Henry Selick's The Shadow King

[estefan]

With production already well underway, and the fact that Disney is allowhing him to shop it to other companies Im sure it'll get released at some point, just not by Disney. It's a shame but it'll live. (Right?)

Maybe if Frankenweenie is a success, Disney will re-think their decision.

[PatrickvD]

With production already well underway, and the fact that Disney is allowhing him to shop it to other companies Im sure it'll get released at some point, just not by Disney. It's a shame but it'll live. (Right?)

Maybe if Frankenweenie is a success, Disney will re-think their decision.

I Frankenweenie is a success they'll just get Tim Burton to do more stop motion. He's sold his soul to Disney long ago so they're pretty much covered.

[ajmrowland]

^I think he sold his soul to warner bros a little sooner than that.

[Mickeyfan1990]

I Frankenweenie is a success they'll just get Tim Burton to do more stop motion.

To quote Meatwad from Gene-E; That sounds like paradise to me.

But I still think Burton should help Selick out and get the project made.

[ajmrowland]

^As much as that could help, I love Coraline enough to think Selick could do this without him.

[Mickeyfan1990]

No, Tim wouldn't be involved with the project. He would Selick in approaching Disney to resurrect the project with Selick still in full control. It's a friend helping a friend.

[Sotiris]

Walt Disney Co. will take a $50 million write-down in the current fiscal quarter for a stop-motion animation project it canceled in August.

The untitled movie was to be directed by Henry Selick, the well respected filmmaker behind "Coraline" and "The Nightmare Before Christmas." Previously set to be released in October 2013, the picture had been in production for about a year when new Walt Disney Studios Chairman Alan Horn halted work.

News of the write-down came in a presentation that Disney chief financial officer Jay Rasulo made to investors at the Bank of America/Merrill Lynch Media, Communications and Entertainment Conference in Beverly Hills on Thursday.

Rasulo did not specify the reasons for the write-down, stating only that the move in its fourth fiscal quarter, which will cost the company two cents per share, was for "some work we discontinued after looking at it."

A knowledgeable person not authorized to discuss the matter publicly confirmed that the write-down was for the Selick movie.

Source: http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/en ... 9419.story

[Sotiris]

Henry Selick is in discussions with Laika to finance his stop-motion feature recently shut down by Disney (with newly appointed chairman Alan Horn deciding to take a $50 million write off, reportedly because the tone was too dark and the production was moving far too slowly).

But obviously if they can work it out, this would be a win-win for Selick and Laika. The director is still on good terms with Laika owner/animator Travis Knight after collaborating on the celebrated "Coraline," and Selick would still be able to work out of his fledgling Cinderbiter studio in San Francisco. At the same time, Laika would have a new satellite studio to complement its campus in Portland, Oregon.

Yet it's a bit ironic after Selick left Laika for him to return home to the Bay Area. Selick not only has Pixar to thank for setting him up at Cinderbiter, but also for providing story notes from the vaunted brain trust (from screenwriter Mike Jones to Brad Bird).

I'm told that the once-titled "ShadeMaker" is the story of two brothers, and that it takes Selick's special brand of surrealism into a new direction. The sets are spectacular (especially Central Park) and they've been making use of a similar Rapid Prototype 3D printer for replacement heads similar that Laika introduced on "ParaNorman."

Source: http://blogs.indiewire.com/thompsononho ... nry-selick

Update:

Reports emerged this week that Hillsboro animation studio Laika was close to a deal to rescue a stalled movie by the company's onetime creative director, Henry Selick. But a person close to the studio said flatly on Wednesday that the reports aren't true.

[...] Disney allowed Selick to shop the in-progress film to other studios, and a person direct knowledge of Laika's thinking -- who asked not to be named -- said the Oregon studio had talked with its former director. But the talks went nowhere, according to that person.

Source: http://www.oregonlive.com/business/inde ... orali.html

[PatrickvD]

I hope it works out for him.

The reasons for shutting down, "too dark" and "production moving too slow" seem kinda vague. Now if the "script had been really bad" it would have made sense.

Now it seems like just another day, just another new head of Disney Studios shutting something down and starting something up that will fail miserably only to have him 'step down' in a year or two.

Wouldn't it be hilarious if Disney gave creative control back to the creatives? They'd make money *gasp*

[Kyle]

The reasons for shutting down, "too dark" and "production moving too slow" seem kinda vague. Now if the "script had been really bad" it would have made sense.

Except you dont shut down a movie thats already been in production because of a bad script. The script is mor or less locked down by that point.

[FigmentJedi]

And things with Laika didn't work out.

http://www.firstshowing.net/2012/exclus ... t-is-dead/

Earlier this week, we reported that stop-motion animation house Laika (behind this year's ParaNorman as well as Coraline) was considering taking over the new project from filmmaker Henry Selick (Nightmare Before Christmas, James and the Giant Peach, Coraline). Selick, who has had a rough couple of years, left Laika after finishing Coraline, was taken under the wing of Disney where he started developing this new project, titled The Shadow King, then found out after putting $50 million into development, Disney was dumping it. The project went into limbo in August, but the news about Laika proved hopeful. Not anymore.

Following the initial Laika report, I was contacted by a source that worked for Mr. Selick who informed me that the studio had passed. As proof, he showed me a memo that Henry Selick himself sent internally to his staff at Cinderbiter, his San Francisco based stop-motion animation house, earlier this week. The memo confirms that Travis Knight, who runs Laika, unfortunately couldn't figure out budgeting to pull this project in and had to pass. Selick goes on to say that while he hoped it wouldn't turn out this way, The Shadow King is no more. Though he does say there still might be a chance to pick up the pieces at a future date.

Laika itself is still struggling to keep running in a world where CG animation rules the industry and the box office. Selick's note mentions that Laika will continue with their own stop-motion work (either Goblins or Little White Lie), but has plenty of major challenges of their own. From the original report, word is that Selick's Shadow King was a dark story about two brothers and "it takes Selick's special brand of surrealism into a new direction." Disney let the project go because, reportedly, the tone was too dark. Selick's memo doesn't mention anything else about future plans or what will happen with Cinderbiter, but this is sad news to hear right when we thought there was some hope for his new project and stop-motion animation movies.

For now, it sounds like Henry Selick's The Shadow King is dead. Shelved until, potentially in the future, someone is interested. Disney has passed on it, Laika has passed on it, sounds like it's time for him to move on to something else. We'll continue to keep you updated on every stop-motion animation project around.

[Sotiris]

That's too bad. The article reports the project titled as 'The Shadow King'. Is that an updated title or is that an error? I thought it was called 'ShadeMaker'.

[FigmentJedi]

That's too bad. The article reports the project titled as 'The Shadow King'. Is that an updated title or is that an error? I thought it was called 'ShadeMaker'.

Updated title. ShadeMaker was dropped early on and the untitled project was just referred to that in press for convenience sake.

[Mickeyfan1990]

Breaking News! Shadow King rises from the grave with a new distributor!:

http://www.avclub.com/articles/henry-se ... t-d,92060/

"Coraline and Nightmare Before Christmas director Henry Selick is a meticulous craftsman with a strong vision, which is not the same thing as “a guy who knocks out work quickly and on corporate deadlines.” Disney recently dumped his latest film project, leaving it homeless and at one point officially dead in the water. But now it’s picked up a firm title (The Shadow King), a new producer, a new partner, and some new hope.

Back in 2010, Variety broke the news that Disney had partnered with Selick for a series of stop-motion features. The marriage didn’t last long; the plug was pulled on Selick’s first solo Disney film in August 2012, when it became clear that it wasn’t close to making its planned October 2013 release date. And a couple of weeks ago, news broke that Ron Howard might take over Disney’s film adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s The Graveyard Book, which was also previously on Selick’s plate.

Briefly, it looked like Selick’s film would find a home with Laika, the production company behind Coraline and 2012’s ParaNorman, but budget complications led Laika to decline, and Selick informed his staff that the film was dead. It’s showing significant signs of life again, though; German-based production and distribution company K5 International has signed on to partner with Selick to shop the film around for funding. They’ll be presenting it to investors at February’s European Film Market, the business wing of the Berlin International film festival. K5’s website now prominently features a poster for The Shadow King, featuring characters obviously in Selick’s visual style. The site also posted this plot summary:

Hap Dagger, a nine-year-old orphan, hides his fantastically weird hands from a cruel world. But when a Living Shadow Girl teaches him to make amazing hand shadows that come alive, his hands become incredible weapons in a shadow war against a ravenous Monster who could destroy Hap’s brother and all of New York.

K5 also lists Beasts Of The Southern Wild producer Josh Penn as coming on board to produce, and offers a cast list, featuring Pamela Adlon (King Of The Hill’s Bobby Hill), Brendan Gleeson, Jeffrey Tambor, and Catherine O’Hara. All of which makes Shadow King sound much more like a film in progress than a painstakingly manipulated and hand-formed gleam in Selick’s eye. But it’s still worth noting that it doesn’t do a film much good to have a cast, a plot, a producer, and a distribution partner if it doesn’t actually have funding yet. Here’s keeping our fantastically weird fingers crossed."

[Lnds500]

Thanks for sharing!

Good news that there is still hope but I have mixed feelings about this. Disney could provide the money Selick wanted without a problem but he may have had to put up with Disney's crap (possible story alterations etc). Now we have the exact opposite situation, in which we might get a low-budget animated film which won't do full justice to his vision. I hope he finds funding.

[Lnds500]

First Image and Voice Cast Revealed for Henry Selick’s THE SHADOW KING

Yesterday, we reported that producer Josh Penn (Beasts of the Southern Wild) and K5 International had revived Henry Selick‘s shelved stop-motion animated film, The Shadow King. The film centers on, Hap, an orphan with freakishly long fingers who learns how to make his shadow puppets come alive, and must use his talent to save his brother Richard and New York from a ravenous monster. Select scenes from the movie are currently being screened at the European Film Market for potential buyers, and now we have a first look at the film as well as the voice cast.

First up, here’s the voice cast via Bleeding Cool:

Jaden Betts as Hap
Pamela Adlon as Richard
Brendan Gleeson as Darce
Jeffrey Tambor as Cuzzie Bell
Catherine O’Hara as Miss Fern

[Old Fish Tale]

I'm glad for Pamela. Her voice is so unique!

[Sotiris]

Clip from the scrapped feature "The Shadow King".

[Jules]

Was this in development or had it actually started production when it was scrapped?

[Sotiris]

Was this in development or had it actually started production when it was scrapped?

It was canceled mid-production. That's why in the clip I posted you can see finished animation.