Brenda Chapman Left Pixar

[estefan]

I recall reading that the Pixar Brain Trust thought the story needed a lot more action. Hence their hiring of John Carter's second unit director and co-writer. And I too have a feeling that the bare-bottom gags weren't Chapman's. But unless we see an entire story reel of what Chapman's original vision, I don't think we will know.

That said, I could still see Chapman's touch on Merida's character and her relationship with her mother (which I thought was what made the film so special).

[Sotiris]

There's a very interesting discussion about this over at Cartoon Brew.

[pap64]

I think people are forgetting that Pixar of all people know the importance of telling a great story versus an animator's vision. As harsh as that may seem, let us remember that the very first draft of Toy Story was rejected completely because Disney thought that the characters were highly unlikable and the story too mean spirited, which forced them to re-think their movie and release as the masterpiece it is today.

Had Toy Story been kept like it originally was, the story would have been a failure, and a very expensive failure at that. So I think Pixar is strongly following that belief in all the movies that they make. They may claim to be creator driven, but they seem to know that sometimes a creator's vision isn't always something that is going to work, especially when that vision is going to sold to millions of people around the world and carry not just one but TWO big names. We all know what happened with Cars 2.

Not saying that Pixar should be completely left off the hook if they truly made it hard for Chapman to try and complete the movie as she saw fit. But we are forgetting that when animation directors sell an idea to any major studio (Fox, Disney, Warner Bros, Universal, whatever studio), they aren't 100% in control. Since the film will bear their name, brand and be sold to people, they have to make sure the investment will be worthwhile.

I am sure drama like this happens at Dreamworks, Blue Sky, Illuminations, Industrual Light and Magic, WETA, Laika, Sony Animations Studios, EVERY studio. Just that we don't hear from them often because Pixar is still a massive industry player, so whatever happens there becomes a far bigger event. I mean, when was the last time people cried foul that a director on a Dreamworks film was fired?

[DisneyAnimation88]

I really do sympathise with Brenda Chapman in that she was removed from Brave after creating the story and because it is so personal to her, but I don't see it as that noteworthy of an incident given that, as she says, it happens quite often. Jan Pinkava created the concept for Ratatouille and in production, when Pixar felt the story wasn't working and needed a shake-up, Brad Bird replaced him. The same has happened at WDAS recently with Chris Sanders being removed from American Dog and replaced with Nathan Greno and Byron Howard and the film became Bolt. I don't know about ayone else but I don't think she was replaced because she is a woman. She is correct that there aren't many women in a position of power in animation but that is an issue that stretches right across the film industry. At Pixar, there are women in senior positions, the most notable being Darla K. Anderson who has been at the studio since 1993 and has produced some of their most successful films. Brave's own producer was a woman, Katherine Sarafian. Of course there does need to be more women in executive positions throughout the film industry and hopefully that will happen but it would require an industry-wide change. But I, personally, don't believe that Brenda's removal had anything to do with her gender; the film wasn't working, Brenda tried to fix it and when that failed someone else was brought in to finish the project, the same as what happened on Ratatouille. But that is just my own opinion and if Brenda were to feel that what happened to her was a result of sexism on the part of Pixar then she should take some sort of action against them.

[Sotiris]

I don't know about anyone else but I don't think she was replaced because she is a woman.

I don't think so either but Brenda never said she was replaced because of her gender.

[DisneyAnimation88]

I know she hasn't, just after looking over the internet and reading what some others have said it seems that some are of that opinion. I've seen this quoted a few times to back that point of view up:

To have it taken away and given to someone else, and a man at that, was truly distressing on so many levels.

I think its inevitable that in situations like this, accusations of sexism will get put out there. With that in mind and after reading what some others have said elsewhere, I was just putting my own opinion out there.

[toonaspie]

I think Brenda's vision for the mother-daughter angle would've worked if it was in any film other than Brave. I think the recycled concept of a defiant princess in a Disney film threw a lot of people off.

[Disney's Divinity]

I believe the situation has only been dramatized because Brave is the company’s first film entirely centered on a female protagonist. That was being treated like a huge event, and I think people were turned off that the female writer was fired from a film that put such a huge focus on its female protagonist.

I was just thinking, it would be more interesting if Pixar were to create buddy film, since that’s their staple, using two women for a change. Female friendship is rarely given much lig in media.

[Sotiris]

As some of you seem to already know (ah, the marvel of technology), I’ve started consulting for Lucasfilm Animation. I am not directing. This was a wonderful opportunity to work with someone whom I’ve admired from a distance in the film industry for years: Kathleen Kennedy. I was completely surprised and honored when she asked me to work with her on this particular project – which I am not at liberty to discuss. (Sorry, I know you wanna know, but I just can’t tell ya.) I feel very privileged to have this opportunity, even for a short time.

[...] I do hope to direct again. But I’m taking my time to create or choose the right project—and it feels wonderful to have that sort of flexibility and freedom. Hopefully by the time I’ve identified a project, someone out there will want to help me make it.

Source: http://brenda-chapman.com/blog/animatio ... p-to-next/

[Sotiris]

"Some other people that this has happened to have just disappeared and not done much afterwards," Chapman told The Huffington Post. "But I didn't want to do that. I have a fighting spirit. So I started on other projects pretty much right away. I'm the youngest of five kids, so I’ve learned how to stand up for myself whenever I need to."

Her central advice for fledgling animators is to remember, at all times, that they are working in a business. She says that even though she'd worked in animation for almost 20 years before being named director of "Brave," she still approached the job naively. She assumed that because Pixar liked the idea she'd pitched, she would be granted freedom and security as the head of the project. And at first, she was.

But it takes a long time to make an animated movie. Chapman first drafted the plot and character summaries in "Brave" at the beginning of 2004, a few months after she moved to Pixar from Dreamworks. Between then and 2011, Pixar was acquired by Disney, shaking up leadership at the top of the company. And Chapman said many executives, looking at the same material for years on end, start to get bored and demand changes to keep things fresh for them -- even though the material will be fresh to the audiences who eventually see the movie no matter what.

While Chapman's contract with Pixar precludes her from discussing the exact series of events that led to her departure from "Brave," she implied that executives started demanding story changes that she had no interest in making. When push came to shove, she felt powerless -- which showed her the importance of having an excellent legal team that plans for harsh contingencies when writing a contract for work.

"When you take something of your own someplace else, you have to be really careful," Chapman said. "You try to think of every possible scenario -- what if they like my idea, but don't want me to direct? What if they want to change something essential in the story?"

"Legally, you want to want to figure out how you deal with each of those scenarios, as opposed to just being stuck, which is what happened to me," she continued.

Yet once Chapman got un-stuck with regards to "Brave," she started to move on with her life. She ended up liking the final cut of the movie, which she says ended up almost identical to the version she'd had in mind.

"I saw it a few months before it came out, and I was really pleased that they had gone back to my work," she said. "I had seen a version earlier that had lost a lot of it. That they had done after I left -- and that had frustrated me a lot."

Chapman formally left Pixar this summer and is now working as a consultant on a movie in development at Lucasfilm and on several book projects.

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/2 ... ertainment

[JustOneBite87]

There are a lot of regime changes going on at both Pixar and Disney at large right now and have been at an increasing pace since the death of Roy Disney.

Most people who speak up or stand up for themselves are being let go and many are leaving of their own free will because they feel creatively stifled, especially in the animation departments. Andreas Deja being one of them.

The company has a very "Game of Thrones" type dynamic that has been ongoing for quite some time now. Unfortunately the people who are all about cutting corners, cost, and not caring about customer satisfaction seem to be winning while those that care about the legacy of the studio, emphasizing the old as well as the new, and keeping "Walt" synonymous with Disney are dropping like flies. It's an interesting time at the company to say the least.

Brenda Chapman's story is just one of a growing list of people who you may or may not have heard of. The only difference is that she is speaking out to at least a small degree about her dissatisfaction.

[ajmrowland]

^and Disney's gonna suffer for it, eventually.

[REINIER]

I for one applaud all the efforts she has put into her craft! A very remarkable woman with a deep passion for animation and great storysense.. Much like Chris Sanders.. I do feel she will find a safe haven somewhere else. She has proven to be great and will continue to do so, wherever that may be.. Though I'd rather see her at Dreamworks then at Lucas. I too am bafled by Disney's management as of late.. There's a wind blowing, not a gentle breeze mind you!, but a hurricane! They are cleaning house and are steering towards a new future, not necessarily a bad thing, but lets not forget the people who made this company so great and stop using them as disposable kleenex wipes.

[DisneyFan09]

Brenda Chapman is a class act and I wish her nothing but the best in her new post. I've had nothing but positive experiences with her on Twitter, which is more then I can say for many other Pixar or Disney animators on there.

Really? How come? Are they rude?

[Sotiris]

I left Pixar because I was ready to move on. I had planned on leaving after Brave was finished anyway.

Source: http://www.bigscreenanimation.com/2012/ ... words.html

[DisneyJedi]

I am going to be honest with you all... I don't believe a word Brenda is saying about her being pleased with the story as it stands right now. I swear she seems to be zig zagging between maintaining her public appearances and her passion of the project.

You can't be pleased with the output with comments like this...

"Sometimes women express an idea and are shot down, only to have a man express essentially the same idea and have it broadly embraced. Until there is a sufficient number of women executives in high places, this will continue to happen."

Girl be pissed.

The way I see it is that she IS very heartbroken about what happened to Brave during its production. It was HER story, inspired by HER life. But I too wonder if there is more to the story than what any party is letting out. Could Brenda's passion for her story may have created conflicts with the studio? Could they have seen that Brave wasn't as strong as it could have been under Chapman's direction? Not defending Pixar or anything, but it seems that the Brave issue could have been far deeper than what we know.

The one thing that is certain is that Brenda is more than heartbroken, but is keeping a lot of it inside for the sake of her own public persona and the movie (which is still out there and still making money).

Umm... I think I know the problem. It's a little thing known as sexism.

[ajmrowland]

And you'd think that extreme sexism like the ideas thing would be more noticed after having sitcoms make fun of it.

[Disney's Divinity]

Could Brenda's passion for her story may have created conflicts with the studio? Could they have seen that Brave wasn't as strong as it could have been under Chapman's direction?

I'm sure that's what the studio would say, anyway, if she had complained about it openly. I'm sure, 10-20 years from now, will get the whole dish from her.

[Sotiris]

While the film has stayed largely true to her original script and she is still credited as co-director, she doesn't think she will ever get over the hurt of being sidelined.

She said: “The premiere was a double-edged sword because I had been replaced by Mark during production. During the screening, I was thrilled by the reaction of the audience because one thing I've learned with Scots is that they don’t pretend to like something if they don’t. The response felt very genuine.

But it was really hard to sit in the back of the audience and have Mark present my movie and get all the adulation. That’s not the only reason I wanted to be there but it was hard because one of the things I was very much looking forward to was presenting the film in a country I loved so much. That was the heartbreaking part for me.

It is still very much my film. But I think that is going to hurt always. It was very hard to believe what was happening (when I was replaced) and I never really got a straight answer as to why. It still haunts me today.”

Source: http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/entertainm ... ny-1480955

“It was the first opportunity I had to work on something personal to me. My daughter had taken over my life, as children do, and I was thinking about her and our relationship a lot. I thought that would be a good way to tell a story from a personal perspective. I love old fairytales but I was tired of the whole prince thing and wanted to make one based on mothers and families.

Emma was aware of the film from the very beginning. I’d told her all about it and she knew it was about us. So it was horrible to tell her I had been replaced. She was beside herself. But it’s a good lesson for her that disappointments happen, things that aren't necessarily fair happen and you have to move on.

Yes, the pain can still be there but you don’t give up, you keep going. She helped me get through it and made me realise that, while I was making the film so much for her, at the end of it all I still have her. They couldn't take that away from me."

Source: http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/entertainm ... ny-1480955

Brenda left Pixar after the movie was released in the summer. She immediately started working for one of the other giants of the movie world, George Lucas’s company Lucasfilm, after being invited by movie producer Kathleen Kennedy.

Based at Skywalker Ranch, they have now been bought out by her old bosses at Disney. While she can’t reveal the secret work she has been doing, the movie world has been awash with rumours that she is working on the upcoming Star Wars sequels – episodes seven, eight and nine.

Brenda said: “There are lots of rumours but I just can’t talk about it. The main reason I wanted to work with Lucasfilm was that Kathleen asked me to come. I had never worked for her and I was stunned that someone of her caliber would call me after what had happened on Brave. It was a wonderful moment to have this show of support.

It’s only been a consulting job and I’m starting work with Dreamworks again in January. They've been very clear they want me back, which is great. I didn't think I would want to direct for a while but now I think I’m ready to get back on that horse.”

Source: http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/entertainm ... ny-1480955

Winning the Academy Award is the happy ending to the bittersweet story of Chapman and "Brave." With about 18 months to go before the movie's release date, she was replaced as director by Mark Andrews, who accepted his Oscar wearing a kilt.

"I was forcibly removed from the picture for what I have to say were creative differences," she said. "It was really difficult to lose that connection with a crew that was so dedicated to the film and so dedicated to my vision. In the end, for the most part, my vision came through. But I really wanted to celebrate with everyone who worked so hard on the film and I really haven't been able to do that other than through phone calls, emails and a few lunches. I wasn't able to go into Pixar and give them a toast. So I came into Lucasfilm and had a lovely toast here."

Chapman is now working as a story consultant for Lucasfilm and will soon go to work for a DreamWorks branch in Redwood City, developing some original concepts and other projects for future animated features.

Source: http://www.marinij.com/millvalley/ci_22 ... -brave-her

[PatrickvD]

If it's any consolation to Brenda, I view Brave as her movie. Always will, because the mother/daughter angle was the heart of the movie.

That and I saw the Animation Roundtable discussion and couldn't help but think Mark Andrews was the most annoying, pretentious douchebag in the world. He came across as another broken Pixar record repeating empty words like 'story', 'heart' and 'character' as if Pixar invented those things.

Rich Moore at least, seemed like a fun guy to hang out with. And Brenda returning to Dreamworks is good news. I hope she'll enjoy the same creative freedom that Chris Sanders has there now.