The “Gargoyles” Movie That Isn’t, pt. II: What to Do

A couple of days after the announcement of Disney’s plans to make a gargoyles (but not Gargoyles) movie, fans have been roused to action, and have come with several good suggestions on how the fandom can best exploit this for the good of their beloved franchise.  I’ve already spoken of the Facebook page created to rally fans towards a new common cause–which now is just shy of having 500 members–and now I’d like to mention some of the better suggestions that have been made so far:

1. Make the Facebook page the first thing one sees when Googling  “gargoyles movie”: Suggested by Landon Thomas, it goes something like this:

If we want the Facebook page to go the distance as rumors keeps swirling around, it’d be great if a Google search for ‘gargoyles movie’ returned the Facebook page as the first result. Right now the Facebook page in on the 2nd page of results. If I remember how Google Bombs work, we need the phrase ‘gargoyles movie’ to be hyperlinked to the Facebook page in as many locations as possible, like this: a href=”http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=142182852459700&v=wall”>gargoyles movie</a (add outside brackets) Try to put it in context, of course.

If every Gargoyles fan page contains that code, it might bump up the Google results. There isn’t really a definitive site for ‘gargoyles movie’–the Cinema Blend article is already at #3, so a top Google result is ours for the taking.

2. Write to Disney: Granted, this is in no way an innovative idea, but that doesn’t mean it’s not a good one.  Greg Bishansky writes:

These are the two people we need to contact. LouAnne Brickhouse at Disney, and Lauren Shuler Donner at the Donner Company. Both of their business addresses will be included at the end of this message.

First, and I cannot stress this enough. The tone we all take is very important. Be passionate, but do not be hostile. If we get hostile, we’re giving them every excuse to throw our letters away, and we cannot do that. Tell them if they are going to make a movie about “Gargoyles” to embrace the popular cartoon from the 1990’s. Tell them there is a large fanbase that loves it. Tell them that there is a rich mythology and lots of great material that would make for a great franchise of movies. Tell them they shouldn’t throw this away.

Also, this is not about Greg Weisman. They have a writer that they like, so don’t badmouth Zoe Green, and don’t tell them that they should get Greg Weisman to write it. That also would be counterproductive.

If everyone’s got that, here’s who to contact:

ATTN: Lauren Shuler Donner
The Donners’ Company
9465 Wilshire Blvd. Suite 420
Beverly Hills, CA 90212
USA

ATTN: LouAnne Brickhouse
The Walt Disney Studios Company
500 S. Buena Vista St.
Burbank, CA 91521-9722
USA

In fact, I’ve already written my version of the letter, which you’re all free to use as a template (read: use as an outline, and try not to copy it wholesale–we don’t want a bunch of letters that look like somebody just stamped names on it)  when drafting your own:

ATTN: LouAnne Brickhouse
The Walt Disney Studios Company
500 S. Buena Vista St.
Burbank, CA 91521-9722

Dear Ms. Brickhouse:

I have recently become aware of Walt Disney Studios’ plans to produce a gargoyles-themed movie sometime in the near future.   I wish you all the utmost success in this latest venture.

Upon first hearing this news, my mind turned to an already-existing Disney property: Gargoyles, the critically-acclaimed animated series that first aired from 1994 to 1997 in the Disney Afternoon block, and which later resurfaced as a comic book in 2006.  I was, and remain, a big fan of that series, and so the news of this new, unrelated “gargoyles” project naturally raised some eyebrows.

While I am aware that very little about the project is known with certainty (and that, in fact, writer Zoe Green has been hired to develop the concept more-or-less from scratch)  the fact that the only thing that is actually known is that it will involve gargoyles in a modern-day setting–which is in essence of the 1994 Gargoyles–makes me wonder why the decision was made to ignore the existing franchise in favor of a new one.  Movies are a risky business, after all; it would seem to me that basing this new movie on a known concept with an established and passionate fan base; several existing stories that could be adapted into several movies with little trouble; proven all-ages appeal; and existing supplementary products which could be re-released upon the films release; would be a safer choice.

Another thing to consider would be the usefulness of the already-existing Gargoyles fan-base, which could be a great asset should film based on the property be produced.  Should they find the movie to their liking–which I don’t believe would be a hard thing to do–they could be great help in giving the movie early positive word-of-mouth, and in general help promote the movie in ways a completely original concept can’t be.  This fandom should not be underestimated: a Facebook group created after initial “gargoyles” announcement has obtained more than four hundred members in  less than 48-hours–members with movie-going friends and acquaintances; and a stake in the success of a Gargoyles movie.

Perhaps I’m jumping the gun here.  For all we know, Zoe Green’s untitled “gargoyles” project could end up being completely different from Gargoyles, and both franchises will be able to coexist.  However, I do hope Walt Disney Studios considers the potential advantages of a film based on the existing property.

Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,

Ian Pérez

Ammendments or suggestions are welcome. Please help; this is the best chance we’ve had at a full-blown Gargoyles revival in more than a decade, and although failure is very much a possibility, that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try our damnedest. So write, spread the world, and do anything in your power to convince Disney that making a Gargoyles movie is their best shot at making a succesful gargoyles movie.