"Dinosaur" is a Disney animated film that premiered in North American theaters on May 19 this year. In its opening week, it grossed $38.8 million, surpassing Gladiator, which had dominated the box office for a month, and claimed the number-one spot for the week.
In the British Isles, the film was released on October 13, just two weeks ago. Like in North America, it also topped the UK box office, earning £2.12 million (about $3 million) in its first three days.
Don't think that's small—this figure is already excellent for the UK film market.
Due to the smaller population, the UK box office isn't huge. For instance, this year's UK box office champion, Toy Story 2, grossed just over £40 million, but because the pound is strong, the UK contributed 12.5% of Toy Story 2's global earnings.
So when the media hyped Dinosaur to the skies and box office revenue was high, the kids on the HP set naturally wanted to go out and see what kind of movie could attract so much attention.
But…
From Isabella's perspective, these kids were probably just looking for an excuse to skip class.
"You're not trying to skip lessons, are you? That's why you invited me to see a movie?"
"Of course not!"
Rupert panicked. "We love studying so much!"
"Exactly, exactly!"
Daniel nodded eagerly, like a little pecking chick.
"Isabella, we just want to invite you to see a movie, to thank you for helping us these past few days…"
"Really? I don't believe it."
"Of course it's true," Bonnie nodded.
"Oh~ so did you get permission to skip class?"
At this question, everyone froze.
They exchanged glances, unsure what to do.
"See? I told you she would figure out our meaning."
The young master shrugged helplessly.
"Sigh—"
The others sighed as well.
Just as they were about to give up, Isabella suddenly changed her tone and expression.
"Fine, I'll agree."
"Huh?"
The previously dejected group perked up like plants drinking water.
"Go change your clothes, I'll ask the director for leave. Today's on me, okay?"
Isabella stood with her hands behind her back, exuding authority.
"Wow~ Thank you, Isabella~"
The words of acceptance triggered cheers.
Out of gratitude—and perhaps fear that Isabella might change her mind—all of them quickly ran off.
Honestly, helping everyone skip class isn't exactly proper.
But as the saying goes, "Do not impose on others what you yourself do not desire."
Isabella herself didn't like attending class—so would she tell others not to skip?
Ridiculous, right?
She couldn't do something so hypocritical!
Moreover, when someone really wants to relax, anything you ask them to do will feel off. Since low-quality studying is a waste of time and they were asking her for help, she figured it was fine to assist.
So, realizing these kids hadn't even requested leave and were hoping she could act as a shield, Isabella turned to the still-busy Columbus and voiced the wishes of the people.
Her blunt explanation left the director both amused and exasperated.
"Isabella, you mean… you want to treat everyone to a movie? Today?"
"Yes," Isabella nodded.
"Then why didn't you tell me this in the morning?"
"Because I didn't think of it then."
Columbus nearly laughed to death.
Her answer was essentially like confessing the entire plot as the mastermind.
Seeing her open honesty, he shook his head and said, "Skipping class as a group to avoid studying is not allowed in principle. But if you're treating them… okay, I agree."
"However, you'll need to change your mode of transportation. Don't let your parents drive you; take the studio vehicle. I need someone to follow so we can monitor the situation—no problem, right?"
"Of course~" Isabella nodded decisively.
The reason she 'bluffed' so obviously was that if a group outing went wrong, someone would have to take responsibility.
It was necessary for the studio to supervise.
Columbus understood her intention, which was naturally a good thing.
As she smiled and thanked the director, ready to leave, Columbus called after her:
"Wait. Although this is your first group leave on set, it will also be the last. I won't approve future group outings."
"Oh~ got it~"
"No, you don't understand."
Her breezy reply made Columbus shake his head.
"You're thinking in terms of safety, which is correct. But besides safety, we'll soon face another issue: Warner plans to release the movie poster before Christmas."
"At that time, the main HP poster and your individual look photos will be revealed to the public."
"So after that, you cannot appear together in public, at least until Warner gives permission. Group outings can easily cause commotion…"
All movies require marketing.
In fact, any film hoping for success has marketing work even more complex than production.
If Warner wants HP to become an IP as legendary as Star Wars, they can't wait until filming ends to start promotion. During production, they must release information continuously to keep HP in public view, build anticipation, and attract more casual fans—maximizing box office revenue upon release.
And when project details are revealed constantly, actors cannot remain completely isolated.
This is HP!
"Oh~ really?"
Isabella's eyes lit up.
Whether she could go on a group outing wasn't her main concern.
At the moment, what she most looked forward to was fame.
You've entered the industry and still claim you don't want to be famous? That's self-deception!
Isabella wasn't the type to pretend to be indifferent. When talking to her sister, she openly said capturing Hermione would solve her family's problems; to Rowling, she boldly claimed Hermione could change her destiny; now, facing Columbus, she could openly express her excitement…
"Of course~"
Columbus nodded appreciatively.
He already knew why Rowling chose Isabella, so this wasn't surprising.
"Warner says the poster will be released before Christmas, but in reality, it should be early December."
"However, I can't confirm the exact date—it's not my responsibility."
"And… I'm only telling you this, okay?"
"Oh~ got it~ understood~"
Isabella made an 'OK' gesture.
"If this news leaks, everyone will be extremely excited, right? You'll be overwhelmed with questions like—Director, why hasn't the poster been released yet?"
As she said this, Isabella even imagined a bunch of little kittens staring at Columbus like the three from Puss in Boots.
"Hahaha~"
Columbus gave her a thumbs-up.
'You guessed right.'
Isabella made a zipper-mouth gesture.
'My lips are sealed.'
True to her word, Isabella smiled, said goodbye to the director, went to the makeup room to change, and immediately told the group about her treat.
Yes, "I keep your secret, you treat us"—pretty clever, right?
No need to literally stop her from speaking; if she spills, what then?
Just kidding.
The main reason she framed it as the director treating them was because the studio vehicle supervision was for tracking the group's movements. Of course, she still paid herself.
Once she raised the banner of "Director treats us," admiration from those around her poured in. Surrounded by the group, Isabella happily entered the small town theater near the set, bought tickets, entered, and then…
She felt as if possessed by her past-life subway self.
In her previous life, Isabella hadn't seen Dinosaur, so she didn't know if it was good or bad. Once seated, she realized the movie was… not that impressive.
Dinosaur tells the story of a young dinosaur, Aladar, who gets separated from his species due to an accident and is raised by a group of lemurs. The beginning is warm, until a meteor strikes Earth, destroying their habitat. For survival, Aladar and his companions embark on a difficult migration journey.
Story-wise, it's a road movie, but in reality, it's more of a showcase for visual effects.
Since there are no real dinosaurs, creating a road movie from a dinosaur's perspective requires extremely high-level CGI—showcasing technical skill.
However…
The visual effects in Dinosaur were relatively average.
"This movie was the box office champion the past few weeks? That's unbelievable."
They had entered the cinema at 4:30 PM.
The movie was under 90 minutes, so they left before 6 PM.
Seeing it was dinner time, and that going home to eat would be delayed until 8 PM, Isabella invited everyone to a nearby restaurant. During the meal, Rupert voiced his question—
"I feel like Dinosaur isn't really that good… so where did all its box office revenue come from?"
"I think this movie isn't good either."
Daniel said, "The story is so boring, and the effects aren't even that impressive… it's just… average."
"Isabella, what do you think?" Bonnie looked at Isabella.
"Uh… I think Toy Story 2 might be more my style."
The moment Bonnie spoke, everyone's eyes turned toward Isabella.
After Isabella answered, her roundabout response won everyone's agreement.
"Right! I also think Toy Story 2 is better!"
"Oh~ watching this movie really is a waste of time~"
"But it's still better than class."
"Huh? How can you compare like that!"
Excited at first, disappointed at last.
The disappointment with Dinosaur left everyone drained when they parted ways.
Especially Isabella—she had gone home with her mother at eight o'clock just to watch the movie. She hadn't practiced piano, hadn't read, hadn't gone online, and now she had to go straight to bed? She felt like singing "Where Has All the Time Gone?" in her frustration.
Her younger sister's curiosity was piqued as well.
Ever since Isabella started filming, if she and her mother didn't come home for dinner in the evenings, the little girl would do her homework in the living room… just waiting.
When Catherine realized that Isabella's bad mood was because the movie was bad, she was a little surprised.
"You watched Dinosaur today?"
"Yes… why?" Vivian asked, continuing the conversation.
"Oh, I also wanted to see this movie, but my classmates said it was a scam, so I didn't go. I didn't expect… you guys to watch it with people from the set…"
'Huh?'
Her sister's words made Isabella lift her head.
"Why do they say it's a scam?"
"Because the promotion didn't match the reality?" Catherine tilted her head thoughtfully.
Then she shook her head:
"I don't know the exact details because I didn't really discuss it with classmates, but they said…"
"This seems to be a war between Disney and Pixar?"
Her sister's words piqued Isabella's curiosity.
After a brief chat, she went straight to her room, logged onto Yahoo, and scanned the news.
Soon, negative reviews about Dinosaur flooded her screen.
There were complaints about the movie's quality and anger at the media's hype, mixed with a Daily Mail exposé claiming that Disney had essentially bought the box office for Dinosaur.
As for the reason?
That goes back to the beginning of time:
Since the success of Star Wars, George Lucas became obsessed with visual effects. At the time, the computer industry was booming. Recognizing the potential of computers, in 1979, Lucas led Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) into the digital effects field and founded a new company called Graphics Group. Its sole purpose was to develop CGI through animation.
Then, films like Star Wars sequels, Indiana Jones, and Young Sherlock Holmes all benefited from the era's technological boom.
Lucas was thrilled with the technical success. At the same time, Disney became interested in CGI: Lucas wanted to produce pure computer animation, while Disney wanted to get involved to maintain its fairy-tale kingdom reputation.
After communication, a collaboration was formed.
But unexpectedly, Lucas's marriage hit a snag: his wife filed for divorce.
The legal fees drained all of Lucas's cash. Coincidentally, ILM and Lucasfilm were at a critical development stage, needing substantial funds. To protect his core business, Lucas reluctantly sold the animation company.
The new owner, Steve Jobs, renamed the Graphics Group to Pixar.
The stock transfer didn't affect existing collaborations, so Pixar continued making animation under Jobs.
Then, the first entirely computer-animated feature, The Adventures of André and Wally B, hit theaters in 1990, grossing $27.93 million.
Yes, André marked Disney and Pixar's first collaboration, with Disney covering the $30 million production cost… Mickey Mouse basically took a huge loss.
After this, Disney considered computer animation unreliable and stuck to traditional hand-drawn animation, producing something resembling The Lion King. Meanwhile, Jobs suffered setbacks in the computer field and reluctantly let Pixar continue producing animation, creating Toy Story. Then…
Both sides were stunned.
Disney didn't believe CGI was the future, and Jobs didn't believe he'd make his first billion dollars through animation. Regaining composure, Jobs returned to Apple to sell computers, while Disney decisively embraced CGI.
They wanted to make their own computer animation.
Although Disney and Pixar had a long-term collaboration agreement, Pixar wasn't Disney's own company, and Disney, having built its empire on animation, couldn't allow Pixar to control core animation technology. So Disney secretly formed a development team to produce Dinosaur.
This was Disney's key move to break Pixar's hold on CGI. The production cost alone was $125 million. With such a huge investment, marketing spent an additional $100 million, buying countless ads—but unexpectedly…
Most viewers didn't approve.
Judging from current reviews, it's not even about recouping costs; keeping losses under $100 million was already difficult.
Moreover, Disney's actions angered Jobs.
Although he had returned to Apple and had no time to manage Pixar, Pixar was still his personal property!
If Disney's Dinosaur succeeded, his wealth would shrink!
Could he accept that?
So, upon Dinosaur's release, Jobs publicly criticized Disney.
Indeed, the major conflict between Disney and Pixar was leaked by Jobs himself.
The detailed exposé lit up Isabella's eyes.
In her previous life, she knew Disney and Pixar had conflicts: Disney wanted rights to Toy Story and Finding Nemo, Pixar disagreed, and disputes erupted.
But she didn't know they had already clashed in the early 2000s!
This scoop was truly exciting!
After marveling, she sighed.
She hadn't expected that even after two lifetimes, she could still be "scammed."
"I give up~"
Shaking her head, she noticed it was already 9 PM and decided to shower and rest.
As the warm water flowed, Isabella remembered something.
Marketing can be fueled with money; for international giants, this is easier than eating or drinking.
But success still requires quality work.
If marketing is hyped but the content isn't good?
Backlash is inevitable.
No one wants to sit in a theater watching a script-reading or a weight-loss diary.
So, when she realized she was the biggest variable in HP…
"Why is Isabella so serious today?"
"I don't know!"
The next day.
Upon arriving on set, her friends noticed the big sister seemed different.
"Did Dinosaur disgust her?"
"Who knows?"
"Should we ask her?"
"Whoever dares, go ahead. I'm not going. Don't forget, we asked her to see the movie yesterday."
Everyone went silent.
When filming started…
"Cut."
"No good."
Before a shot was finished, Columbus lifted his head from behind the monitor.
"Isabella—you're overdoing it—"
From last night, Isabella had reminded herself to focus.
In her previous life, HP was a huge deal; this life, she couldn't afford to mess it up.
"Okay, I'll adjust."
Isabella waved her hand.
She genuinely apologized but didn't dare tell Columbus, "You still have to practice more."
After a short break, they tried again…
"Okay, much better, but we still need one more take."
Isabella exhaled in relief.
At the same time, she was highly motivated.
Immersed in work, unaware of time, four weeks quietly passed…
Well, maybe not truly immersed.
On November 23, Isabella celebrated her mother's 35th birthday with her older sister.
Isabella paid, Catherine snuck out, and they bought their mother a seasonal Prada calfskin handbag.
Vivian was delighted, but their mischievous behavior got them "punished"—Vivian tapped their palms with a spoon.
As for the pain… not bad~
A few days later, Isabella started paying attention to the time because Warner had released the exact release date for the movie poster: 10 AM London time, December 1.
When this was announced—
Those who hadn't seen the poster got excited.
When December 1 arrived—
"Isabella~ come see~"
"You look beautiful~"
At noon, just after finishing a scene, everyone was too excited to eat and rushed into the director's office.
Isabella, called by Bonnie, joined the crowd.
Stretching her neck like a giraffe, she scanned the posters and quickly found herself—
Whoa~ I look amazing!
Notes:
Note: 1. André and Wally B was Disney and Pixar's first collaboration, but the poster doesn't mention Pixar because Pixar initially worked as a contractor—Disney provided the funding, creativity, director, and art team, while Pixar handled computer production only.
Note: 2. Pixar was Steve Jobs' private property. Before making Toy Story, he had privatized the company. Even after IPO dilution, he retained 49.6% of shares.
Note: 3. After André's failure, Pixar continued producing animation largely due to Jobs, but it wasn't the key reason. The crucial factor was Disney signing a $26 million three-film distribution deal with Pixar, ensuring continued animation production without paying all costs. Disney's shift away from computer animation was also related to Pixar's SGI patent exchange agreement. SGI made graphics terminals; all Hollywood VFX at the time used their machines. Pixar didn't need to pay patent fees due to the agreement. The SGI agreement stemmed from Lucas' original investment in SGI for Star Wars.
Note: 4. After Toy Story became a hit, both Disney and Pixar were stunned. Because of their agreement, Disney owned 50% of Toy Story rights and insisted on acquiring Pixar; otherwise, neither could fully use the IP.