Got this from a friend:
>Walt Disney recently fired director Chris Sanders (LILO &
>STITCH) off the upcoming film AMERICAN DOG, which was supposed
>to be the studio's big 2008 release. Sanders created many of
>the film's characters and wrote the script and was fired along
>with 150 staffers? Doesn't sound like a Merry Christmas at The
>New Disney... But, according to Jim Hill Media, new Disney
>animation head John Lasseter didn't ditch Sanders because he
>didn't like the film...
>Read the full story here:
http://www.joblo.com/disney-dropping-cgi
This is really amazing news. It seems like a logical move just to let each company do what it does best. There were so much problems when Disney try to to go completely CG and a lot of face saving. Better get those portfolios up on the DisneyMouse link!
:D
It is truly a shame if that is the case. From what I had seen of the art, animation tests, and story pitching... American Dog was gearing up to be a truly wonderful animated film. If it is true I hope that we will still see more features from Chris Sanders, CG or otherwise.
www.MattOrnstein.com
Character Animator - Lucas Arts
I've seen this rumor floating around at several sites, but I've yet to see it authenticated anywhere. Doesn't mean it's not true, but a grain of salt is called for here. Jim Hill has been wrong frequently in the past - for example, he also said that Circle 7 was going to figure heavily in Disney's future,...
The current Disney leadership sounds like an emotionally intelligent bunch compared to Eisner's. They will use whatever medium which is best for the story. Pulling the plug on a story does not equal abandoning a medium.
I hope we can get beyond this 3D/2D exclusiveness mentality.