There's a certain formula that's gone on to define a lot of movies and helped studios feel like they've generated a guaranteed success before a camera has even started to roll. There are undeniably trends that take over moviegoing audiences and determine what's to come in cinemas, but it's far from a science and there are also plenty of underrated and cult classics that fade into obscurity.
Cool World is a messy film from the early ‘90s that stars Brad Pitt and Kim Basinger that follows in the footsteps of Who Framed Roger Rabbit?, meshing together live-action and animation. However, it was nowhere near as effective or successful.
10 The Movie Engaged In A Disastrous Marketing Idea With The Hollywood Sign
Marketing can sometimes make or break a movie, and there are some especially creative advertising campaigns that are designed to steal the public's attention. Cool World put in action an especially ambitious marketing tool where they constructed a 75-foot tall version of Holli Would that sat atop the Hollywood sign.
The public was outraged over this, and the gesture was met with massive protests, especially due to the heightened sex appeal of Holli Would. Paramount Pictures donated $27,000 to Rebuild L.A. as a peace offering, but it was still viewed as insulting and insufficient.
9 It Marks Ralph Bakshi's Brief Return To Filmmaking
Before the times when the animation film industry was largely run by Disney, Ralph Bakshi was an incredibly influential name and responsible for some iconic animated works like the 1960s Spider-Man animated series, Fritz the Cat, The Lord of the Rings, and so much more.
At this point in his career, Bakshi had moved on to television. Cool World brought him back to film, but its failure only reinforced his desire to stay in TV, which he did for more than 20 years before ultimately returning to do the animation of the crowd-funded film, The Last Days Of Coney Island.
8 David Bowie Wrote An Original Song For The Movie
Music is one of the most important components of a movie and there are many occasions where an excellent soundtrack accompanies a forgettable film. This is definitely the case with Cool World, where its soundtrack, Sounds from the Cool World, features music from Moby, The Future Sound of London, and Ministry.
However, the biggest name is David Bowie, who contributed the original song, "Real Cool World," Bowie's first original solo material in nearly three years.
7 It Began Production As More Of An Erotic Horror Movie
Studio interference is still a rampant problem in the movie industry and, more often than not, it only leaves a muddled version that doesn't please anyone. Cool World initially started as an erotic horror movie that riffed on titles from the '80s like Body Parts.
The original story has Jack and Holli, originally named Debbie Dallas, have a child who is half-cartoon and half-real and plots to kill her parents who made her this way. Producer Frank Mancuso Jr. didn't want to make another horror movie, since he had spent the past decade doing Friday the 13th movies.
6 Kim Basinger Pushed It Into Increasingly Family-Friendly Territory
Tone is a vital element that often goes overlooked. It's something simple that can completely dismantle a movie if it's not consistent or if the cast isn't all on the same page. Cool World was always meant to have an adult demographic, but it's an element that Kim Basinger increasingly balked at.
There's nothing wrong with adding depth to Holli Would, but Basinger started to desire a movie that would be appropriate for children. This push and pull in opposite directions also contributed to the messy nature of the movie.
5 DC Comics Published A Four-Issue Prequel Story
Comic book tie-ins are now almost a foregone conclusion with modern movie franchises, but Cool World was ahead of the curve with this approach back in 1992. A four-issue miniseries that functions as a prequel to Bakshi’s movie was released to help boost awareness.
The comic’s script is by Michael Eury, with art by Stephen DeStefano, Chuck Fiala, and Bill Wray. Interestingly enough, it actually functions well as a comic. There were also several Cool World video games released for the NES, Super Nintendo, Game Boy, and more, all of which explored different corners of the world.
4 The Writers Destroyed Their Screenwriting Careers Through Secret Script Revisions
There were many changes taking place on the fly during Cool World’s production, and the movie’s script continued to mutate into something very different, with multiple parties being privy to different sets of information.
Screenwriters Michael Grais and Mark Victor rewrote the script on Frank Mancuso Jr.'s orders, without Bakshi's knowledge or input. This caused bad blood with the Writer's Guild over skirting regulations and non-union work, which basically torpedoed their writing careers for decades. They couldn't get a writing credit for decades until 2015's Poltergeist remake, and, even then, it was for their original script.
3 Candi Milo Was Originally Just A Line-Feeder, Not The Voice Of Lonette
Cool World prides itself on a very in-demand cast of actors and it's certainly a movie that has a lot of star power to fall back on. However, some of the best pieces of casting happened completely by accident.
In technologically advanced movies like Cool World, it's common practice to have someone who feeds actors lines and helps with continuity. This was Candi Milo's original role, but she was given the role of Lonette when the producers saw how she was a natural at voiceovers and acting.
2 Ralph Bakshi's First Choice For Holli Would Was Drew Barrymore
Cool World has some exceptional casting that feels so appropriate that it's hard to imagine that they weren't all Ralph Bakshi's original choice for the roles. Curiously, Bakshi's original vision for Cool World's cast was slightly different.
Drew Barrymore was Bakshi’s first choice for Holli Would, which certainly feels like an even more ‘90s-appropriate casting decision. However, other casting considerations were Willem Dafoe as Jack. Both Bakshi and Pitt wanted Pitt to play Jack, but Paramount disagreed and insisted that he play Frank instead.
1 It Barely Made Back Half Of Its Budget
Innovation can go a long way with movies and sometimes help inspire enough critical acclaim to counterbalance an unsatisfactory box office return. The reverse can also occur and, sometimes, critically reviled movies can receive multiple sequels because of huge returns with audiences.
Cool World is an unfortunate case where nothing was on the movie’s side. The movie’s $28 million box office wasn’t huge but fairly substantial, especially back in the early ‘90s. However, Cool World’s box office barely brought back half of this and barely cleared $14.1 million.