I think this is a crossroads for the franchise. It has actually been disneyfied for a long time: toys with disney characters as SW characters, shops at the Disney theme parks etc, which have doubtless proved its marketting potential so there is plenty of drive to take that path further
Also,
the last three films had very split personas: stoopid cartoonish characters like JarJar alongside darker themes, alongside adolescent angst and love worthy of teen flicks.
Plus, the first three were made long enough ago now that the level of violence in them would now be deemed child OK, altho they were not at the time.
And the prime market is childeren not the middle aged fans their parents are (how many say.. we watch SW and I introduced my kid to the joys I had as a child...)
The kids are the target. Toys are the $$ and if the film supporting them is too adult the pester pressure to see a film still wins out and the makers cop disapproval for marketting to kids a film not suitable for them. (there was an element of this in LotR.. and I saw parents taking 6yo to those films and being very upset when little Freddy or Mary got really really scared.. then Mum and Dad get really really angry, and channel their embarrassment toward the cinema crew.. I digress)
Disney paid a LOT of money for this, they will need to get a LOT of money out of it to justify it to their shareholders. They will take the path that makes teh $$
The local opinion piece
http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/o...-1226509453348
raises some points, some of them ill informed and corrected in the comments, but it best shows how perception of what is canon for one group bears no resemblence to canon for another. Something BSG fans know only too well..
Cheers,
Lara
