... I just can't think with this right now. With the right writers and directors, it could be everything that the Prequels weren't. But ... I just don't know.
7) At the end of the day, we need more Star Wars, Mickey Mouses, Spider-Mans, and Kermit the Frogs. A big company can be ossified; independant artists have the freedom to fail and suceed on their own terms. I know people who could be the "next" Lucas, Disney, Lee, and Henson. Or rather, the "first" Pire, Meeks, Kadlecik, Yavnieli, etc. I'm happy to see Star Wars continue on under the wings of a company that actually produces watchable movies. At the same time I know that the bigger and more centralized media companies get, the more opportunities there are out here for those of us who aspire to great things, especially with the technology and distribution options available to us.
I guess ... get creating, folks.
