I spent a portion of my post-lunch day at the Hat Building, doing my usual rounds. And the place was peaceful.
Tangled, the movie in production, is generally liked, although some departments on the first floor are still waiting for the production wave to hit at full force.
Winnie the Pooh (the next feature up) is going full-tilt in the layout department, although some animators don't have a lot of scenes yet. Meanwhile, animation staffers attended a meeting about new ideas for hand-drawn production. (The word is that the company would like to see TP&TF hit $300 million globally, the better to get into clearly profitable territory, and of course now it's below that magical figure. "But the merchandise has sold well.")
In the bigger corporate picture, Robert Iger is in an acquisitive mood:
Disney Chief Executive Officer Robert Iger, 59, is on a spending spree at the world’s biggest media company to transform his film studio, amusement parks and stores. In fiscal 2009, net income at Disney fell 25 percent to $3.3 billion -- the worst annual performance in Iger’s five-year reign -- and was almost flat in the first quarter of 2010 compared with a year earlier. ...
... In December, Disney completed its $4.3 billion purchase of Marvel Entertainment Inc., home of Iron Man, Spider-Man and the X-Men, paying a 40 percent premium over the stock price. ... In December, S&P affirmed its earlier revised outlook on Disney’s debt to negative from stable, citing concerns about the company’s recovery, the growth in spending and threats from deep-pocketed rivals...
“Disney is going to be basically doubling what they are spending,” says James Tarkenton, a managing director at Lateef Investment Management ....
Looks to me like the Disney CEO is planning to do whatever it takes to goose Diz Co.'s profit margins. Some big buys and big bets going on just now. Here's hoping they pan out.
Add On: As long as we're on Disney, the Mouse is teaming with the Getty on a worthwhile preservation program.
... The Getty Conservation Institute said Wednesday that it is partnering with a division of Disney to study the deterioration that can occur in plastics -- specifically, the kind used in animation cels.
The study will be conducted as a partnership between the Getty Institute in Brentwood and the Disney Animation Research Library ...
Some of the cels already examined by the Getty show that paint is starting to come away from parts of the plastic, while others show signs of warping and yellowing ...
The Disney Animation Research Library houses an estimated 65 million pieces of animation created over more than 80 years by the Walt Disney Animation Studios. ...
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37 comments:
If Iger's really going to make a Muppet movie, all bets are off.
Good to hear they're discussing future hand drawn films. Hopefully they mean it, and we don't get yet another Snow Queen maneuver.
God... bring back Snow Queen once and for all.. and hurry up... nobody wants a Zombieckis take on the story. I'm not joking.
Once again the words of William Goldman resonate.
"Nobody knows anything."
There you go spilling secrets again Floyd! ;P
Please, revision of Snow Queen.
Snow Queen is boring, and didnt fit Chris Buck. They're letting him do something of HIS choice now, which is about time.
Snow Queen is an excellent story - as written by Hans Christian Anderson. If the Disney scribes managed to make it boring, it's pretty clear who's to blame.
Snow Queen gets such an eager reaction from people - I myself was looking forward to it much more than to PatF. It's really a bummer that it's dead. Screw Iger. I hope he suffers Eisner's fate.
"Screw Iger. I hope he suffers Eisner's fate."
That's why I love this blog - the professionalism, the respect, the love... buncha whiny babies longing for animated nirvana where artists are kings and profits are an after thought...
It's called Show BUSINESS.
As Annie Lebowitz once said, "Movies are not art, if they were they'd not sell Junior Mints in the lobby"
It's called Show BUSINESS.
It's the Golden Rule: Whoever has the gold makes the rules. As long as you work with a studio's money, it's their movie, not yours.
Snowy is an excellent, brilliant tale. It perfectly could be the new Beauty and the Beast.
Trousdale, Wise, Keane: We are waiting for your vision here.
That's why I love this blog - the professionalism, the respect, the love... buncha whiny babies longing for animated nirvana where artists are kings and profits are an after thought...
It's called Show BUSINESS.
As Annie Lebowitz once said, "Movies are not art, if they were they'd not sell Junior Mints in the lobby"
F. you!, and F Leibowitz!, in that order...
God.
B-but what if you like Junior Mints?
F. God!
F. God!
Sounds painful.
If you like Junior Mints then buy them from 7-11 where they're 10x cheaper and sneak them in in your pocket.
Iger had nothing to do with axing Snow Queen. The story wasn't working, it wasn't coming together and Lasseter wasn't going to make it simply to make it.
John's decision. And if you'd seen the reel it would have likely been your decision as well.
"Trousdale, Wise, Keane: We are waiting for your vision here."
Seconded.
"Trousdale, Wise ... We are waiting for your vision here."
You mean like "Atlantis" ?
"Trousdale, Wise ... We are waiting for your vision here."
No, I mean BatB or HoND.
Perhaps the crew of Rapunzel could take over the movie and make it CG.
If the Snow Queen story isn't coming together, maybe Lasseter should try sticking closer to the source material and not eff up the script with cutsie-poo boy-meets-queen crap.
Hey Disney, just follow Pixar's lead and make Bolt 2, Princess and the Frog 2, and Meet the Robinsons 2! Why take a risk on an original film anymore?
"Trousdale, Wise ... We are waiting for your vision here."
I full-heartedly agree with this statement. The Snow Queen is such a beautiful fairy-tale. I'm amazingly disappointed with John's decision to axe it.
In retrospect, maybe having 4 fairy-tale movies in a row may have not been the best idea. Anyway, just wanted to put in my two-cents, even though they are probably worthless.
I know this may not impress anyway, but I made a screenplay for The Snow Queen two years ago. It has the usual Disney elements, let me give you a hint, "love is all-powerful". Basically, The Snow Queen was a woman who was placed under a spell by an enchanted palace of ice. She uses Kay after he gets cursed by the shard of the Troll's Mirror to solve the secret word that will break the spell. That's just how my story went, and there's more elements that I didn't put in cause it seems I'm rambling. I do that most of the time, unfortunately.
Thanks for listening or not, I don't care.
-Aurora
PS: I want to be a screenwriter for Disney someday, like any "whiney" Disney fan. Just want any tips.
Thanks in advance.
"Trousdale, Wise ... We are waiting for your vision here."
whu?..... did you say vision?
"Iger had nothing to do with axing Snow Queen. The story wasn't working"
really?..... please enlighten us all on the story problems?
@person above me... (I know too Twitter)
If you mean did that person meant version, I'm pretty sure he didn't but at the same time that's what he meant. You know toe-ma-to, toe-mo-toe, or in Pixar's case Tow Mater.
no - i know what they meant. i challenge trousdale and wise's label as "visionary" directors.
still waiting to hear about those snow queen story problems!
"still waiting to hear about those snow queen story problems!"
And you'll probably keep waiting. People aren't going to start blabbing too much about what they've seen since it's a small group that has seen this and it could be narrowed down as to who was leaking.
A job is worth more that what you can offer.
Sorry.
Unfortunately, I agree with this. Mainly because it is highly unlikely that Disney would give us any information on a film that was recently shelved.
Truthfully, I cannot see how hard it is to make The Snow Queen into a movie. I mean if they stay close to the source material then yes an animated Snow Queen could easily be done. Then again most likely, writers wanted to make the story similar to The Little Mermaid. If so then yeah good luck.
And as for the Trousdale and Wise comment. I think people respect their vision because they made amazingly deep and complex Disney movies. Beauty and the Beast and Hunchback of Notre Damn are very moving films.
I know now I sound obnoxious and you will probably agree. Forgive me for my future blamed idiocy. I understand everyone's working hard because Tangled's short production schedule and apparent lay offs at Disney. But I really wanted JL to keep his promise of 2D every two years.
I mean take that Aurora girl's example her's sounds interesting, may be to Beauty and the Beast though. Other than that may be something similar I don't know. Just want something else than Joe Jump, which doesn't sound all that interesting.
P.S.
Proposed cast list for The Snow Queen.
Gerda - Anne Hathaway
The Snow Queen - Glenn Close(speaking)/Sarah Brightman(singing)
Grandmother - Angela Lansbury
Mrs. Potts cannot voice another Disney character. I refuse.
Snow Queen isnt being made because its a girl fairy tale. John and Ed acknowledge that audiences are different now than they were in the 90's, and wont make girl fairy tales anymore.
It sucks, but thats why. I never saw the reels, but I know it wasnt that far into development. I dont know if it was any good or not. What I DO know is that its good to see Chris Buck getting to do a project of his choice
"Snow Queen isnt being made because its a girl fairy tale. John and Ed acknowledge that audiences are different now than they were in the 90's, and wont make girl fairy tales anymore"
If this is true than they are not the sahrpest knives in the drawer since everyone else had come to the same conclusion years before.
When they were children did they need to touch the fire themselves to know it weas a bad idea even though their friend got burned minutes before?
Or is it hubris that they thought they could prove everyone wrong?
Sarah Brightman can't sing. She sounds like she's got severe cold, and her notes are flat.
That said, I hope they've canned Snow Queen. Disney has got to stop looking BACKWARDS, and start creating new and ORIGINAL stories.
Please someone help me, I need confirmation.
Is The Snow Queen no longer in production or not?
I ask this because a stranger keeps e-mailing me, he claims to be a former animator at Disney. He says that The Snow Queen is being reconsidered by the higher-ups. This is because of The Princess and the Frog's gross revenue, and there will not be a definite decision until they see Tangled's box office performance.
Please tell me it's shelved so I can tell this guy to get a life. I know harsh but he really creeped me out with this e-mail.
-Aurora
PS: It's not my personal e-mail just business. But it is kind of creepy.
There's a lot of creepies out there, so be careful.
To answer your question, as of now, Snow Queen is off of the release schedule. But all movies that are in development at Disney that are "shelved" always have a chance of being put back in production. Toy Story 3 was shelved at one point too.
But as of now, it isnt being made. No one is working on it.
That is creepy, what did he say to you exactly?
P.S.
If you look at the new traditionally animated Disney films you'll see a similarity to the Renaissance movies.
Who Framed Roger Rabbit - Enchanted
The Little Mermaid - The Princess and the Frog
Beauty and the Beast - The Snow Queen
Aladdin - Ramayana
Looks like Lasseter tried to recreate it or something, wierd.
Disney some times make unexceptionable things some people said toy story 3 is shelved but it came out finally and it was great not like 1,2 but still good movie
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