The Reporter says:
Doug Sweetland, the animator behind last year's Oscar-nominated Pixar short “Presto,” will make his feature debut with Sony Pictures Animation’s “The Familiars.”
Sam Raimi and Josh Donen are exec producing the project, which is based on the just-published children’s book by Adam Jay Epstein and Andrew Jacobson. ...
Hope the move from Emeryville to Culver City isn't jarring.
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35 comments:
Its because he wanted to direct Monsters Inc 2, and it didnt "work out," so he left for greener pastures.
At least thats what I heard.
After the great success Presto was, I would have guessed he was next in line for the director's chair. Oh well. Pixar's loss. Guess he got Pinkava'd.
I guess Pixar is always going to be relying on the main group of Docter, Petersen, Unkrich, Chapman, and then Stanton/Bird/Lasseter when they're in town? Doesn't seem like they're rushing to find their new diamond in the rough or anything.
Probably. If all of them stay. If.
I've read the book The Familiars and frankly, it sucks. My kid bought it then never finished it, and I picked it up off his bedside table and took a look at it. I can see why he lost interest in it. What a contrived attempt to cash in on Harry Potter! Boring characters, uninspired writing, jokes that don't work - the book makes the Guardians of GaHoole look like Lord of the Rings. I can't imagine that an enjoyable animated film could be made of it. Aren't there better books - books that have stood the test of time - to make movies out of out there? How about "A Wrinkle In Time" or Terry Pratchett's Discworld novels? They'd make great animated films. Bad choice, Sony. I have a feeling "The Familiars" is going to be another "Happily N'Ever After"...
Well, often weak books can make great movies. Too often GREAT books are ruined by bad movies. The harry potter books aren't great by any stretch of the imagination, but the movies are just awful.
"The harry potter books aren't great by any stretch of the imagination, but the movies are just awful."
That's an awfully harsh criticism for what can be analytically and objectively broken down into a series of very good movies. They peaked at #3 and #4, but in terms of what makes good cinema and what makes a film valid the Harry Potter franchise has achieved unparalleled consistency.
I'm hardly a fan and I've never read past book #2, but when Stephen King is applauding J.K. Rowling I think you should give the series some credit.
I quote: "[...]Jo Rowling is a terrific writer[...]"
I won't deny the books and some of the movies are popular, but the books are piss poorly written. And all of the movies save the third are worthless, uncinematic messes.
How to Train Your Dragon wasn't exactly the greatest book written, but the movie was excellent... Waaaay better than the book.
I think you put someone like Sweetland on Familiars and he might be able to pull that off.
That leaves Pete Doctor, Lee Unkrich, John Lassiter, and Brenda Chapman as Pixar directors. Brad Bird and Andrew Stanton left to direct live action films. Lee Unkrich comes from live action so I bet he leaves too. With Doug Sweetland gone, and Gary Rydstrom's film Newt cancelled, that doesn't sound like a lot of people to direct a lot of movies.
I'm hardly a fan and I've never read past book #2, but when Stephen King is applauding J.K. Rowling I think you should give the series some credit.
Book 1 and 2 were kids stuff. In my opinion, its book 3 that actually gets the series going, and peaks at Half-Blood Prince. The last book was a decent enough resolution, but nothing like Half-Blood Prince.
@Anon 9:58 pm
Lasseter should not be directing any Pixar movies after Cars 2, I think he only came on board to save it. But he's got an entire animation division to run down in Burbank and they haven't been able to do anything great since the Pixar takeover yet...
So that really only leaves Docter, Chapman, and Unkrich as the only ones with lead-director experience. Bob Petersen has some co-director experience, and Rydstrom could theoretically direct a different movie. Unkrich has said he's got some ideas after Toy Story 3 for Pixar, so live action might not happen for a while.
Still, I think the point is that directing at Pixar seems to be only reserved for an elite membership club. They're going to have to start getting some new blood in there soon though. At some point the "elite" folk will be out of touch and they'll find all the best talent has gone elsewhere.
So who is directing Monster's Inc. 2 now? How in the world did that not "work out?"
They could get David Silverman to direct Monsters Inc 2, considering he co-directed the first one, unless he's busy over at The Simpsons. Ash Brannon would be my other choice, but he seems busy working on The Turkeys (I think that's what it's called).
Peter Sohn or Bob Peterson, maybe?
I agree that J.K. Rowling is a pretty piss-poor writer, that's true. Her books don't hold up when read a second time (you notice more of the writing flaws, the weak attempts at humor, and her uninspired interpretation of magic.) But the Familiars is a worse book, because it blatantly tries to feed off of the popularity of Harry Potter, and because its characters are so contrived. The book, which was bought for the movie before it was even published, has failed to catch fire so far even among our Potter-crazed youth, which IMO is something of a bad omen...
So who is directing Monster's Inc. 2 now? How in the world did that not "work out?"
I'd assume Pete Docter again...?
Never read the Harry Potter books. But I've found the movies very entertaining. The first one holds out after all these years. Frankly, I can't wait for the one coming out in november. However you slice it, the Potter movies are way more entertaining than whatever Dreamworks or Sony will ever do.
"Lee Unkrich comes from live action so I bet he leaves too."
Unkrich has already been on record as saying he's staying put making animated films at Pixar. He's not moving to live-action.
I know the Internet loves to hate, but this criticism towards Harry Potter is absurd. Do you find that much pleasure in detesting what others enjoy just for the sake of it?
In regards to the books, the writing gets better and better with each book. The first two read like children's books, which they were, but past there the writing is as good as any and it was apparently good enough to catch the attention of Stephen King.
And as far as the movies being "uncinematic messes" you clearly know nothing about film. If nothing else the movies deserve a great deal of merit based purely on the cinematography. Especially in 5 and 6. Just because you personally don't like the franchise doesn't mean it isn't any good.
Unless you have no grasp on cinematography, or character development, or story arcs, or emotional weight, or plot structure, or scrutinous casting, then you literally can't have any form of solid argument against the films. They're not flawless works of film masterpiece, by they are damn good movies. Even if YOU don't like them.
The numbers don't lie either. The records it has broken, the audience it reaches, the fan base it has generated, and the respect it has garnered is irrefutable. This isn't Twilight we're talking about.
The people on this website are brutal. Everything is "trash" or "piss poor". I'm all for narrow mindedness, but if you're going to reject something there are ways to do it and still be taken seriously. I didn't like Monsters vs Aliens. It's my least favorite animated movie from Dreamworks. But if somebody asks me why I'm going to make some valid points that aren't subject to my personal bias. And if I'm going to state an opinion like thinking the movie is "garbage", I'm going to emphasize that it's how I feel. Not a universal fact that if somebody else doesn't believe then they can go to Hell.
I'm fairly certain you won't be seeing Ash Brannon directing anything at Pixar in the future.
Losing Sweetland to Sony is probably a big misstep. The guy is a fantastic animator, probably was their best or one of the best, and after Presto, it is clear he has a good handle on story and directing.
Oh well, Pixar's loss. Agreed that they'll need some new directing blood up here.
@Anon 6:27
The reason why disney hasn't been doing anything great is because lasseter wont let the directors direct their own films without his approval over every decision.. ironically becoming what he was fighting against when pixar started under disney..
I heard pixar is becoming the same way.. probably why doug left pixar..
Harry potter comments VS Exiting news at Sony... It's like two parallel Universes just merged in one blog.
To the Potterhead at 1:23...try reading some GOOD books. Or at least some OTHER books. Then maybe you'll have some basis for comparison, and come to the inevitable conclusion that the Potter fad deserves to die.
I gotta say though, that as mediocre as the Potter books are, the Familiars thing sounds worse. A cat and a blue jay and a hop toad battle evil? Feh.
@4:29
I've only read two and a half Potter books. Book 1, half of Book 2, and Book 7. I've read hundreds of books and own a small library of twenty-five leather-bound classics.
I think closing on ten years is a bit long for a "fad" don't you think? I'm not a Potterhead, but I respect the series because I can objectively admit when something is excellent. At some point people's ruthless bashing of all things popular gets pathetic. Give it up.
Harry Potter is a world-wide success both financiallyand criticay with a legacy that will last as long as the other great fantasies like The Lord of the Rings. Now let your warrantless hate go and sink into apathy like a normal person.
Financially and critically*. Sorry, typing on a handheld.
No one here ever said the books and films weren't popular. But that doesn't make them GOOD. I've never read the books, but the movies are uncinematic and seem to be making themselves up as they go along. That undercuts any sense of wonder or magic they might have had. They're boring. And they do not stand up at all in comparison to "The Lord of the Rings," as movies.
And the harry potter films are for small children, obviously. At least the film makers ought to have a greater deal of respect for their intelligence.
Anybody who thinks the movies are for small children obviously hasn't seen the movies past the first two.
You do realize that pretty much every major character is eventually brutally murdered, right? Right down to the pet owl?
Somebody doesn't even have a basic grasp on Harry Potter. By the time we're at movie 6 we have Oscar nominations for Best Cinematography and teenage boys bleeding to death in the bathroom and the most beloved character in the series being cornered and murdered.
Plus in Deathly Hallows we have characters being killed left and right including children. Even the most innocent characters are killed.
Anyone who thinks the Harry Potter series is for children doesn't know anything about the series. The series evolved with its audience. Book/Movie 1 is practically a Christmas special compared how dark the series gets.
Darkness sums up the series pretty well. Why do you think WB wanted Guillermo Del Toro to direct them? Darkness. Darkness and disturbing themes.
@Anon 2:23
Under Lasseter, Disney/Pixar has lost Chris Sanders, Dean Deblois, Ash Brannon, and now Doug Sweetland. It is pretty ironic that the guy who prided himself on being an artist's friend is now causing many artists to turn away for greener pastures.
@9:30
I think what it boils down to is that John Lasseter isn't sure how to be in such a powerful position. Before the buy out he practically ran Pixar, but he did it with his buddies all around him. Now he's kind of on his own and after early success with "fixing" the Circle 7 films he's really just trying to play it safe while staying on the track he knows to work.
That said, as shown in the reformation of American Dog into Bolt, John Lasseter doesn't want to take risks. Not on his own. He knows how to make one type of movie (that is, quality films with lovable characters learning relatable life lessons. Eleven times), but the Platinum track record of the studio he helped found puts a lot of pressure on him.
Can he bring Disney animation as a whole up to "Pixar Quality"? Should he even try to? Should he cross pollinate between all the Disney studios, or create intimate teams dedicated to their own projects? Who can he trust with Pixar's projects now that the founders had dispersed? Who will carry on his legacy?
So fear, or maybe pure anxiety, is causing him to sort of vibrate in place. He doesn't want to take any serious risks like new directors or adventurous projects because if something goes wrong he doesn't have Joe Ranft, Pete Docter, and Andrew Stanton to collaborate with around the clock.
That's just my two cents.
"Anybody who thinks the movies are for small children obviously hasn't seen the movies past the first two."
No...I've seen them all. THey're for small children. Sadly. And they should've killed them off in the first movie so we wouldn't have to suffer the rest of them.
Actually, Astroboy may even be better than those kids movies.
And David Silverman, Jan PInkava, and probably Gary Rydstrom. Who knows.
But each of those artists chose to go their own way.
So Rowling kills off all of her INTERESTING characters, and somehow that's considered good writing?
Actually, it's hack work - shedding blood as a substitute for drama. The latter takes an author of skill to pull off. The former is the formula for every lame slasher film ever made.
Please stop feeding the trolls.
Anon @ October 05, 2010 9:44
Yes, but why not trust Doug Sweetland then, Lasseter? Sweetland has been with Pixar for quite a while now, you'd think he'd trust him (assuming the rumor that something went wrong with Monsters 2 being given to him). Or was that not Lasseter's call?
Well, the original Monsters Inc. had 4 directors over time, so who knows. And Lasseter replaced the director of Cars 2 with himself.
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