The sky is falling at WDFA...

Currently 33% at RottenTomatoes. That's in Valiant and Shark Tale territory, folks. Lowered expectations from within the Mouse House about the box office this weekend are all the buzz as well.

This article at Jim Hill hits the high points as to what this may mean to any Pixar deal. If the movie performs as (now) expected, Pixar is in the driver's seat and can pretty much ask for whatever they please (bigger cut, sequel rights, etc.). If the pundits are wrong, Disney will have a little more leverage, seeing that they've proven they can deliver non-Pixar pixelated fun. A lot is riding on this little chicks shoulders, and advance word is that he didn't carry the weight.

More interesting stuff from Jim here. Cartoon Brew, NYTimes, and Disney Blog have more.

Of course, I particularly miffed that they chose to deliver the movie in 3d in every major city in Tennessee except Nashville. Chattanooga, Knoxville, and Memphis will all host the Digital-3D version, which according to some is a feature that saves the movie. Grr...

Updated (11/20 09:50pm): Glad to see that I got it all wrong on this one (everyone else did, too, so that makes me feel better!). Even though the reviews haven't improved, two weeks at number one at the box office have cemented this little film as a blockbuster, with $100 million in three weeks. Who'da thunk it? I still haven't seen it, but hope to make it out sometime over the holiday season. I keep holding out to see if the Nashville IMAX is going to get the 3D version...