... Disney’s Prep & Landing cartoons have hung around, becoming the rare 21st-century Christmas specials that have spawned sequels and ancillary merchandise, while remaining popular enough to merit an annual network rebroadcast. (This year’s is happening tonight on Thursday December 17, on ABC.)
A cynic could say that P&L has benefited from multiple not-so-great trends in the television business, from synergistic corporate partnerships—like the one between Disney and ABC—to the explosion of channels needing any kind of holiday programming to draw a few extra eyeballs. ...
I remember these being made in the Hat Building on Riverside.
I got a gander at the first one, and thought it was a clever half-hour with an interesting conceit: elves going on ahead of Santa to get rooftops, chimneys and living rooms ready for the big man's nighttime Christmas visit, in much the same way the 101st airborne dropped into Normandy and got it ready for the amphibious invasion coming across from Britain in June, 1944.
At the time it was made, I recall there were plans for a sequel and then a third half-hour, forming a "Santa and the Elves" trilogy. The second installment was made, also a short. But a third featurette has yet to be made. I remarked to one animator: "Hey, you do three, you can cut them together and haver yourselves a feature!"
But it has yet to happen.
Posts
1 comments:
"A cynic could say that P&L has benefited from multiple not-so-great trends in the television business, from synergistic corporate partnerships—like the one between Disney and ABC—to the explosion of channels needing any kind of holiday programming to draw a few extra eyeballs..."
That's not "cynical,". It's just a statement of fact. It's not particularly well written or directed, and the designs--especially the characters--are as bland and personality free as they come.
Post a Comment