Brenda Chapman Left Pixar

[jazzflower92]

I wouldn't call Big Hero 6, Frozen, and Wreck It Ralph catering to the lowest common denominator. Heck, the fact that they managed to do a great video game movie without dumbing it down is good in its own right. What could have been a cheap product placement movie actually had a lot of heart put into it? As for Frozen, it tackled the concept that other types of love is just as important or even more than romantic love.

[DisneyFan09]

It's not surprising Brenda Chapman's darker tale was never really going to go through under his leadership. I think she was very right when she said they "just didn't get it".

You know, for all the hoopla around the directorial change of "Brave", Chapman herself stated that the changes weren't huge. Whether we should believe that statement or not, it's another case. But due to my research, the original outline were supposed to be more complicated. And it got simplified eventually. However, there was an anonymous person who worked for the film. He/she revealed through Imdb and YouTube that the original outline were supposed to be darker. The backstory of Mor'Du would open the film (and some of his statements ended up in the "Legend of Mor'Du"-short). He also said that the tone was going to be more epic and adventurous and less Disneyesque.

Anyway, although I liked the movie, there's no doubt that the story was the weakest part. It felt quite disjointed and cluttered. Whether what eventually hampered the disjointed outcome, it's still odd that Pixar still wanted to execute it. But I know that "Brave" still gained some fans who appreciated the story.

The Emperor's New Groove is one big parade of quotable laughs and I would rate it above at least half of Lasseter's projects at WDAS. It had ten time more charisma and flair than the dry Big Hero 6 for example.

'
The films from the early 2000's are underrated and simply don't get the credit they deserve. "Big Hero 6" eventually grew on me, but it's below "The Emperor's New Groove", indeed.

[Sotiris]

I guess this article deserves a thread of its own, but I'm going to post it here as it sheds some light on the whole Brenda Chapman/Pixar deal.

Inside The Persistent Boys Club Of Animation

A very insightful article with new interviews from plenty of women in the industry. A must-read. Since it's quite long though, here's the relevant part regarding the whole Chapman/Pixar debacle.

After Disney, Chapman moved to DreamWorks Animation and directed the 1998 film The Prince of Egypt before heading to Pixar in 2003. Braintrust member Joe Ranft, she said, initially hired her to fix the girl characters in Cars — there were no women in Pixar’s story department when she started there in 2003, and those flimsy female cars (who “were all kind of secondary to their male counterparts,” Chapman said) were too far along for her to help. But soon after, she began developing what would become Brave.

Once filmmaking was underway, Chapman made sure her female artists weren’t talked over in storyboard meetings. Emma Coats, then a young Pixar newcomer, said the director “would quiet the room and be like, ‘Emma, you started to say something.’” It helped Coats realize that her ideas were worthwhile. Chapman did the same thing for male artists who were quiet, Coats said.

Then in fall 2010, Chapman was unceremoniously fired from her project. The exact circumstances of her dismissal are shrouded in nondisclosure agreements — Chapman herself cites “creative differences,” vaguely singling out a disagreement between herself and Pixar’s Chief Creative Officer John Lasseter over the central character, Merida, as especially divisive.

“To me, she could’ve behaved exactly the way any of the male directors behaved, but it would have been taken differently,” Coats said, declining to elaborate further. “Which is frustrating. Realizing that, it made me realize, There’s nobody. Without Brenda to look up to…there’s nobody I can look up to. … Imitating the guys isn’t gonna give me the same results as it gives them.” Coats left Pixar — and animation for the most part — mainly because of what happened to Chapman. “When she was removed from her project, I felt kind of lost,” she said. Because there were no other women directors to look up to, Coats couldn’t tell if the way Chapman was treated was an anomaly or part of a pattern (although hiring exclusively male directors is itself a pattern). “I can’t see why what happened to her wouldn’t happen to me,” Coats said. (A representative for Pixar, which is owned by Disney, declined to comment on this story and declined to answer questions about how many women work in creative positions at the studio now.)

It was striking for Chapman, too. “I think my Brave experience was my first foray into, Oh, no, it is different for us girls out there.” Pixar, America’s most celebrated animation studio, produced 12 films starring male characters before Brave premiered in 2012. Chapman said that while she was making her movie, a Disney employee told the executive team at Pixar, “We don’t know how to market a movie about two arguing women.”

Coats said that at Pixar “a lot of times, the guys on the story team, or guys who would give feedback, would talk about female characters in terms of [their] wives or daughters” — specifically, she said, Merida, the main character of Brave. Although that was not a universal pattern of thinking, she never encountered a woman who thought about male characters only in terms of male family members. “You can’t afford to think of male [lead] characters in terms of husbands or brothers,” she said.

Ziah Fogel, who specialized in crowds animation at Pixar, said the studio is “very clique-y in general.” She described herself as “a bit aggressive for a female” and said she fit in with her mostly male co-workers because of that. She felt she got preferential treatment because of her ability to fit in to “the drinking culture” and hold forth on whiskey. Other women, she said, could be put off by the “culture of bros.” And if you are put off by it, you might not advance, or you might give up on narrative animation like Coats did.

[Disney's Divinity]

I think it's sad that once you have two female characters, that filmmakers automatically think your at the brim of being "too much female." Pathetic that even what they think of as "girl" films still end up having less female characters than male characters.

[Victurtle]

I wonder how Disney differs in culture to Pixar. Any insight to the working culture behind the scenes would be interesting.

Obviously I will mention Frozen, developed shortly after which involved two women with a troubled relationship. The screenplay was written by a woman, and the lyrics by another woman, both who seemed to have ultimate control over their characters. Perhaps one difference there was Brenda appeared certain about her opinions of the characters, whereas in Frozen the characters needed a bit of figuring out, so opinions were accepted throughout the process. At the same time, I do recall Jennifer Lee having to defend herself and asking for faith whilst she figures things out, in which she succeeded. (Although my impression is all directors have to defend themselves at some point given basically each film is in turmoil at one point, and many get shelved).

There is also the story about the gathering of all the female employees to share their own relationship experiences (I think?).

I do feel Disney directors have less of an ego, as each of their releases are still quite the gamble. I wonder whether a culture of bros exists in the face of uncertainty and humility.

[DisneyFan09]

Pathetic that even what they think of as "girl" films still end up having less female characters than male characters.

Indeed. But frankly, that's the case to many of the female movies from Disney. Of course there are exceptions, as "Sleeping Beauty" and "Cinderella". But still

Obviously I will mention Frozen, developed shortly after which involved two women with a troubled relationship. The screenplay was written by a woman, and the lyrics by another woman, both who seemed to have ultimate control over their characters. Perhaps one difference there was Brenda appeared certain about her opinions of the characters, whereas in Frozen the characters needed a bit of figuring out, so opinions were accepted throughout the process.

At least "Brave" handled the relationship between the two female leads better. While Ellinor and Merida were nothing but trite stereotypes and their dynamic were awfully derivative, at least "Brave" let their relationship be the core of the film. "Frozen" were zig-zagging between the sisterly relationship and Anna's relationships with her suitors (which I've ranted about priorly). Jennifer Lee may be a rare woman who's credited for her writing, but that doesn't make her a great writer for "Frozen" (though her writing was better in "Wreck-It-Ralph").

Btw, while I've ranted about Elsa and her limited screentime priorly, there was another reason to dislike why Anna and Elsa were stereotypes. The movie was always contrasting Anna and Elsa's personalities, but also having Anna shine at the expense of Elsa's struggles and angst (which really wasn't the latters fault to begin with). And since Elsa has become praised due to her powers being a metaphor for mental illness, it's quite offensive to people for people with mental illnesses to have such a contrast with a jolly character and her total opposite. I know several people with mental issues would've been quite offended by this and frankly, I thought the movie could've made a balance between them.

And for all the feminist issues of Disney and Pixar, remember that Disney's legacy lies on having female protagonists, while Pixar has (to this day) only had two female protagonists. Frankly, while I've never thought about it priorly, "Inside Out" is quite female centered. I wonder if this was intentional, considering all the hoopla around "Brave" feminist issues.

[Sotiris]

In a new interview, Brenda Chapman mentioned a specific scene that got changed in Brave.

Whereas in Frozen [the sisters] got to talk to each other and argue with each other, on Brave I felt like they took the safe way out. Where I had mother/daughter arguing with each other, they divided it into a scene where the mom's talking to Fergus and Merida's talking to her horse. It worked very well but I had them arguing and dealing with each other in the same room, together. I just felt that was more real than the choice they made.

Source: http://taughtbyapro.com/podcast-30-bren ... interview/

[Tangled]

Although I totally support Chapman, I totally see why the writers would change that argument scene. Merida and her mother being seperate enforces the disconnect between their points of view. That disconnect makes up the general conflict of the film. They can't communicate with each other properly, so they take their anger out in other places, which is less effective than them simply telling each other their problems. After all, most of the current film's conflict revolves around a mother and a daughter's inabilities to properly listen to each other.

Then again, I don't know if the conflict between Elinor and Merida in Chapman's idea of the film was slightly different. If it was, it's possible that a direct argument would have been a better choice than the indirect one we got.

[Kyle]

Her way reminds me of that scene in the incredibles where there are like 3 different conversations happening at once. Her way could have worked pretty well.

[D82]

This is not about why Brenda Chapman left Pixar, but it’s the only thread I found about her. The AMPAS has released a video where she explains how her creative process works.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9TMOVxlDZxo[/youtube]

[blackcauldron85]

Life After Pixar: An Interview with Brenda Chapman
http://www.cartoonbrew.com/animators/li ... 43232.html

[Disney's Divinity]

I'm glad it sounds like she's found a way to survive after Pixar's inexcusable treatment of her. I can definitely understand why she's leery of giving her own ideas to studios now, since she's been burned before.

Hopefully her 2D/stop-motion/live-action combo project works out.

[Sotiris]

I've always admired Brenda, but especially after the whole Brave debacle. When the news broke about her removal, people questioned her skills as a writer and director, despite her being a veteran in the industry, claiming it was for the good of the movie and that Pixar knew best. After the movie premiered, she was blamed for the underwhelming and disappointing end result. When she decided to explain what happened and dared to criticize the management at Pixar, the Disney zombies attacked her again calling her unprofessional and ungrateful. Brenda had the guts to do what every other male director who was fired from Pixar wouldn't out of fear of being blacklisted and I deeply respect her for that.

[Sotiris]

Brenda is working on a new animated film.

I'm currently writing and directing an independent animated film. It's a Chinese story but it will be worldwide released. It's going to be made here in the West and it's a story about twin sisters.

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0rdR-9y9znY

Chapman is now working on an indie film about a Chinese folktale about two sisters. The feature will be for western release, but funding is being secured from China. Chapman thinks this international model is likely to become more common as animation is a pan-cultural and global experience, a trend that will be touched upon in her talk.

Source: http://vancouversun.com/business/local- ... o-festival

[Rose Dome]

I wish Chapman all the best with her new story. We'll never know what Brave would have been like had she not been fired but I like to think that she'll be working on a Female centred film until it's completion

[disneyprincess11]

Yup, Lasseter pulled a Chapman on Rashida Jones too.

[Update 6 p.m.: Rashida Jones and Will McCormack have issued a statement to the New York Times clarifying that they “did not leave Pixar due to unwanted advances. That is untrue. We parted ways because of creative, and more importantly, philosophical differences.” The duo then go on to allege that Pixar is a culture where women and people of color do not have an equal creative voice,” pointing to the studio’s director demographics. Meanwhile, Vanity Fair reports that according to one current Pixar employee, “rumors have circulated within the studio over Inside Out and Up director Pete Docter taking the helm.” Our earlier story is below.]

http://www.tracking-board.com/john-lass ... temporary/

[Disney's Divinity]

It's a bit rich to read back this thread (and the Brave thread) in light of these revelations about Lasseter. I remember how Chapman was tarred and feathered even here. I'm glad I wasn't a part of it.

[Sotiris]

I hadn't heard of this incident before.

Remember Brenda Chapman, Pixar’s 1st female director? She had to pitch ideas to Lasseter through her male Head of Story because Lasseter couldn’t handle a woman butting heads with him. Apparently, she and Lasseter both pitched Brave & Cars 2 in Europe to some consumer product peeps. Cars 2 was met with silence while Brave got a standing ovation. What happened after they returned Monday morning? Did she get a “great job Brenda?” No. She got fired.

Source: https://twitter.com/heidijogilbert/stat ... 6762297345

[Disney's Divinity]

Egomaniacs like Lasseter are intimidated by anyone capable or intelligent, but women with those qualities seem to be especially threatening for whatever reason. Actually, we know the reason: they believe women are inferior and to be shown up by a woman is the worst disgrace in their eyes.

[Sotiris]

Halfway through production in 2010, Pixar fired Brenda — the studio’s first (and only) female director in the company’s history — and replaced her with a man.

Curious about the downfall of such an accomplished, groundbreaking woman, I began taking the company pulse soon after Brenda’s firing had been announced. To the general population of the studio — many of whom had never worked on Brave because it was not yet in full-steam production — it seemed as though Brenda’s firing was considered justifiable. Rumor had it that she had been indecisive, unconfident and ineffective as a director. For me and others who worked closely with the second-time director, however, there was a palpable sense of outrage, disbelief and mourning after Brenda was removed from the film.

One artist, who’d been on the Brave story team for years, passionately told me how she didn’t find Brenda to be indecisive at all. Brenda knew exactly what film she was making and was very clear in communicating her vision, the story artist said, and the film she was making was powerful and compelling. “From where I was sitting, the only problem with Brenda and her version of Brave was that it was a story told about a mother and a daughter from a distinctly female lens,” she explained. "It would never fit neatly into the Pixar canon of films made exclusively from and for the male perspective", she explained with audible heaviness in her throat.

I would later hear these same kinds of sentiments echoed even by male crew members who lived through the director change. During the summer of 2009, I personally worked on Brave while Brenda was still in charge. I likewise never felt that she was uncertain about the kind of film she was making, or how to go about making it. In my opinion, Brenda was a passionate and gifted filmmaker; brimming with admirable qualities that you don’t find in just any director. I found her to be humble, compassionate, attentive, trusting and inclusive with the people on her team, and I’m not the only one.

Source: https://medium.com/@cassandraanns/pixar ... 621567fdc9