Today in my studio wanderings several artists asked me about Pixar's newer animation facility in Vancouver. I said it should really be thought of as Disney's 'toon studio in Canada, since Pixar is actually a subset of the House of Mouse.
Be that as it may, there are a few things to keep in mind: 1) A decade ago, Disney had two animation studios in the Land to the North, headquartered in Toronto and Vancouver, and 2) There is another animation player making news in Canada right now that isn't named Disney:
Sir Elton John was waxing so eloquently on Ontario's burgeoning film animation industry today that Premier Dalton McGuinty jokingly offered him a cabinet post.
The pop star and the politician were at Starz Animation, which is producing a new animated movie called Gnomeo and Juliet for John's film company, Rocket Pictures.
McGuinty said the Ontario government is giving a $23 million grant to Starz to create new jobs ...
Gnomeo and Juliet, of course, was originally a project at Disney Animation Studios ... until the current management said "Uh, no." At which point Miramax, another Disney subsidiary, picked it up.
Starz Media is also working on the Tim Burton feature 9 (which looks not half bad, judging from the theatrical trailer now gracing your neighborhood AMC).
As always, animation is happening at many different points on the globe ... and this hemisphere. If it isn't being done in Los Angeles, then we're always glad to see toonage being turned out in a high-wage place like Canada.
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13 comments:
Is the Pixar move to Vancouver because of union pressure building at their studio in San Francisco?
No.
I don't get it. Why is it that the government of Ontario can see the wisdom of giving grants to create jobs, but this country, with all our resources, public and private, can't?
The same studio in Burbank is working people to death and trying to pull a rabbit out of a hat with half a crew when they could be filling their staff. It makes no sense. Wasn't the feature successful? Wouldn't the next one, (two?), be? They'll make it all back in the end. Why limp along like that?
FYI , "9" is written and directed by Shane Acker, so its a "Shane Acker feature" , not a "Tim Burton feature" . Tim Burton is one of 7 producers attached to the movie (heck, with 7 they may as well have had 9 producers and made some sort of tie-in to the movie title . Why would any movie need 7 producers ?! but I digress...) Burton's name recognition is such that his name is driving the advertising , but "9" is not directed or written by Tim Burton , nor did the concept originate with him as it did on something such as " The Nightmare Before Christmas" .
Is the Pixar move to Vancouver because of union pressure building at their studio in San Francisco? ...
Don't think so.
It's not a move to Vancouver; they're opening a satellite studio. Initially, they'll do shorts using existing Pixar characters, kind of like "Mike's New Car" or "Mater and the Ghostlight."
God forbid their dimwitted SoCal cousins touch the precious Pixar family jewels.
No, Short FORM production, like DVD material, theme park animation and TV commercials. Anything for theatrical release will be limited to THX and "please shut off your cell phones" type interstitials
No Short Films will be happening in Vancouver.
Forgot link:
http://drawn.ca/2009/05/08/pixar-to-open-studio-in-vancouver-bc/
Both "Mike's New Car" and "Mater" were "DVD material." Time will tell.
"FYI , "9" is CO-written and directed by Shane Acker, so its a "Tim Burton Feature."
It's a middling short film, being bloated into an unappealing looking feature (or a half decent video game). If Burton's name wasn't attached, it would disappear into oblivion like Igor, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfelles, Everybody's Hero, Delgo, and the Battle for Terra.
Both "Mike's New Car" and "Mater" were "DVD material." Time will tell.
It's not a move to Vancouver; they're opening a satellite studio. Initially, they'll do shorts using existing Pixar characters, kind of like "Mike's New Car" or "Mater and the Ghostlight."
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