DVDizzy Forum

Posted: **Fri Mar 04, 2011 7:37 pm**

Some interesting stirrings in the Hat Building of late...

Or perhaps that should be out of the Hat Building? With the stunning hit that is Walt Disney Animation Studios' "Tangled," one would think that the success has everyone with their heads a bit in the clouds. This starting out as Glen Keane's pet project, it would seem that his head would be up there as well. And it is, or was. Right now Glen is on sabbatical from Disney and enjoying a much needed, and much deserved break from the grind of animating.

That said...

It appears that some folks (Bothans included) think that Glen isn't happy with the current slate of projects at WDAS and is looking for greener pastures to ply his trade. Or maybe he's simply just looking for a change? And a certain animation studio knows this. They dream of working with the likes of someone of Keane's stature. And it has the Suits at this particular place in Glendale trying/attempting to woo him over to this side of the valley. And they're wooing him very aggressively.

Glen has had meetings with people at that studio recently and while no decision has been made, they want him and are wooing him with opportunities and dangling carrots in front of his face to get him to make that walk across the long yard from Burbank to Glendale.

Nothing is set in stone, but losing Glen Keane, who is one of the premiere talents and master animators that have defined the Second Golden Age of Disney Animation, would be a major blow to the recently revived studio. He's my favorite living animator, a living legend, a true talent and a genuinely nice guy. Hopefully, he'll decide to stay, but the very fact that he's entertaining the offer is something that is frightfully scary. It would be like Babe Ruth leaving Boston Red Sox for the New York Yankees. A truly monumental leap for someone who has been iconically linked to the Disney name for over three decades.

Then again, maybe with starting the Third Golden Age for Disney, he feels it's time to move on to a new, and different chapter of his life?

Source: http://blueskydisney.blogspot.com/2011/ ... -moon.html

Someone in the comments also said:

I saw Glen at the Dreamworks Oscar brunch last week. I wondered what was up with that. Like it or not, there's a lot more reciprocated loyalty at DW than there is at today's WDA.

Posted: **Fri Mar 04, 2011 7:43 pm**

Well, it's not like this is the first time Keane jumped from working at Disney to another studio. He went from animating Ratigan in The Great Mouse Detective to working on The Chipmunk Adventure and then returning to Disney for The Little Mermaid.

So, I can see Glen Keane doing something over at DreamWorks for a bit and then coming back to Disney.

Posted: **Fri Mar 04, 2011 7:44 pm**

Posted: **Fri Mar 04, 2011 7:47 pm**

estefan wrote:Well, it's not like this is the first time Keane jumped from working at Disney to another studio. He went from animating Ratigan in The Great Mouse Detective to working on The Chipmunk Adventure and then returning to Disney for The Little Mermaid.

That's true. Although, his absence was a short one.

Posted: **Fri Mar 04, 2011 8:06 pm**

Posted: **Fri Mar 04, 2011 8:12 pm**

One thing I never got with animation field is that once you work for one company(disney for example) you can't work at any other rival company as well(DW)

Why I say this? cause in comic industry, you can work on stuff for marvel and DC, two big rival comic industry, spontaneously.

Legends like Jack Kirby, Micheal Turner, Jim Lee, etc all did this.

I wonder why in the animation field that's not the case.

Posted: **Fri Mar 04, 2011 8:16 pm**

I wonder how DW would use him as they don't produce any traditional animation films. He'd most likely be an animation consultant perhaps? Help the animation engineers in developing software?

Posted: **Fri Mar 04, 2011 8:31 pm**

My guess is he was tired of being told how to do his own movie. As much as Disney tried to convince us otherwise, Tangled wasn't the movie he envisioned. The suits for whatever reason thought his wasn't marketable enough, nor cost efficient. I bet Dreamworks is bringing him in with the promise of letting him call the shots more.

I have no problem with this though. competition is fine.

Posted: **Fri Mar 04, 2011 8:47 pm**

I would post the "NO!" guy video, but that's getting old at this point.

I would be very upset to see this happen. I doubt it will. Keane has always seemed like he is genuinely invested in the Disney name because of what it stands for. I don't feel like he would fit in at Dreamworks nearly as well.

I hope he does whatever he feels is best for his career, but it just seems odd considering that he will most likely be retiring within the next ten years. To spend your entire life doing one thing and then at the very end do something different?

If he would finish out his career, he would forever be known as a Disney legend, ranked among Ollie Johnston and Frank Thomas and all the old guys. But if he moves, he will be forever known as "The Disney Legend that moved to Dreamworks."

Posted: **Fri Mar 04, 2011 9:05 pm**

SWillie! wrote:I would post the "NO!" guy video, but that's getting old at this point.

Sorry

My theory is that the rivarly between Lassenter and Katzenburg is so bad, is that...do you think Katzenburg is trying to steal Glen away from Disney?

Posted: **Fri Mar 04, 2011 9:20 pm**

estefan wrote:Well, it's not like this is the first time Keane jumped from working at Disney to another studio. He went from animating Ratigan in The Great Mouse Detective to working on The Chipmunk Adventure and then returning to Disney for The Little Mermaid.

If I'm not mistaken, the vast majority of the animation on that project was done by freelancers (which is why continuity is such a problem in it), not by any particular company. Glen most likely mailed in his work for that while not really signing onto any company (so in a way, this would be the first time he left Disney for someone else, that is if he really is heading to DreamWorks).

estefan wrote:So, I can see Glen Keane doing something over at DreamWorks for a bit and then coming back to Disney.

Chris Sanders hasn't come back, neither has many of the former Disney animators I know who made the switch to DreamWorks. They tell me that DreamWorks being ranked as one of the best companies to work for is no joke, it really is. They go on to describe the atmosphere as fun and relaxed (as opposed to the one-step-away from bankruptcy pressure that Disney places on you), they encourage artistic freedom and they're paid well with job security (easy with so many projects on the runway).

I honestly don't blame him for leaving. At his age, he doesn't need the stress that Disney inflicts and he needs a company that will back him (as opposed to chicken-shit Disney, that tampers or cancels projects that they don't feel marketable/safe).

Posted: **Fri Mar 04, 2011 9:22 pm**

Why, why, why, WHY do I get a bad feeling that he's going to be working for Dreamworks for good and never returning to Disney?

I mean, if Katzenberg wants artists, why not hire newer ones instead of stealing Disney's thunder? Okay, perhaps that is NOT the case. But still...

Posted: **Fri Mar 04, 2011 9:28 pm**

If he switches over to Dreamworks and has reason to embrace the change, more power to him. Maybe that'll help Disney wake up.

Posted: **Fri Mar 04, 2011 9:30 pm**

Is there a chance that with the success of The Princess and the Frog, and with Winnie the Pooh coming up, Katzenberg wants to try his hand at hand-drawn animation again? It's been about a decade since Dreamworks has released such a film.

Posted: **Fri Mar 04, 2011 9:30 pm**

Okay, could someone PLEASE tell me I'm not the only one worried that this could be the first of a few steps in Disney's downfall? In other words, shutting down the company forever!

AND that I'm hoping Glen will be working for Disney again?

Posted: **Fri Mar 04, 2011 9:44 pm**

AKA wrote:Is there a chance that with the success of The Princess and the Frog, and with Winnie the Pooh coming up, Katzenberg wants to try his hand at hand-drawn animation again? It's been about a decade since Dreamworks has released such a film.

Not even. The last time they released a hand-drawn movie was 2003 with Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas. Of course, it WOULD be nice if they did bring back hand-drawn animation.

But seriously. I hope this working at Dreamworks ordeal for Glen doesn't last forever. I mean, he's one of the many reasons we love Disney, with his work on Disney's greatest characters, such as Ratigan, Ariel, Beast, Aladdin, Pocahontas, Tarzan, Long John Silver and Rapunzel. Okay, technically, Rapunzel wasn't hand-drawn, but you get the idea!

Posted: **Fri Mar 04, 2011 9:45 pm**

^Why do you always overreact

Posted: **Fri Mar 04, 2011 9:47 pm**

enigmawing wrote:If he switches over to Dreamworks and has reason to embrace the change, more power to him. Maybe that'll help Disney wake up.

Yeah, that would definitely be one good thing to come of this.

Hopefully since the public now already knows this is going on, I'm sure the suits at Disney are fully well aware of it. Maybe they'll realize how much of a loss he would be before he actually goes anywhere and try to match whatever offers Dreamworks is giving him.

Posted: **Fri Mar 04, 2011 9:50 pm**

jpanimation wrote:^Why do you always overreact

I dunno. Maybe because of the fact that you pointed out that people who used to work for Disney have defected to Dreamworks, such as Chris Sanders, Gary Trousdale, etc. and NEVER came back?

Posted: **Fri Mar 04, 2011 10:02 pm**

Well, Dreamworks does seem to be a place where animators really want to work in, especially now with the whole 3 movies per year plan.

If Glenn Keane does indeed goes to work for them, he'd probably be Katzenberg's biggest catch yet.

DVDizzy Forum

Glen Keane Moving to DreamWorks?

Glen Keane Moving to DreamWorks?