Blue Sky Diz says that Mr. Lasseter is co-directing Cars 2. I wouldn't know anything about that, but in the recent past I had occasion to talk to Disney and Pixar artists who said:
"The new management team is cautious. John isn't taking big chances at Disney. They're trying to go with the kind of structure they have at Pixar, with a smaller creative group at the top, and I'm not sure it works well at Disney. The slate is really thin, and theyv'e got a hole in the slate now that Snow Queen is shelved, and they've asked directors here to see if they can come up with something. There should be more pitching of ideas, but management is wedded to the director-driven project, and they haven't greenlit a lot of stuff ..."
"The best way to not get ahead at Pixar is to say you want to be a director ..."
Me, beyond my observations walking around the hat building and talks with various artists there, I couldn't tell you much about Pixar. (In fact, I could tell you no-thing.)
The artists I've conversed with agree that the Disney development slate is thin, but between the films in the pipeline at Emeryville and the ones now in production down in Burbank, the House of Mouse has a goodly number of animated releases lined up on the tarmac, so there really isn't a short-term problem.
It's the more distant future that appears cloudy, but maybe that's because we're not there yet. Maybe a burst of new projects will happen between now and summer. Who knows?
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18 comments:
I've never understood why Pixar doesn't use their short films as a way to find directors who can actually tell a story, as opposed to stringing a series of gags together. It's weird that they often talk about using their shorts as proving grounds for directors, yet the stuff they do in short films wouldn't even make it past a pitch for a feature.
And how dare anyone at Pixar want to direct! Sure, it's a cliche, and most people (like always) are delusional about their abilities.. but apparently it's a terrible thing for someone to think they have a story of their own to tell.
Don't think for a MINUTE that Pixar doesn't have politics going on.
And you better believe you need to suck up to the guy in the tent sized Hawiian shirt. He's CalArts old school and they don't always believe in finding the best people just the 'right' people.
I do hope that Disney maintains it's own identity and does not turn into a carbon copy of Pixar in 2D, storywise. Both studios have a very different sensibility in my mind and it would be better for diversity to keep this personal identity for both companies alive. Of course they can learn and build on eachothers accomplishments, but in the end Disney and Pixar as two seperate brands with clearly identifiable movies is better then one merged melting pot of movies...
How can you say that Disney has a goodly number of animated releases lined up! No they don't. They have Tangled or whatever it is called and the Winnie the Pooh movie. After that is Joe Jump but it is not done and that is it. I know they have Jack and the Beanstalk and Ron and John have their film on the fast track but that's it. It would help if they put Snow Queen back on the slate. If I have missed any upcoming features please let me know.
What impressed me about Walt Disney's judgement was the lack of politics in his choices. The old man was insightful about people's abilities, and never chose a buddy or pal to be a director. If Walt chose you it was because he knew you had directing chops.
Things are different today, of course. If you're not part of the "club" you can pretty much forget about that directing dream. Many have had to learn this the hard way.
To Anonymus at comment 4:
Are you sure Disney is adapting another version of Jack and the Beanstalk? Disney adapted this fairy tale with Mickey Mouse, so I don't think Disney will adapt another version... After that I read Disney doesn't want to realise other fairy tales (after Enchanted 2 and Rapunzel or Tangled ... I hate Tangled title!)...
I want Snow Queen back!!!!
Hey Disney, good luck with getting back on top while not taking any risks.
Who would have ever thought at this point that Katzenberg would be a bigger risk taker than Lasseter. I honestly think Disney would be in a better place right now had they bought Dreamworks instead of Pixar.
Big marketing and distribution companies don't take risks. They use their resources to maximize assets and haul in profits.
You guys are dreaming of a Disney company that no longer even exists. As old Ward Kimball said long ago, “Walt is dead, and you missed it!”
I'm wondering if that's why Pixar is releasing 2 sequels in a row. Now that they're part of a big company, the risk-taking is probably frowned upon now. Kinda sad.
I was just hoping that Lasseter would push to keep taking risks, not stay safe. He must remember how it was when Pixar was a small company right? He's got to know the only way out of the doldrums is to embrace taking chances.
"He's got to know the only way out of the doldrums is to embrace taking chances."
Pixar is far from being in the doldrums right now. UP took risks, was a hit, made a lot of money, and was just nominated for Best Picture. Not too shabby eh?
As to what the Pixar leadership is currently doing at Disney, well YES it definitely sucks. Although things could turn around...maybe.
As to what's happening with CARS 2, well a lot of us thought it was a bad decision to make the film in the first place, especially with the producer (who made ANTZ at PDI) as a first time director, directing it...
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0506977/
...and now they're busy cleaning up that mess while they kill their artists in the process.
Funny though that JL and Ed are the ones who went with the questionable decision to put him in charge in the first place. You think they'd have some decent foresight by now not to do things like that after all the crisis they've been through. You know, that stuff Ed gives lectures about at Universities about how to run a successful company?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k2h2lvhzMDc
Only time will really tell if what's happening now will negatively affect the future.
Pixar's future slate admittedly does seem rather barren except for BEAR AND THE BOW with the demise of NEWT. TOY STORY 3 this summer, the upcoming CARS 2, and other rumored sequels in development seem to be the plan in the next few years, but we have no idea what's being developed right now as we write this.
After a run of risky films starting at Ratatouille through Wall-E and ending with Up, I don't fault Pixar one bit for going back to a safer more predictable pace of sequels, as long as the stories are there. Especially with a freshmen class running through the directing ranks now. I'm sure losing Stanton and Brad Bird to live-action projects had to loosen up the directing club a bit, right? Surprised that guys that have "proven" themselves with the shorts aren't getting shots: I would have thought Doug Sweetland would have been handed a film by this point. Too bad they didn't get Chris Wedge to jump ship.
Maybe Bird's earthquake movie won't find it's financing and he'll come back for another Incredibles film. If we have to get a Pixar sequel, that seems like the logical one.
I think "Snow Queen" must return. Is there any real possibilty soon? Is it a story problem or just a strategic one?
Where are they going to animate “Enchanted 2”?
"I'm wondering if that's why Pixar is releasing 2 sequels in a row."
No, "Cars 2" still sounds like Iger's own baby of hyperdefensiveness--But wasn't "Monsters 2" that other sequel that Circle 7 was threatening to make?
Looks like Pixar wants to tie up all the loose ends of TS3's Sad Past before moving on.
Remember that dinner meeting the inner circle at Pixar had when they came up with all their wonderful projects and wrote them on a napkin?
It's clear what has happened: nothing is left on that napkin!
Maybe they should go out to lunch and start drawing on napkins again, it worked out well the first time. Or better yet send Brad Bird down to Burbank and revamp their 2d with "Ray Gun".
Because recent history has proven that audiences will flock to hand-drawn animated sci-fi.
When Disney's "Circle 7 Studios" were working on 'Toy Story 3' and 'Monsters, Inc. 2', (before the purchase of Pixar), they were rumored to have a great draft of 'Monsters, Inc. 2'. But, after the buyout, all of the projects were shelved, as to not interfere with the "smooth transition" of the Pixar purchase.
I've read the 'Monsters, Inc.' sequel from Circle 7...and I must say, it's amazing, seriously. I might add, I'm not alone in my high praise of the script. Shortly before the project was shut down, it was slipped to a few "high profile" feature animation directors...I've seen their "coverage" on the script and it borders on ecstatic.
Granted, the writer of 'Monsters, Inc 2', had an amazing launching off point for the script, (the original film), but that's the point! Why not crank that puppy out ASAP!
Because you are not talking about adults being in charge, but petulant children. It's the CalArts mentality.
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