DVDizzy Forum

I think Disney should try to resurrect Chanticleer from the Story Idea graveyard. Marc Davis did some great story work & artwork for the film & it should be done this way. It begs to be made.

For those who don't know, Chanticleer was one of the ideas in a
"Gong Show" sort of presentation in the late 1950's. It was gonged & the one idea Walt picked instead was Sword in the Stone. Walt thought that Chanticleer wouldn't work for two reasons.

1-How can you make an ego-maniac rooster like Chanticleer a likable character?
2- It would cost too much money. (Walt was worried about costs & failures ever since Fantasia)

In the late 1980's the Studio thought about making Chanticleer a reality, but that was scrapped because Don Bluth (Secret of NIMH, American Tail) was already in the process of making a film based on Chanticleer. That film was Rock-A-Doodle, & it bombed at the box office in the early 90's.

I think it's time to make Mard Davis' Clanticleer the next animated feature from Disney. What do you think?

For the full story on Chanticleer & it's development at Disney, check out these articles by Jim Hill Media http://jimhillmedia.com/search/SearchRe ... icleer&s=3

I dunno if they should make a feature of this story. Rock-A-Doodle may have bombed at the office, but it's already been told & that movie is so adorable.

I don't see why not. It's a possiblity.

Maybe the fact that Rock A Doodle bombed proved Walt was right in the first place. Not really an apitizing story or a good kids story. I think it should remain right where it is.

History tells us that Disney made quite some pre-production artwork for Chanticleer - and that it was shelved after all that work because Walt concluded that the rooster could never be an appealing character. So, yeah, maybe R-A-D proved that Walt was right...

Rock-A-Doodle is like a fabulous inside joke in my house. It also never fails to amuse me.

*tlm

I want to see Rock-A-Doodle again so bad, I had to rent it from Blockbuster every week when I was a kid but I don't remember anything about the movie.

Anyway, back on topic: Rock-A-Doodle bombed at the box office, but it seems that enough people saw it on video and liked it. If Disney did make a version of the story people would always compare it to Rock-A-Doodle, or vice-versa. It's probably not a good idea.

If I remember correctly, Walt wanted to make a feature on the legends of Reynard the fox but wasn't sure if it was wise to star such a vile, dispicable character. He toyed with the idea for years, even thinking about adding animated segments to-- oh, what was it, Treasure Island maybe. . . in the same fashion as Song of the South but obviously decided against it.

The preproduction work eventually shifted over to the tale of Chanticleer so the main star could be a hero (Reynard would be the villian) and much of it was planned around the same era as Jungle Book. I think it was the financers that halted the idea, not Walt himself (an animator recalled being told that "you can't make a personality out of a rooster"). It was a very grave time at the studio when it was thought that animated features were growing out of style and might be dropped altogether. Anyway, parts of the preproduction sort of survive within their animated version of Robin Hood.

Don Bluth had potential with his version of the story. . . he was probably inspired from his days at Disney to attempt it himself. Had another version been made it might have been more successful, but who knows?

I think if Disney were to look back on this idea again that it might be more interesting to focus back on Reynard rather than Chanticleer; sometimes it's cool to see the bad guys as the star.

I think i liked RAD as a kid, but i don't know if i still like it. the songs were mostly forgettable and annoying.

Also, should this really be in the general discussion board? i think its pointless.

i think that there are many great scrapped stories that disney could turn into movies,peresonally i would love to see penelope made into a movie, I think it has a really interesting story and the art mary blair did for it is just so cool!

PixarFan2006 wrote:Also, should this really be in the general discussion board? i think its pointless.

Well, after all it IS about something that could have become Disney animation.

skyler888 wrote:i think that there are many great scrapped stories that disney could turn into movies,peresonally i would love to see penelope made into a movie, I think it has a really interesting story and the art mary blair did for it is just so cool!

Penelope? What's that? And where did you see this Mary Blair art for it?

try John Canemaker’s "The Art and Flair of Mary Blair"

That's a book I've considered buying for quite a while, but I never got around to it. Is it good?

I've not yet got around to it either!

It was a pretty cool coffee table book when I browsed through it before, but now I can't find it anymore.

For Chanticleer, I remember reading in one of the Disney art books (Probably the Disney That Never Was) that "Belle" in Beauty and the Beast was originally a sequence developed for Chanticleer. I hope I'm not confusing this with another Disney animated short with chickens, as there are a lot...

For Chanticleer, I remember reading in one of the Disney art books (Probably the Disney That Never Was) that "Belle" in Beauty and the Beast was originally a sequence developed for Chanticleer. I hope I'm not confusing this with another Disney animated short with chickens, as there are a lot...

Yep, it's true.

Mr. Toad wrote:Maybe the fact that Rock A Doodle bombed proved Walt was right in the first place.

True perhaps, although I think the fact that Rock-A-Doodle just plain stank was a large factor in its demise!

"le roman de renard" has actually been made in dreadfull 3D by a european studio last year. I don't suppose disney would ever produce chanticlair nowadays. plus, if they did, it wouldn't look at all like it was intended. robin hood really is the incarnation of all the artwork they did I think.