Circle 7 Animation

[orestes.]

Look at this news I saw on Yahoo!

Disney Building a Unit to Make Pixar Sequel Movies

Tue Feb 1, 4:54 PM ET


By Peter Henderson

ORLANDO, Fla. (Reuters) - The Walt Disney Co. is building a new animation unit to create feature film sequels to the hits it made with Pixar Animation Studios, starting with a "Toy Story 3" feature film due by 2008, studio Chairman Dick Cook told Reuters on Tuesday.

Fans have wondered for years whether Disney would make the next "Toy Story" as a straight-to-DVD project, like follow-ups to Disney hits such as "Lion King."

But Cook said it would be a theatrical release.

Disney has the right to make sequels to films from the Pixar relationship, with which Pixar could cooperate or not.

Pixar has not shown interest thus far, but Disney is moving ahead with plans of its own.

Disney's "Toy Story" sequel will be built at a new division in Glendale, California, near the feature animation division's headquarters in Burbank, Cook said.

"It would be another unit," he said, adding that Disney was still deciding how many animators it would hire.

"They'll have individual projects in there, using the same technology and the same infrastructure that we have at the main location in feature animation, and it will primarily be doing sequels to Disney/Pixar films," he said.

Speaking to Wall Street analysts who were meeting with company executives at Walt Disney World, Cook said that feature animation planned to produce one major film each year, for release around summer or winter holidays.

Cook said the Pixar sequel planned for 2008 would not be the main Disney animated feature for that year.

Disney, best known for its hand-drawn style films, also showed analysts previews of "Chicken Little," it's first computer-animated feature.

Disney's feature animation division has been under fire in recent years as Disney cut jobs and restructured, turning to computer animation in the shadow of Pixar. The two studios will part ways after one more jointly produced film, "Cars."

"We're not falling on our swords anymore," Cook told analysts. "This is a new beginning for feature animation."

One investor gave Disney credit for putting feature animation back on its feet with "Chicken Little" and other original work that was previewed at the meeting.

"Not everything is going to be wonderful, but my guess is this will be a credible departure from dependence on the Pixar situation," media investor Hal Vogel told Reuters at the conference.







meh........

[Ciaobelli]

Is it that hard to understand that ORIGINALITY is what made Pixar so succesful??

[PixarFan]

They're creating an entire new devision just for Pixar sequels?? Just how many sequels are they planning on making? I don't know how much money Finding Nemo 7 will make...

[Sunset Girl]

They're creating an entire new devision just for Pixar sequels?? Just how many sequels are they planning on making? I don't know how much money Finding Nemo 7 will make...

Perhaps as much as the latest "Land Before Time" sequel?

I'm rather disturbed that they're gonna have a division just for Pixar sequels. . . this reveals where their creativity and priorities lie, doesn't it?

[Key]

It's like they just don't see what makes Pixar stuff so wonderful (although the fans seem to see it clear as day). Has all semblance of originality and inspiration been sucked dry from Disney now?

Well, I wish them the best of luck, as they'll probably need it.

[Jens]

I have mixed feelings about this. On one hand I think it's good that they're at least not cramming these Pixar movie sequels in the DisneyToon Studios or in the Feature Animation department (both studios are already having a lot of projects running). On the other hand... I'm not sure Disney could have the same magic as Pixar has. Pixar has proven to have a special touch to all their movies. I don't think Disney will be able to resemble that, but I'll give them the benefit of the doubt. Let's hope this turns out good!

"Not everything is going to be wonderful, but my guess is this will be a credible departure from dependence on the Pixar situation," media investor Hal Vogel told Reuters at the conference.

I really agree with this... Right now Disney is depending too much on Pixar. They should start to create good feature movies themself!

[Luke]

I hope that the public at large isn't going to be "fooled" by these Disney sequels of Pixar films. If they can capture Pixar's magic on their own, then that'd be great. But if they're able to capture Pixar's magic on their own, how come the past ten years have given us six great Pixar films and however many (less) great Disney ones (out of more tries)? Like Ciaobelli said, Pixar wins us over with their originality and are constantly pushing the artform. A department designed to crank out sequels to Pixar films? There doesn't seem to be anything original about that.

[Disney-Fan]

Truth be told, I couldn't care less. Disney will soon find out that it's the story that makes the film successful, not the style of animation or the movie before it. They could stick the Toy Story name on every movie, but it still won't create instant blockbusters...

I've said it once and I'll say it again, I don't care for CGI and latest technology! Bring back traditional animation!!!!

[disneywb]

Well, you've gotta admit that it's original in that they've never made a whole department to work just on Pixar sequels!
I'm not sure why they couldn't just update the animation studio in Orlando; it would help MGM out a lot and save money by retaining the building.

[orestes.]

I'm hoping that their Pixar copycat films don't quite do as well so they realize that they should stick to things more original like Chicken Little. I really can't see these falling flat though and if they aren't theatre quality thy'll go to video.

I'm just not too happy. I always thought Toy story could go for a third one if it was done right but I really dread the announcement of Finding Nemo 2 and The Incredibles 2. That movie could work with a sequel but in Pixar's hands and not Disneys.

I hate saying it they are in it for the money and I don't think it's completely true. It's a business, they need to make money but too bad they couldn't do that with more originality even if it's riskier. That's why we see sequels, it's familiar and if the first one did well then the sequel is likely to do pretty good. I like some sequels but Disney is getting carried away.

Ah this rant has been done by many others before including myself. I just hope this unit becomes an arthouse instead of a factory.

[reyquila]

They're creating an entire new devision just for Pixar sequels?? Just how many sequels are they planning on making? I don't know how much money Finding Nemo 7 will make...

It'll make enough.

[RJKD23]

bleh bleh bleh.
just wishing disney ALL the luck.

[Key]

always thought Toy story could go for a third one if it was done right but I really dread the announcement of Finding Nemo 2 and The Incredibles 2.

I wouldn't be surprised if they did announce Finding Nemo 2 (which they probably will sometime in the near future). Damn that adorable ickle clown fish and his money-making prowess.

[Ciaobelli]

It sounds to me like a very juvenile prank from Disney to get back at Pixar for leaving, or maybe they want to prove that they can do better?
Seriously though, how old are the chiefs at Disney? This sounds like an April fools kinda thing.

[Joshua Clinard]

This is terrible news. The current Disney staff, and I'm talking micro-managers like Eisner and Cook, couldn't make a movie with a good story if their lives depended on it. That's why all the Pixar movies are so successful, and I hope thier first attempt bombs, so they soon put a stop to it. Actually, I hope that the new CEO will cancel it before it's released, and then re-negotiate a contract with Pixar.

[zack626]

It's a business, they need to make money but too bad they couldn't do that with more originality even if it's riskier. That's why we see sequels, it's familiar and if the first one did well then the sequel is likely to do pretty good. I like some sequels but Disney is getting carried away.

i agree... i think that Disney should stop making dtv sequels and instead make original films..like Lilo & Stitch --> this movie has nothing in common with Disney classics

[Evil Genie Jafar]

It's a business, they need to make money but too bad they couldn't do that with more originality even if it's riskier. That's why we see sequels, it's familiar and if the first one did well then the sequel is likely to do pretty good. I like some sequels but Disney is getting carried away.

i agree... i think that Disney should stop making dtv sequels and instead make original films..like Lilo & Stitch --> this movie has nothing in common with Disney classics

And even if they can't have an original idea, there are TONS, TONS of stories around the globe that can be made. We're talking about novel/epic stories to simple ones they can pull off (The Little Mermaid/ 4 page story brings back memories? )


Worse yet is the fact that Disney hasn't let people take a rest of the sequels. From a time now people have been stuffed with non stop sequels, trilogies... If Disney keeps going this way we'll see fourth movies.

[orestes.]

I'm hoping we'll see some more original stuff like Abadazad from Disney. They recently bought a comic book company that was going under and it has some great stories although most would be for the teen crowd and up.

Turn Abadazad and Meridian into movies! Although Meridian was in the works to become an animated feature from Cornerstone animation. I don't know how the status of that project is now.

Anyways some movies might work well with sequels but others not. It would be nice if they came up with more original ideas, revived traditional animation for classic typed movies and make a comeback of animated shorts traditional and non-traditional animation but there's probably not enough money in all of that.

[TM2-Megatron]

Truth be told, I couldn't care less. Disney will soon find out that it's the story that makes the film successful, not the style of animation or the movie before it.

The problem is that Disney should really know this already; especially considering the almost 70 years they've been producing animated theatrical features.

[Jack]

I've already commented on how I feel about Disney doing Pixar sequels, so I'll just comment on how I feel about the sequels themselves.

The only Pixar films that I could see having credible sequels are Toy Story & The Incredibles. The characters and plots of those movies lend themselves to continuation.

But when it comes to a movie like Finding Nemo, or A Bug's Life, a sequel just seems so forced. That was one of those movies that felt completely self contained - it told the story it wanted to tell, and there's really nothing else to it. Any sequel they think up would seem contrived. It's like doing a sequel to something like Casablanca.