Here's even more proof:
http://www.laughingplace.com/News-ID510530.asp
Below are excerpts from the article. There are three pages to this article, so make sure to read them all.
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"The tide has fully turned and an authentic vision is well in place at Disney once again. Reports are that John Lasseter’s approach to developing, motivating and supporting his creative colleagues – from the top down – has everyone so excited and so committed that the atmosphere is once again jubilant under the Sorcerer’s Hat. Not only is the age old pixels vs pencils battle blown over entirely, the morale is high and staffers once again think of themselves as part of a creative family working in tandem to imagine entertainment and magic that has been the hallmark of the Disney name for nearly 100 years. For anyone who ever thought that Disney’s acquisition of Pixar was going to turn the Mouse House into a poorer southern California cousin to the Emeryville digital giant, well…think again."
"Disney officials have now confirmed to me that Lasseter, after reviewing projects currently in development at Feature Animation, singled out at least two works now brewing that could be appropriate for being produced in traditional hand-drawn animation. This wasn’t some strategic move spurred by the synergy or net-present value of anything, but a solid artistic choice made with calm and intelligence and good old common sense. In a town where sense is neither common nor actually sensible, I vote for everyone drinking the same water as John Lasseter."
"Next up was Lasseter’s offer to directing and writing team Ron Clements and John Musker, currently at work penning the screenplay for The Frog Princess. Described as a decidedly “American fairy tale”, the project is currently in the very earliest stages of development, and not yet green-lit for production, per se. Nevertheless, Lasseter was confident enough to have made mention of the project at a division wide meeting held on one of the studio’s sound stages recently, and it is confirmed that the Ron and John project was given the option of being produced in either hand drawn or CG. With a script expected from the Ron and John (and only Ron and John) sometime in the late fall of 2006, and with no artistic staff yet in place for even visual development or storyboarding, its nonetheless official - Musker and Clements have elected to produce their project in the traditional hand-drawn approach, and Lasseter is 100% behind that choice!"
"Imagine this, a studio creative chief who not only has brought back into the fold the creative team that single handedly revived the art of great storytelling with The Little Mermaid, but gave them free reign to craft the story on their own without bringing in a screenwriter from outside, and then offered them a choice, repeat – a choice of what look they thought was best for their film."
"Both Rapunzel and The Frog Princess are quite a ways down the road, as production takes time, but make no mistake that animation is truly an inclusive term at Disney. Exactly how long it will take before we see the wonders of great traditional animation on the big screen isn’t completely predictable, as most features take three to five years from script to screen......"
"Word is that Lasseter has a very smart and productive approach to getting the division used to seeing pencils in the building again: he’s approved production of two short films to be produced in hand-drawn animation (and one of them will bring back to the big screen one of the studio’s most successful short-format stars) thus creating both a production pipeline for one of animation’s most rewarding forms of entertainment and a kind of artists’ gym for getting into shape and getting ready to tackle what will doubtless be the glorious and triumphant return of the Disney of old. This is similar to the R & D attitude Pixar has toward short films, and one that Walt himself believed in right up until he died."
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This is very exciting news, indeed. It will be interesting to see which will be the first new project to be released in traditional 2-D animation! Long live 2-D animation!
