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Home > Blogs > Sir Critic on Cinema > Archives > 2006 > August > 03 > Entry
Disney: Back to the drawing board
Once upon a time, I ran across a bit of movie news which hasn’t gotten much attention but is the most welcome news I’ve heard all year:
Disney is getting back to where it once belonged with 2D, hand-drawn animation.
John Musker and Ron Clements, who led the Disney renaissance of the late 80s/early 90s with The Little Mermaid and Aladdin, are poised to start another renaissance with The Frog Princess, a female spin on the familiar fairy tale.
No release date is set, but Musker and Clements are said to be in the storyboarding stage, with the blessing and guidance of Pixar honchos/geniuses John Lasseter and Ed Catmull.
When the news broke last year that Disney was to buy Pixar, many people groaned, fearing that Disney, which had been in a decline, would “ruin” Pixar. What those people did not understand is that it’s Pixar that’s in charge of Disney Animation, not the other way around. Pixar, of course, continues to make its own films while Lasseter, the creative chief, is helping to oversee Disney’s animated movies.
I had hoped that Pixar would revive hand-drawn animation at Disney, which had given up on the process after its movies had been foundering at the box office. They, and many other people throughout Hollywood, wrongly assumed that moviegoers were weary of two-dimensional animation, when in fact, it was two-dimensional stories that were turning audiences away.
Some might say the bloom is off the rose of CG animation too, and that is true in the sense that computer animation itself is no longer a selling point. Witness the disappointing performance of The Ant Bully. Again, however, it would be wrong to blame the diminishing returns on the animation technique. I would love for 2D and 3D animation to co-exist, just like they did in the mid-to-late 90s.
Contrary to popular belief, Disney’s decline didn’t truly kick in after The Lion King, it kicked in after Tarzan. With the exception of Lilo & Stitch, no Disney 2D film after Tarzan made $100 million, which Disney movies used to routinely hit.
I am anxious for Pixar and Disney to reveal the mantra “2D is dead” as the great lie that it is. I love computer animation too, but 2D animation has a painterly, lush quality that even the best CGI cannot duplicate.
Hopefully, Disney, Pixar and its audiences will live happily ever after. Would you (or your kids) like to see hand-drawn animation again? Did you not see a movie because it was hand-drawn? Are there too many CG animated movies? Tell me what you think.
Permalink | Comments (4) | Categories: Coming Attractions
Comments
By Allie D.
August 13, 2006 1:40 PM | Link to this
I think that kids will see a good movie, period. It doesn’t matter the medium to them- 2D hand drawn, CGI, black and white, color- whatever. If it captures their imaginations they will like it. Looking at the success of Curious George should be an indicator of this. My kids were absolutely enchanted with this film. As was I, actually. And the animation doesn’t get much simpler than that. And I agree on Tarzan being the last great Disney movie. I loved that movie.By Hillary
August 3, 2006 7:16 PM | Link to this
I miss movies like that. My favorites are The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast. I tolerate the new stuff but it just isn’t what it should be.By SRCputt
August 3, 2006 4:33 PM | Link to this
If John Lasseter is in charge, and Musker and Clements are directing, I don’t care if it is 2D, 3D, stop motion, claymation, or stick figure. I’m there regardless. Those guys understand story and character, which is the key to a great animated movie.By Kei
August 3, 2006 2:39 PM | Link to this
Wow, I hadn’t even heard that Disney/Pixar would be releasing another 2D movie. I’m so happy! I’ve always loved hand animated stuff, because you know real quality work goes into it (just look at the behind the scenes stuff for Sleeping Beauty; that’s an insane amount of detail there). But I’ve always every single one of Disney’s hand-animated movies, so I’m really glad to hear they’re making a comeback. :)