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Home > Blogs > Sir Critic on Cinema > Archives > 2008 > April > 09 > Entry
Disney/Pixar go 3D, slate through 2012 set
For the first time in a long time, Disney has been regaining confidence in its animated division - so much so the company held a big press event Tuesday, announcing their schedule through 2012. Here’s Variety’s story; the Hot Blog fills in some other details.
Among the big announcements was that starting with the release of this November’s Bolt, every movie by Disney/Pixar will be released in 3D, with one exception. Rival DreamWorks had already announced a similar move. The lineup includes sequels to Toy Story and Cars, plus Disney’s first fully animated fairy tale in ages.
Bear with me for this post - LOTS of info here.
Here’s the rundown:
WALL-E (Pixar)
Release date: June 27
Voice talent: Fred Willard, Jeff Garlin, Sigourney Weaver, John Ratzenberger,
Kathy Najimy
Story: The titular robot discovers his purpose in life years after humans have left Earth. We also now know that WALL-E stands for Waste Allocation Load Lifter Earth-Class.
My take: Can’t wait. The trailers look luscious. I’ve heard that much of the movie plays without conventional dialog, with Star Wars sound guru Ben Burtt providing the robot language, just as he did for R2-D2 and the like. Andrew Stanton (Finding Nemo) directs, and composer Thomas Newman, also a Nemo vet, provides the music.
BOLT (Disney)
Release date: November 26
Voice talent: John Travolta, Miley Cyrus
Story: When the canine star (Travolta) of a hit TV show is accidentally shipped from his Hollywood soundstage to New York City, he begins his biggest adventure yet - a cross-country journey through the real world, convinced his amazing feats and powers are real.
My take: This has already caused controversy in Disney circles because the original director was Chris Sanders, who made the well-loved Lilo & Stitch. However, Sanders and Disney creative chief John Lasseter disagreed on the direction, causing Sanders to jump ship to DreamWorks, and Disney fans to cry foul. The presence of Ms. Cyrus/Montana will no doubt irk some; I shall reserve judgment and hope for the best.
UP (Pixar)
Release date: May 29th, 2009
Voice Talent: Ed Asner, Christopher Plummer, John Ratzenberger
Story: Carl Fredricksen spent his entire life dreaming of exploring the globe and experiencing life to its fullest. But at age 78, life seems to have passed him by, until a twist of fate (and a persistent 8-year old Wilderness Explorer named Russell) gives him a new lease on life.
My take: I’m glad to see Monsters Inc. director Pete Docter back at the helm; this sounds especially fun.
TOY STORY in 3-D (Pixar)
Release date: October 2nd, 2009.
The prior Toy Story films get a 3D makeover supervised by John Lasseter, in anticipation of the release of Toy Story 3 (see below).
THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG (Disney)
Release Date: Christmas 2009
Voice Talent: Anika Noni Rose, Keith David, Jenifer Lewis, John Goodman
Story: A musical set in New Orleans, the film puts a new spin on princesses and frogs, adding voodoo, and a singing alligator. Believe it or not, Disney hasn’t treaded that territory since Aladdin.
My take: Outside of WALL-E, this is the animated movie I’m most looking forward to seeing because it marks Disney’s return to hand-drawn features; it will be the first since the underwhelming Home on the Range in 2004. Added lures: The directing team of John Musker and Ron Clements, who made The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, Hercules, and the sorely underrated Treasure Planet. Randy Newman provides the music. This is the one film that’s NOT in 3D, but that’s OK - hand-drawn animation doesn’t render very well in that format.
TOY STORY 2 in 3-D (Pixar)
Release date: Feb. 12, 2010
My take: Loved the sequel even more than the original - so much so that I would count this among the five best animated films of all time.
TOY STORY 3 (Pixar)
Release Date: June 18th, 2010
Story: Not much has been revealed, except that it deals with the now-grown Andy heading off to college. Barbie appeared in the last film, so Ken has been added to the cast. (Jodi Benson, best known for voicing Ariel, was Barbie; it would be a terrific in-joke if they got Christopher Daniel Barnes (Prince Eric) to be Ken.) All the familiar voice artists are back, and Ned Beatty joins the gang.
My take: When John Lasseter took over Disney, one of his first directives was to spike a Toy Story 3 NOT being made by Pixar. That story was essentially Toy Story 2 in reverse, with Buzz getting taken away. I feel much better now that Pixar is taking control, and the new story outline sounds more logical. Lasseter is not directing; Michael Arndt, who penned Little Miss Sunshine, is writing. One question: What will they do about Slinky Dog, since his voice, Jim Varney, passed away in 2000?
RAPUNZEL (Disney)
Release date: Christmas 2010
Story: Again, details are sketchy, but this is Disney’s take on the classic fairy tale,
My take: I’m very much looking forward to this one. The CG is reportedly beautiful, and the co-director is Glen Keane, the lead animator of Ariel, Beast, Aladdin, Pocahontas and Long John Silver. None of the press materials lists the voices, but according to IMDB, Kristin Chenoweth, one of my favorite Broadway actresses, is in the cast, with music by Broadway vet Jeanine Tesori (Thoroughly Modern Millie).
NEWT (Pixar)
Release date: Summer 2011
Story: What happens when the last remaining male and female blue-footed newts on the planet are forced together by science to save the species, and they can’t stand each other?
My take: The idea is certainly original. This is being co-written and directed by Gary Rydstrom, who used to do sound for Pixar’s movies. He moved to directing with the short Lifted that played before Ratatouille last year.
THE BEAR AND THE BOW (Pixar)
Release date : Christmas 2011
Voice Talent: Reese Witherspoon, Billy Connolly, Emma Thompson
Story: The impetuous, tangle-haired Merida, though a daughter of royalty, would prefer to make her mark as a great archer. A clash of wills with her mother compels Merida to make a reckless choice, which unleashes unintended peril on her father’s kingdom and her mother’s life.
My take: Sounds vaguely fairy tale-ish, and it offers Pixar’s first female-centered plot.
CARS 2 (Pixar)
Release date: Summer 2012
Story: Superstar Lightning McQueen zooms back into action, with his best friend Mater in tow, to take on cars in races overseas.
My take: Cars is generally regarded as Pixar’s weakest film, which meant it was really, really good and not great. Still, the merchandising for it was absolutely huge, so a sequel we get. One can always hope that, as was the case with Toy Story 2, the sequel will best the original.
KING OF THE ELVES (Disney)
Release date: Christmas 2012
Story: Legendary storyteller Phillip K. Dick’s short story (his only experiment in the fantasy genre) becomes the basis for this fantastic and imaginative tale about an average man living in the Mississippi Delta, whose reluctant actions to help a desperate band of elves leads them to name him their new king.
My take: Disney and Phillip K. Dick, whose stories gave rise to Blade Runner, Total Recall and Minority Report? Um … wow.
That “um … wow” can apply to this lineup as a whole. I’m greatly impressed and very pleased by what I see here; it’s great to see Disney pushing animation so strongly when it seemed to be flailing for a while. I regret the absence of Brad Bird, the director of The Incredibles and Ratatouille, but that’s understandable: He’s working on his first foray into live action, 1906, about the San Francisco earthquake.
What do you all think?
Permalink | Comments (2) | Categories: Coming Attractions
Comments
By SRCputt
April 10, 2008 10:07 AM | Link to this
John Lasseter is the true legacy of Walt Disney, and with him in charge it looks like Disney is back to what it does best. These will be the films I most look forward to in the next few years.By Allie D.
April 9, 2008 6:08 PM | Link to this
This line-up looks GREAT! And I look forward to seeing the 3-D treatments of the Toy Story movies. I am really really looking forward to Wall-E. I remember also seeing something on “Up” recently, and I really liked the look of that.Throughout the list, I also noted the absence of Brad Bird, but I look forward to seeing how he does with live action. Something tells me it will be great. All in all, the future looks bright for Disney/Pixar!