“Star Wars”, Disney and creating myths – El Nuevo Diario

From a galaxy far away to the nearest cinema: “Awakens The Force”, the latest in the saga of “Star Wars” installment, is unavoidable this Christmas

The first title “. Star Wars “from Lucasfilm, owner of the franchise, was acquired by Disney in 2012 by 4,100 million dollars, it represents more than just the rebirth of a beloved science fiction series. It is the latest example of how Disney has flourished over the past decade after a series of smart acquisitions. After buying on Pixar, Marvel and Lucasfilm, Disney has skillfully capitalized on its intellectual property; . and in doing so, he has cemented its position as the market leader in the industrialization of mythology

His success lies in his mastery of the three elements of the creation of modern myths: casts, technology and toys .

Let’s start with the cast. The new Disney properties, which include everything from “Toy Story” (1995) to “Thor” (2011), well-tested advantage of the mythic structure to give your stories cultural resonance devices. Walt Disney himself had an intuitive understanding of the power of fables. George Lucas, the creator of “Star Wars” is an avid student of the work of Joseph Campbell, an American comparative mythologist who outlined the structure of “monomyth” in which a hero answers a call, it is assisted by a mentor character, traveling to another world, survives several tests and comes out triumphant.

Folklore

Both filmmakers seized gleefully ancient mythology and folklore. The universe of Marvel goes even further, directly appropriating fragments of Greco-Roman and Norse mythology. This becomes a bit ironic enthusiasm by the fierce Disney enforcement of intellectual property, and apparently perpetual extension of copyright.

The internal mechanics of the myths may not have changed much through time, but the technology used to disseminate certainly yes. That makes highlight the second area of ​​Disney experience.

In the days of Homer, legends were transmitted in the form of dactylic hexameter, but the creators of modern myths prefer computer graphics, special effects, 3D projection, surround sound and video distribution over the Internet, among other things. When Disney bought Lucasfilm, acquired not only the franchise “Star Wars”, but also Industrial Light & amp; Magic, one of the best special effects houses in the industry, whose magic on high technology is so vital to the films of Marvel Avengers to the epic “Star Wars.”

Also, when Disney was left behind by the shift to digital animation, cleverly revitalized his own film brand buying Pixar, such a pioneer in its field company as it had been Walt Disney’s hand-drawn animation.

The third ingredient

In addition, modern myths come in multiple media formats. Fantasy universes of Marvel and “Star Wars” are told in movies, TV shows, books, graphic novels and video games intertwined. Marvel plans are drawn up to the mid-2020s.

These days, however, is also expected to adopt myths physical forms as toys, merchandise and rides in theme parks. This is the third ingredient for the creation of myths.

Again Walt Disney was in the lead, to grant licenses for Mickey Mouse and other characters from the 30s, and opening the Disneyland theme park , original in 1955. Lucas led the film-related merchandise to a new dimension, accepting a salary reduction in exchange for directing all marketing rights of “Star Wars” (1977), a deal that earned him thousands of millions of dollars.

These rights are now owned by Disney, and is making the most of them. It expects sales of goods of “The Force Awakens”, from toys to garments, amount to 5,000 million dollars in the next year alone. In total, they have sold more than 32,000 million dollars in goods from “Star Wars” from 1977, according to NPD Group, a market research firm. By comparison, even “Harry Potter” and “James Bond” are villagers of disheveled appearance.

Marketing

What explains the power of all this modern mythology? There is more to it than the archetypal narrative, ingenious technology and marketing powerful.

Part of it could fill a void left by the decline of religion in a secular world empty, but also provides an expression of the fears today. The “Star Wars” original, in which a group of intrepid rebels defeat a technological superpower, was not too subtle Vietnam war investment. The universe of Marvel, originally a product of the era of the Cold War, has adapted well to the screen back to a world of surveillance to September 11 conspiracy and distrust of governments, large corporations and the power of technology . In uncertain times, when governments and military forces might seem unable to keep people safe and remain honest, public console themselves with the idea of ​​superheroes who come to the rescue.

These are modern myths so convincing because they use the primordial human longing for refuge, redemption and harmony. In this regard, they are like social networking platforms, which use technology to industrialize social interaction. Similarly, the creation of modern myths, although it depends on new tools and techniques, is really just the same old pressing buttons in the brains of the stone age.

That’s something instinctively understood Walt Disney and that the company he founded is exploding now as proficiently.