Hollywood starts with an agent

Chapter 633 Appeasing African Americans

In the morning, Aaron rolled off Monica Bellucci and exhaled. "Are you going to Park City, Utah for the Sundance Film Festival?"

“Yes,” Monica Bellucci lay on the bed, slightly out of breath, her breasts erect, “the distribution rights for ‘The Mystery’ have been acquired by Lionsgate, and they’re going to promote it at the Sundance Film Festival!”

Aaron smiled without saying a word. "The Mystery of the Clouds" is a Franco-American co-production, but the main actors Gene Hackman and Morgan Freeman are both supporting roles and have little commercial appeal.

"What, do you want to go on vacation over there? Park City is a ski resort too?"

Monica Bellucci propped her head up and reached out to pat Aaron.

Aaron shook his head. "I doubt he'll have time. The recent merger of AOL and Time Warner has caused quite a stir in Hollywood and across the United States."

"There are still many things waiting for me to decide on Wall Street."

Monica Bellucci smiled and said, "Really? After attending the Sundance Film Festival, I'll be doing some preparations for the Fall/Winter Fashion Weeks in New York and Milan!"

Now, with her rising fame, Monica Bellucci hasn't given up her modeling career; she has several big-name endorsement contracts and brand ambassadorships...

With the arrival of the new millennium, Disney has once again stirred up some controversy by restoring its classic film, Fantasia.
However, in the restored version, the African American centaur image named Sunflower was removed from the screen using technical means.

The reason is that the scene of the sunflower giving a white centaur a manicure contains a stereotypical portrayal of African Americans as unappealing.

Burbank, Dawn Headquarters.

Aaron sat in his chair. "This is quite interesting. Is Disney starting to pander to the African American community now?"

Although modern society is paying more and more attention to multiculturalism and racial equality, the status of Black people in the United States remains just so-so!
While Disney's move may have pleased African Americans, it has had a significant negative impact.

Many film scholars, historians, and some nostalgic viewers believe that "removing scenes undermines the film's original integrity and historical authenticity!"

Fantasia was originally a product of a specific historical period. Although the controversial scenes in it reflect the negative ideas that existed in society at that time, they are also part of history.

Removing these scenes is like erasing a piece of historical memory, making it impossible for future generations to fully understand the cultural background and social landscape of that era.

Moreover, this incident has sparked public discussion about the balance between censorship of cultural works and creative freedom:

Some argue that Disney's actions constitute self-censorship. While the intention may be good, it could set a bad precedent, causing creators to be overly constrained by contemporary social norms during the creative process, thus preventing them from truthfully reflecting historical and social issues.
Some worry that such modifications to classic works may be overly influenced by commercial interests and political correctness, rather than based on artistic and historical considerations, thus affecting the diversity and autonomy of cultural creation!
A short while later, Tom Rothman arrived at Aaron's office and gave a brief report.

"By the way, regarding Disney, Dick Cook, president of Buena Vista International, has taken over as chairman of Disney Studios, replacing Joe Ross." "Has Disney's overall strategy changed?"

Aaron inquired, after all, Disney's situation isn't very good right now, with its animation industry facing challenges from Pixar and DreamWorks;
The live-action film industry is shrinking, a litmus test, and Hollywood and studios like Miramax are simply not competitive enough.

Tom Rothman thought for a moment, then said, "According to our information, both Disney and Sony Columbia have plans to control film budgets."

"Moreover, Disney's core business is the animation industry, which is now facing increasing competition. Disney is preparing to increase its support for animated feature films and continue to expand the influence of Disney parks!"

“Disneyland is indeed a formidable opponent,” Aaron tapped the table. The establishment of Universal Studios Japan in Osaka, the expansion of Universal Studios Orlando and Universal Studios Hollywood, etc., have all impacted Disneyland Resort.
But Disney's ambitions are equally grand, with the construction of Tokyo DisneySea, the preparation of Hong Kong Disneyland, and the planning of a Disney Studios near Euro Disneyland in Paris.

Tom Rothman, however, has a different view on Disney: "Disney movies have been performing worse and worse in recent years."

"In terms of animation, Disney will face competition from new 3D computer animation studios like Pixar and DreamWorks. Even if Disney wanted to change things, there's not much it could do right now."

Aaron couldn't help but laugh. "What if Disney changes its CEO?"

If the Disney board no longer trusts Michael Eisner...

That evening, at a cocktail party at the Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills, Aaron met Steven Spielberg.
The two discussed "Band of Brothers," the most expensive TV series in history, which is currently in pre-production.

"I didn't expect you to be so busy, Steven?"

Aaron shook his head. Steven Spielberg not only directed or produced some DreamWorks films, but also had his own Amblin Pictures projects in collaboration with other companies.
Steven Spielberg shrugged somewhat helplessly, "The upcoming film *A.I. Artificial Intelligence* is Stanley Kubrick's last work."

"I also want to fulfill the last wish he didn't get to complete."

After directing "A.I. Artificial Intelligence", Steven Spielberg will immediately begin filming "Minority Report", an adaptation of the short story of the same name by the famous American science fiction writer Philip K. Dick.
Not to mention serving as a producer in various films and television series, Steven Spielberg also directs his own works; his busy schedule is no joke.

Aaron smiled. "DreamWorks' drama film 'American Beauty,' released last year, was really good. It brought everyone quite a surprise!"

Steven Spielberg took a sip of his drink before speaking: "Aaron, now I understand the joy of achieving great things with little investment."

American Beauty continues to gain positive word-of-mouth, and its North American box office has now surpassed $7000 million. Dawn Crescent's Shakespeare in Love, although released later, has only just surpassed $2500 million at the box office.
It can be predicted that even after the Oscars are held, the box office of "Shakespeare in Love" will definitely not be as good as "American Beauty".

These two films will be the fiercest competitors in the upcoming film awards!

(End of this chapter)