Andrew Stanton's Live-Action Debut: Exploring the Journey of "John Carter"

Andrew Stanton, known for his work on animated films such as Finding Nemo and WALL-E, made his live-action directorial debut with John Carter. The movie is based on A Princess of Mars, the first book in Edgar Rice Burroughs' Barsoom series. Taylor Kitsch stars as the titular character, John Carter, a Civil War veteran who is mysteriously transported to the planet Barsoom (Mars).

There, Carter discovers that he possesses superhuman abilities due to the planet's different gravitational pull compared to Earth.The idea of adapting the Barsoom series into a film first arose in 1931 when animator Bob Clampett approached Burroughs with a proposal for an animated adaptation of A Princess of Mars. However, the project was ultimately canceled due to negative reactions from test audiences.

In the 1980s, film producers Mario Kassar and Andrew G. Vajna acquired the film rights to the series, with plans to create a film inspired by the success of Star Wars and Conan the Barbarian. Despite initial efforts with director John McTiernan and actor Tom Cruise, the project was scrapped due to technological limitations in visual effects.

Various studios attempted to bring the adaptation to life, but it wasn't until Andrew Stanton approached Disney with a new vision for the film that things began to progress. Stanton envisioned John Carter as an "Indiana Jones on Mars" type of adventure and convinced Disney to repurchase the rights for the project. Despite initial doubts about Stanton's lack of experience with live-action films and his desire to cast lesser-known actors, Disney ultimately greenlit the project.

The film was initially titled John Carter of Mars but was changed to appeal to a wider audience.When John Carter was released in 2012, it failed to meet expectations, grossing $284 million on a $250 million budget. Mixed reviews from critics and underwhelming box office results led to the cancellation of plans for a sequel based on the book The Gods of Mars.

Despite the commercial disappointment, Kitsch remains proud of his work on the film and believes it deserves a second chance.In an interview, Kitsch expressed his gratitude for the experience, stating, "I learned a lot from that film. I honestly don't see it as a failure.

" For those interested in watching John Carter, the movie is available for streaming on Disney+. Even though the film may not have reached the level of success that was originally hoped for, it still holds value for those involved in its creation and for fans of science fiction adventures.