OMG!! The band's getting back together!

[botias]

There's going to be a new Disney animated feature. 2-D animated feature. *jaw drops* Now, I know you guys all knew that Disney decided to outsource joining the digital revolution by buying their most spectacularly successful competitor. Makes a lot more sense. While Disney was working their usual craft, Pixar was perfecting theirs. There's no way for Disney to play catch up though they tried with dismal results. And I'm sure I'm the very last one to know that they have a 2-D feature scheduled for release on December 11, The Princess and the Frog, and Rapunzel for holidays 2010.

I was so sad when they gave up on 2-D animation. Every time I watched a Miyazaki film I would think, 'See! It doesn't have to have be 3-D to be awesome. Why can't Disney see that?' I won't frighten you with how many times I dragged a long-suffering A to see The Lion King in the theater, or the torments visited on him by the fact that I was working for a theater during the theatrical runs of Beauty and the Beast and Aladdin and could go see them as often as I liked for free. As I write this, the ending credits of Mulan are rolling in another window. So to discover that this break in production is more of a sulk at not being top dog for awhile than the end of an era... Well, that's just neat!

Comments

[silverusagi]

The Lion King in the theater, or the torments visited on him by the fact that I was working for a theater during the theatrical runs of Beauty and the Beast and Aladdin and could go see them as often as I liked for free. As I write this, the ending credits of Mulan

Yes, all their old movies were so good. Then they just...quit or something. After Mulan, there was Atlantis (which I liked), Hercules (which I didn't like), and some other 2-D one that I can't remember. But after that, it was all 3-D Pixar projects, really. Not that those aren't good, but I don't see why they couldn't do both.

[botias.livejournal.com]

I agree. Hercules has grown on me, but I was disappointed in the theater. Tarzan was visually neat, but I thought the ending and the villain were kinda lame. I don't even want to talk about the cow one. Though I thought The Emperor's New Groove was really funny. It was a favorite at our house for long time. The kids loved it, and I don't understand why it didn't do better. Maybe it's hard to like something so silly if you are expecting The Lion King. I think Disney suffered from overly high expectations, both their own and other people's. Plus people like novelty. I hope their absence makes the heart grow fonder, and their film does well.

[silverusagi]

Ah, yes, Tarzan and The Emperor's New Groove. I liked Tarzan all right. The Emperor's New Groove was different. It was funny, but I didn't like the animation style very well. And yes, we should never speak of the cow one. I don't think I even saw that one. I think The Lion King was really Disney's peak. They did SO well with that one, but they can't expect every movie after that to do was well. I saw The Lion King three times in the theater, and I never see movies more than once.

But after several less-than-well-recieved movies, I guess Disney gave up on 2D for a while. I don't think they realized that the reason they did poorly is not because the movies were 2D and everyone wanted 3D. It's because they just weren't amazing movies. Look at now--everyone does 3D, and some 3D movies are infinitely superior to others. It's not the medium, it's the story.

However, my gripe with Disney is that it keeps looking back to its glory days and trying to cash in on that, making ridiculous straight-to-video sequel movies that have hacked plots, bad animation, beyond simplified stories, and aren't enjoyable to adults to watch at all. And most of their main animated features were enjoyable to adults. Even an adult who didn't like animated movies would be able to sit through one, I think, whereas the stuff they make now I can't sit through, and I like animation. And sequel movies don't have to be bad or poorly done. Rescuers Down Under, anyone?

[brunettepet.livejournal.com]

Every time I watched a Miyazaki film I would think, 'See! It doesn't have to have be 3-D to be awesome. Word! His movies are gorgeous. I haven't seen "Ponyo" yet, have you?

[botias.livejournal.com]

I have seen Ponyo with subtitles. It's the most beautiful thing he's ever done and the animation is spell-binding. That said, it won't be one I will watch over and over. The pacing, or the story, or something, just wasn't enough to make it a favorite for me, but maybe your experience of it will be different.