King of the Elves

blackcauldron85 · Post by **blackcauldron85** » Tue Jan 19, 2010 5:58 am

A Glimpse Into A Future Past Never To Be...
http://blueskydisney.blogspot.com/2010/ ... to-be.html

I think they're cute!

robster16 · Post by **robster16** » Tue Jan 19, 2010 7:51 am

there's a lot more on the website/blog of the designer/animator, Rune Brandt Bennicke ( http://flipbooksnstuff.blogspot.com ). He also elaborates more on the designs:

Some of my work on the now, unfortunately, cancelled King of the Elves.
I was on for about 6 months in 2007 for Story and Visual Development. It was a great project, and until just last week when I found out it was cancelled, I was hoping to get back on when it would go into production.

These are my first drawings of the elves. Although I quite like a couple of them, they were not what the directors had in mind, they were looking for something that would feel more real and believable as a type creature that could actually exist. I think I was stuck on the idea that it was a Disney film, trying to keep them "safe' and cute.

After I was taken off the elves, mostly for myself, I thought I'd try something that was very different and not " Disney " and pretty. they turned out to be the ones of my elves the directors liked the best. I would have loved to have kept working on them.

estefan · Post by **estefan** » Tue Jan 19, 2010 9:41 am

They look like a cross between those Troll dolls and the Na'vi, but I like the design nonetheless.

robster16 · Post by **robster16** » Tue Jan 19, 2010 4:57 pm

I never really cared much for this movie, after the first story synopsis and first concept visual, but after seeing these character designs and the angle they went for with the elves I'm really quite gutted that the project was canceled. I LOVE how these sprites are basically the epitomy of stealth creatures, camouflaged in a way that they can blend in with nature as they are part nature themselves, grass, leaves, little bugs in and around their bodies. It looks so imaginative and unlike any way elves have ever been treated before!

I hope the project gets a restart sometime soon....

Margos · Post by **Margos** » Wed Jan 20, 2010 9:41 am

Seeing these character designs really makes me wish that they were still working on this.... Oh well, they have a lot of other projects in the works that I'm more interested in/excited for. But still.... It would have been nice to see some of those little guys in action!

Kyle · Post by **Kyle** » Wed Jan 20, 2010 4:22 pm

robster16 wrote:I never really cared much for this movie, after the first story synopsis and first concept visual, but after seeing these character designs and the angle they went for with the elves I'm really quite gutted that the project was canceled. I LOVE how these sprites are basically the epitomy of stealth creatures, camouflaged in a way that they can blend in with nature as they are part nature themselves, grass, leaves, little bugs in and around their bodies. It looks so imaginative and unlike any way elves have ever been treated before!

I hope the project gets a restart sometime soon....

Agreed, I had nothing to go on really for the longest time, and to find out they actually liked the non Disney approach makes canceling it even worse. Disney too often falls into trying to live up to its own legacy of safe bland design, to find out they would have liked to branch out (no joke intended here, heh) really makes me wish they'd continue this project.

TinTinV · Post by **TinTinV** » Wed Jan 20, 2010 9:59 pm

<img src="http://www.tintinv.com/Images/Random/KOTE.jpg">

Just a composite I made...and now I'm sad knowing the film's been canned.

blackcauldron85 · Post by **blackcauldron85** » Fri Feb 12, 2010 5:37 am

http://progresscityusa.com/2010/02/10/a ... -on-comin/
(via disneyreport.com)

I’ve had a couple of people tell me that King of the Elves has not actually been completely abandoned, but that it’s still in turnaround for retooling. I know this had been the fact at one point, but other informed sources have said that it’s no longer actively being worked on. If anyone can clarify this, drop me a line.

Babaloo · Post by **Babaloo** » Fri Feb 12, 2010 10:23 am

I've actually read somewhere (don't remember where) that it isn't cancelled either; it just had some problems. It would make sense if they produced this to appeal to the male demographic. It sounds like it could be an interesting story so we'll see. We just need Disney to "man-up" and actually report some of this stuff officially. We have to remember KotE was never officially announced as being "dead"...

Poody · Post by **Poody** » Fri Feb 12, 2010 10:55 am

Wait, so this might be canceled also!?!? WTF?!?!? The artwork looks awesome!

UmbrellaFish · Post by **UmbrellaFish** » Fri Feb 12, 2010 3:16 pm

Poody wrote:Wait, so this might be canceled also!?!? WTF?!?!? The artwork looks awesome!

Yeah, this movie's cancelation has been rumored longer than Snow Queen's. But if it does go back into production, I hope it remains a 2-D production.

Disney's Divinity · Post by **Disney's Divinity** » Fri Feb 12, 2010 6:19 pm

UmbrellaFish wrote:
Yeah, this movie's cancelation has been rumored longer than Snow Queen's. But if it does go back into production, I hope it remains a 2-D production.

Not sure what you meant here, but King of the Elves has been planned as a live-action/3D film since the first time we heard about it.

UmbrellaFish · Post by **UmbrellaFish** » Fri Feb 12, 2010 6:24 pm

Disney's Divinity wrote:
UmbrellaFish wrote:
Yeah, this movie's cancelation has been rumored longer than Snow Queen's. But if it does go back into production, I hope it remains a 2-D production.
Not sure what you meant here, but King of the Elves has been planned as a live-action/3D film since the first time we heard about it.

Really? Darn, and I usually have such a good memory... I'm actually surprised. Must have too much on my mind right now...

Well, it would have been better 2-D anyway.

robster16 · Post by **robster16** » Wed Jul 14, 2010 4:20 am

According to this report dated to july 6th of this year, reposted on animationguildblog's latest post on the happenings of the Disney Studio, "King of the Elves" might be back in production as well. According to that report:

“He’s [Andy Harkness, art director on Prep and Landing, Glago's Guest etc] now deep into King of the Elves, a feature in the works.”

Take this with a grain of salt, but who knows, maybe they'll revive this back from the dead and work out the story problems they innitially had

robster16 · Post by **robster16** » Wed Jul 14, 2010 4:25 am

oh, and then there is this artwork that hasn't been posted here yet for the main human character (clearly modeled after Morgan Freeman if you ask me):

UmbrellaFish · Post by **UmbrellaFish** » Wed Jul 14, 2010 6:27 am

Hmm...?

Maybe it is back in production...?

Neal · Post by **Neal** » Wed Jul 14, 2010 8:42 am

That's definitely Mr. Freeman

The quote came from an interview with The Columbus Dispatch, but it was removed from the article.

Here's a report from Bleeding Cool about the quote.

Here's the article, where the quote is no longer found.

Margos · Post by **Margos** » Wed Jul 14, 2010 10:08 am

Maybe if it is back in production, they should ask Morgan Freeman to do the voice?

disdis · Post by **disdis** » Wed Jul 14, 2010 10:44 am

three things.

I've also read that the original director has been tweaking away at the film to re-pitch it to the suits. I don't think it's been greened to go yet.

That production art is spectacular and if Disney wants a franchise to sell merchandise I think those elves would be spectacular and would fly off the shelves, I know I already want some stuff.

I would love to see this as their 2D film they've just greened to move forward. But I can see them going the 3D route as it's the SAFE route.

Neal · Post by **Neal** » Fri Jul 30, 2010 10:52 am

Now you all know that Disney Animation was going to do a film called "The King of the Elves," based on the Philip K. Dick story. Well, it too was shelved because of story problems. The take that Aaron Blaise & Robert Walker had wasn't going smoothly. Lasseter decided to stop development on it until they had a better take on the project. Well, now they have that better take, and the version that will be going forward is much different thanks to Chris Williams new direction on the project. That's right, Williams is the new director of KOTE, and it is moving forward in development. While it hasn't received approval to go into production, Williams is one of John's "first finds" at WDAS and he likes what he sees in the young animator/director. Since he came aboard, the story flow has become much smoother than the previous try.

Courtesy of Blue Sky Disney

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King of the Elves