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One Of Millie Bobby Brown’s ‘Stranger Things’ Co-Stars Vowed To Protect Her From Being ‘Destroyed’ By Fame

Millie Bobby Brown became famous at an improbably young age. It’s why she wants to play Britney Spears, who also appeared on magazine covers when she was a teenager, in a biopic. Thankfully, the Emmy nominee has adjusted to her celebrity better than many child actors; it helps that she had the support of her older Stranger Things co-stars, like David Harbour, Winona Ryder, and Matthew Modine.

“Over the course of my career, the young actors and actresses whose lives were destroyed by that kind of fame and money and everything. It can be very destructive and disorienting,” Modine, who plays “Papa” on the Netflix series, said on The Jonathan Ross Show. “I just wanted to do everything I could to make sure she was safe and she understood that a career is a roller coaster, that there’s ups and downs to it.”

Stranger Things co-creator Ross Duffer previously told Harper’s Bazaar how Ryder helped her young co-stars adjust to fame, especially Bobby Brown. “She’s talked to the kids about what celebrity is like and how the press can be and the anxiety and confusion that comes along with celebrity,” he said. “I think she’s really helped them. I know she’s specifically helped Millie a lot to work through that. And that’s something that no one else can help with, really, because so few people have experienced it. It’s not something I understand. It’s not something that, you know, even a parent would understand.”

Stranger Things will return for its fifth and final season in 2024 (hopefully).

(Via Insider)

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Roddy Ricch Is More Than Ready To Headline Arenas

Live Life Fast Always leave them wanting more. That’s what Roddy Ricch did Wednesday night (November 11) at the finale of his and Post Malone’s Twelve Carat Toothache Tour at the Crypto.com arena (formerly and always Staples Center to the locals) in Los Angeles. His impressive set illustrated the effectiveness of simplicity, highlighted the breadth of his talents, and proved that he’s more than ready to be headlining arenas on his own.

The Compton rapper’s set was so ruthlessly efficient in touching on his biggest hits that it seemed the hour of material he did perform was not enough. Although he hit the mainstays – “The Box,” “Die Young,” “Ballin’,” and “Racks In The Middle” – it felt like he could have done at least 30 more minutes before the audience was satisfied. Indeed, with a brand-new project releasing just days later, it would have been an opportune moment to preview a few new songs.

Roddy Ricch
Philip Cosores

Even without those, there were albums worth of material he didn’t perform, which is in itself more than enough reason to extend his set, even if he did show up late, joking that he drove “110 [mph] on the 110 [freeway]” to make it. Tapping his two albums, Please Excuse Me for Being Antisocial and Live Life Fast, as well as both Feed Tha Streets mixtapes (not to mention his slew of features), he could easily pull together a set every bit as dynamic as the one he did.

There’s something to be said for the sort of curation he did for this set, though. His instincts, honed through his early study under the mentorship of industry vets like Meek Mill and Nipsey Hussle, serve him well on stage – not a movement is wasted, and he engages with the crowd like a champ. He also knows how and when to turn up and blow out the restrained production to accentuate what he’s doing rather than distract from it.

Roddy Ricch
Philip Cosores

While it’s just him and the microphone for the most part, when he does add to the staging, it’s an impressive embellishment, not a meaningless accouterment. When he performed “Late At Night” as a gentle piano ballad, he played the piano (a magnificent baby grand that seemed to simply materialize from nowhere on the stage) himself. Likewise, a prodigious choir joined him for the gospel-tinged “War Baby,” while “Die Young” was accompanied by a video tribute to hip-hop’s fallen heroes – including the most recent addition to those rolls, Takeoff.

While watching Roddy, I was reminded of the other concerts I’ve seen at Staples (again, now and forever) in the past year, particularly the openers for Tyler The Creator, and Kendrick Lamar’s headlining set. I remembered being somewhat disappointed with the stripped-down staging for performers like Vince Staples and Baby Keem, who didn’t make as much use of the arena space as I might have hoped (it worked for Staples, who at least gave a compelling and visible performance from a mid-floor platform that lit up).

Roddy Ricch
Philip Cosores

K. Dot’s arena show was especially underwhelming because of all the unnecessary props and messy narrative building that felt more confusing than awe-inspiring. Roddy, on the other hand, weaponized those expectations as well as utilizing the space, punching things up just when I started to get bored with his relatively low-key performance style. He didn’t play up the props too much, but the accessories grew from the music itself which made them feel necessary and of piece with everything else.

Roddy Ricch and Wiz Khalifa
Philip Cosores

I will say that the surprise guests felt… weird. YG popped out to perform a verse from his song “Big Bank,” and Wiz Khalifa showed up to rap a bit of “Young, Wild, And Free,” but these appearances felt only loosely connected to Roddy himself (like Roddy, YG hails from Compton, but Wiz is merely a good industry friend). Neither has music with him – yet – so there was nothing to tie them into what was already happening onstage. But if that’s my only quibble, it’s a minor one and it was fun to see the effect Wiz had on the very bro-y, millennial crowd anyway.

Roddy Ricch and YG
Philip Cosores

None of this focus on Roddy is to say that Post Malone is a slouch, though. Everything from set design to lighting, with flying circular rigs that nodded to his admitted fascination with UFOs, accentuated his own relatively straightforward approach. His voice sounds great live, he’s a magnanimous, grateful, charming presence on stage, and his dance moves are genuinely hilarious (I had no idea he was so zesty). Post’s show felt like a hangout with a friend, and by the time I left, I definitely wanted to continue hanging out.

But Roddy I wanted to watch. By the time he strolled off the stage – after playing “Ballin’” rather than “The Box,” which seems an odd choice, but I get it if he’s tired of that one after all this time – I wanted nothing more than for him to come back and do an encore. After all, there were still so many songs of his left to perform (he did return to the stage to perform “Cooped Up” with Post) and he’s proven that it’s worth the extra time.

Roddy Ricch
Philip Cosores

Roddy Ricch is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

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Rich Homie Quan Delivers The Soulful ‘Spin’ to ‘UPROXX Sessions’

Atlanta’s Rich Home Quan has come a long way since the commercial success of his 2013 single “Type of Way,” 2015’s “Flex,” and his effort on Rich Gang’s 2014 single “Lifestyle.” We can’t forget that Quan’s debut album Rich As In Spirit debuted at No. 32 on the US Billboard 200, stamping him as a force to be reckoned with out of ATL.

Jumping forward almost ten years since his debut, his 2022 EP Family & Mula made waves on streaming services with lead singles like “Krazy” and “Risk Takers,” amassing over 15M streams. Today, he brings his track “Spin” to the bathroom set, backed by a soulful beat and assisted by Quan’s energetic ad-libs. It’s safe to say the performance is lively, as the Atlanta rapper’s delivery is animated, even sipping on a cup of tea during the Sessions. Between his high-energy and thorough delivery, Rich Homie Quan still got it.

Watch Rich Homie Quan perform “Spin” for UPROXX Sessions above.

UPROXX Sessions is Uproxx’s performance show featuring the hottest up-and-coming acts you should keep an eye on. Featuring creative direction from LA promotion collective, Ham On Everything, and taking place on our “bathroom” set designed and painted by Julian Gross, UPROXX Sessions is a showcase of some of our favorite performers, who just might soon be yours, too.

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R. Kelly’s Manager Was Sentenced To 20 Months In Prison For Harassing Victims

While R. Kelly languishes in prison preparing to appeal his conviction for a variety of sex crimes, the men and women who helped him get away with those crimes for over two decades are facing consequences of their own. According to Rolling Stone, Donnell Russell, who describes himself as Kelly’s manager, was sentenced to 20 months in prison in a hearing on Thursday, November 17 for stalking and harassing one of the singer’s victims in an effort to get her to change her testimony against him.

Russell had previously pled guilty to those charges in July, after also being convicted of making terroristic threats against a screening of Lifetime’s Surviving R. Kelly series. According to the Department of Justice, Russell sent emails and text messages and made phone calls threatening the anonymous victim with explicit photos of her unless she withdrew her complaint against R. Kelly. “Pull the plug or you will be exposed,” he wrote in one text. He later posted those photos on a Facebook page as Surviving R. Kelly aired.

Meanwhile, another associate of R. Kelly, Michael Williams, was sentenced last year to eight years in prison for arson and witness intimidation after setting another woman’s car on fire. Kelly himself was found guilty on charges of child porn in a second trial in Chicago after previously being convicted of sex trafficking in New York last year.

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John Slattery Looked Back On How ‘Mad Men’ Actors Would Lose It Over Jon Hamm (With An Even More Extreme Reaction To Christina Hendricks)

John Slattery recently reunited with his Mad Men co-star and name twin Jon Hamm for the charming crime/comedy film Confess Fletch, but it seems like he had been holding a grudge against Hamm for quite some time.

Slattery admitted that he has initially auditioned for the rold of of the very dapper Don Draper, so he was a little hurt when he didn’t get the part. He went on to play Roger Sterling, a sly womanizer (and heavy drinker) who later became Draper’s firm partner.

Despite wanting to live that Draper lifetstyle, Slattery said that as soon as he saw Hamm as the suave main character, he knew that they made the right choice. “[Jon Hamm] claims I was in a bad mood the whole time we shot the first episode because of this, but I don’t think that’s true,” Slattery told The Independent in a new interview. “Eventually I saw him, and I was like, ‘Oh — they sure do have that guy.’” Not only did they have the guy, but he was often leaving fellow cast and crew speechless due to his charming personality and uh, above average looks.

Slattery explained that Hamm was often distracting people by being the most handsome guy in the room. “When Hamm walked into a room in that get-up, people would just go catatonic. Guest stars would sometimes walk up to him and their lines would go right out of their heads. They just wouldn’t know what to do. It happened on more than one occasion.”

Of course, Hamm is nothing compared to Christina Hendricks, who played the incomparable Joan Harris in the hit series. “Christina Hendricks would walk into the room and people would sh*t themselves,” Slattery added. “It was amazing.” Maybe that’s why Colin Hanks was in so few episodes? He just couldn’t handle it.

(Via IndieWire)

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Nicki Minaj, Maluma, And Myriam Fares Celebrate Soccer In The Video For Their FIFA World Cup Anthem ‘Tukoh Taka’

Nicki Minaj parties in the desert with Colombian superstar Maluma in their music video for “Tukoh Taka” that was released today (November 18). Their official FIFA World Cup anthem also features Lebanese singer Myriam Fares.

“Tukoh Taka” will serve as FIFA’s Fan Festival anthem this year. The special collaboration marks the first time that a FIFA anthem is sung in English, Spanish, and Arabic. Minaj not only raps in English but a bit in Spanish as well. She previously rapped in Spanish on Karol G’s song “Tusa.” Maluma proudly sings in Spanish and Fares sings in Arabic.

“I am so happy to be part of this FIFA World Cup anthem!” Maluma said in a statement. “I always dreamt of an opportunity like this. Representing Latin music on this global track alongside amazing artists that sing in English and Arabic, takes our culture to another level.”

In the video for “Tukoh Taka,” Minaj, Maluma, and Fares celebrate their love for soccer while partying throughout the desert. Maluma and Myriam Fares will perform the global dance track together live for the first time at the opening of Doha’s FIFA Fan Festival on November 19. The song will also be included on the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 official soundtrack.

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Drake Ties With Jay-Z For A ‘Billboard’ Chart Record, Thanks To ‘Her Loss’

It looks like all of the unconventional forms of promotion for Drake’s new album — a parody SNL performance, a spoof Howard Stern interview, a fake Vogue cover, a phony NPR Tiny Desk — were worth it. Drake and 21 Savage’s highly anticipated Her Loss debuted at No. 1 and ended Taylor Swift’s unprecedented reign. But they didn’t stop there.

Her Loss landed at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, which is 21’s third time there and Drake’s 14th. This makes Drake tied with Jay-Z for most No. 1s on that chart. Who will be the one to reach 15?

Though a few rappers have been pushing back their albums due to the tragic death of Migos member Takeoff, 21 Savage explained why he and Drake didn’t in a recent interview with DJ Akademiks. “It was just so much going on, so much negative, sad energy,” he said. “We was just like, ‘Maybe this will give motherf*ckers a smile or a lift-up, give the world a lift-up, something to look forward to. Cause at first we was saying we was gonna push it back, but it was like, ‘Well, sh*t. What’s that gonna do? Just keep motherf*ckers in this mind-state for a little longer?’ Versus trying to move forward.”

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The First ‘Disenchanted’ Reviews Are Not Enchanted With The Sequel That Hopes To Recapture The Magic

Enchanted delivered a standout performance from an up-and-coming star named Amy Adams, and it ended up on endless repeat in many families’ living rooms. The young actress proved she had a knack for carrying entire films on her shoulders and her pluckiness as Gisele, a cartoon princess who gets pulled into the real world made Enchanted a cult classic. For years, fans have demanded a sequel, and thanks to the need of non-stop streaming content, Disney finally delivered in the form of Disenchanted.

Unfortunately, the end product is not looking so great. While the first batch of reviews praise Adams for slipping back into the role of Gisele (and there’s lots of love for Maya Rudolph) the sequel just can’t hold a candle to the original. Also, it doesn’t help that it has way too many songs. The endless parade of musical numbers is not going over well.

You can see what the critics are saying about Disenchanted below:

Lovia Gyarkye, THR:

Enchanted’s success came from an alchemic combination of strong performances (especially from Adams), a chaotic location and a commitment to basic moral lessons (the magic of true love) even while slyly upending fairy-tale tropes. Disenchanted … aims for the deft mix of slapstick comedy and poignant messaging of the original, but struggles to find its footing, resulting in a film as vanilla as its setting.

Amelia Emberwing, IGN:

Ultimately, Disenchanted plays out as a different but still pretty wonderful continuation to Enchanted. However, some fans might feel a little robbed that instead of growing with its original audience it chose to trill a cheery tune for a new one. Still, those who remember the magic will still see a lot of it in this new iteration, even if the new soundtrack does leave you wanting.

Benjamin Lee, The Guardian:

The songs are all aggressively, at times embarrassingly, mediocre. There’s a brassy attempt to get a returning Idina Menzel to deliver a Frozen-esque number about the power of love but as with most of the songs, lyrics are so slapdash that one wonders if it was improvised. The only song that draws our attention is a dueling duet between Adams and Rudolph, bringing a much needed sharpness to some of the heavily ladeled sentiment and like many of the film’s best moments, relies heavily on Rudolph’s ability to turn a brief expression into a joke in itself. She’s the film’s ace.

Owen Gleiberman, Variety:

Obvious in its comedy, at once overblown and undernourished in its fantasy, “Disenchanted,” at times, is like a kiddified “Don’t Worry Darling” crossed with “Cinderella Strikes Back.” At others, it’s a light show in search of a movie. The visual effects are all swirling sparkles and sprouting vines, but the real problem is that the film has a pandering impersonality, along with the busy skewed logic of a metaverse.

Courtney Howard, The A.V. Club:

Disenchanted serves as a reminder to “be careful what you wish for” — on many different levels. Shot and assembled more like a Disney Channel Original rather than a spectacle-driven sequel to an Oscar-nominated blockbuster, Shankman’s film leaves audiences wanting more—and not in a good way. Its lack of legitimate wit, cleverness, and focus makes a promising concept feel like a wasted wish, conjuring little of the magic that made its predecessor feel so memorable.

Marya E. Gates, RogerEbert.com:

While the script is heavy on action, it’s incredibly light on any kind of real characterization. Malvina is a stock suburban queen bee, with Rudolph responding by playing her less as a wholly realized character than as Evil Maya Rudolph. Adams has fun with Giselle’s descent, altering her sweet lilt to a deep poison tongue. The two get a few showdowns, and one zippy duet entitled “Badder,” but the tension is nowhere near as delicious as what Adams crafted with Susan Sarandon’s big bad in the first film.

Ross Bonaime, Collider:

Disenchanted ends up feeling like those direct-to-video sequels of the 90s and 2000s, films that featured characters you enjoyed in better films going through the motions in a film that lacks any of the wonder of the original. Disney knows that audiences will gladly turn on Disney+ in the comfort of their own homes to watch these characters again, regardless of the quality of the project, and once again, the nostalgia merry-go-round keeps going with no signs of stopping.

Johnny Olenksinski, New York Post:

Is it pure nostalgic bliss seeing Adams back in her star-making royal role? Not really. Her, Dempsey, Marsden and Menzel all feel a tad long in the tooth for this story. After all, these are glittering princesses and princesses — not the 300-year-old witches of “Hocus Pocus.”

Disenchanted is now available for streaming on Disney+.

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Lil Uzi Vert’s Rowdy Video For ‘Just Wanna Rock’ Brings A Wild Party To The City Streets

Lil Uzi Vert’s take on Jersey club, “Just Wanna Rock,” now has a rowdy video that captures the song’s infectious, boisterous energy. In it, Uzi and their crew take over the dance floor, showing off their moves, before bursting out into the streets around the venue to keep the party going. When the police show up to deal with the crowd, nothing they do can diminish the rebellious vibe, as Uzi climbs into their truck and makes an escape.

“Just Wanna Rock” is presumably the first single from the Philadelphia rapper’s long-awaited album, The Pink Tape, which they’ve been teasing since the release of their last album, Eternal Atake, in 2020. While the non-binary rapper has yet to announce a release date for the project, they did announce their first tour in three years last month, leading to speculation that the album is coming sooner rather than later. Waiting around while release dates change like the tides is no new experience to Lil Uzi Vert fans, who dealt with multiple delays for Eternal Atake as well. Fortunately for them, Uzi did release the Red & White EP to hold them over, while “Just Wanna Rock” is a promising sign that an announcement is possibly coming soon.

Watch Lil Uzi Vert’s “Just Wanna Rock” video above.

Lil Uzi Vert is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

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Director Andrew Stanton On The Legacy Of ‘Wall-E,’ His Feelings On A Sequel, And Its New Criterion Disc

Wall-E came out in 2008 and seemed almost like a warning of sorts, as in, this is where we are headed with the planet if we don’t change things quickly: a desolate wasteland of junk, survived only by one robot (our hero, Wall-E) and a cockroach. Now, watching today, (on the brand new Criterion 4K that comes out Tuesday), it seems almost optimistic. Wall-E‘s director, Andrew Stanton (who also directed Finding Nemo, Finding Dory, John Carter, and For All Mankind) was somewhat surprised to hear that assessment. But even he admits he never imagined then how bad things would get now. And also admits at the time his bumbling president played by Fred Willard seemed, “too far,” but, again, that was 12 years before we had a president suggesting we inject bleach to kill a virus.

The new Criterion 4K of Wall-E is gorgeous. But, first, how did a Disney-owned film (they are pretty protective of their movies) get a Criterion release in the first place? Stanton himself led the charge because, well, frankly, what director doesn’t want their film part of the Criterion Collection? Ahead, Stanton takes us through that process. He reflects on the film itself and how it works today versus how it worked back in 2008. Also, Stanton is pro sequel in general, but his feeling toward a Wall-E sequel are a bit more complicated.

I watched the Criterion 4K yesterday. I always think of this movie as beautiful, but this is another level. You have to be happy with how this turned out.

Well, it’s funny. We put such high-res detail into everything we do, it’s almost like the world finally caught up to what we get to see in private, on most of the level of details that we work on. We have a saying at Pixar where we sand the underside of drawers. We do details that nobody will ever appreciate, but now it feels like the world can, you know?

What did you pick up on this time around? Like, I forgot we did that?

Well, for me, it’s the details in the shelves. Those shelves rotate and they’re made to rotate a hundred percent. So that means anything in the depth on any one of those shelves, those items were made and detailed and surfaced. In other words, all those props exist inside that virtual world. So there are elements that, if you want to pause and look. So much of this movie, for as much as it gets labeled as a silent film, is dependent on all the audio storytelling that’s happening…

Oh, by the way, the sound on this disc is incredible.

We worked very hard on that. It was a difficult movie to design, sound-wise. Not design, but to mix, sound-wise. Because I think your ear is doing extra work than it normally does on films because it’s picking up on atmospheric details because it’s not usually filled with dialogue. And so we had to control all that. Like really, really, really go to a level of control that was frustrating at times, but the results were great.

So, rewatching, I couldn’t help but think this movie is a little more optimistic than I remember.

[Laughs] I haven’t heard that.

Well, there’s a bonus feature where you say, on climate change, at the time you were just trying to be “a good stewardship.” And that you never thought it would get this bad. For me, it went from, “this could happen,” to, “this might be the best-case scenario.”

Well, I’m showing my age, but I was raised on the Don’t Litter campaign of the United States in the late Sixties, early Seventies, and the air pollution. So it was always in your face and in the schooling, and down to Sesame Street to preschool. It was always “be good to your environment.” It just got more detailed and worse and dire as we got older. So it’s not like it was something new in my life. And so it shocks me that it’s become politicized because it’s always been an issue in my life.

Remember the ozone layer problem in the ’80s? All the nations kind of got together and fixed that.

Yeah, exactly.

When Reagan was president even. I’m not sure that would happen today.

Right. And of course you don’t wish for things to be this dire. My agenda was not to go, “Be careful guys, this is going to happen.” But I just picked an obvious thing that I’m like, well, this will happen if we don’t address it. Usually something about the world got worse, whether it’s technology or the environment, whatever, and how does humanity navigate through the future problems? And so that’s always sort of a format of the storytelling. But I just needed an excuse that you would buy within minutes so that I could just have you invest in somebody that was all alone on a desert island. So I just needed something that was logical and quick.

So I think I said it’s optimistic because at least they could come back and repopulate. I’m not sure that’s going to be a future option.

Well, what’s crazy, and I guess optimistic, or proof that we could do something, is when the pandemic hit and how much of the pollution went away so quickly and how much of the wildlife came back within months. I mean, it really was kind of living proof of like, you can make a difference if you really want to.

That’s an excellent point. Also, does this movie play different to you now that the pandemic has happened?

Yeah. I mean, it’s that and also just the technology consumption. And the technology blindness, I guess, if you want to call it that. Or where we’re siloed. That’s a common term now that we’re bubbled, we’re siloed. Those words weren’t around when I made that movie. The iPhone came out in the middle of making that movie-

Right. Wall-E has a video iPod...

I joked like, “Oh, this will be short-lived, probably by the time this movie’s out.” I thought I was being funny and it did. It was gone. Like the 8-track player.

Also in the bonus feature, you mentioned how you thought you went too far with Fred Willard as the president. And that, little did we know…

Yeah. I remember thinking, “Is this a little too cartoonish?” I mean, we can get away with it, but is it pushing it? And, no, it wasn’t.

When he announces that everyone is on their own and outs on a gas mask and walks off, that seems a little better advice than injecting bleach.

Most comedians are commentators on just human nature and the cultural observations, and we certainly were coming from a slightly comic standpoint. But you’re pulling from what you see, what you’re witnessing. Somebody will be right about something else they’re projecting right now in 15 years from now.

Does this movie work better today than it did then?

I don’t know. That’s a good question. I don’t know if I’m the one to answer that.

If not you then who?

Well, I mean, it’s lasted. Just from a selfish filmmaker standpoint, you tell stories in the hopes that somebody will still want to watch it way past all the history of it. When we started Pixar, we wanted to be in the Wizard of Oz, Star Wars, Godfather club where you kept pulling that movie out no matter what was going on. And we called that the Grandkids Club. You want to show it to your grandkids, or your grandkids find it on their own. They don’t know any of the things attached to it. I’ve been out in the field doing a lot of TV for the last seven years, and so I’ve been with a lot of little different clubs and camps of filmmakers and stuff. And they all love this film, particularly for its cinematic sources and angle. Because it’s a different beast than of the other animated films. It’s kind of made from a love of this weird hybrid love of sci-fi and arthouse cinema.

It’s funny because those movies you just mentioned, most have sequels, and some very good ones. I’m surprised we haven’t had one for Wall-E yet. I’m curious how often that’s brought up.

I think I’m safe because it didn’t make as much money as all the other Pixar movies. So if you’re just ranking it there, it doesn’t look like a cash cow to somebody. So it’s kind of protected.

That’s interesting. It did really well, but just not well enough so you have to deal with that every two years, someone going, “make another one.”

The definition of “well” is who are you? If you’re an executive, you’re like, “How big was the box office?” I could care less about that stuff. I just want to be able to get the chance to make another movie. I’m more like, do you want to watch this thing, you know, much later? Which is way beyond box office wakes and stuff like that. So I feel like it’s protected because it was low there, it was low on that level.

And I’m sure you’ve addressed a million times, but I assume the story’s over for you.

I’m not anti-sequel. I make sequels…

I know. Just with this one, it sounds like you don’t want to.

This one I didn’t…. Every child’s different and this one I didn’t see it. It’s a lot of chatter. People are going to make what they want to make. If you lived long enough, you’ve seen remakes of things you thought nobody would ever dare remake. Memories are short. People that are young coming into the industry don’t know the history and don’t care. It’s just going to keep happening, so it’s kind of a wasted air to worry about whether there’s going to be sequels or prequels. It’s always been part of the world and it always will be.

How does this happen with Criterion? Because I’m under the impression Disney is very protective of their properties.

Well, it’s because I asked. I went to Alan Bergman and he said yes. It was a filmmaker’s specific personal request and he said, “Let’s see if there’s a there.” And I love that Criterion thought the film was worthy, but we’ve been working on it for years. The pandemic kind of interrupted it and we really got serious last year. It’s a sort of an off-shoot scenario.

When did this first get agreed on?

I want to say mid-2019.

So the National Film Registry happens in between. Is that right?

Yeah, which was a great punch in the arm of like, “Let’s do this still.” Because the pandemic drifted everything.

I didn’t want this to look like filmmaker hubris and there’s no way that I won’t be accused of that to some degree. What filmmaker doesn’t want to be in the Criterion Library? But I wanted it to be earned. I just really thought, it was so born of the movies, some of them directly that were in their library that I just thought there was a fit. So I’m fortunate that they thought so too.

How much do you pay attention to social media?

Not at all.

When this was announced I saw a pretty overwhelmingly positive reaction.

Yeah? Good. Because I feel it is, too, and hopefully if you watch all the dots, there’s more confirmation for why. For how it was born and where it comes from.

You can contact Mike Ryan directly on Twitter.