Mark Dindal and Randy Fullmer Kiss the Mouse Goodbye

Mark and Randy now ankle Disney after leading the creation of one of the last hand-drawn Disney features -- "The Emperor's New Groove" -- and the first CGI offering (not counting "Dinosaur")... Mark D. began his directing career (he had earlier been a Disney animator) with the creative and quirky "Cats Don't Dance," produced by Turner Feature Animation. Thereafter, he and Randy teamed up as director/producer of "The Emperor's New Groove," for my money one of the most entertaining of later Disney features. The buzz around DFA at the time of the flick's release was that Eisner disliked "Groove" and the studio didn't put a whole lot of advertising muscle behind it. But the picture increased its box office take by 50% in its second week or release, something generally unheard of in filmland. For an insider's look at the gestation of "The Emperor's New Groove," try and get hold of the documentary "The Sweat Box" by Trudie Styler (Sting's wife.) It's an eye opener. And for a linked article on Dindal and Fullmer's departure, click on the title up above.