What do you guys know about this? Are they looking to hire traditional animators? Is there anything other than the "Frog Princess" being planned? Does anyone know when it's supposed to be released? Post up any info you have about this news on this thread!!!
Here's the Reuter's article
http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=filmNews&storyID=2006-07-27T064133Z_01_N26230144_RTRIDST_0_FILM-DISNEY-TREASURE-DC.XML
I wish they would get a fresher director for this project.
Clements/Musker movies have steadily fallen in quality since Aladdin.
I'm not optimistic about this project. I expect to see another Home on the Range/Brother Bear/Treasure Planet-quality flick.
I'm willing to give Musker/Clemens the benefit of the doubt. Harvey points out that their post-Aladdin films aren't as good. I agree, but that has to be put in context.
Aladdin was early in the 90's boom period, and by all accounts, executive "assistance" increased as the box office take increased. I think it's logical to assume that M&C's post-Aladdin work fell victim to this, and would have been a factor in how the films turned out.
Lasseter has made it clear that he's handing control and responsibility for the films over to their directors. If M&C are really slipping as Harvey suggests, we'll know soon enough.
Thanks for posting this article- I haven't heard this news anywhere else! I'm excited at the prospect of Disney returning to the animation disc, but I'm not so sure about the concept of the film. A fairy tale film alone would make me skeptical, but a "female spin" on a fairy tale sounds downright corporate to me. (My nightmares bring me stories about "girl power!" starring blonde abominations saying "like, y'know, girls need to, like, be heard and stuff!"- oh wait- thats just the Disney channel.)
But regardless of my paranoia of pop, I hope with the whole hog that this film gets made.
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The Frog Princess story has actually been around for a long time.
It's an old Russian folk tale.
I'm not sure which came first - the Frog Prince or the Frog Princess - but they are slightly different stories, other than the genders being switched.
See, I'm optimistic about the film. I think that Disney has always done a good job at making fairy tales and old-world folk stories. I think they go wrong when they lose that magical element in favor of trendy contemporary fluff. Not that it's impossible for them to ruin a fairy tale by lacing it with all sorts of modern themes. I remember hearing a taped session from Cal Arts in the '70s where Milt Kahl was talking about how after Walt Disney died, the new studio management was constantly trying to infuse modernisms in with the films. It seems like that can really detract from a film's timelessness, and I hope the new folks at Disney don't try that cheap sort of appeal. But I'm confident that Lasseter knows better than that! So, I'm hoping this film will really take off and bring traditional animation back. I have no qualms with continuing to explore the possibilities of 3D animation, but I just don't think we have to have one or the other.
I've always like Musker/Clement's movies a lot. All of their movies are great.
The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, Hercules, and Treasure Planet (which was the Disney company's fault it flopped because they didn't advertsie for it that much!).
They're a great directing pair. I really have faith in them. I'm really glad they're taking on this project.
he's letting Ron and John have complete artistic and story control. The Disney company will not interfere.
James :cool:
Disney needs to realize that it all comes down to a good story and characters and not whether the medium is 2D of 3D animation. Only time will tell if Disney realizes this.
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What "Disney" are you talking about? The art side of the Disney house has always known this - heck, they were instrumental in pioneering it. The business side of the house doesn't much care about creative issues - they're more concerned about return on investment and the bottom line. As they should be.
Given that Lasseter and Catmull are now in charge of the creative side of things, I think the story/character thing is a non-issue. What's going to be interesting to watch is what happens if Lasseter's first couple of releases recapture some of the old Disney glory. He'll have his hands full fending off the hangers-on who will want to get in on the action if the grosses start climbing again.
I never attacked Disney for its lack of good artists(they have plenty of good artists) just their lack of good content in recent years. Most have lackluster storylines with one dimensional characters.
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Right, and if the filmmakers (artists) know it comes down to story and characters - and neither have been in evidence in recent films - who's responsible for their absence?
My point is that it's easy to throw "it's about the story" platitudes at a giant faceless entity like Disney - hell, it's practically a mantra with animators these days. Problem is, that doesn't get us anywhere. The questions to ask are how did it end up the way it did and how does it get fixed?
Personally, I think the fix is in place already, but as you said initially, only time will tell.
Don't forget that the easier it is to throw out a mantra the more likely it is that the people who speak it it have NO idea what it really means.
whatever it is they do i hope they can keep a grip on the cost and budget. when you have the resources Disney has it is easier to go GRAND. when they can be realistic.
i only say this because if its made on a good budget it can make money and the chances of making more films exists. otherwise a bomb will only make them can it and blame the medium rather than the economics and the product
Exactly how much did it cost Disney to make some of the 2D animation movies back in the 90s? I am curious to know.
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Like which ones?
imdbpro.com is a great site for budget information. You might also try the-numbers.com and boxofficemojo.com.
Thanks! I have been trying to google the info for hours to no success.
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