I don't like that WSAS will be hiring directors from outside instead of just nurturing talent from within and helping them rise through the ranks.
And, in the fall, Lee will introduce a group of new directors at Disney. Some have been mentored from within, while others have been recruited elsewhere.
I’m excited to be announcing a few new directors in the fall – I will not be the only female director, which is exciting for me. Really, the biggest thing is creating new opportunities for young talent.
Walt Disney Animation Studios has appointed four filmmakers to work on original content for the studio. Directors Carlos Lopez Estrada (“Blindspotting”) and Suzi Yoonessi (“Unlovable,” “Dear Lemon Lima”), along with Disney veterans Josie Trinidad and Marc Smith are each developing new animated films for theatrical release.
The announcement comes as Disney and Walt Disney Animation’s chief creative officer Jennifer Lee works to increase the studio’s commitment to diversity and inclusion.
“We aim to have Walt Disney Animation Studios serve as the premiere home for filmmakers interested in telling engaging stories within the limitless animation medium,” Lee, who wrote and directed “Frozen” and its forthcoming sequel, said in a statement. “Carlos and Suzi are two incredible, inventive filmmakers who have both received acclaim for their work. Josie and Marc, master, lead story artists, have been instrumental in shaping such films as ‘Zootopia’ and ‘Frozen 2.’ We are so thrilled to have these four talented artists join our 96-year-old studio as directors and help us build the stories of our future — adventures in completely original worlds, stories from around the globe, and the next generation of musicals.”
I didn't expect the filmmakers from outside the studio they've hired would be people with no experience in animation. And judging by their previous work, you wouldn't think they're a good fit to direct Disney films, but we'll see. On the one hand, it could be positive for the studio, because they can bring fresh ideas and a different point of view; but on the other hand, I'm a bit worried that the studio could be at risk of losing its identity a bit. At least, not all the new films are directed from people from outside. I'm glad Josie Trinidad and Marc Smith will have the opportunity to direct their own movie.
D82 wrote:I didn't expect the filmmakers from outside the studio they've hired would be people with no experience in animation. And judging by their previous work, you wouldn't think they're a good fit to direct Disney films, but we'll see. On the one hand, it could be positive for the studio, because they can bring fresh ideas and a different point of view; but on the other hand, I'm a bit worried that the studio could be at risk of losing its identity a bit.
That's my concern as well. There's a risk of WDAS becoming just your average live-action studio with no real identity. There's so much talent already at the studio. I bet a lot of people there want to direct a feature but will ultimately be bypassed and denied that opportunity in order to accommodate live-action directors with no animation experience or training. It just seems unfair to me.
I love that Disney Animation is incorporating both newcomers and rising talent for its animated features. I personally don't think Disney is at any risk of losing its identity in the future and it's wonderful to see Jennifer Lee allow for these multiple voices. Would Josie Trinidad and Marc Smith have been given directing opportunities under Lasseter? It's hard to say.
It would certainly be incredibly hypocritical on my part to complain about new voices coming to WDAS, since Wreck-It Ralph is one of my favourite films of the studio's current era and that was directed and written by Disney newcomers. And even though Rich Moore isn't there anymore, I loved the humour and spirit and creativity he brought to the movies there.
Watching Jennifer Lee's journey from screenwriter to director to the head of the studio has also been remarkable. She definitely deserves an enormous amount of credit for Frozen's success, especially in fleshing out Elsa and Anna's relationship. I'm monumentally excited for what this new era of Disney animation will bring and to see what Estrada and Yoonessi bring to the table.
"There are two wolves and they are always fighting. One is darkness and despair. The other is light and hope. Which wolf wins? Whichever one you feed." - Casey Newton, Tomorrowland
If I’m being honest, I think when Lasseter was in charge, everybody wasn’t given the artistic freedom they should have had when it came to their films. Don’t get me wrong, the movies that were released when he was there were- IMO- fantastic.
The issue is that I feel a lot of folks there were held back, John Musker and Ron Clements on Moana, for instance.
thedisneyspirit wrote:Howard Ashman and Alan Menken were outsides that were brought into Disney, and they brought a lot of fresh air to the studios, didn't they?
I get what you mean, but they were also songwriters, which isn't an area Disney grooms in the same way they do directors, animators, storyboard artists, etc.
Although I do agree, I'd rather see someone try something new with Disney rather than recycle the same handful of tropes over and over again, as long as they remain reverent to what makes the studio work.
This is assuming newcomers will be allowed to divert from the tropes. I expect under Lee there will be more bursts of creativity than there ever would have been under Lasseter, but Disney itself won’t allow too much deviation.
Listening to most often lately:
Måneskin ~ "Gossip"
Måneskin ~ "Timezone"
Carly Pearce ~ "Oklahoma"
Jennifer Lee
Chris Buck
Paul Briggs
Dean Wellins
Byron Howard
Jared Bush
Phil Johnston
Don Hall
Ron Clements
Josie Trinidad
Marc E. Smith
Carlos López Estrada
Suzi Yoonessi
Sotiris wrote:The Disney Story Trust currently consists of:
Jennifer Lee
Chris Buck
Paul Briggs
Dean Wellins
Byron Howard
Jared Bush
Phil Johnston
Don Hall
Ron Clements
Josie Trinidad
Marc E. Smith
Carlos López Estrada
Suzi Yoonessi
The only people here whom I trust are Byron Howard and Ron Clements.
Sotiris wrote:The Disney Story Trust currently consists of:
Jennifer Lee
Chris Buck
Paul Briggs
Dean Wellins
Byron Howard
Jared Bush
Phil Johnston
Don Hall
Ron Clements
Josie Trinidad
Marc E. Smith
Carlos López Estrada
Suzi Yoonessi
The only people here whom I trust are Byron Howard and Ron Clements.
Same, but Chris Buck did Tarzan and Dean Wellins was the co-director of Rapunzel with Glen Keane so I trust them too.
We’re a dyad in the Force. Two that are one. "I offered you my hand once. You wanted to take it." - Kylo Ren "I did want to take your hand. Ben's hand." - Rey
When she first wrote for Disney, Lee had wanted more time for iterating — thanks to her, writers now get four drafts before the storyboard stage, whereas before they had only one or two.
That wasn't the case with Frozen II though as we could see in Into the Unknown. I'm also not sure how the scripts for Raya and the Last Dragon and Encanto weren't refined if that was the case.
Jennifer Lee wrote:A filmmaker coming to me saying they are interested in continuing their IP [intellectual property] or someone having a brilliant idea — it has to come from the idea out.
But Musker and Clements didn't come and asked to do a continuation for The Princess and the Frog and Moana.
Lee has a writing project of her own, though she won’t divulge any details about it.
Jennifer Lee
Chris Buck
Don Hall
Byron Howard
Jared Bush
Carlos López Estrada
Qui Nguyen
Dean Wellins
Trent Correy
Stella Meghie
Josie Trinidad
Marc E. Smith
Suzi Yoonessi
Nayna Agrawal
Elissa Matsueda
Laura Perez Cervera
Janet Lin
Jessica Julius
There are 9 men and 9 women in the trust now. Most of them had no background or experience in animation before joining the studio (and even their live-action experience was slight).
