Hand-Drawn Animation Dead at Disney

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Musical Master
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Re: Hand-Drawn Animation Dead at Disney?

Post by Musical Master »

Patrick wrote:I want to preface this by saying I'm in no way an advocate for killing off the medium... but in a society obsessed with technology, hand drawn just doesn't compete with CG. Media trends are constantly being pushed to be more realistic, and in the eye of the general public hand drawn looks cheap when compared CG films. It's almost like a distinction has been made: 2D is only for cartoons for children, and CG makes a believable film that can be enjoyed by all audiences. Again, I don't subscribe to that ideology at all but I can understand it from a business standpoint. I don't think we'll see a hand drawn feature from Disney for a long time because there's no public desire for it.
I agree with you 100% and the thing is that Disney still uses the art of pencil and paper to help form the film they're making. Another thing that will happen is that 2-D animation will take a long break but not as long as the time between Sleeping Beauty and The Little Mermaid when it comes to the genre of animated film.
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DisneyJedi
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Re: Hand-Drawn Animation Dead at Disney?

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Patrick wrote: 2D is only for cartoons for children, and CG makes a believable film that can be enjoyed by all audiences.
Yeah, um, you know what I think that is?

Image

:P
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rodis
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Re: Hand-Drawn Animation Dead at Disney?

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They're probably going to spend the next decade churning out CG films and after an inevitable series of flops (which will happen somewhere down the road), they'll go with a hand-drawn film and try their luck again.

Personally, I was against CG back when Chicken Little was released but totally warmed up to it when I saw Disney is capable of making top-quality CG movies as well (Tangled, Wreck It Ralph, Frozen).
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Re: Hand-Drawn Animation Dead at Disney?

Post by unprincess »

I don't think we'll see a hand drawn feature from Disney for a long time because there's no public desire for it.
yeah thats really what it comes down to. The majority of the public just doesnt care. Theyre more upset about Merida being sexed up by the company then about them getting rid of 2d.
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Warm Regards
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Re: Hand-Drawn Animation Dead at Disney?

Post by Warm Regards »

I personally feel society has relegated hand drawn animation into "children's entertainment" simply because CG has better plots nowadays. It came about when Toy Story outshone Pocahontas, a film which had high hopes for its seriousness. Since then, it's been attributed to style over substance, but really, CG films are just more likely to experiment with the visuals because of its accessibility. Which in turn means the story can be toyed with, which in turn attracts audiences. It has little to do with realism; I'd argue CG is much more prone to uncanny valley.

Hypothetical question: if a film has a fairly grounded world, with the exception of one element that cannot be explained in real life (i.e. Rapunzel's magic hair, Elsa's ice magic), is it more sensible to use CG to accentuate the vividness of that world and its similarity to our own, sans the one element, or is it better to use hand drawn to convince one that the film's world is fantasy and therefore more prone to oddities?
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Re: Hand-Drawn Animation Dead at Disney?

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I think it'll be interesting to see the reaction to the Peanuts movie. It's computer-animated, but made to look like the classic hand-drawn Charlie Brown television specials. I think that movie, if successful (and I think it will be) can be a huge influence on how the other animation studios approach the look of their films.

The interesting thing, though, is had Peanuts been made by Pixar, it probably would have the pseudo-realistic look a lot of people feared when the project was initially announced. But that likely wouldn't have happened as the Schulz family chose Blue Sky Studios to make the film for a reason.
"There are two wolves and they are always fighting. One is darkness and despair. The other is light and hope. Which wolf wins? Whichever one you feed." - Casey Newton, Tomorrowland
TsWade2
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Re: Hand-Drawn Animation Dead at Disney?

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Okay, I apologize for my rant. :(
disneyprincess11 wrote:And like I said, TsWade2, please get professional help. Not in a mean way, but you really need it
Actually, I already have and I already talk about it a month ago.
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Walter
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Re: Hand-Drawn Animation Dead at Disney?

Post by Walter »

Avaitor wrote:I have to say, I wanted to see Winnie the Pooh, and I knew of at least one or two other people were proudly interested in going, but we didn't end up seeing it, not because of its reputation, but for another clear reason- it's only what, 60-something minutes long? That's just too short of a running time to justify the purchase of a ticket nowadays, considering how high the prices are for most places.

I don't think I'm alone in this being the reason for not seeing the movie, either.
Yeah, I forgot about the running time, which is not much longer than an episode of an 1-hour show. Had I seen it in theaters, I would have been like "is that it?", and would have been disappointed.
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Re: Hand-Drawn Animation Dead at Disney?

Post by TsWade2 »

Hey guys, just because Disney doesn't have a hand drawn movie in the works right now, doesn't mean it's dead. I'm sorry I was a little rough. And I already have professional help. If it makes me better, can we except that there's no hand drawn animation in the works right now and maybe they'll return to do that if their ready to try again in a decade?
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estefan
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Re: Hand-Drawn Animation Dead at Disney?

Post by estefan »

Much like Home on the Range didn't turn out to be their last hand-drawn animated film, I expect the same will hold true for Winnie the Pooh. We just need to be patient. Much like many things in Hollywood, what might be seen as risky could one day return to being a sure thing. I've used this example before, but before Moulin Rouge and Chicago came along, Hollywood studios were very nervous about greenlighting musicals. Now, we have three major movie musicals opening this year. I think there will one day be a "Chicago" for hand-drawn animated features.

But if you want something to tide you over, how about going through the entire catalogue of Studio Ghibli titles? Or you could explore the newer hand-drawn films imported by GKIDS. Ernest & Celestine is currently making its way through various American cities. You can see on the movie's official website, if it has opened or will open at a theatre near you. I highly recommend it. It's a beautifully animated and very sweet picture.
"There are two wolves and they are always fighting. One is darkness and despair. The other is light and hope. Which wolf wins? Whichever one you feed." - Casey Newton, Tomorrowland
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Re: Hand-Drawn Animation Dead at Disney?

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estefan wrote:Much like Home on the Range didn't turn out to be their last hand-drawn animated film, I expect the same will hold true for Winnie the Pooh. We just need to be patient. Much like many things in Hollywood, what might be seen as risky could one day return to being a sure thing. I've used this example before, but before Moulin Rouge and Chicago came along, Hollywood studios were very nervous about greenlighting musicals. Now, we have three major movie musicals opening this year. I think there will one day be a "Chicago" for hand-drawn animated features.

But if you want something to tide you over, how about going through the entire catalogue of Studio Ghibli titles? Or you could explore the newer hand-drawn films imported by GKIDS. Ernest & Celestine is currently making its way through various American cities. You can see on the movie's official website, if it has opened or will open at a theatre near you. I highly recommend it. It's a beautifully animated and very sweet picture.
Speaking of which, I just bought The Secret of Kells on iTunes and it was fabulous. You know, maybe these hand drawn movies that I don't see in America will help me. Sadly, I don't know if I'll get to see Ernest and Celestine in theaters, but, if it comes to iTunes, I know where to find it. :wink:
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Re: Hand-Drawn Animation Dead at Disney?

Post by Mickeyfan1990 »

estefan wrote:Much like Home on the Range didn't turn out to be their last hand-drawn animated film, I expect the same will hold true for Winnie the Pooh. We just need to be patient.
Not to mention The Stooge is now planned to be a fully traditional 2D or 2D.5 film according to Erik Von Wodtke.
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Re: Hand-Drawn Animation Dead at Disney?

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Mickeyfan1990 wrote:
estefan wrote:Much like Home on the Range didn't turn out to be their last hand-drawn animated film, I expect the same will hold true for Winnie the Pooh. We just need to be patient.
Not to mention The Stooge is now planned to be a fully traditional 2D or 2D.5 film according to Erik Von Wodtke.
Very excited about that. That is, if Bob Iger likes the idea.
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Re: Hand-Drawn Animation Dead at Disney?

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estefan wrote:The interesting thing, though, is had Peanuts been made by Pixar, it probably would have the pseudo-realistic look a lot of people feared when the project was initially announced. But that likely wouldn't have happened as the Schulz family chose Blue Sky Studios to make the film for a reason.
There really isn't any precedent for how Pixar would do it though, they've never done an adaptation. Who's to say they wouldn't have tried to be as faithful or even more so than Blue sky?

The Schulz family probably only picked them because they said yes. I don't see dreamworks or pixar doing this kind of thing. They would rather make new properties.

Edit: whoops, I knew I was forgetting something (Peabody & Sherman) with the Dreamworks mention.
Last edited by Kyle on Sat Mar 22, 2014 2:42 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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estefan
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Re: Hand-Drawn Animation Dead at Disney?

Post by estefan »

Maybe you're right about Pixar, but DreamWorks just released an adaptation of a cartoon from the 1950s. So I don't think they would be above making a Peanuts movie.

And the Peanuts movie is actually a really personal project and the Shulz family wanted a studio who would understand the importance of keeping the legacy of the comic strip intact while also translating the characters to computer-animation in a way that respected the drawings. If they didn't think Blue Sky could do that, they wouldn't have offered the project to them. The Shulz estate is surprisingly strict about rights (though certainly not at Bill Watterson levels, either) and probably wouldn't have handed it to just any studio.
"There are two wolves and they are always fighting. One is darkness and despair. The other is light and hope. Which wolf wins? Whichever one you feed." - Casey Newton, Tomorrowland
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Re: Hand-Drawn Animation Dead at Disney?

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DW's Peabody looks nothing like the original series. I shudder to think what they would have done to Peanuts.
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Re: Hand-Drawn Animation Dead at Disney?

Post by disneyprincess11 »

Mickeyfan1990 wrote:
estefan wrote:Much like Home on the Range didn't turn out to be their last hand-drawn animated film, I expect the same will hold true for Winnie the Pooh. We just need to be patient.
Not to mention The Stooge is now planned to be a fully traditional 2D or 2D.5 film according to Erik Von Wodtke.
If it'd 2D.5, I hope it looks like what Peanuts does: CGI, but looks so 2D. In fact, my sister and I were talking about the other day and she was like, "Wait, it's in 3D?!! :o "
TsWade2
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Re: Hand-Drawn Animation Dead at Disney?

Post by TsWade2 »

I just hope Disney comes back to do hand animation someday. By the way, you guys need to see this. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDAsjIEfCEo

It's not reaction video, but this is worth watching. :wink:
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Re: Hand-Drawn Animation Dead at Disney?

Post by JTurner »

estefan wrote:Much like Home on the Range didn't turn out to be their last hand-drawn animated film, I expect the same will hold true for Winnie the Pooh. We just need to be patient. Much like many things in Hollywood, what might be seen as risky could one day return to being a sure thing. I've used this example before, but before Moulin Rouge and Chicago came along, Hollywood studios were very nervous about greenlighting musicals. Now, we have three major movie musicals opening this year. I think there will one day be a "Chicago" for hand-drawn animated features.

But if you want something to tide you over, how about going through the entire catalogue of Studio Ghibli titles? Or you could explore the newer hand-drawn films imported by GKIDS. Ernest & Celestine is currently making its way through various American cities. You can see on the movie's official website, if it has opened or will open at a theatre near you. I highly recommend it. It's a beautifully animated and very sweet picture.
This. We've been through this before. Just like HOME ON THE RANGE wasn't their last animated film, I don't think W-T-P will be either. That said, it WILL be some time until we see another traditional animated movie. But yes, I recommend the Ghibli films. They're all great, and in my honest opinion, Disney has done an excellent job with them.
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Re: Hand-Drawn Animation Dead at Disney?

Post by Rob DisneyLover »

I have heard rumors that the Walt Disney company is working on an animated movie of the musical WICKED. I have even seen animated bits of Defying gravity
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