DVDizzy Forum

Spirited? Really, Disney?! Does literally every single animated flick of yours with a female lead HAVE to have an adjective for a title?!

DisneyJedi wrote:Spirited? Really, Disney?! Does literally every single animated flick of yours with a female lead HAVE to have an adjective for a title?!

That was a fake rumor with the fake lineup, earlier this year. But, yeah: It could get changed. I hate how EVERY Disney movie now has an adjective or a noun (Giants) because *gasps* Princess & Fairy Tale titles mean they are for 3 year old kids and not for your average 10 year old and up who wants to see THE SMURFS or YOGI BEAR, and they can't be said in public!

PatrickvD wrote:Until they stop cranking out #1 soundtracks and get sent back to Broadway.

Or until someone new takes over Disney and decides they don't want them.

I suppose there is a silver lining there to TP&TF not being a breakout hit--we don't have Randy Newman doing every musical in Disney's foreseeable future.

Disney's Divinity wrote:

PatrickvD wrote:Until they stop cranking out #1 soundtracks and get sent back to Broadway.

Or until someone new takes over Disney and decides they don't want them.

I suppose there is a silver lining there to TP&TF not being a breakout hit--we don't have Randy Newman doing every musical in Disney's foreseeable future.

I'm sure the Lopez's are needed. We just need a new CEO to give hand drawn animation another chance.

Disney's Divinity wrote:I suppose there is a silver lining there to TP&TF not being a breakout hit--we don't have Randy Newman doing every musical in Disney's foreseeable future.

That's very much a blessing, I agree. Keep thinking I hope we don't have the Lopez's for every single Disney thing in the future … but then looking back, we had Menken for a huge amount of time, on every Classic feature until Mulan I think ? (Anyone know why he didn't do that film in particular?)

Though I guess, at the time of the early 90's there wasn't anyone else around to Menken standards … but now we have Lopez & Menken, but its clear that Menken will be ignored, which is such a shame.

Disney's Divinity wrote: I suppose there is a silver lining there to TP&TF not being a breakout hit--we don't have Randy Newman doing every musical in Disney's foreseeable future.

I think most of us are thankful for this.
I like his stuff for Pixar, not for Disney's more romantically themed films.

Although I love Menken, I like to think he was going through the motions when he did Tangled. I found Glenn Slater's lyrics very insipid so I am glad this partnership hasn't been pulled out again. It was my feeling that they didn't bring out the best in each other.

I would like to see if the Lopez's can pull it out of the bag again.
I'd like to see Menken come back - with any luck in a collaboration with Stephen Schwartz. I think the success of Let it Go means Disney has new musical pets to play with and Menken is old news.

I'd also like for Disney not to pull a Tangled and keep it titled Moana. I doubt that will happen. It's just too darn feminine and Disney hate to appeal to girls.

I loved Randy Newman's soundtrack for The Princess and the Frog, so you will hear no complaints from me if he's asked to do music for another animated musical. And while James and the Giant Peach is not my favourite work of his, I think Cats Don't Dance is one of the rare non-Disney animated musicals of the 90s with a great soundtrack.

With that said, I can't imagine a Frozen with a Newman soundtrack, as the Broadway style they were going for with that movie isn't what Newman usually composes (though I think Cats Don't Dance could make for a fun stage musical).

It's no surprise Disney is asking the Lopezes to return after the colossal success of Frozen, but they will certainly switch it up once in a while, especially if the Lopezes are busy. Menken didn't work on the soundtracks for The Lion King, Mulan, Tarzan and The Emperor's New Groove, after all.

And besides, the Lopezes are doing what Alan Menken did for the Renaissance. The Sherman Brothers, whose music wasn't popular, was going to do Little Mermaid until they decided to hire someone new and fresh. And of course, the new and fresh not only saved Disney literally, but it also made the Renaissance. Without Menken:

1) Who knows if Disney would still be here?
2) TLM, TLK, B&TB, and Aladdin would not be the same

Without the Lopezes and if Menken still did Frozen, not only would the movie be drastically different, but also the public would not be this welcoming to Disney with big, open arms. Of course, Tangled was a hit, but the music wasn't as close as popular to Frozen's.

So, pretty much:
Sherman Brothers (1961-1977 [2000]
Random people (1970s-1988)
Mostly Alan Menken (1989-2010)
Mostly the Lopezes (2011-)

Of course, Tangled was a hit, but the music wasn't as close as popular to Frozen's.

I always used to think it odd how Menken didn't get get another project, especially considering how Tangled made half a billion. You'd think Disney would give the guy another gig as congratulations for the success of Tangled.

But I guess it comes down to the music: Menken's work on Tangled didn't break nor make the film, but the Lopez music on Frozen most assuredly did become sensational, if a bit lopsided. (Have yet to hear "Fixer Upper" sung by school children.)

estefan wrote: I think Cats Don't Dance is one of the rare non-Disney animated musicals of the 90s with a great soundtrack.

Really? You don't like the music for "Swan Princess", "Anastasia" and "The Prince of Egypt"?

I said rare, not only. I do like the soundtracks for The Prince of Egypt, Anastasia and South Park: Bigger Longer & Uncut a lot. In the other non-Disney animated musicals of the 90s, I tend to find the songs forgettable and generic.

Warm Regards wrote:

I really hope that one year gap is really true, cause I know for me it would be good to have at least one whole year where I won't have to be exposed to a new CG animated film from Disney knowing how much I hate them. And with Star Wars Episode VII coming out next year (a film I'm actually interested in), I think 2015 may be a better year for me and Disney so long as I continue to ignore all the stuff I don't like. I haven't watched, looked at, or even know a single thing about Big Hero 6, and I don't care in the slightest.

2Disney4Ever wrote:

Warm Regards wrote:

I really hope that one year gap is really true, cause I know for me it would be good to have at least one whole year where I won't have to be exposed to a new CG animated film from Disney knowing how much I hate them. And with Star Wars Episode VII coming out next year (a film I'm actually interested in), I think 2015 may be a better year for me and Disney so long as I continue to ignore all the stuff I don't like. I haven't watched, looked at, or even know a single thing about Big Hero 6, and I don't care in the slightest.

Ah, sorry to disappoint, but that image (and whole event) was a hoax. Tumblr trolls fooled a naive idiot such as myself.

Atlantica wrote:but then looking back, we had Menken for a huge amount of time, on every Classic feature until Mulan I think ? (Anyone know why he didn't do that film in particular?)

I've always wondered why Menken mostly vanished between Hercules and HOTR, especially considering how bad they were flopping at the time. Perhaps that was because they were trying (very unsuccessfully) to reach out to the male demographic, and they didn't believe Broadway songs would be conducive to that goal?

Although I love Menken, I like to think he was going through the motions when he did Tangled. I found Glenn Slater's lyrics very insipid so I am glad this partnership hasn't been pulled out again. It was my feeling that they didn't bring out the best in each other.

Although I blame the directors for Tangled's lackluster soundtrack, I agree Glenn Slater doesn't seem to bring the best out of Menken, imo. I mean, I know nobody's going to reach Ashman's level apparently, but I'd rather have Schwartz of the people he's worked with since.

And I agree, I hope they keep the title Moana. Is Moana the name of a female protagonist or is it the name of a place? I know next to nothing about this. I kind of assumed from the title that it would be male-centered. (Maybe that's what they're hoping the public will think, too...)

estefan wrote:I think Cats Don't Dance is one of the rare non-Disney animated musicals of the 90s with a great soundtrack.

I actually remember enjoying the CDD soundtrack very much, but it's also representative of the same problem with TP&TF's soundtrack. The songs only shine in the moment because I couldn't sing you off one of them even though I'm trying. The songs in CDD work much more in that film than the ones in TP&TF do, but I think his music in general is not memorable outside the viewing experience itself. I don't hate TP&TF's soundtrack (like I've said, I actually really enjoy "Down in New Orleans"; other songs are elevated by Keith David and Rose), but I know I would've loved just about anyone else's work more.

@disneyprincess11: I would agree, but unlike the case with the Sherman Bros, the Lopezes' style is not that different from Alan Menken's. When Alan Menken began, it was the first time they'd really went for a Broadway sound, which of course the Sherman Bros couldn't do. The Lopezes are just doing what Menken has already done. I don't mind a switch between composers, but they aren't really life-altering for Disney. Let's be real, "Let It Go" is the song that took off and the rest of the soundtrack was along for the ride. This soundtrack pales in comparison to TLM and B&tB, Menken's first for Disney.

Also, let's not forget that Tangled was a hit (unfortunately), and "I See the Light" won several awards. While we may not enjoy the soundtrack (myself included), Disney should be satisfied with what Menken accomplished. But it doesn't matter at all--he would've been removed even if the soundtrack had skyrocketed like Frozen's.

I don't understand how Hunchback, Hercules and Pocanontas are considered flops when they did moderately well at the box office.

Meanwhile, I just saw this:

Stitch Kingdom ‏@stitchkingdom 2m
seriously considering attending @OIAF_Animation just for Feast, Lava and Musker/Clements presentations.

Even though they'll be there for Q&A after Little Mermaid, it is possible that they could mention Moana. I doubt it though.

Little Mermaid Q & A ? What's that for, the 25th anniversary?

Moana has been confirmed both as a musical and CGI.

Meanwhile, Musker looks forward to learning more about CG and making it work for Moana in an illustrative way (Paul Gauguin, anyone?). It's built around the Disney ethos and music will naturally play a strong role. "We both are fans of music and I think that animation and music go along together."

http://blogs.indiewire.com/animationsco ... -and-moana

disneyprincess11 wrote:Moana has been confirmed both as a musical and CGI.

Meanwhile, Musker looks forward to learning more about CG and making it work for Moana in an illustrative way (Paul Gauguin, anyone?). It's built around the Disney ethos and music will naturally play a strong role. "We both are fans of music and I think that animation and music go along together."

http://blogs.indiewire.com/animationsco ... -and-moana

CGI, big surprise! But I'll deal with it.

As for as a musical..........YES!

TsWade2 wrote:CGI, big surprise! But I'll deal with it.

As for as a musical..........YES!

Well, the good news is that like Glen K's version of Tangled, it does state that they are trying to give Moana a "illustrated" look, so it does sound like that it will have a 2D feel. So, you'll sort of get your 2D movie.

And yes, I am so relieved that it'll be a musical. And it sounds like the Lopezes will be doing it again. I loved what they did for "Go with the Flow" in Finding Nemo the Musical, so their Polynesian-themed music should be excellent!