No, it wasn’t.
That’s your opinion. I like all the Pirates movies.
That depends on how you define “based on”. There’s obviously a connection. The movie was made by Disney and there was a Disneyworld ride called Mission to Mars (it’s closed now). As for how much the movie was based on the ride, well, how much can anyone base a movie on a ride? It’s not like there’s a lot of narrative in an amusement park ride. You just sort of use the general theme of the ride and invent characters and a story.
Well, it was made by Touchstone, which is owned by Disney, but I don’t think it had any Disney branding. And according to Wikipedia, the ride had been closed down for seven years by the time the movie came out. The name is so generically descriptive, and Disney’s media empire so wide-ranging, it seems more likely to be coincidence than anything else.
I mean, it’s pretty clear that films like PotC or Haunted Mansion exist because some Disney exec said, “We’ve got these enormously popular and famous rides. How can we make more money off of them without having to get more people to fly out to California or Florida?” I’m pretty sure Mission to Mars was never part of any such conversation. I suspect it went more like:
“That big budget sci-fi film is shaping up to be a real turkey. We’re going to have to slap a name on it at some point.”
“What’s it about again?”
“Well, there’s this mission to Mars…”
“Done.”
(When this film was in the theaters, the theater near me was also looking to staff up for the Summer season. Which led to a marquee that read: MISSION TO MARS - Now Hiring!)
Disney rarely does things in a haphazard fashion. They’re on top of the game when it comes to promoting their brand.
My guess is they put the name Mission to Mars on the movie with the awareness they had a historical link to the name. If the movie had been a success they had a easy opportunity to capitalize on it by re-opening the attractions in their parks.
The Incredibles pulls from Rand only in that it does suggest “it’s okay to try to be extraordinary.” It never suggests, however, that “the ordinary” aren’t worth helping. That’s the Randian bit that’s worth railing against.
The main characters of The Incredibles are regularly putting themselves in harm’s way on behalf of ordinary people for no reward other than being able to fully use their talents. That’s pretty explicitly couterindicated by Rand.
If Bird meant to parrot her ethos, he did it by making a movie I believe she would hate.
“A secret city where all the smart people live while letting the rest of us idiots go hang,” is a pretty Randian concept, but it’s the execution that matters. Like typoink pointed out, “Extraordinary people are being held back from their true potential by society,” is also a very Randian concept, but the execution of that concept in The Incredibles reaches a conclusion that is diametrically opposed to what Rand thought was correct. I’m curious to see if this movie does something similar.
That’s more like it! Now, let’s take it darker and edgier!
The ride was, in a word, awful. The original one in Disneyland was just a rebrand of “Rocket to the Moon.” The only “ride” part was when you sat in chairs that simulated a rocket takeoff by inflating the seat slightly. No one missed it when it closed, no one wanted it back.
I have been to a Disney place only once when I was 12 and this ride is one of my clear memories. Hell, I liked it.
One raincloud. Sunshowers. And maybe some seagulls…
After 45 minutes of slowly winding your way through the line, the ride vehicles finally come into sight. Suddenly, you get that tug on your arm, and the words that send chills down your spine - “Daddy, I have to pee…”
Whereas now they have “Mission: Space.” Which simulates a rocket takeoff by making you throw up.
That just means you don’t have the Right Stuff to be a Steely Eyed Missile Man. Actually though, they disabled the centrifuge on one side of the ride (the Green side), so it just throws you around a bit.
Well, I already knew that! I didn’t need a vomit ride to tell me so!
It’s been done.
That could easily mean the best and brightest came toogether to work for the common good rather than the selfish and myopic goal of amassing greater and greater weath at any cost. All depends on the context.
Sounds less like Rand than Lenin.