Actually, I think Stanton did a surprisingly good job, given the difficulties that filming a story such as this would have to present. If you do happen to read the books, then decide to give the movie a chance, you might be pleasantly surprised. John Carter was the first 20th Century superhero, and at least the partial inspiration for almost everything that has followed. Part of Stanton's problem, I think, was that this was a project too close to his heart. Because he knew and loved the Warlord, he naturally assumed that everyone else would do the same. Then, whether through complacence or just plain stupidity, those in charge of advertising and marketing totally dropped the ball.
"John Carter" sold over $300,ooo,ooo.oo in tickets, worldwide. If the movie had been kept within budget, it would have been a hit (Read "John Carter And The Gods Of Hollywood," if you're interested in the full story) Stanton's first venture into live action movie making was a disaster, financially. Artistically, not nearly so much.
I do think that, if Stanton had made "John Carter" as a quality animated feature, something like last year's "Tarzan," it would have been far less expensive, and a real success both artistically and financially, and we would have had "John carter And The Gods Of Mars" by now, with "The Warlord Of Mars" ready for release in the near future, with serious plans for "Carson Of Venus" and the Pellucidar series in development.