Disney Returns to its Roots: Classics!

[Naph]

The new movie from Disney is nearly upon us, and to those who haven't heard of it, it is the classic fairytale of the Princess and the Frog.

The trailer is here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h6DmEgtibOg

But from what I've seen in Disney homemovie collection is that they've gone CGI dominant. And no doubt their depressing movies that features real animals with mouth flaps. However the movies themselves don't rate that badly when it comes to Boxoffice, but in my appeal, they have really lost their touch that I felt when I was a child.

But the whole point is that Disney actually scraped together the remnants of their traditional animating studio. They've expected this film to flunk because they think people have no love for the animation ever since their last film Treasure Island. In my eyes, and in many others, that film was a terrible attempt and the director wasn't one of the best.

The best thing you could do is see this movie when it comes out. The sales will probably push Disney to realizing that their roots aren't lost yet. Take a friend or whatever, just see this movie! I am wishful thinking, but its a step to take, even if it's small.

 

[dfc05]

I noticed the preview for this film (it played before Up, I think). While I do like that it has traditional animation, I'm not so interested in the storyline. It seems a little sillier compared to classic Disney films (Beauty and the Beast, Fox and the Hound, etc.). Not that the old films didn't have silly/humorous elements to them, but it was typically just with side characters. Maybe if they showed more in the trailer besides "the girl turns into a frog" plus flashes of random scenes, I might be more inclined to see it. Right now it just looks like the storyline/interaction between the main characters is dominated by jokes/comedy which I feel has been a little overdone lately. However, some of the critic's reviews are pretty favorable, so maybe it's a decent film.

Disney also has Rapunzel coming out next year which is CGI done to look like a 2d oil painting style, which seems interesting. Some of the pictures look a lot like the art style in the Braid videogame:

According to Wikipedia, "the original version was that a girl got pulled from the modern world and replaced Rapunzel, and Rapunzel got turned into a squirrel. But we’re on a clearer, more classic fairy-tale sort of track right now with Dean Wellins as co-director; he was one of the story guys on Iron Giant and a Disney animator for a long time." This seems promising, but looking further into it:

"This Rapunzel takes care of herself and goes on a swashbuckling adventure with a bandit named Flynn. 'There's a lot of girl power in this movie,' Lasseter said."

"Her hair is a tool and a weapon. Computer artists have given Rapunzel 70 feet of fully articulated hair that she can use as a lasso, as a whip like Indiana Jones, and in more surprising innovations, Lasseter promised."

ARGH, why??

 

[Naph]

I don't have any favour for the film, I'm just interested in the continuation of the art style. Sure CGI had great movies, it also had terrible ones. Since this is probably the only animation movie that they've released in a time span of over 15 years, there would bound to be good ones later on in the track. Regarding that they get it through their heads that people would like to see more of the traditional genre.

Who knows, we might be able to witness some great new stylistic achievements such as Lion King. I'm a sucker for Disney's anthropomorphic facial expression and personification.

 

[Remus]

I don't have any favour for the film, I'm just interested in the continuation of the art style.

Same here. It's good to see they are giving the old Disney art style another shot.

 

[kupocake]

And no doubt their depressing movies that features real animals with mouth flaps.

Part of the Disney problem is that it's even possible to confuse stuff like Beverley Hills Chihuahua as having anything to do with Walt Disney Feature Animation, and that's why it makes so much sense that said division is moving back to making 2D animated films. Once they jumped ship from 2D with Home on the Range (it's even been suggested that HotR was intentionally made to be a flop to push the studio to making 3D), Disney Animation lost any sense of brand identity and became ever more interchangeable with Pixar, almost indiscernible behind the clamour of Dreamworks and even Fox's animation studio. It's probably no coincidence that Studio Ghibli (and perhaps anime in general), after years of hiding across the border, suddenly got extremely popular about the time that Disney wasn't. How many times was Miyazaki called 'the Japanese Walt Disney'?

2D isn't just what they should be doing, but what they probably have to do in an ultra-competitive marketplace. Dreamworks is churning out crap at ever higher rates, but it's still successful crap, and even Pixar plan to match that output with more (Sequels :/). Princess and the Frog is hopefully a Little Mermaid style poke back into the arena and just like Mermaid, it probably won't be perfect, but I'm pretty confident it will at least be memorable and I really can't wait to see it.

But where the **** is the UK release date? If they pull another Up on us...

 

[Darkside55]

They've expected this film to flunk because they think people have no love for the animation ever since their last film Treasure Island. In my eyes, and in many others, that film was a terrible attempt

Treasure Planet

terrible

Anyway...

ARE YOU READY?

ARE YOU REAAAAAAAAAAAAAADY?!

 

[PorkPi]

I might want to see it for jazz and witchdoctors.

 

[AtomicSpark]

Towards the end, the witch doctor reminds me of Professor Screweyes from We're Back! A Dinosaur's Story.

 

[Sheepo]

If I recall, Treasure Planet was made of 100% awesome. I'm really not a big fan of traditional disney movies though.

 

[Viperidae]

2D isn't just what they should be doing, but what they probably have to do in an ultra-competitive marketplace... and even Pixar plan to match that output with more (Sequels :/).

Except, Pixar owns Disney. So...

 

[Vegeta897]

Other way around... FOOL

That'd be like if Wendy's owned McDonald's...

 

[Yorick]

Other way around... FOOL

That'd be like if Wendy's owned McDonald's...

What a terrible analogy.

 

[Vegeta897]

I'm sorry, I couldn't think of anything.

How about, if Numark owned Roland.

 

[Viperidae]

(as close to trollface as he comes)

John Alan Lasseter (born January 12, 1957) is an Academy Award-winning American animator, director and the chief creative officer at Pixar and Walt Disney Animation Studios. He is also currently the Principal Creative Advisor for Walt Disney Imagineering.

[Before working for Disney] Lasseter oversaw all of Pixar's films and associated projects as executive producer. He also personally directed Toy Story, A Bug's Life, Toy Story 2, and Cars.

Translation: he makes all the production decisions and oversees all the projects, and is THE man behind Pixar.

Who owns who again?

 

[Vegeta897]

Okay but saying that one company owns another is saying something completely different than what you just said now.

 

[Viperidae]

From a company perspective, Pixar is funding Disney. Thus they practically own them.

 

[Shamrock]

Towards the end, the witch doctor reminds me of Professor Screweyes from We're Back! A Dinosaur's Story.

Oh my god. That movie is brilliant. You are making me want to download it right this instant and watch it.... instantaneously.

 

[Vegeta897]

From a company perspective, Pixar is funding Disney. Thus they practically own them.

Should have said "Pixar is in charge of Disney, as far as movies go"

Disney is not just movies. Pixar may have control over the movie aspect and funding of the movies, but Disney is much more than that. Like if Numark started making turntables for Roland, and was completely in charge of the turntable division at Roland, you wouldn't say Numark owns Roland or that Numark is in charge of Roland.

 

[Viperidae]

Yes, concede that specifying that we're talking about movies would have helped [in the movie forum o lawd].

 

[Vegeta897]

I thought we were in the L4D2 forum.

 

[Tollbooth Willie]

I'll go see this simply for Keith David voicing the voodoo doctor alone.

 

[Naph]

Whatever, I've managed to block out most of the experience; and its name it would appear.

 

[kupocake]

Fifth of ****ing February.

It'll probably put the choke on Ponyo's general release when that hits on the 12th too. Some bitches need to be taught some respect, preferably by having their testicles slammed several times with the door of the Disney vault.