Disney's Don Hall talks about some of the creative choices made in the studio's most recent hand-drawn feature.
... The idea, however, was always to return [Winnie the] Pooh to his roots. The research trip we took to the real Hundred Acre Wood in East Sussex, England, was absolutely essential. The watercolor look of Pooh was already established, but we didn't want to just reuse old backgrounds. The result of that experience was a richer, more beautiful look than before because it was based on the real place. ...
As a veteran staffer explained to me while the WtP feature was being made:
"The marketing people told us that DVDs of all the television-based Winnie the Pooh material wasn't selling, but the old theatrical featurettes were. So the studio wanted a new theatrical feature ..."
Although the latest Pooh installment didn't burn up the world box office, it goosed toy sales and will no doubt do solidly in the DVD marketplace. Added to which, the production budget was in the $35 million range, so the studio wasn't putting a lot of money at risk.
Nevertheless, I don't think Disney will be doing hand-drawn features with the classical look of painted cels and painted backgrounds in the near future. Everything I've seen indicates that hand-drawn animation will be going in a different visual direction.
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I can't believe even on a low budget film that has an the look already established they still managed to sneak in one of those phoney junkets. Must be nice to work at Disney....roflmao.
Do they realize that all the original designers of the Pooh films never felt the need to leave Burbank before drawing what they ended up copying for their film.....
I'm intrigued.
What HAVE you seen about Disney's new visual direction? What hand drawn films are in the pipelines? When will these films be released?
(And I'm the only one who cares?)
I spoke with Andrew Stanton while he was prepping his new film, "John Carter." I was hoping to arrange one of those Disney junkets to the planet, Mars. Unfortunately, they said it might be too expensive.
But I bet you they crunched the numbers for awhile before they decided not to do it.
After spending over $300 million on that Mars film, I doubt they have anything left over for a junket.
What a shame they didn't spend more of that money on story.
I'd say hiring Michael Chabon is probably money well spent on story.
I doubt that, seeing as he's only one of 3 "writers" listed on the project. Disney's dumping this on the market in early March. Almost as if they've written it off already. Stockholders will not be pleased.
- Re: Winnie the Pooh
One obvious downside to fewer 2D hand-drawn features is that the talent pool increasingly trains within television. This was plainly evident in the recent Pooh feature.
- Re: junkets
The budget on Disney's Baby was astronomical for its time, partly due to the producer, Janet Healy, taking the crew to Hawaii for reshoots. Not just the 1st or 2nd unit live-action crew, ... the whole crew!
Not to mention that tricked-out high-tech Circle7 building (and adjacent buildings on Paula) sitting vacant and empty until the ill-fated TS3 (version1.0) tried to live there.
-Re: John Carter
The trailer just leaves me completely uninterested. It has nothing whatsoever to do with Avatar fatigue. The spoken delivery by "John Carter" is wooden yet oh-so-hipster-chic. (Maybe that's why it's wooden?) At this stage of production, you can't blame early-takes for the trailer content (replaced in the actual film with more complete, later shot versions.) I had enough of super-sleek space ships and desert arenas with George Lucas's last fiascos. Should have stayed with Pixar, Andrew, ... should have stayed with Pixar...
There's a whole lot more involved than art when an animation director makes the move to live-action. There's a big difference in the size of the pay check.
I don't blame Brad or Andrew one bit. There's little respect in animation and lot less money for sure.
I saw the Pooh movie via Amazon on Demand. The animation varied widely in quality and characterization, and the story was frankly lame. Glad I didn't pay movie-theater prices to see it.
Wouldn`t Pooh do better if it were produced in stereo 3D? The technology was available, why not give it a try?People go to the theaters to experience something they haven't seen before. Its a shame Disney is not producing any new traditional 2D movies in stereo 3D.
"There's little respect in animation"
You should know.
Regarding junkets: In the late sixties, the Christmas card designer Ralph Hulett (who also worked in the Disney background department) offered to go to Paris to do visual research for "The Aristocats."
He told management he would fly to France on his own dime, pay his own expenses, and do a lot of color studies for the picture.
All he asked was that the studio keep him on salary when he went there.
The studio said "No." (This was the middle sixties.)
No please do not make a hand drawn film in 3d just dont do it. Any film in the pipeline currently at Disney could easily be made as a 2d film. Simply put they dont want to make one. Snow Queen was suppose to be the next 2d film but that got canned and once most of the 2d crowd left the building surprise "Snow Queen" was on as a 3d movie. Disney is in love still with pursuing 3d and now that "Tangled" was a success they are going full steam ahead with that. People stop looking at Disney as the ones who will bring back 2d, I dont see it happening. Some other studio will be doing it and it will be because a great story will be told using 2d. Carter of Mars actually looks to be interesting and I think may do well. Stanton knows how to direct so I say give him a chance. As far as there in no money in directing animated films, I dont believe that. You direct a profitable animated movie and the money definitely rolls in. I think Brad Bird and Andrew Stanton have done quite well from animation oh and that Lasseter hasnt done too shabby either.
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