DVDizzy Forum

PatrickvD wrote:There's a reason Ratatouille is my favorite PIXAR film, because if you examine it closely, it's a Disney film in disguise.

UmbrellaFish wrote:

PatrickvD wrote:There's a reason Ratatouille is my favorite PIXAR film, because if you examine it closely, it's a Disney film in disguise.

Do you mind elaborating on that?

Brenda Chapman, who won an Oscar in February for Pixar’s “Brave,” in recent weeks has returned to DreamWorks Animation.

“I left in part because I felt like I was being asked to do the same story over and over,” said Ms. Chapman, who co-directed “The Prince of Egypt” for the studio in 1998, but later moved to Pixar. “I look at the movies DreamWorks is doing now, and I see the exact opposite happening.”

She was pushed out of Pixar after clashing with that studio’s chief creative officer, John Lasseter. Although she could have joined another studio, she said she chose to return to Glendale in part because of Mr. Damaschke, who started at DreamWorks Animation in 1995 as a production assistant on “The Prince of Egypt.”

“As Jeffrey has gained experience and age, and DreamWorks has grown, he has stepped back and allowed other people to run creative,” Ms. Chapman said. “At Pixar, it’s all John’s show.” She added of DreamWorks Animation, “you can butt heads here and not be punished for it, unlike at another place I could name.”

Sotiris wrote:

Brenda Chapman, who won an Oscar in February for Pixar’s “Brave,” in recent weeks has returned to DreamWorks Animation.

“I left in part because I felt like I was being asked to do the same story over and over,” said Ms. Chapman, who co-directed “The Prince of Egypt” for the studio in 1998, but later moved to Pixar. “I look at the movies DreamWorks is doing now, and I see the exact opposite happening.”

She was pushed out of Pixar after clashing with that studio’s chief creative officer, John Lasseter. Although she could have joined another studio, she said she chose to return to Glendale in part because of Mr. Damaschke, who started at DreamWorks Animation in 1995 as a production assistant on “The Prince of Egypt.”

“As Jeffrey has gained experience and age, and DreamWorks has grown, he has stepped back and allowed other people to run creative,” Ms. Chapman said. “At Pixar, it’s all John’s show.” She added of DreamWorks Animation, “you can butt heads here and not be punished for it, unlike at another place I could name.”

Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/16/busin ... works.html

Warm Regards wrote:People should know that Pixar is not all sunshine and roses, you know?

Warm Regards wrote:People should know that Pixar is not all sunshine and roses, you know?

Sotiris wrote:

Warm Regards wrote:People should know that Pixar is not all sunshine and roses, you know?

I think this proves what we long suspected; John Lasseter micromanages both Pixar and WDAS. He doesn't seem to trust the artists he employs, their ideas or their creative instincts. It either his way or the highway. Most recently, he didn't let Rich Moore shoot the real world portion of Wreck-It Ralph in live-action which would have created an interesting aesthetic approach between the real world and the animated game world.

UmbrellaFish wrote:That was one of my minor quibbles with the movie when I saw it-- it would have made the video game world so much more distinct. The concept is actually a better fit for "Ralph" than it was for "Wall-E," in my opinion.

Sotiris wrote:

Warm Regards wrote:People should know that Pixar is not all sunshine and roses, you know?

I think this proves what we long suspected; John Lasseter micromanages both Pixar and WDAS. He doesn't seem to trust the artists he employs, their ideas or their creative instincts. It either his way or the highway. Most recently, he didn't let Rich Moore shoot the real world portion of Wreck-It Ralph in live-action which would have created an interesting aesthetic approach between the real world and the animated game world.

PatrickvD wrote:

Sotiris wrote: I think this proves what we long suspected; John Lasseter micromanages both Pixar and WDAS. He doesn't seem to trust the artists he employs, their ideas or their creative instincts. It either his way or the highway. Most recently, he didn't let Rich Moore shoot the real world portion of Wreck-It Ralph in live-action which would have created an interesting aesthetic approach between the real world and the animated game world.

The Oscar would have been Ralph's, no contest.

And yeah, his micromanagement is pissing me off. Somewhere along the line he started believing what people were saying about him. That he was some sort of God. He's no longer grounded in reality and Cars 2 is the perfect example of it. Remember when the reviews he came in, he started back-paddling with "yeah well, Toy Story received mixed reviews as well at first"....

Bull. Shit.

Q: You didn't get to see Brave through completion. What happened on that film for you?

Brenda Chapman: When Disney bought Pixar, they bumped a lot of the films, mine included, to accommodate Pixar sequels. So, my release date was Toy Story 3's release date. There was just a long time to mess around with the movie and within that time I started having creative differences with John Lasseter regarding how some of the characters were portrayed.

Q: And they ended up bringing in a male director to replace you. Was that significant?

Brenda Chapman: I feel it was, yeah. [laughs] But at the same time at Pixar I was the only female director they had.

Q: I'm wondering how difficult it has been for you to speak out about this whole thing while you're working in the film industry.

Brenda Chapman: You know, I've been in the industry for a long time and I've just sort of had it. [laughs] And especially after the issues I had on Brave, I just can't be quiet any longer. The thing is, after I was taken off Brave, nearly every animation studio called me up offering me a job. So, I knew that my status in the industry was still pretty good, just maybe not at Disney anymore. So, if I have to take on the big guns, I'll take on the big guns.

Q: What do people say when movies with strong female leads do well in the box office? What is the explanation for why they aren't more of them?

Brenda Chapman: I just think the studios are run by men and so they have a skewed perspective on what they think the public wants to see. They're seeing it from one point of view. It always boggles my mind. If you look at most of the titles of the animated films done...Rapunzel was called Tangled because they didn't want to put a female name because they were afraid it wouldn't sell.

Q: What was the original name for Brave?

Brenda Chapman: It was The Bear Queen's Daughter. The Bear and the Bow was also tried but they were afraid 'bow' would be misconstrued as a bow on the head.

Q: So, that turned into Brave. Little boys can relate to 'brave'.

Brenda Chapman: Yes. [laughs]

PatrickvD wrote:He's no longer grounded in reality and Cars 2 is the perfect example of it. Remember when the reviews he came in, he started back-paddling with "yeah well, Toy Story received mixed reviews as well at first".... Bull. Shit.

FlyingPiggy wrote:They thought "bow" in Bear and the Bow would be taken as a hair bow? Rich.

Sotiris wrote:

FlyingPiggy wrote:They thought "bow" in Bear and the Bow would be taken as a hair bow? Rich.

Because what follows more naturally when you think of a bear? A hunting tool? No, a hair bow!

estefan wrote:I think The Bear and the Bow is certainly a better title than The Bear Queen's Daughter, which honestly doesn't quite snap for me.

Brenda Chapman: It was The Bear Queen's Daughter. The Bear and the Bow was also tried but they were afraid 'bow' would be misconstrued as a bow on the head.

Q: So, that turned into Brave. Little boys can relate to 'brave'.

Brenda Chapman: Yes. [laughs]