PhilharMAGIC/Treasure Planet/Lilo & Stitch

[Salty]

First time poster, long time reader. Just wanted to post a bit of news on PhilharMAGIC. I came across this while reading some movie news on Disney's annual shareholders meeting. They also had good things to say about the Treasure Planet. Maybe it'll produce a decent ride down the road. Anyway...


<i>"In an effort to nail home this point, Eisner then pulled out a piece of test animation for a project that will reportedly feature a 3D CGI Mickey Mouse. This clip -- which was about a minute long -- showed a computer generated Mickey exiting his house on a very stormy day. An off-screen Minnie admonished Mickey to take along her umbrella. As soon as he steps outside, the Mickster is buffeted by strong winds. So he quickly opens Minnie's umbrella and is immediately embarrassed to see that it's a girlie floral print. Then a strong gust of wind lifts Mickey and the umbrella up into the air, pasting the Mouse against the second floor of the house. Mickey talks through a window to an off-screen barking Pluto ("Hey! A little help here?") before another gust sends him careening off into the sky.

Albeit brief, this CGI Mickey footage was still quite impressive, Harry. And Disney's animators had obviously put a lot of time in and/or sparred no expense when it came to the production of this test footage. (EX: The exterior of the Mouse's house was an exact copy of the one theme park visitors encounter when visiting Mickey's Toontown at Disneyland. Plus Disney had also recruited the very same performers who provide voices for the characters -- Wayne Allwine for Mickey, Russie Taylor for Minnie and Bill Farmer for Pluto -- to do the vocals for this test footage.)

So when's this CGI version of Mickey supposed to make his big screen debut? Initially, movie-goers will only be able to see this computer animated Mouse while vacationing in Orlando. This CGI Mickster is supposed to star in "Mickey's Philharmagic," a new 3D movie attraction that will premiere at WDW's Magic Kingdom in the Fall of 2003 ... before this multi-media show pops up at all the other Disney theme parks worldwide sometime between 2004 - 2005." </i>


<b>Treasure Planet...</b>

<i>Before the animation fans start ing and moaning about Disney turning its back on traditional animation ... Let me say that Disney also used the Hartford stockholders meeting to preview "Treasure Planet." This three minute long clip -- which lovingly detailed the launch of the Hispanola -- was quite simply the balls, Harry. A seamless mix of traditional 2D and CGI animation. As the solar sails were unfurled and crackled with energy ... As the ship zoomed through a pod of enormous space going whales ... There's no other way to describe it, Harry. Sheer magic. I can't wait to see "TP" when it debuts in IMAX (as well as regular theaters) come November.</i>

<b>AND</b> Lilo and Stitch

<i>Plus Eisner gave stockholders a brief glimpse of the very next "Lilo & Stitch" teaser trailer (in pencil test form). Yes, the rumors are true. The next trailer does riff on Disney's "The Lion King." But the gag's just too good to give away here. Just keep an eye out for Stitch's appearance in the Pridelands at a theater -- or on a server -- near you over the next month or so.</i>

http://www.aint-it-cool-news.com/display.cgi?id=11595

Sounds good to me!

Salty

 

[Scar Junior]

Is Lilo and Stitch going to be another musical? I sure hope so! I likes Atlantis but many people did not see it for the fact of no music.

 

[thedisneyfan]

Originally posted by Scar Junior
I likes Atlantis but many people did not see it for the fact of no music.

That's not the only reason we thought Atlantis was bad. Enough of this Japanimation look to the films! Blech! :hurl: And this Lilo & Stitch thing appears to only have one thing going for it...the commercials crashing into other animated films. Otherwise another crappy japanimation looking film to me. :hurl: Atlantis also failed because there weren't any loveable animal characters and no strong Villain for us to hate to love and love to hate! Disney's Animation is spiraling into another long duldrum of decay! It's time for a shaking up (removal) of the management even Eisner himself!:fork:

 

[monorail256]

i really liked atlantis.. i cant tell you how many times i have saw it since i bought the dvd. i guess it just depends on what type of animation you like... sadly the "old type" of animation will not come back.. o well... we have to go on... "with the stillness of a night there comes a time to understand, to reach out... and touch tomorrow, take the future in our hands... we can see a new horizon, built on all that we have done, and are dreams begin another 1000 circles around the sun....we go on!!!" ok... that was uncalled for but.. i felt the need lol :lol:

 

[Goofster]

lol, amen! I thought Atlantis was amazing, sure, it had it's downfalls, but the movie definately should not have had singing.

Lilo and Stitch is a musical with Elvis music, and Lilo sings along to it when it plays, so call it what you want.

One last thing, I would suspect that Mickey's house in Disneyland
is exactly the same as Mickey's house at the Magic Kingdom, right?

 

[gcurling]

I'm hoping that Lilo marks a major ressurgance for Feature Animation. Some of Disney's harshest critics are praising what they've seen of this film so far. That's very good news.

Atlantis suffered at the box office for several reasons. First, the PG rating scared off a significant portion of Disney's traditional market.

Second, word of mouth in general was quite poor. One of the chief complaints was that there were no lovable or truly enjoyable characters. Not central ones, at least.

Third, it was a big departure from the fare most had come to expect from Disney. No songs, no talking animals, etc. That didn't seem to sit well with many. I doubt Disney will try it again in the near future.

Fourth, and the one that causes me to enjoy Atlantis less is that the story was quite empty. It all came so easy for Milo, or at least from the viewers vantage. Need to find the Shephard's Journal? - no problem here it is. Need to know where Atlantis is? - no problem, we know. Need to get there? - no problem, here's your crew. Need to fall in love? - Here's Kida, seems she already loves you.

We know that finding Atlantis is Milo's lifelong dream, but he just doesn't seem so astonished when he finally finds it. Perhaps because the film focuses so much on a large number of other characters during the voyage.

Watch Jurassic Park. Remember how overcome Ellie and Alan were when they first saw the Dinosaurs? Remember how you felt a little bit of what they were feeling? Remember how you experienced a lifetime of emotions in those moments? I really wish Atlantis had done that.

In the end, it was a big box office disappointment for Disney. One that started a domino effect of losses in the Feature Animation department. That's very unfortunate. Now we read that Feature Animation may turn into a job shop. Hiring temporarily on a project by project basis. I sure hope not. I don't know if Lilo (and Treasure Planet - if the bugs ever get ironed out) can turn that around. But, I sure hope so.

 

[Tigggrl]

I guess I am a fan of the unpopular Disney films...
I LOVED Atlantis...I thought it was a great adventure...
I also loved Oliver and Company, The Fox and the Hound, the Aristocats...and Mulan!
I love to see all different kinds of animation, although I was not originally a big fan of the computer animation, it has come such a long way...I adored Monsters Inc, and actually liked Toy Story, although I HATED Shrek, it looked too much like a VR game to me.
I have herd wonderful things about Treasure Planet, and Lilo and Stitch looks cute, but the little guy looks too much like a Pokemon character to me...
No matter what Disney does, I cant say I will always like it, I didnt care for Hercules, and I dont own it....BUT that dosent mean I wont give it a fair chance, and still admire the work that goes into all of the animated features!
Tig

 

[monorail256]

....they are making an atlantis 2... like everything else!! but.. if they are making a second one... they must have not thought the first one wasnt that bad

 

[Terp02]

First of all I enjoyed Atlantis, because it was more of an adventure and had a different style then the "normal" Disney animated feature i.e. no songs.

As for Lilo and Stitch, that movie looks like it's going to be great, just based on the previews. What other company do you know has the balls to make fun of their own famous movies and do it during the most romantic scenes? None that I know of except for Disney. Those previews are hilarious, and that little blue dude rocks and is really funny. Also Disney uses AC/DC's song "Back In Black" in the previews and that makes it all that much better since that song rocks. I hope that this feature turns around the Animation Department a lot because they have definitely been lacking and need a swift kick in the rear-end and get better stories out. Go back to the classic Fairy-tales, maybe a Hansel and Gretel movie or something like that.

In other news.....Letterman may be coming to ABC which means Disney would own Letterman, interesting eh?

-Josh

 

[dizpins14]

Disney is making an Atlantis 2 because they thought the movie would be such a hit that they could make a TV show out of it based on all the different Crew Memebers, however with the movie not performing to Disney's likings they pullled the plug on the show. Disney had about 4 episodes almost completed so basically Disney is taking those 4 episodes and turning it into a sequel by animating some new scenes to make the flow of the movie better. Ten to one the movie will be like Cinderella 2 where they gather around to tell stories.

It looks like Disney didn't learn from their mistake with Atlantis and our making a Lilo and Stitch TV show and video sequel even though the movie is not out yet. From what I hear a sequel to this movie would be very hard with regardes to the ending. Again if you watch Cinderella 2 they have a preview for Tarzan 2, which looks like a couple of episodes of the Adventures of Tarzan TV show renamed Tarzan and Jane.

Planed Sequels
-----------------------------
2002
Hunchback of Noter Dame 2
Dumbo 2
101 Dalmations the Animated Sequel
2003
Atlanis 2
Tarzan and Jane
Hakuna Matata (Lion King prequel)
Unknown Dates
Lilo and Stitch 2
Bugs Life 2
Hercules 2
Mulan 2
2 Genie sequels
Pete's Dragon 2
Snow White 2
Oliver and Company 2

 

[Terp02]

Wow, Disney is totally in it for the money and not for any sort of quality at all. That's sad.

 

[dizpins14]

The sad part is, they aren't really rumors because there are actual plots attached to them, also they've been anounced by Disney to be in the works. The scary part is Disney seems proud of these films.

 

[Goofster]

I think if I were going to make a suicide letter, it would consist of all those sequels. just a list of em, it'd be that simple. Think that'd get disney to stop making em, no, probably not.

I don't care about any of the sequels on there except for Snow White 2, please don't do it!!!!!!!


Of course, I would let Disney do it if they have actually been holding off Fire Mountain because they've changed it's theme to be Treasure Planet, theres gonna be a wicked ride for this movie! Of course they'd have to change the name from Snow White 2 for me to let them, though.




Hey wait, I've found one good thing about the sequels, we get to see the originals on the Wonderful World of Disney. How many other people are watching Cinderella tomorrow?!?!

 

[gcurling]

Goofster,

Seems we are stuck with the II's, II's and maybe evern some IV's for a while. Return to Neverland will ensure that. TV animation produces the thing for less than $20m, limited marketing dollars are thrown at it and it (may) pull in $75m in domestic box office. It's likely to be a big seller in the DVD/VHS market as well.

Compare that to the bath Disney took on Emporer and Atlantis and it's easy to see why the execs are loving the prospect of sequels.

I'm with you Goofster, Snow White II would be an abomination. That would be pretty insulting to Walt. Remember after SW was released, the public clamored for "more dwarfs, give us more dwarfs," That gave Walt an opportunity to recall his old line about topping pigs with pigs. It just wasn't for him. He really disliked the concept of sequels.

 

[ToTBellHop]

Return to Neverland was actually good, but I have not been a fan of any other disney sequels...

 

[dizpins14]

the only one I look forward to is a Bug's Life 2 since TS2 was planed for video release and look how well they did on that one, of course they decided like 2 years before the release to make it for theaters which bumbed their budget up.

 

[wyattkelly]

Gah, enough with the cheapquels! Eisner is tapdancing on everything that made Disney great. Walt himself refused to do sequels, feeling they were exploiting great stories. Anyway, on to my rant:

I like Disney films. Always have, probably always will. No one else out there has raised the bar for animation like they have. But the trouble with movies like Atlantis is that they are too darned short! Pacing is becoming a serious problems in films today, with too many 'directors' having been born with a cable in their navel and weaned on MTV style directing. The first twenty minutes of Atlantis didn't leave me breathless because of it's speed and action, but left me numb. It needed a lot more build up. THat's why films like the original Star Wars and Cinderella worked so well: We were gradually introduced to the characters, and felt for their plights. In Atlantis, we got endless montages of trouble after trouble, and I couldn't have given a @&(%. Feature animation's main problem today is their belief that kids won't sit through more then an hour and a half movie. That's why I'm hoping that the success of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's stone will send a wake up call to anyone who does a children's movie that yes, kids will sit through a very long film, as long as the story is there.

About movie musicals: Personally, I've got no problem with them, as long as they are decent. The Road to El Dorado was a prime example of a 'bad' musical, along with pretty much every Disney 'Cheapquel'. HOwever, above all, STORY IS KING. If it ain't got a good story, if it's not willing to take chances, I ain't interested. Tarzan is an exmple of how to do a 'non-musical' well. Yes, there are songs integrated into the story, but they support instead of hinder. Hunchback of Notre Dame was a great film, except for that one f*cking song that the gargoyles sing. To this day, I skip over that track on my CD. The rest of the soundtrack is phenomenal, rich and meaningful. It was like finding a cockroach in your cobb salad.

Anyway, I'm hoping that Lilo And Stitch and Treasure Planet will restore the grandeur lost by the Disney Studios over the past few years. A lot of the animators are saying L&S is the best script they've worked on since the Katzenberg years, and it looks like it has all the potential to be a blockbuster. A short cute alien, lots of humor, and ELVIS! Treasure Planet, however, which I am looking forward to with bated breath, is gonna bomb. Until the US can get it through it's skull that animation does *NOT* have to be a musical, have cute furry animals, and have stock heroes, we're gonna be wallowing in mediocrity.

Peace, I'm outta here. :hammer:

 

[steve2wdw]

This thread sure is covering a lot of territory, but I'm enjoying all the comments. First off--Can't wait for Mickey's Philharmagic. Second--Treasure Planet, hope feature animation does for Treasure Island what they did for Tarzan. That was a great piece of art. the depth of the animation, the depth of the story and characters, the depth of the music......it just had pure depth. Hats off to all involved with that one. Third--Lilo and Stitch, looks cute so far, creative trailers involving past flicks. Please let there be a creative story behind it. As for some of the latest animation dissapointments, I really don't think there have been any (in my opinion). After the much heralded Lion King, the box office has been up and down when it comes to feature animation, but come on--every movis can't make $150 million plus. (BY the way-I didn't love Shrek and it's not because it beat Monsters, Inc for an Oscar. I just didn't care about any of the characters. As for Eddie Murphy-he was funny, but I thought his character was just a continuation of Mushu in Mulan which I DID enjoy.) Two of my favorites, "Emps New Groove" and "Hercules" sport some great comic writing. I'm 40 and still tell friends my age to rent them, and they're never dissapointed. Ever consider too much pre-openning hype turning people away from the latest Disney animated flicks? Maybe Disney just needs to take a short hiatis between the next few tradional animated features. the public could just be taking Disney for granted. Let the public starve for what is still the best animation on the globe, and they'll be back.

 

[2much2do]

A couple of people mentioned Shrek, and I just want to make sure it is clear, that Shrek is NOT Disney. I'm sure you all know this, but I wanted to make sure!

 

[ToTBellHop]

Just to let you know, disney has hired a music group to sing for Treasure Planet. Not sure if the music will be in the movie or during the credits, but last I heard, it was the Goo Goo Dolls...I didn't like Atlantis because at one point, basically every character was a villain, then they changed back, which was just dumb and I didn't really have any feelings for the villain one way or another. He was not developed so I really never disliked him and I certainly wasn't amused by him. I remember when disney villains used to be incredibly intelligent, witty, and evil...they need to go back to that...the last villain I really had any interest in was Hades....