Big Changes

Another director has been added to Walt Disney Animation Studios' Big Hero 6, and a new producer has taken over…

Chris Williams, who was one of the directors of Bolt and a long-time story man who worked in the story department on several other Disney animated films (such as Mulan, The Emperor's New Groove and Brother Bear), is now co-piloting the ship with director Don Hall. Roy Conli has been named producer, replacing long-time effects producer Kristina Reed. Reed also produced the wonderful Paperman, in fact she was the poor soul who got kicked out of the Oscar ceremony for throwing paper airplanes! Those killjoys…

Why was she replaced? We'll probably never know. (Cue the Lasseter micromanagement comments…) Conli seems like the kind of guy for this project, though, since I see it as a risky experiment much like Atlantis: The Lost Empire and Treasure Planet, the latter of which he produced. Still, it's sad to see Reed go. Maybe she'll handle producing duties on another Walt Disney Animation Studios project. Hopefully.

This is from the newly-launched Big Hero 6 Tumblr...

But the bigger question is, why all of this at the last minute? Well, if you remember way back in November 2012, it was announced that Wreck-It Ralph scribe Jennifer Lee was going to direct Frozen alongside Chris Buck. With that film's success (it's on track to top $300 million at the domestic box office), maybe Disney feels that adding another director to the project this late in the game will bolster it.

Williams hadn't directed a finished film at Walt Disney Animation Studios since Bolt, which was released five years ago. Back in 2010, he was going to be the one to bring the once ill-fated King of the Elves to the screen, but the project was apparently rife with story problems so he backed out. The elves got shelved again, they are still waiting to be re-evaluated.

Maybe the studio just wants to give him some directorial work right now, since Elves didn't really go over too well. Or maybe there are some last-minute issues with this picture - it happens a lot with animated features and most films in general - with the story and whatnot, and maybe that's the reason why Reed got the boot.

Either way, I'm still excited for the film. Do you think the changes were necessary? Or do you think they came too late in the game? Sound off below!

October Animation Tidbits [#2]

Tidbit time...

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Willem Dafoe recently talked about Finding Dory. Recording sessions have begun, which indicates that the script is already in great shape. Dafoe confirmed the other day that he is indeed returning to voice Gill, and he also said "It's even better than the first. It’s fantastic. It’s good to say I think it’s going to be better than the first; that’s good advertising!"

To hear him (he recently criticized reboot The Amazing Spider-Man, a film he has not even seen, for being a "cynical approach to making money") be enthusiastic about a sequel that many are having a hard time warming up to is something of a good sign, don't you think? Or is it just PR sugarcoating?

Finding Dory can very well be like Toy Story 2, folks. Just because Cars 2 (which obviously wasn't going to be fantastic to begin with) and Monsters University didn't fully deliver as sequels/prequels doesn't mean Finding Dory can't. Andrew Stanton and crew may just surprise us all.

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Disney Animators' Instagram unveiled this...

If that's Big Hero 6's official logo, then that's great. I already love the look of it, very Marvel-esque but also anime-esque. It perfectly describes the "big" scope and the Japanese flair of this upcoming Walt Disney Animation Studios film. Now hopefully we'll get some sort of official logo reveal some time soon!

And... I might be too hopeful here, but I'd love to see a teaser before Frozen... Heck, use that test scene as the teaser and get the word out! C'mon Disney marketing.

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Two directors have been attached to the 2016 Angry Birds animated film...

Disney veteran/supervising animator Clay Katis is one of them, who was the supervising animator on Bolt and Tangled. He also worked on several other films during his 19-year tenure at the studio.

Veteran storyboard artist Fergal Reilly is the other, his credits include The Iron Giant, Spider-Man 2 and most of Sony Animation's films... This leads me to believe that this film - which is being distributed by Sony - will be a partial Sony Pictures Animation production. Maybe. Summer 2016 is blank right now, usually they release two films in a calendar year and one around this time. According to Cartoon Brew, Rovio is producing it in-house (they're based in Finland), but it's possible that Sony Animation could work on some of it. But come to think of it, you would've heard something early on by Sony Animation themselves...

That's a strong line-up there. The screenwritter, Jon Vitti... Well... Simpsons veteran, but he wrote the two Alvin and the Chipmunks movies. Good choice for a film like this though, because we all know it won't be anything spectacular - it'll be a diversion for the kiddies. Solid choice for the script, if there is much of a script. (A silent film would be interesting, but that probably won't happen.)

I'm not excited for it, but I'm sure a lot of kids and fans will be. That's who they are probably aiming for with this film... But will Angry Birds still be popular with young'uns three years from now?

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What do you think of Dafoe's comments on Finding Dory? What do you think of the Big Hero 6 logo? Do you think that'll be the final one? Or do you think it's just a prototype? What's your take on the Angry Birds movie? What do you think of the fact that they got those two animation veterans to direct it?

Sound off below!

Going Big

Surprise, surprise! A first look at Walt Disney Animation Studios' Big Hero 6 has arrived...

Disney seems gung ho about getting the word out on Walt Disney Animation Studios' adaptation of Marvel's Big Hero 6, which is not due out until next autumn. We got word on the project last summer, as it was in development and we knew that Don Hall (Winnie the Pooh) was directing. It was also interesting to note that this was Walt Disney Animation Studios' first ever collaboration with another studio, which made me all the more excited because it shows that the rejuvenated studio is willing to branch out and take some real risks, rather than treading the same old ground.

Wreck-It Ralph, I believe, was the first in this experimental new period. Disney spent the last couple of years making a good films with familiar concepts (talking animals, fairy tales) in order to get audiences back in the theaters for their films. Frozen, from the looks of it, won't be your typical Disney fairy tale adaptation and the two untitled projects (one from Tangled co-director Byron Howard and the other from dream team Ron Clements & John Musker) also sound quirky. The studio, as I've said many times before, is in a better state now than they ever were in the last two decades: No nosy executives interfering with the creative process, a brain trust that approves of good ideas and a healthy balance of heart, humor and drama goes into each story and screenplay. On top of that, they are willing to take big risks... It's exactly what Walt would've wanted.

Big Hero 6 is coming to theaters on November 7, 2014; sure it may have been officially announced today, but we knew it for months. Given their reluctance to really market Frozen (aside from the leaked footage that was supposedly shown on the Disney Channel in Greece), who would've thought that Disney would show us footage from this film so soon?!

Listen carefully, you'll hear something familiar...

Yes, it looks fantastic. The film's San Fransokyo setting is bursting with creativity and color. Marvel CCO Joe Quesada unveiled some details on the plot and again, it sounds like something totally different and new from the studio. This is what Walt Disney Animation Studios should've been like a decade ago, because they did experiment after the Renaissance. Films like Dinosaur, The Emperor's New Groove, Atlantis: The Lost Empire, Lilo & Stitch and Treasure Planet definitely went against the grain in terms of storytelling and creativity. In addition to that, a lot of these ideas were original and not adaptations (sans Treasure Planet). But, they were produced at a time when suits had too much power over what went into these films and what had to go (Atlantis is great example of this)... Thus the results were mostly mixed and a majority of the films did poorly at the box office.

Since Disney acquired Marvel in 2009, it seemed logical for them to have their animation studio adapt one of their comics. For a while, it was rumored that Pixar would make an animated Marvel film, but of course they wouldn't since they don't do adaptations. Disney Animation, on the other hand, is the perfect studio to bring Marvel into the theatrical animation world. The current and ever-expanding Marvel Cinematic Universe is proof that Marvel is in good hands right now, so Big Hero 6 sounds like it'll certainly live up to its ambitions plus the last string of Disney animated films were strong... Walt Disney Animation Studios, again, is headed for a bright future.

As for the film itself? Well, it seems like we're going to get a visually amazing, action-packed spectacle that'll feel like a Disney classic but at the same time it'll be quite different. They'll stick to the good traditions, but they'll also embrace great new ideas. The last couple of films proved this, especially Wreck-It Ralph. It paid off, greatly. It has definitely encouraged the studio to go big or go home. Walt did the same during the Golden Age...

With all that said, why is Disney still hiding Frozen from us?

A Big Year?

I've been thinking this for a while. The more we find out about the animated films being released next year, the more excitement... 2014 is loaded. Literally. 2014 is packed with so much promise. If you ask me, this could be another fine year for animation and perhaps its biggest.

When I think of great years in animation, I think of years like 2010. That particular year had several very impressive animated films, and many of them were big hits. Toy Story 3, Tangled, How To Train Your Dragon and Despicable Me all satisfied and impressed audiences, animation fans and critics. Even an arguably lesser effort like Shrek Forever After got some form of positive reception. I mean, being "better than Shrek the Third" probably doesn't say much for the series' finale, but it didn't get all around negative reception. Megamind, though I saw it as a somewhat failed experiment, got good marks from critics and was a sizable success. Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole may not have been good, but give the studio props for aiming for a story that was darker in tone, not to mention the great visuals.

Then I look at 2011, and we have impressive entries like Rango, Winnie the Pooh, Arthur Christmas and The Adventures of Tintin mixed with low quality efforts like Mars Needs Moms, The Smurfs and Happy Feet Two. 2012 was a step up, though we still had some merely passable films here and there. This year looks like it'll be the same, some critical and commercial hits mixed with some duds. I mean after all, this year does contain the likes of The Smurfs 2 and Escape from Planet Earth. We also have no idea how films like Despicable Me 2 and Turbo will turn out. It's an "it can go either way" deal with those kinds of films.

Though this may sound biased, I personally think 2014 is animation's next big year. A year where most of the work will impress in some way, and also dominate at the box office for the most part. 2010 did just that, and maybe 2014 can do it to. The domestic box office performances of all of 2010's animated batch put together is $1.5 billion, making it, money-wise, animation's biggest year at the North American box office to date. The previous record was held by 2006, a year that was packed with animated features.

From the looks of it, I think that 2014's line-up suggests so much potential. So what are the films? Well if you don't follow animation news, here's the rundown of what's coming next year:

LEGO: The Motion Picture

Animal Logic / LEGO

February 7, 2014

Initially, I had mixed feelings towards this film. A LEGO film could either be plain fun or a film that's only good for children and no one else. Also, what person doesn't want to see a LEGO film? What person did not enjoy LEGO sets when they were young? I think if the studio does this right, it'll be perfect for kids and it'll be perfect for everyone else. It's also a film that doesn't need to be more than what it is, so I'm not expecting too much out of it.

The premise? An average joe LEGO figure apparently might be the one who will save the universe from a massive evil force. Sounds generic, but the announcements said that the character will team up with some colorful allies and Batman... Yes, Batman. It's clear that this film is going to take full advantage of its setting and tone, and if you ask me, that'll make for a fun ride. Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller are directing it. Enough said. If it doesn't necessarily succeed in the story department, it's sure to be a riot from start to finish. This has a lot going for it.

Mr. Peabody and Sherman

DreamWorks Animation

March 14, 2014

One of the reasons I may have seemed a bit harsh on this film is because it seems a lot lighter than some of the studio's recent attempts at big, heartfelt films. Films that could arguably rival Pixar, such as How To Train Your Dragon and Rise of the Guardians. Well I don't expect Peabody to reach such heights, and as such, it should be a solid good film when taken on its own terms. The only other thing that turned me off was the fact that it's a re-imagining of something people knew many decades ago.

This was done once in a blue moon before the success of Alvin of the Chipmunks in 2007, but nowadays this trend is everywhere. It's to the point where it's gotten annoying, but I trust DreamWorks. I doubt that the studio and director Rob "Lion King" Minkoff will deliver a cynical, crass and shallow piece of trash where the titular characters talk in hip slang, rap and crack lame kiddie fare jokes every five seconds. The cast is impressive too, boasting talent such as Mel Brooks himself! With its new release date, the team will have more than enough time to iron out any possible setbacks.

Rio 2

Blue Sky Studios

April 11, 2014

Rio seems to have split animation fans from what I've gathered. Some found it to be an enjoyable, cute flick while others thought it was just plain mediocre. Either that, or people were simply angry because Pixar's Newt got cancelled for possibly being too similar to this. Me? I personally enjoyed Rio, and while it had its cringeworthy moments, I found it to be a treat. I liked the animation for the most part. The designs of the different birds were great, not so much the humans. I liked the story, a few of the songs were catchy and most of the comedy worked. The audience I saw it with on opening weekend had a fun time and applauded twice during the film. Again, I wasn't expecting it to be an emotional powerhouse that would rival something like Toy Story 3. I was expecting fun, and that's what I got.

Rio 2, I'm a bit skeptical of. Yes the first was fun and that's all I expect from the sequel, but I just hope the team at Blue Sky don't go the route of the Ice Age sequels. Nothing is more frustrating than animated comedy that has a lot of funny moments, but also a boatload of gags that don't work. This is one I'm not terribly excited about it, but I think it could make for good fun. A nice little matinee before the heavy-hitters kick in.

The Good Dinosaur

Pixar Animation Studios

May 30, 2014

How many more times can I rave about this film? I fell in love with the concept when it was unveiled back in the summer of 2011. I was beyond excited when I heard that it would be directed by Bob Peterson, instead of someone who already directed a Pixar film. The concept art that was unveiled was gorgeous. Also, it's Pixar. That's pretty much it. You might argue, "But Pixar has been slipping lately! Didn't you see Cars 2 and Brave?" I did, and I don't believe the studio is slipping. I've made it clear many times before that I don't see a "Pixar rut" coming any time soon. Cars 2 was what it was, it obviously wasn't going to be great. Brave had its faults, but can you blame it? It was a problematic production. You'd be surprised how many animated films were troubled productions.

I'm confident that this film will be like their other films. Sure Brave ran into difficulties and it may not have been the film it could've been, but that doesn't mean this film will automatically be plagued by production problems. It could turn out to be another excellent endeavor from the studio. Why should two films, one of which that was most likely not going to be anything Pixar-like, influence how we anticipate Pixar's upcoming work? I say don't worry and hope for the best.

Ninja Turtles

Nickelodeon Movies / Platinum Dunes

June 6, 2014

In all honesty, can I just skip this one? IMDb lists it as an animated film, but I've been hearing that it will be live action. Will it be a hybrid like The Smurfs? Or not? Please oh pretty please can I skip this? I mean, every announcement has just upset many. Look whose working on it... Jonathan Liebesman, who directed such great classics like Battle: Los Angeles and Wrath of the Titans, will be at the helm. Michael Bay is producing. Grrrreat. Megan Fox was cast as April O'Neil. Wonderful... If you can't tell I'm being sarcastic, then I'll break it to you this way: It's going to be a disaster. It's been obvious since day one. I have no desire to see it, and I'm not even a fan of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles to begin with!

I will say one thing though, the title is actually fitting. This is not "Teenage Mutant" Ninja Turtles. Peter Laird, the franchise's co-creator, is apparently against the film. Very telling if you ask me. What are you left with? A movie that'll anger the fans that probably won't appeal to non-fans. Maybe kids will go see it, since the new series is a hit, but... Yeah...

How To Train Your Dragon 2

DreamWorks Animation SKG

June 20, 2014

Yes, we all know How To Train Your Dragon was DreamWorks' most critically successful film to date. It was beloved by many, and it won skeptics over. DreamWorks had made a film that was more than impressive. A film that didn't have hit music, potty humor or pop culture references. Despite its many setbacks, How To Train Your Dragon has a sincerity and golden heart to it that helps you overlook its problems. I bet that's because Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois directed it. One thing I loved about Dragon was the setting; the whole idea of a world where dragons exist opens up the doors to many new possibilities. I wanted to know more about the setting, and hopefully the sequel delivers in that department.

But I also want a good story, and one that's stronger than the one in the first film. I also want a better screenplay. No pointless exposition or modern slang dialogue. The film will take place five years after the first one, so maybe Hiccup and the other kids won't talk like your typical high schoolers. Maybe. Will we see all different kinds dragons? Will we see other settings beyond Berk? Since DreamWorks went big for Kung Fu Panda 2, I suspect that How To Train Your Dragon 2 will be a bigger and much more epic film than its predecessor. So much to look forward to!

Popeye

Sony Pictures Animation

September 26, 2014

Why in the world would I anticipate a computer animated re-imagining of Elzie Crisler Segar's legendary sailor man? One from Sony Pictures Animation no less? Well, for starters you have Genndy Tartakovsky directing it. Tartakovsky did a fine job with making computer animation "cartoony" in Hotel Transylvania, an extension of what we saw in films like Madagascar. Despite what some may think, computer animation can do what the funniest Golden Age cartoons did. The medium is not limited by the naturalism or realism, and Tartakovsky proved that. I personally think that computer animation has a little ways to go in order to capture zaniness and slapstick seen in hand-drawn cartoons, but it'll get there. Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted and Hotel Transylvania were an indication that it can.

That all being said, Popeye also worries me. While I have no doubt that Tartakovsky will make it a lively, energetic film; I also fear that it may lack what made the short subjects so great. With films like Alvin and the Chipmunks, there wasn't much to live up to. With something like Popeye, there is a lot to live up to. Also remember that during the Golden Age, nobody copied one another. The Fleischer shorts have a distinct look to them that wasn't anything like Disney or Warner Bros. cartoons. They were grounded in a modern day setting with no old timey look nor a lavish one. Since Tartakovsky respects classic animation, he may make his Popeye film resemble those brilliant shorts. But something tells me that he'll be getting lots and lots of notes from the higher ups to make it a safe, audience-friendly picture. You never know, he may not listen.

Book of Life

Reel FX Creative Studios / Fox Animation Studios

October 10, 2014

After Reel FX enters the competitive world of animated films with their debut feature Turkeys this November, they'll serve up this spooky-themed computer animated film. Guillermo del Toro is producing it, and it'll be directed by Jorge R. Gutierezz (the creator of the short-lived Nickelodeon series El Tigre: The Adventures of Manny Rivera). Reports say it'll be a Romeo and Juliet-esque love story that's in a Day of the Dead setting. The working title was actually Day of the Dead, but it was probably changed to avoid confusion with Pixar's upcoming "Day of the Dead" project. With a smart choice of release date, this film could actually be a hit in Mexico if it doesn't do well here. Given its subject matter, it probably won't. Animated films with a creepy flare don't translate to box office gold here, unless it's The Nightmare Before Christmas.

I'm already interested in it, and it seems like a risky turn for an up-and-coming studio (well granted, Reel FX was doing VFX, short films and direct-to-video titles before this). It already sounds good and it's got some good talent behind it. Keep an eye out for it in the coming months.

The Boxtrolls

LAIKA

October 17, 2014

LAIKA's two films, Coraline and ParaNorman, were animation game-changers. The Boxtrolls will be no different. The revealed synopsis and cast already excite me, in fact this could be my most anticipated animated film for the year. It'll combine stop motion richness and computer animation, so it'll make for a cool hybrid. If anything, I'm excited for the trailer alone. I just want to see what this thing will look like. I expect the writing to be whip-smart, after all, Coraline and ParaNorman had great writing.

Big Hero 6

Walt Disney Animation Studios / Marvel Studios

November 7, 2014

I've been anticipating this one since it was announced. Again, Walt Disney Animation Studios branching out and doing a superhero film. A Marvel Comics adaptation no less. Disney Animation's President talked about how Disney will be trying new things with their output, and Wreck-It Ralph was proof. Big Hero 6 reminds me of something like Atlantis: The Lost Empire, but unlike that 2001 film, the creative team won't have narrow-minded executives ruining their work. The studio's output nowadays is very good because of this. Executives ruined films like Dinosaur, Atlantis and Treasure Planet. This is not the case anymore. I also hope it will be a hand-drawn film. Please Disney, make it hand-drawn.

Happy Smekday!

DreamWorks Animation SKG

November 26, 2014

I'll admit, I'm not too excited about this. I never read the book it's based on (Adam Rex's The True Meaning of Smekday), but the plot to that juvenile novel sounds interesting: An alien race called the Boov take over the world and change Christmas to "Smekday", meanwhile a human girl and one of the Boov become friends and go on adventures together; they ultimately end up having to save the world. The cast currently consists of Jim Parsons and Rihanna, the latter can't act and shouldn't be providing voice overs in animated films in my opinion. Again, it feels like DreamWorks is going back to their old roots by casting big names, but... The idea and setting could make for a very good-looking film. I'd like to see DreamWorks take a good stab at sci-fi, a genre often avoided by the animation industry due to many misguided films.

Minions

Illumination Entertainment

December 19, 2014

Allow me to get one thing out of the way. I am not a fan of Illumination or their apparent business model, despite the fact that I really enjoyed Despicable Me. In fact I enjoyed it enough that I got the Blu-ray of it, and I don't regret that purchase. It's a very cute and appealing movie, and it's the rare exception where an animated family film takes so many things that are typically seen in these kinds of films and makes them work without ever feeling tired. Others may feel differently about it, but in my eyes, Despicable Me was pure fun and entertainment done right. Dr. Seuss' The Lorax on the other hand, well... Let's just say the Despicable Me formula did not work and only undermined Seuss' book and its message.

This is why I'm not worried at all about Despicable Me 2. In fact, I enjoyed the trailer for the film, so it could be alright. Then again, will the schtick that worked the first time around work in the second one? Maybe. Maybe not. However, I worry a bit about this one. How much Minion silliness can we handle? 90 minutes? It's clear that Illumination is only after the money with this one, and it's sure to be a huge hit with kids. The fan in me wants to see the studio ditch all conventions and try something different, but we all know they won't. So Minions... It could be fun, but it just feels so crass. Who knows, they may prove me wrong come December 2014.

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Which of these films are looking forward to? Which ones are you not looking forward to?

Do you 2014 will be a great year for animation? Or a simply good one? Or do you think it'll be a disappointing year?

Sound off below!

And the Mystery Film Is...

Big Hero 6...

Yes, the adaptation of the Marvel Comics story that will be directed by Don Hall... Walt Disney Animation Studios' first feature film co-production with another studio... You already know that I'm super excited for this. Are you?

It was revealed yesterday that the film was penciled in for a November 21st release in Spain, of all places. However, since Disney announced that an animated film was coming out on November 7th next year, Big Hero 6 will open that weekend here in the states. Still no word on how it will be done (whether it'll be hand-drawn or computer) or anything else, but I'm hoping that we'll hear more about it soon.

Disney better play their cards right with this one. With comic book movie mania in full swing, they can score a real hit off of this. Also, as I have said many times before, this is a great way for the studio to go beyond fairy tales and adaptations of classic stories again. Disney showed that they were willing to do this with something like Wreck-It Ralph, so hopefully they continue to break from the norm with this film and more films like it.

So much potential, so many possibilities... I expect another grand slam from the studio.

Parallels

Disney animation is currently about to enter a new Renaissance, or in many ways, has already entered it. When? Why have they entered a new Renaissance, though? Why isn’t there much hubbub over this?

The last few Disney films, despite any box office performance, are critically successful. In fact, Disney’s slow rebirth is no different from their rise to glory in the late 1980s...

Before The Renaissance

Years before the Disney Renaissance began, Disney’s animated output was problematic to say the least. As I had explained in my three-part series “The Dark Ages?”, it wasn’t necessarily absolutely terrible times for the studio, but tough nonetheless. There was only one flop, The Black Cauldron, which wasn’t as a big as a bomb as Disney and others made it out to be. The Rescuers and The Great Mouse Detective were certainly good, while not great by any means due to other problems. Oliver & Company is dated, relying on what was big in the 80s that made it the box office success it was. The Fox and the Hound has a great central theme, but it’s plagued with sloppy storytelling and a lack of a consistent tone. The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh is merely a compilation feature more than anything, though the individual short subjects are great. The only true post-Walt/pre-Renaissance clunkers are The Aristocats and Robin Hood, films with lazy storytelling and equally unimpressive animation, yet those two films were highly successful.

Likewise, before this new era of Disney (the Lasseter era), the Disney output was flawed. After the Renaissance, there were three real gems: Fantasia 2000, The Emperor's New Groove and Lilo & Stitch. The rest of the films were all messy or lacking in something some way or another, and this is all thanks to the executives, who stuck their spoons into the broth and found a way to ruin each big budget project. Treasure Planet was screwed by its attempts to be teen-friendly, despite already having a good heartfelt story and a lot of ambition. Atlantis: The Lost Empire suffers from a story that immediately loses direction after its first act, being more of a visual showcase than a story-driven experience. Brother Bear has excellent animation, but the film is too talky and riddled with 2003 talk and "hip" dialogue. Dinosaur was planned as a silent film, but again, the executives had the characters talk, and in awful modern dialect. Home on the Range was bland and badly written, and on top of that, offered nothing new. Chicken Little? That was a product of Michael Eisner’s rush to compete with DreamWorks’ pop culture joke-laden schlockfests.

Then we look at the few films that came before the Disney Renaissance, namely The Great Mouse Detective, and we see a small path to improvement. Oliver & Company on the other hand was a step backwards in terms of storytelling, but was a big hit nonetheless since it was hip and cool with the 80s audience. It was nothing more than a test, to see if Disney could re-enter the animated feature business and compete with Don Bluth.

However, the two films released between Chicken Little and The Princess and the Frog show a striking amount of improvement. Meet the Robinsons was half late Eisner-era caffeinated flick, half Lasseter Pixar-esque story that was heartwarming and touching. While not a big success, it wasn’t a flop by any means. Critics were generally positive in their reviews as well. At least it didn’t get the mixed to negative reviews that Brother Bear, Home on the Range and Chicken Little received. This was followed by Bolt, which boasted very good storytelling though it was a bit too familiar. Despite some safer elements, it was a deserved critical success and was a slow burner at the box office, but not a big blockbuster.

The New Renaissance

This is where your mileage may vary. When do you think the new Renaissance started? Did it start with Tangled? The Princess and the Frog? Bolt? Or do you think it hasn’t started yet? Be sure to tell me what you think, by voting in the poll.

Remember not to confuse this with a Golden Age, I separate the two. For me, a Golden Age equals the amount of films being produced and the fact that they’re all successful and high quality. Renaissance, to me, means an era films that are advancements of the art form regardless of how they do at the box office. The Little Mermaid and The Rescuers Down Under certainly live up to that title, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin and The Lion King are good works of storytelling though they have their shortcomings.

Personally, I believe the second Disney Renaissance has already started. It started with a fairy tale adaptation, The Princess and the Frog. There’s a pattern with Disney. Disney’s feature animation legacy started with a fairy tale adaptation. After World War II cut off profits from the following films (with the exception of Dumbo), Walt Disney turned to cheaper endeavors in the package “anthology” features. While they were successful for the most part, what got the Disney studios out of that temporary slump? A fairy tale adaptation. None other than Cinderella. No more cost-cutting anthology films came after that, all original single-story films like Peter Pan and Lady and the Tramp.

Then it gets tricky when you say The Little Mermaid saved Disney from a slump. It didn’t, The Great Mouse Detective and Oliver & Company already did, plus Who Framed Roger Rabbit really did a lot too. But... The Little Mermaid was the first “great” Disney animated film in a long while. The Princess and the Frog is also the first “great” Disney animated film in nearly a decade, and one that arguably gets right what many of the butchered post-Lion King films got wrong.

Why is this? During the start of the Renaissance, Disney was run by Michael Eisner and Jeffrey Katzenberg, plus a barrage of executives who felt that animation was only a way to make more money and create more franchises. The films would be altered, and many times, watered down for the sake of entertaining everyone in the audience. Something Walt Disney would’ve NEVER done...

With that, the Second Golden Age and Renaissance quickly deflated after the runaway success of The Lion King when films like Pocahontas displayed Disney’s biggest weaknesses. The whole idea of when this Renaissance ended can be a bit contradictory. Pocahontas was a bump in the road, but The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Hercules, Mulan and Tarzan were above average. People usually say the Renaissance ended with Tarzan, box office wise. But what about Fantasia 2000? Like The Rescuers Down Under, that was a good, above average film. After Fantasia 2000, we had Dinosaur, Atlantis: The Lost Empire, Brother Bear, Home on the Range and Chicken Little going against The Emperor's New Groove, Lilo & Stitch and Treasure Planet. When did the Renaissance end? That's up in the air, for me, I'd say it fell apart starting with Pocahontas and ended with Fantasia 2000. Disney entered the "inconsistent era", where it wasn't a string of critical successes.

We all know what ended it. Executives had their way with each of the films, even with something very risky like The Hunchback of Notre Dame, with its unneeded comic relief. Audiences got tired of the same old routine too, as every Disney seemed to repeating itself over and over: Big musicals, big bad villains, annoying sidekicks and sassy dialogue. It frustrated audiences, who began turning to alternatives. This is why Pixar took off early on, because their films avoided this. Toy Story, A Bug's Life and Toy Story 2 were all fantastic films that weren’t products of executive meddling. No reliances on what focus groups said, or what marketing research firms showed. Pixar’s crew wisely ignored that and just gave audiences what they needed, not what they exactly “wanted”. Good films...

The Princess and the Frog is free from all that executive meddling and focus group nonsense, and on top of that, it was a great film. It returned to an art form that ignorant executives singlehandedly pushed to the wayside, while also trying new things with the art form. Critics praised it, word of mouth got it ahead of that awful opening weekend performance, and it did very well on home video. Bolt was free of these problems, too, but I felt it was a stepping stone to the Renaissance since it wasn’t a spectacular film by any means. It was more like The Rescuers, a film made between Walt’s death and The Little Mermaid that happened to be significantly better than the rest of the Disney output at the time. Bolt is far superior to several of the post-Renaissance films, but did it kick off the Renaissance? You could say it did, given the quality of the film.

I am also tempted to say it did, but The Princess and the Frog really set things in motion like The Little Mermaid did compared to the last couple of films. I could care less how much money The Princess and the Frog made compared to Tangled (though it would've been great to see it perform like gangbusters), to me, this little film was what kicked off this new Renaissance that we are currently going through. Tangled tried new things with computer animation, as we all know, it attempted to look like a traditionally animated film. Oddly enough, I consider Bolt superior to this film, but I still believe it didn't kick off the Renaissance. Despite the fact that is a very good film that also made use of the new painterly look that Disney is currently experimenting with, I still see it as more of a modest effort. One to bring audiences back to "good Disney" after years of hit-or-miss films, just like The Great Mouse Detective did back in 1986. The Princess and the Frog is much more ambitious, and visually, Tangled is too. It's a bit contradictory from here, I'll admit, but I still see Bolt as a sort of Mouse Detective project while Frog and Tangled are more in line with Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast. Kind of like fuel to the start of the Renaissance, that and Meet the Robinsons.

After Tangled came Winnie the Pooh, which was gap filler, but very good gap filler! Next comes Wreck-It Ralph. I've raved about it many times, but how does this look innovative? Story-wise, it’s unique. It’s no fairy tale or musical, it’s not a talking animals comedy or anything. It’s an action-comedy about video games. Many will complain about this, but Disney NEEDS to leave the comfort zone. They can’t just make fairy tale after fairy tale. Not every movie they make has to be something familiar. If that were the case, then they'd just be on indefinite loop. People complain that Disney repeats themselves, but then they try something new, people still complain.

Walt Disney made all kinds of films: Fairy tales, adventure stories, mystery stories, experimental epics like Fantasia, films that had contemporary settings, dialogue-driven comedies without much action. He never repeated himself, though he would do more than one fairy tale or fantasy story. But he would also do something like Lady and the Tramp or Fantasia. Post-Renaissance Disney did so as well, with films like Atlantis and Treasure Planet, but those two aren’t given enough attention. Lilo & Stitch luckily did well, and remains one of the most unique post-Walt films. Which is why Wreck-It Ralph will continue this Renaissance. It’s not a repeat of something Disney already did many times before, it’s something completely different!

Then there’s Frozen, which is yet again another fairy tale. That said, The Princess and the Frog and Tangled aren’t the same movie. Tangled is not a rehash of what we saw in Frog. Beauty and the Beast, on the other hand, had no trouble taking cues from The Little Mermaid. Aladdin and The Lion King did so too, then it got to the point where it became stale. Frozen will most likely be something different, and not a rehash of Frog, Tangled or any of the other fairy tales. Well at least I hope it won’t be, but knowing Lasseter and the crew, it should not be.

Big Hero 6 is obviously way out of Disney’s “comfort zone”, which makes it all the more exciting. I’m really anticipating this for several reasons, since it will be a stab at the action film genre and get an even wider audience for Disney animation and rival Pixar and DreamWorks.

After that, we get the untitled Ron Clements and John Musker project, which is confirmed to be a hand-drawn film that might be done in the same style as John Kahrs' short film, Paperman. I’ve raved about that before, and from the stills we’ve gotten over the months, it’s already the signal to the next frontier in animation. There are also rumors floating around about a third Fantasia film, and there are numerous possibilities there. Tons of scrapped projects are laying around too, from King of the Elves to My Peoples to Fraidy Cat to Don Quixote to Antonius.

All of this happening right now is why I believe we are already going through the next Renaissance. Frog and Tangled already tried new things in some way or another while being good films, Ralph, Frozen, Big Hero 6 and the untitled Ron & John film should do the same... As long as they are very good films. Then you have the short films, which are also quietly fueling the Renaissance. How To Hook Up Your Home Theater was a return to the short film format for Disney, and hand-drawn animation. Safer shorts were training vehicles for younger animators, like the successful Prep & Landing shorts and Tangled Ever After. Two shorts remain out of reach, Glago's Guest and Tick Tock Tale, but at least we are getting Paperman before Wreck-It Ralph this autumn.

After that, one can only imagine what we’re going to get. If Disney’s upcoming slate is already loaded, there are so many possibilities on the horizon. Films that can keep the Renaissance going, longer than the first one and perhaps an extremely long time. Walt Disney Animation Studios is bursting like fireworks now since they are free from the clutches that held them back, with Bolt, The Princess and the Frog and Tangled behind them. Fulfilling Uncle Walt’s dreams? It’s going to happen...

6 Reasons To Look Forward To "Big Hero 6"

Note: As I've said in my reviews of various comic book films, I'm not much a comic book reader. I have gotten into the stories because of the films themselves, so if my knowledge is a bit rusty on the subject, I apologize. This is from the perspective of an animation fan...

Walt Disney Animation Studios' upcoming adaptation of Marvel's Big Hero 6 is already looking like it's going to be a game changer for the Mouse House and Disney animation. So what's there to look forward to even though it's only in the development stages?

#1. Don Hall is directing the film. His directorial debut, Winnie the Pooh, proves that he knows what he's doing. That film was respectful of the early short subjects and wisely avoided anything that had to do with the franchise post-1983 and successfully delighted adults and children alike. He also worked on the story for The Princess and the Frog and Tarzan. He's been around for a while and with a team of good writers, he can make this film work. It's possible that Joss Whedon might even contribute to the film, since he's signed the exclusivity contract with Disney that ends in 2015. This film is slated for release in 2014, but may not open. Still, Joss could contribute to it. Remember, Walt Disney Animation Studios has been hitting critical home runs since Meet the Robinsons, so we can expect the results to be good.

#2. This will be a big first for the animation wing. All Walt Disney Animation Studios films were in-house productions, but this film will be their first co-production with another studio, Marvel Studios of course. With that, they are branching out and one day, they may just team up with other studios for big projects. Unheard of until now.

#3. Disney animation has never tackled anything that had to do with superheroes before, which makes this project a real risk. Disney animation is often generalized as "fairy tales, musicals and talking animal movies", but this and Wreck-It Ralph are sure to show audiences that Disney can certainly tackle different genres. Walt Disney believed in taking risks and trying new things, and with these two projects, Lasseter-era Disney is willing to follow in his footsteps much like the folks at Pixar do. After all, think of how diverse Pixar's platter is and how all of their films are unique. They can tackle many kinds of stories, Walt Disney Animation Studios should do the same and break new ground.

#4. I mentioned this when the project was first announced, it's possible that this film will be Disney animation's first PG-13 film. While a rating doesn't determine a film's quality (obviously, I'm not that kind of person who assumes that), it can show people that Disney animation is not a kids only thing and never has been. Sure, Disney should not have to go out of their way prove that, but this very film could help shatter that belief once and for all if Wreck-It Ralph and Frozen don't. Just imagine, Disney animation tackling a much more adult-oriented film. I can see that working, it would be an experiment worth trying. More and more people have warmed up to animated films, thanks to Pixar and DreamWorks. Now it's Disney's turn to win that audience.

#5. This could be another successful attempt at a big animated action picture. Atlantis: The Lost Empire and Treasure Planet, despite their shortcomings, displayed how Disney animation can deliver great action. The Rescuers Down Under is another fine example that tends to get overshadowed by the fairy tale adaptations. These films show that Disney animation can certainly bring the thrills. Think about how they can pull off the action with the power of animation, whether it's going to be hand-drawn or computer animated. With that, Disney can give audiences the pure excitement that the summer blockbusters give them, but with better writing.

#6. It's possible that this film will be very stylized. From what I've seen of the comics, it looks very manga-inspired. Imagine Disney animation doing a Japanese anime-style film? That would be another new and interesting style to experiment with. Remember how Walt's men broke new ground with One Hundred and One Dalmatians with its modern look as opposed to the look of the previous films? Remember how films like Atlantis: The Lost Empire and Lilo & Stitch experimented with some very un-Disney-esque qualities? If Big Hero 6 does that, then it'll be great to see something completely new, visually, from Disney.

Are you anticipating this film? Do you like the idea of Disney trying new things and branching out into the superhero genre? What are you looking forward to seeing in this film? Sound off!