2012: Year of Stop Motion

What a fantastic year for stop-motion enthusiasts! Some years go by without a single stop-motion film released in U.S. theaters. This year we are treated to three high-profile releases and one independent release. Over the course of the year, we've got two films set on the high seas and two involving the undead. Which film are you most looking forward to this year and why?

1. "The Pirates! Band of Misfits"

[ March 30, 2012 ]

Known as "The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists" in the UK, this is the latest animated film from Aardman Animations and was produced in collaboration with Sony Pictures Animation. The film is Aardman's first feature-length, stop-motion work since 2005, when they released "Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit," which won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. The plot involves various pirates vying for 'Pirate of the Year' award and looks to be a hilarious seafaring adventure!

2. "ParaNorman"

[ August 17, 2012 ]

In 2009, animation studio LAIKA made a dashing debut with the release of their hit film, "Coraline." The film garnered universal acclaim and was nominated for Best Animated Feature but lost to Pixar's "Up." The studio was originally structured to produce both a CGI and stop-motion film concurrently, but in late 2009 LAIKA laid off a number of staff members in order to focus solely on on the latter format. Lost in the shake-up was "Coraline" helmer Henry Selick, acclaimed director of stop-motion favorites, "The Nightmare before Christmas" and "James and the Giant Peach." (All is not lost, however, as he has now been snapped up by Disney/Pixar and will open a small studio under their banner called 'Cinderbiter Productions.' The first stop-motion film from him, "Shademaker," will be released October 2013.) "ParaNorman" tells the story of a boy whose town is under attack by Zombies and only he can communicate with them. He also takes on witches and ghosts. This otherworldly flick sounds like the perfect follow-up to a story about a girl who discovered an alternate dimension behind the wall of her living room.

3. "Frankenweenie"

[ October 5, 2012 ]

Read this first look, courtesy of Entertainment Weekly.

In 1984, a young Tim Burton was funded by Disney to create his infamous short film, "Frankenweenie." When executives previewed the final product, they were irate and fired Burton immediately. They felt the film was too quirky and scary for mainstream appeal and Burton had wasted their money. Ironic how the tables turn as now, 28 years later, Disney is once again funding Burton in this stop-motion re-make. Many people mistakenly believe Tim Burton directed "Coraline," "James and the Giant Peach" and "The Nightmare before Christmas" when, as stated above, his companion Henry Selcik was at the reigns of those features. Burton's only other stop-motion film to date is 2005's "Corpse Bride" (which lost to 'Curse of the Were-Rabbit' for Best Animated Feature.) The story is of a boy named Victor who re-animates his Bull Terrier, Sparky, after an accident. Hilarity ensues with the subsequent reactions of friends, family and neighbors at this reincarnated canine. It will be interesting to see Aardman and Burton undoubtedly pitted against each other once again at the 85th Academy Awards in early 2013.

4. "Selkirk, the real Robinson Crusoe"

[ release date TBA, distributed by Buena Vista International - a Disney subsidiary ]

Now for the underdog of our group. "Selkirk, el verdadero Robinson Crusoe," as it's titled in its homeland, is the first feature-length movie by Uruguayan stop-motion short film director Walter Tournier. The film is a co-production between Argentina, Chile and Uruguay. The plot: After squandering all his earnings from privateering, Alexander Selkirk (better known as Robinson Crusoe) is abandoned on an island where he must learn to fend for himself. It is not confirmed if Buena Vista International will distribute this stateside, but the overseas release is scheduled for February 2012.

This concludes my preview of four excellent stop-motion features releasing in 2012. I, for one, could not be more excited that this medium is retaining its bravado against its flashy CGI brethren. While hand-drawn, cel-shade animation has gone the way of the Dodo in North America, it's great that we still have an alternative to the increasing number of computer and motion-capture animated features making their way to cinemas. Which one of these four most piqued your interest? For me, 'The Pirates!' has really caught my eye and I am looking forward to its swashbuckling antics. Although, all four of these look top class!

Academy Award for Best Animated Feature

Wow, the Oscar for animated features is only 10 years old!

Discovering this fact really surprised me.

I went to Wikipedia (yes, yes, I know...) to look for past winners, thinking the list would date back a few decades... but the category was created in 2001.

From filmsite.org:

"...this was also the first year for a newly-created category - Best Animated Feature Film. According to the Academy's rules, an 'animated film' had to be at least 70 minutes in length, have a significant amount of major animated characters, and be at least 75% animated. The three nominees this year were Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius, Monsters, Inc., and PDI/Dreamworks' Shrek (the winner), with its lovable green ogre (Mike Myers) and smart-alec donkey (Eddie Murphy). This was the first-ever Oscar for an animated feature film."

The complete list of winners over the last decade:

Shrek (2001)

Spirited Away (2002)

Finding Nemo (2003)

The Incredibles (2004)

Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (2005)

Happy Feet (2006)

Ratatouille (2007)

WALL-E (2008)

Up (2009)

Toy Story 3 (2010)

Pixar clearly dominates here, with six of the 10 wins. "Monster's, Inc." (2001) and "Cars" (2006) are their two films that have lost since the creation of this Oscar category for the 74th Academy Awards.

I still am irked that for eight of the 10 years, only three films were nominated. In 2002 and 2009 five films were nominated, which I believe to be appropriate as five nominations is the most common number for the various categories (best actor/actress, best film, et cetera).

The current rules state:

If eight to 12 animated features qualify in a year, either two or three will be nominated. 13-15 qualifiers allows for up to four nominations. Finally, when sixteen or more qualify, no more than five may be nominated.

One notable accomplishment despite these restrictions: four animated feature films have been nominated outside of their given category.

For Best Picture:

Beauty and the Beast (1991)

Up (2009)

Toy Story 3 (2010)

For Best Foreign Language Film:

Walt With Bashir (2008)

To conclude this post on the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, I will put forth my predictions for the three nominees this year (based upon what we've seen in this first half of the year):

Rango

Winnie the Pooh

Kung Fu Panda 2

... I'm not sure which/if any anime or other foreign films meet the requirements for nomination at this time.

A Month Shy of a Two Year Absence

Dear ,

If you are reading this, welcome back. Or more appropriately, please welcome me back and don't be too sore about my absence.

Yes, judging from the post below, it has been quite the hiatus. Perhaps I should have waited one more month, just for the dramatic sake of returning exactly two years from where I left off. I'm not going to be so contrived.

According to my calculations (okay, actually those of a fancy internet widget) I have been away for exactly 333 days, 1 hour, 52 minutes and 23 seconds OR 10 months, 29 days.

What a lovely (not to mention lucky) number to return on: 333. I hope this is a positive omen and I promise you that it was purely a coincidence!

So, where have I been? In a one-word nutshell: college.

I began this blog before heading to college in the fall of 2009. After several posts that I put a lot of time and effort into, college took over my life and that free time went away.

I continuously lamented the fact this blog was collecting dust. So what sparked this sudden return? Disney's "Winnie the Pooh" - the new movie currently in theaters.

While I did not announce the movie myself, my post, "A New Pooh For You, By John Lasseter, Too!" was the first blog or website anywhere online to reveal key details including the producer and directors. It was a pinnacle of my short-lived blog, as several notable movie news websites had to cite me to their thousands of readers when re-posting the information I had accrued.

I got a little teary-eyed watching the trailer for the film. The song, "Somewhere Only We Know" was a brilliant choice - it truly tugged at the heartstrings of long-time Pooh fans. It was clear this film was as much for the adults as children. Remembering how I had once announced core details for this film and now, two years later, it was a material thing - a motion picture in real theaters - was a humbling thought.

However, since beginning my college education in advertising management (with a specialization in creative writing) - I have founded a campus music magazine as well as became an executive chair for a student advertising studio.

Needless to say, I have had/will continue to have my hands full.

Yet, I have been itching to write again and therefore am composing this overlong explanation of my absence.

Being as seeking out information about new animated movies is a time-consuming process, and there are numerous websites/blogs that already do it faster than I possibly could, I am switching the focus of 'Always Animated' from an animation news blog to an animation review blog.

If you are looking for animation news, I frequent The Animation Guild blog, Cartoon Brew and Animated Views (among a dozen or so others.)

However, I hope you will remain with me as I share my thoughts on animated features and shorts, both old and new from the U.S. and abroad.

In high school, I wrote 20 movie reviews over the course of two years for our local newspaper. It was a great experience and I truly enjoyed the opportunity. I was elated to discover that my junior year composition requirement could be covered by a movie review writing class.

However, this is independent of both those endeavors. This is solely a way to dually keep this blog alive as well as practice my journalism skills.

Although, since it is currently 1:30 am I'm sure I've committed a plethora of AP Style errors above. We'll let this be my one-time exception as a present for reviving 'Always Animated.'

I hope you stick with me as I critique the many creations of the wonderful world of animation.

Stay Animated!

- Neal

We All Live In Disney's Submarine

The vultures in Disney's classic animated feature "The Jungle Book" were originally supposed to be played by the Beatles, but Walt Disney didn't feel they had staying power.  He felt that in a few years the British band would be forgotten, and didn't want to date his film with soon-to-be nobodies.

They didn't go on to do much, but, they some of their fans are still around.

Decades later Disney has come full circle.

ImageMovers Digital, the motion-capture division of Disney's various animation studios (which include Pixar Animation Studios, Disney Animation Studios, and DisneyToon Studios), is preparing to re-make the classic, traditionally-animated Beatles film "The Yellow Submarine" in 3D CGI, according to Variety.

This:

...will soon be this:

Disney is in negotiations to acquire the rights to 16 of the Beatles' songs.

Robert Zemeckis, who's ImageMovers Digital studio has been behind the films "The Polar Express", "Monster House", and this winter's "A Christmas Carol" will direct.

He's best known for directing the traditional animation/live-action hybrid "Who Framed Roger Rabbit?"

Disney is hoping for a 2012 release.

Read more at Variety.

Save Lumpy!

In 2011, the first hand-drawn Winnie the Pooh movie in six years will be released. "The movie is being produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios. This marks the first time in more than 35 years that a Winnie the Pooh motion picture is being produced at Walt Disney Animation Studios. Under the supervision of John Lasseter and producer, Clark Spencer ("Lilo & Stitch," "Bolt") the movie is due out in theaters spring 2011. Steve Anderson ("Meet the Robinsons") and Don Hall (head of story on "The Princess and The Frog") will co-direct. Burny Mattinson who worked as an animator on the original Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree featurette in 1964 will serve as the lead story artist on the project."

In 2005, Lumpy the Heffalump melted our hearts when he busted onto the screen in "Pooh's Heffalump Movie." His exuberance, loyalty, and silliness were the essence of an innocent childhood. Fans of the purple Heffalump, Heffridge Trumpler Brompet Heffalump the Fourth, need to join together to ensure Lumpy is in the film. It is possible that Disney will make this new Pooh film a direct sequel to the original, which would cut Lumpy out. If you're a fan of this heartwarming, purple Heffalump please express it by signing the petition and letting Disney know that Lumpy should be in the 2011 Winnie the Pooh sequel!

Please sign my petition!

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/Save-Lumpy

Then pass this along to all other Pooh and Lumpy fans you know of, as well as posting it at any related Disney news site, blog, or forum! Add it to your signatures on forums, as well!

A Return to Monstropolis?

Once upon several years ago, Pixarphiles could defend their favorite company against DreamWorks fans by saying "DreamWorks sucks, Pixar doesn't do all the sequels DreamWorks does!"

Well, they've quickly lost those bragging rights.

Sure, there was "Toy Story 2" - but Pixar never chose to do that. Disney began to produce the film as a direct-to-video sequel to the original "Toy Story" without Pixar's blessing. Pixar rushed in, and under the watchful eye of John Lasseter, turned the film around in a fraction of the time Pixar films are normally made, and made it theatrical quality. The rest is history - and "Toy Story 2" is considered one of the best film sequels ever, one of the few that matches (perhaps, even, surpasses) the original.

Between all the original films Pixar was doing, it seemed concrete that they weren't going to produce any more sequels.

Let's take a look at their film-lineup versus DreamWorks.

Pixar:

1995 - Toy Story

1998 - A Bug's Life

1999 - Toy Story 2

2001 - Monster's, Inc.

2003 - Finding Nemo

2004 - The Incredibles

2006 - Cars

2007 - Ratatouille

2008 - WALL-E

2009 - Up

2010 - Toy Story 3

2011 - Cars 2

2011 - The Bear and the Bow

2012 - Newt

...Three sequels in their history of animated features. Only one released as of me writing this.

DreamWorks:

1998 - The Prince of Egypt

2000 - The Road to El Dorado

2000 - Joseph: King of Dreams

2002 - Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron

2003 - Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas

1998 - Antz

2001 - Shrek

2004 - Shrek 2

2004 - Shark Tale

2005 - Madagascar

2006 - Over the Hedge

2007 - Shrek the Third

2007 - Bee Movie

2008 - Kung Fu Panda

2008 - Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa

2009 - Monsters vs. Aliens

2010 - How to Train Your Dragon

2010 - Shrek Forever After

2010 - Oobermind

2011 - Kung Fu Panda: The Kaboom of Doom

2011 - The Guardians

2012 - Puss in Boots

2012 - Madagascar 3

...Two spin-offs and six sequels in their history of animated features. Three of the sequels and one of the spin-offs released as of me writing this.

So, Pixar still isn't as bad as DreamWorks in terms of milking their franchises (yet), but could Pixar's fourth sequel be on its way?

Pixar is known for having an elite ilk of directors oversee all their films. While their has been a host of co-directors assisting them - John Lasseter, Pete Docter, Andrew Stanton, and Brad Bird have been the leading men behind Pixar's currently released ten films.

However, their futures are largely tied up. Andrew Stanton and Brad Bird are both working on live-aciton films - "John Carter of Mars" and "1906" respectively. John Lasseter now busily oversees the outputs of Walt Disney Animation Studios, ImageMovers Digital, and Pixar Animation Studios as the Chief Creative Officer - he has no time to direct.

Lee Unkrich, previously only a co-director, is heading "Toy Story 3". Gary Rydstrom, who directed the short 'Lifted' will direct "Newt". Brenda Chapman, director of "The Prince of Egypt", will also direct, "The Bear and the Bow".

So that leaves Pete Docter - he's the only one not accounted for out of Pixar's top four directors.

Well, that may not be the case anymore.

The Liscensing Exposition at Las Vegas first brought us news of a new 2011 Winnie the Pooh film. However, that was publicly announced. A private , closed-doors meeting was held with liscensees about future, currently secret projects.

All attendees were sworn to secrecy (in writing), but nothing is sacred today in the entertainment world.

Reportedly, various attendees emerged from the private meeting buzzing about - "Monster's, Inc. 2".

Various sites are reporting the news, notably Jim Hill Media. Keep in mind, Jim Hill is notorious for his mistakes. Here is the quote from his site:

Well, though the buyers who attended these particular preview sessions were first sworn to secrecy by Disney officials, several immediately reached out to me afterwards to say how thrilled they were to learn that Pete Docter will be following up "Up" with a sequel to "Monsters, Inc."

Source: http://jimhillmedia.com/blogs/jim_hill/archive/2009/06/08/licensing-show-overview.aspx

John Lasseter once said, "If we have a great story, we'll do a sequel." Even so, Pixar fans and animation fans alike are not too excited about these sequels. "Cars", considered Pixar's worse film in the story department, is getting a sequel over the much more critically acclaimed, "The Incredibles", or the number one Pixar film at the box-office, "Finding Nemo".

Can we trust the report from Jim Hill? Maybe not.

However, Blue Sky Disney is generally an accurate site that breaks Disney news before other websites and turns out to be correct. Without revealing their sources, they simply stated the rumors are true:

The rumors are true...

It appears that Pete Docter has settled on his next directing gig and the film project is a familiar one. While he likely won't be talking about it until his press junkets are through for "Up," the feature that he'll be working on(and has been for a while) is the sequel to "Monster's Inc." with tentative plans for it being Pixar's 2013 release.

You heard it here guys...

Source: http://blueskydisney.blogspot.com/2009/02/just-what-docter-ordered.html

Other 'proof' that has amounted in recent months includes an MTV interview where Docter, asked about a sequel, stated:

When I followed up with Doctor about [the ideas for a sequel being considered] all he would say is "I can neither confirm nor deny". (And he did it in a nervous voice).

The Pixar Blog uncovered what sort of web searches were coming out of the Pixar studio, itself, and found the string 'monsters 2013 pixar' - in various combinations - was being Googled at Pixar.

Source: http://pixarblog.blogspot.com/2009/01/monsters-sequel-in-2013.html

At Comic-Con 2008, Docter said:

We’ve thought about it… We’ve got a couple ideas.

The Pixar Blog tried to ask Peter Sohn (director of 'Partly Cloudy) but were cut off by a Pixar publicist.

When I interviewed Peter Sohn last month I asked him about Monsters, Inc. 2 at the end of the call. He was about to say something —I can't...— but the Pixar publicist listening in made sure he didn't finish the sentence!

Source: http://pixarblog.blogspot.com/2009/06/monsters-inc-2-previewed-for-licensees.html

What do you think? Is there enough evidence to make it a fact in your eyes, or is there still room for doubt?

Let us know what you think in the comments!

"The Snow Queen" To Come In From The Cold?

I'll save you the finer details of the long-troubled production on "The Snow Queen" Disney animated feature and try to sum it up quickly.

The film was at one point a serious contender to join the Disney animated feature films legacy around 2002, but when Glen Keane left the project, news puttered out. Here's a snippet from an article regarding his departure:

Now Disney studio execs were understandably upset when Keane upped and quit The Snow Queen, a project extremely important to WDFA’s future since it will be their first feature length cartoon based on a classic fairy tale since the original Aladdin back in 1992. Mouse House execs are really counting on this movie to help the Walt Disney Company reconnect with its increasingly disenfranchised customers. So to have a big gun like Glen opt not to work on that project anymore (and take a flyer on something as flaky as Rapunzel) was really a blow. That said, Disney execs were still thrilled that Keane opted to stay at WDFA.

It seems as though 2003 was the end of the line for an animated "The Snow Queen".

In 2006, Disney's famed in-house composer Alan Menken was writing a stage musical version of the story but news of the project also halted.

Various names have been attached to the project over the years including the Brizzi brothers, Dick Zondag, and Dave Goetz. News has been spotty at best. The feature was finally proclaimed dead in the water by Disney fans when no more news emerged in several years.

In October 2008, concept art was shown off by Don Hahn at an event promoting his new book The Alchemy of Animation. However, no explanation of its status was given.

That art can be found here:

http://haraldsiepermann.blogspot.com/2008/07/blog-post.html

That blog belongs to animator Harald Siepermann. He stated the project was canceled in a March 2008 interview at Animated-Views:

The Snow Queen. Can you tell me about that?

HS: I worked together with Dick Zondag on The Snow Queen. I’ve known him since Balto, actually, which we did for Steven Spielberg animation. When the time came for The Snow Queen, they gave me call and then I did some first design based on a young Meryl Streep kind of character. Unluckily, the project was canceled because Disney didn’t want to go into fairytales anymore at that time. They said that they wanted something wise, witty and more modern, because at that time, you know, everybody said that the Disney formula was dead and nobody wanted to see princesses and stuff like that. So, that project was canceled, sadly. But I spent a couple of weeks on some Queens, trying different levels of caricature on her, some more cartoony, others less.

You can find the rest of that interview here: http://animated-views.com/2008/enchanted-interviews-chapter-four-harald-siepermann-and-troy-quane/

I e-mailed Mr. Siepermann and he had this to say:

Dear Neal,

Nice to hear from you. Anyway, I haven't heard from any Snowqueen-plans, which doesn't mean, that it's not going to happen, but so far nobody has talked to me about it. I'm sorry I can't help you out there, but I will keep my eyes and ears open.

Thank you, H

Whispers concerning this film's status have never ceased. Many a Disney animation project have come and gone in silence, however the exact status of "The Snow Queen"'s production has remained a popular debate in forums. The most recent rumors being that Mike Gabriel (co-director of "Pocahontas", "The Rescuers Down Under") was directing for a 2013 release and it would be traditionally animated. Dean Wellins (screenplay of "Rapunzel") has also been on-again, off-again reportedly attached to the project.

But, those are just rampant rumors.

Mike Gabriel didn't have much to tell me when I asked him A) If the film had resumed production, B) Was he the director, and C) Was it releasing in 2013? Here's his response:

Sorry dude, the studio doesn't want Snow Queen info out at this point. Thanks for the interest.

Now there's more fuel for the fire, and this time it seems to be legitimate news.

Alan Menken spoke to the Italian press recently while in Milan (where the stage version of "Beauty and the Beast" is about to open).

The interview, from a respected Italian newspaper, was posted yesterday. It seemed pretty clear that he is working on an animated "The Snow Queen". Here it is for you all to dissect:

(translated from Italian)

In his future at Disney?

I'm preparing the soundtracks of two cartoons, Rapunzel and Snow Queen, and of a live musical film feature of Beauty and the Beast. At the same time I am also working on a musical comedy that will debut in Autumn 2010, Leap of Faith.

You can find that interview here (warning: it's in Italian): http://www.lastampa.it/redazione/cmsSezioni/spettacoli/200906articoli/44340girata.asp

We all know that Menken is working on next year's Disney tentpole animated feature, the CGI "Rapunzel". How come he's mentioning "The Snow Queen" again? He clearly said 'cartoon'. He separated out Beauty and the Beast and Leap of Faith as live-action.

Perhaps I'm reading too far into it, but I think it's interesting that while I called it "The Snow Queen" in my e-mail, Mike Gabriel merely referred to it as 'Snow Queen'. Alan Menken also simply called it 'Snow Queen'. No The affixed. Simple coincidence? Finally, Mike Gabriel didn't say "that project was canceled" (a response I got from a Disney animator when I asked about the status of once-Disney animation project "Joe Jump"). Instead, he said Disney wants no information out at this point. That's not a "yes, production has resumed", but it's also not a "no, that project is dead".

Again, maybe I'm just reading too far into this.

Between this winter's "The Princess and the Frog", the first traditionally-animated film in five years and first Broadway-style princess film since 1992's "Aladdin" and next year's CGI "Rapunzel", it seems as if Disney is willing to do 'traditional' projects again, not just 'hip' or 'modern' ones. 2D is back for sure now, because we know 2011 will bring a new hand-drawn Winnie the Pooh film. So traditional-animation is back and serious films are okay for Disney again. Could John Lasseter, current savior of Walt Disney Animation Studios, have seen the potential in this film and resurrected the project?

No legitimate news since 2005, but now Menken has stirred the debate up again. We know this is a different Disney than a few years ago when the project was canceled. Does this mean "The Snow Queen" is back?

What are your thoughts? Let us know in the comments!

A New Pooh For You, By John Lasseter, Too!

There has been considerable worry surrounding Disney's first traditionally-animated feature film in five years, "The Princess and the Frog." Apart from racial issues, Disney animation fans have been concerned that the film's success was hinged to the future of 2D theatrical animation at Disney. Essentially, only if the froggy picture was a success this winter, would Walt Disney Animation Studios greenlight more hand-drawn theatrical features.

Those worries can be put to rest. More than five months from the premiere of Disney's latest animated film, the first to be traditionally-animated since 2004's "Home on the Range", a new 2D film has been announced.

The film will star a familiar, silly ol' bear. His name? Winnie the Pooh.

News broke from the 2009 Licensing Exposition in Las Vegas this past Tuesday. The official press release is as follows:

New Mickey Mouse and Winnie the Pooh Initiatives

Mickey Mouse and Winnie the Pooh remain among the company's key character franchises; for a broad cross-section of consumers, these two classic characters boast a deep emotional connection and an unrivaled affinity like no other. In support of this, DCP has developed comprehensive plans to propel the growth of these classic character properties and keep them "top of mind" across demographics.

Beginning with Winnie the Pooh, DCP and Walt Disney Animation Studios today announced a new theatrical film planned for spring 2011, making it Pooh's first theatrical release in six years since Pooh's Heffalump Movie in 2005. DCP will focus merchandise strategy on moms of infants and toddlers, with a secondary focus on women. Other Disney businesses, including Disney Publishing, are developing Pooh content for a new generation of consumers that will further drive the growth potential of this classic character.

Already uproar has shot through various Disney and animation blogs and forums. Some fans are pleased to see a new 2D film without Disney relying on "The Princess and the Frog" to test the market. Those same fans are excited to see their favorite stuffed bear return to the big screen after a four-year hiatus, especially in 2D and not the CGI seen in his latest TV Show, "My Friends Tigger & Pooh."

The other reactions have been negative at best. Disney fans are in disbelief that after touting "The Princess and the Frog" as a return to classic animation, Disney has chosen to follow with a sequel. The problem is the original 1977 film Winnie the Pooh has had nearly a dozen sequel films and TV shows spin off of it. For many, Pooh has been sucked dry and is now a lifeless, ragged old toy. So, while they aren't necessarily against the idea of a sequel, these enraged fans are against a Pooh sequel.

The counter-argument has been that if Disney wants to ensure a successful return to 2D after the market has been dominated and over-saturated by CGI for the last five years, than they need to produce something familiar to consumers. Hence, a Princess film and a Pooh film.

Fans have hopes that bolder, original animation projects will follow.

The aforementioned press release left doubt as to which studio was animating the picture, which caused further debate in forums. At face value, it sounded like Walt Disney Animation Studios - creators of all the 'classics' (spanning from 1937's "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" to last year's "BOLT"). Others remained un-convinced and thought that it had to be DisneyToon Studios, creators of the many 'cheapquels' (The Lion King 2: Simba's Pride, Cinderella III: A Twist in Time).

Well, I was determined to find out for myself. I pulled out my Disney contacts list and shot off an e-mail to every Disney higher-up I had. It was a little desperate, but hey, I got results!

My e-mail to Disney Motion Pictures Group President Mark Zoradi was forwarded to Disney spokeswoman Heidi Trotta.

The information she has sent is breaking news! No other report has had this information. Currently, all news reports about this new 2011 Winnie the Pooh film merely echo one another and are very vague. My report below includes major updates!

I will post her e-mail first, followed by my original e-mail to Mark Zoradi, where she has posted her answers.

Hi Neal:

Your e-mail was forwarded to me for response.
My answers are below in red.

Thank you so much for
your interest.

Best,

Heidi

~~~

Dear Mr. Zoradi,

Disney Animation fans are excited about the newly announced Winnie the Pooh feature film arriving in Spring 2011.

This was exciting news to come out of the Licensing Exposition in Las Vegas yesterday.

However, there is some confusion that is causing an uproar across forums and blogs. Is this film being animated at and/or by Walt Disney Animation Studios? The movie is being produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios. This marks the first time in more than 35 years that a Winnie the Pooh motion picture is being produced at Walt Disney Animation Studios. Under the supervision of John Lasseter and producer, Clark Spencer ("Lilo & Stitch," "Bolt") the movie is due out in theaters spring 2011. Steve Anderson ("Meet the Robinsons") and Don Hall (head of story on "The Princess and The Frog") will co-direct. Tidbit: Burny Mattinson who worked as an animator on the original Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree featurette in 1964 will serve as the lead story artist on the project.

The studio is seen in the website below: http://www.disneyanimation.com/aboutus/history.html

Is that Walt Disney Animation Studios animating this new Spring 2011 Winnie the Pooh feature? Yes

If not, who/which studio is in charge of animating the upcoming film?

If so, does that make it one of the 'classics' or 'canon' films, also represented at the aforementioned website. Yes

Your assistance with these questions is highly appreciated. If you could just take a moment to clear up the confusion to settle down fans who are up in arms, that would be great!

Thank you in advance,

Neal Patten

There you have it, Disney animation fans! This is officially a Disney Animated Classic and will be hitting the big screens Spring 2011!

This marks only the third (maybe fourth) official sequel within the Disney Animated Classics Line:

Fantasia and Fantasia 2000
The Rescuers and The Rescuers Down Under
(Possibly) Saludos Amigos and The Three Caballeros

Not only that, but it is going to be traditionally animated!

So, are you excited or not? Please sound off in the comments section!

'The Black Cauldron: Special Edition' DVD coming 2009

Our first indication that "The Black Cauldron" was going to see a re-release came on New Years.

A Thailand-based DVD distributor held a New Year's party and handed out booklets that showed their 2009 Disney DVD release slate. "The Black Cauldron" was listed in the book for a 2009 re-release:

I e-mailed Disney's consume relations but their response was:

We don't have any information on that title as of yet.

Well, there's information now!

Disney's imported, dubbed film "The Secret of the Magic Gourd " is coming to DVD on January 27th. One of the previews is for a 'The Black Cauldron: Special Edition'. This was revealed on the Hi-Def Digest forums:

http://forums.highdefdigest.com/blu-ray-software-general-discussion/71104-disney-chooses-re-release-mary-poppins-dvd-not-blu-ray-4.html#post1376273

All there is is a trailer. We have no further information. This could possibly contain some of the infamous cuts made to the film, that is not known. Also, The film was restored around 2002 by a comapny called Lowry Digital to make a 2k Master from the original negative. This restored version of the film has been put on DVD in France and Korea, but not in the U.S.

There has only been one Region 01 DVD release in the states before, and many Disney fans have complained about the edits, the lack of anamorphic widescreen, and a poor transfer. This 'special edition' may be Disney's response to that.

Don't hold your breath for the cuts being on the DVD, but it's safe to say this will have anamorphic widescreen and be the restoration.


"The Black Cauldron" released in 1985. It was Disney's first PG-rated animated classic. It has since fallen into minor obscurity and is not often recognized by Disney.

Ponyo in a Theater in the States

Legendary filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki's highly-anticipated next film Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea now has an English voice cast announced.

GhibliWorld is reporting that Frank Marshall and Kathleen Kennedy will produce the English localization of Hayao Miyazaki's Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea. The cast includes Matt Damon, Tina Fey, Cate Blanchett, Liam Neeson, Lily Tomlin, Betty White, Frankie Jonas, Noah Cyrus and Cloris Leachman.

The film tells the story of a young boy who befriends a goldfish princess who longs to become human.

The film, which has already released in Japan, is going to come stateside next year. It is being said that it will hit the silver screen during the first quarter of 2009, due to the comic series debuting in April and the "Art of" book arriving in March. It's believed the film will release soon after to coincide with the book and comic.