Bad News (Possible Disney Sequels)

[2099net]

<<Storyboarded for over 2 years? Doesn't that sound combarable a Feature Animation project to you?>>

Was the piss-poor animation in Cinderella 2, Atlantis 2, Hunchback 2, Aladdin 2 and 3, Pocahontas 2, etc etc etc "combarable" to a Feature Animation project to YOU? I never thought I'd live to see a Disney fan so utterly beholden to the Disney company they would defend anything that came out of the corporate poop chute.

No. I've long had the opinion the DTV productions could be better (even though I defend them in principle). I've especially been critical of Hunchback 2. I'm not so critical of Cinderella II, because I don't consider it a proper sequel - it's three distinct stories which I get the strong impression were intended to be something else (and I've heard rumours about a "Princess Hour" on TV which never arrived). I'm not critical of Atlantis II at all, because it's nothing more than 3 episodes of the aborted TV series with bridging animation, and I think it shows that the TV series would have been one of Disney's best. I don't really mind Aladdin 2, because that's nothing more than what would have been the opening episodes of the tv series, but Aladdin 3 was a "proper" DTV, and should have been much better both visually and script wise.

To some extent, some of the problems Disney are having with some of the DTVs is how they're not making any effort to distinguish between tv animation like Tarzan and Jane (for example) and Animation where they have spent considerable time and money on (such as 101 Dalmatans II, which is well above the normal television standard animation). I don't have any problems with them not being "Feature Animation Quality" because they are and never have been marketed as "Feature Animation Quality" - they are direct-to-video projects and naver pretend to be anything else. And when Disney decide to release what I would call a "proper" DTV project, nobody can deny that the quality is getting better and better (I'll happily accept it can be much better in most cases).

In the same post that I quoted the animator also writes:

I'm hardly a fan of the system of making a sequel to every single title in the Disney catalog, but especially these days it's not as simple as "two camps": one being the brilliant noble feature-only people and the other being the hack dtv or TV slaveys...there's actually a lot more cross-pollination of talent than some might think...

This is how Disney traditional animation is to survive in these lean times. While traditional animation is "mothballed" this is how talent will continue to express themselves and (hopefully) how new animation talent can bloom. When (should?) Disney decide to make handdrawn Feature Animation again, they'll be using talent nurtured or expanded by working on these projects.

Sitting here moaning about them and, more importantly, deciding to comdemn or ignore them without even seeing them helps or solves nothing.

I'd rather read the facts about these films beforehand, see the ones I want to see and make my own mind up.

[Prince Adam]

Had I known this would be so...controversial...I probably wouldn't have posted.

So let's move on. If you don't like the idea of sequels, don't read anymore. But those who do, why don't we brainstorm.

As much as I'm opposed to doing sequels to Walt-era films (do what you want to the others), my mind has been whirling with ideas for these sequels.



Peter Pan III Don't want the title Peter Pan III, how about
Peter Pan's Flight? It could have Jane's daughter, Margaret.

The Little Mermaid III Less "cartoony" than number 2, how about something to do with Melody finding the seashell necklace of Ursula's, which has some sort of evil curse on it?
How about a little brother for Melody? It's unlikely she'd remain an only child forever.
Ooh, they could do something in the vein of "Polar Bear King", in which the new baby is kidnapped, and is raised in the ocean...

Sleeping Beauty II I remember 2099net said something a few months ago about the original fairy tale continued and was very dark and grisly, with evil demon mothers and wicked spells. How about a dark, artistic sequel (no offspring though) in which the path to a "happily-ever-after" is crowded with tribulations?

Cinderella III Cinderella II had great potential, and I'd love to see more of Anastasia, now that she's not an ugly stepsister. And I wouldn't mind seeing Cinderella giving birth to a son-too many characters have daughters (Ariel, Wendy, Simba).

[Joshua Clinard]

We need to get Micheal out of there, and get some new management, so they can stop spending time on these cheapqueals, and instead spend the time making great movies like they used to.

[Joe Carioca]

I don't have any problems with them not being "Feature Animation Quality" because they are and never have been marketed as "Feature Animation Quality" - they are direct-to-video projects and naver pretend to be anything else.

I'm sorry netty, I will have to disagree with you. These days I was watching an old VHS which had several trailers for "The Lion King II". It made the film look like a big deal saying that it was '"The best Disney movie since THE LION KING". By the way, that movie got a better promotional push than a lot of Disney's REAL features, like "The Emperor's New Groove", "Treasure Planet", and even maybe "Mulan".

And you can see that the trailers for "The Lion King 1 1/2" never specify that it is a DTV feature.

By the way, the DTV sequels since "Little Mermaid 2" (one of the worst from the bunch) have the "Walt Disney Pictures" longo in the beginning of the film. That used to be exclusive of Walt Disney Feature Animation's films.

[Maerj]

<<Storyboarded for over 2 years? Doesn't that sound combarable a Feature Animation project to you?>>

Was the piss-poor animation in Cinderella 2, Atlantis 2, Hunchback 2, Aladdin 2 and 3, Pocahontas 2, etc etc etc "combarable" to a Feature Animation project to YOU? I never thought I'd live to see a Disney fan so utterly beholden to the Disney company they would defend anything that came out of the corporate poop chute.

2099net ISN'T one of those people who defend everything they produce! He does feel that even though the sequels have a much lower budget, there are many artists working on them and doing they best they can under the circumstances. So, he isn't into the blanket condemning of the DTV features. Now take it easy!

[Rebel]

As far as sequels to Walt era films... just don't buy them! I don't. Don't buy em or watch em. Again, I agree that there is something that's not right about them.

Sequels to some of the modern films I am more open to, as long as they look okay and make sense with the original story. For example, I am a big fan of Lilo and Stitch the series, the animation isn't bad, it's fun and has the spirit of the first film. As long as it has those qualities, I see no harm in it.

Now as far as the older films go, animation techniques then and now are completely different. You can't fully capture the feel of the older films using modern techniques, at least they haven't done it yet. They should leave those alone and produce new, original DTV movies or ones based off of their animated television shows.

How can you say whether or not they match the technique and feel of the older films if you have never watched any of them?

I agree that many do not, but some of them (ie 101 Dalmations) did a pretty good job.