Walt Disney Pictures recently released the first official promotional image for its upcoming CG-animated film Bolt. The film, set to be released on November 26th, 2008, emerges from a troubled development process and it appears that new director Chris Williams and team have completely reworked the design of the film since the departure of former director Chris Sanders. This shift has caused something of a ruckus in the animation community, with some Sanders fans incensed at the alteration of his very personal project and others insisting that fans keep the faith with John Lasseter and the Disney “Story Trust”.
I have mixed feelings on the issue, many of which are caused by a general lack of knowledge as to what happened to cause Sanders’ departure. Lasseter has intimated in interviews that Sanders was either unable or unwilling to work within the framework of the Story Trust to resolve story problems with the film. Without knowing specifics of these problems, it’s hard to tell how severe they were or how much stemmed from disagreements in tone. Rumors trickle out that it was thought that the film was “too quirky for its own good” and that Lasseter was not a fan of Sanders’ trademark wackiness.
While I certainly have faith in Lasseter’s story sensibilities, and the notoriously individualistic Brad Bird has shown that it’s possible for vocal directors to work within Pixar’s collaborative style, I am a fan of Sanders’ quirkiness and find his voice and style to be both interesting and valuable. Lilo and Stich was a breath of fresh air for animation fans, and a rare bright spot in a very dark time for Disney watchers. Bolt, formerly titled American Dog, was Sanders’ pet project and brainchild, and it’s upsetting to see a project taken from its creator given Pixar’s aspirations to a “director-driven” system.
For me, the question is not whether the film will be good or not – I too have faith in the new Story Trust and am sure this will be no Chicken Little – or whether Sanders’ departure dooms the film. After all, Lasseter took Jan Pinkava off of Ratatouille and that became a masterpiece; directors were also pulled off of Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King, and Kingdom of the Sun (which became the highly enjoyable though lightweight The Emperor’s New Groove). My question, as I look at the very homogenized design in the publicity still, is whether there’s room for distinctive or unique artistic visions in the framework of Disney Feature Animation.
It’s been awfully quiet around Progress City during the holidays, but I thought I should drop in and wish everyone a Happy New Year. Things have been hectic, of course, and unlike more dedicated bloggers we’ve taken a little break. But the new year means returning to the real world, and that includes blogging. Look for things to pick up around here very soon.
2007 was an interesting year for Disney fans, as we watched the company try to pick itself up from the ashes of the last decade. The last stretch of the Eisner reign took a brutal toll on both theme parks and animation, with such infamous luminaries as Paul Pressler and David Stainton running the creative branches of the company over a cliff and into a seemingly unending morass of mediocrity.
But with new management came new times, and step by step we saw Disney slowly get itself off the ground again. There have still been setbacks (Laugh Floor and the continuing toonification of Tomorrowland) but there have also been halting steps forward (management change at EPCOT and the recognition of fan desire to celebrate that park’s 25th anniversary). 2008 is a real transition year in which the last projects of the old regime overlap with the first projects of the new. Bolt will hit theaters, having been reworked from the ground up by Lasseter’s WDAS story trust. Toy Story Midway Mania will arrive in theme parks, heralding the start of California Adventure’s billion-dollar facelift. Both projects, initiated under Eisner rule, have been fully reworked by Iger’s team and will truly indicate what the future holds for Disney fans.
Here at Progress City HQ we’ll be doing our best to chronicle all this, patting Disney on the back when they get it right and kicking them in the seat of the pants when they don’t. Also, we’ll probably talk about The Apple Dumpling Gang. Just because.
Here’s hoping that everyone out there has started their new year off with a bang; if not, then here’s to the rest of us digging ourselves out of the hole by, say, mid-May or so. There’s nowhere to go from here but up…
Jim Fanning over at Tulgey Wood jogged my memory by posting an article he had written about the old Disney Christmas special “From All Of Us To All Of You”. The special, which first aired on Walt Disney Presents in 1958, featured Jiminy Cricket as Master of Ceremonies as he introduced a series of holiday-themed clips from Disney features and shorts. Newly produced animation linked the shorts and featured Cricket, Tinkerbell, and Mickey Mouse as a very enthusiastic one-man orchestra.
Much like Disney’s Halloween Treat, this program was re-aired regularly for years afterward back in the days when Disney actually tried to air Disney-related programming. Parts of it were re-sourced for a Disney Channel special in the early 1980’s and a later home video release. It was also shown on syndicated re-runs of the Disney anthology program, where it became a staple of my childhood. In fact, all these years later the theme song tends to run through my mind during the holidays. Any chance this might show up on the Disney Channel this year? Nah, I didn’t think so…
Here’s our emcee Jiminy Cricket singing the theme for the special. Happy holidays, everyone!
Two days ago the first of the new Mark VII monorails was delivered to the Disneyland Resort and boy, is she a saucy wench. The first new Disney monorail since the last of the Mark VI’s were delivered to Walt Disney World almost 15 years ago, the new Monorail Red is set to go online in February 2008 according to the L.A. Times. Two other new monorails, blue and orange, will follow in spring and summer.
The new monorail evokes the aesthetics of Bob Gurr’s original designs for Disneyland’s monorail, as seen in the attraction poster on the right. The L.A. Times quoted lead Disney Imagineer Scot Drake as saying the Mark VII design represents a “streamline optimistic vision” of a “fantasy future that never was.” Guess we’ve kinda given up on that future then, eh WDI? Good thing we have no need for sleek and efficient rapid transit today – whew! Silly old people and their silly optimistic views of the future!
Hey, at least they look cool. More pics are up at MiceAge.
It was seventy years ago today, on November 21st, 1937, that Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs premiered at Hollywood’s Carthay Circle Theatre. Many of Hollywood’s royalty were in attendance that evening, but mixed among them were the anonymous and unknown animators who had struggled to create the film. As they watched the audience watch the film unspool, they realized that they had succeeded in achieving what many had claimed was impossible – the creation of a feature-length animated feature that would engage and affect audiences as much as a live action film.
Disney fans probably know all the stories and what was at stake; every ounce of the studio’s resources had been sunk into the film. Walt himself had mortgaged his home; he constantly struggled to find additional funding as the film’s budget skyrocketed from the original $500,000 to a then-astonishing $1,500,000. While not everyone echoed the sentiments of those who referred to the film as “Disney’s folly”, few could probably have anticipated the massive public response that followed Snow White‘s release.
From the Progress City archives comes this collection of 33 tall tales and true from Disney history. Available in paperback, hardback, and ebook formats.
The new monorail evokes the aesthetics of Bob Gurr’s original designs for Disneyland’s monorail, as seen in the attraction poster on the right. The L.A. Times quoted lead Disney Imagineer Scot Drake as saying the Mark VII design represents a “streamline optimistic vision” of a “fantasy future that never was.” Guess we’ve kinda given up on that future then, eh WDI? Good thing we have no need for sleek and efficient rapid transit today – whew! Silly old people and their silly optimistic views of the future!
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