For those of you who've by some strange force of nature still haven't heard the story of American Dog, it goes a little something like this. Animator Chris Sanders, co-director of the classic Disney animated film Lilo & Stitch, was developing his sophomore Disney effort in 2005. The film was called American Dog and the plot was as follows:
Henry, a famous TV dog, finds himself stranded in the Nevada desert. Out in the world for the first time, Henry's tidy life of scripted triumph has come to an end, and his 2,000 mile trek through the real world is just beginning.Henry is a popular dog. He stars in his own television series, in which he is a James Bond style secret agent who manages to survive the most wonderful adventures. Henry is the toast of the town, but then one day one of the stunts in his show goes terribly wrong, Henry loses consciousness, and when he wakes up he finds himself on a train, thousands of miles away from his home. Henry has been a celebrity all his lifeand does not know how to handle himself in this new situation, but luckily he is able to make some new friends that he convinces to get him back home.After showing at SIGGRAPH 2005, the buzz began for what was going to be Meet the Robinsons' (then titled A Day with Wilbur Robinson) follow-up. Things seemed to be going well. A batch of lavish concept art was released to the public that drew inspiration of Edward Hopper and the film was on track for a summer 2008 release.
Well, all that changed in December 2006 when, in the midst of lay-offs at the Mouse House, Sanders was fired.
Rumors of the who and why began to fly but the now accepted version of the tale states that John Lasseter, the savior of Disney himself, gave the orders.
Why? Why would the creator of one of Disney's most succesful and marketable products in a decade be removed from a second go-around. It didn't suit Lasseter's tastes.
He called it “too quirky for its own good” and demanded a host of changes be made. Lasseter is noted for not liking Lilo & Stitch, so it's believed he didn't go into the American Dog screening room with an open mind. What changes were ordered? First off, there was too much style but not enough story substance in his opinion. Secondly, the Nevada location was too close to Pixar's upcoming Cars. Thirdly, the plot went up against Toy Story 3's. Who was going to win that fight when Lasseter was the referee?So after Sanders refused to make changes to his baby, he was given the boot and replaced with the same rescuer of another, quite similar story of drastic change - the director of The Emperor's New Groove.
It's believed Lasseter wanted to play it safe with his first CGI Disney film where he had full-jurisdiction. It's said he wants to bury any knowledge of the existence of Chicken Little and he also pushed changes with Meet the Robinsons but joined the game too late to fix all he wanted.However, this time, he knew the movie he would release would be a testament to his managing savvy and so he wanted to create something that had no risks to it. The old story was just 'too risky' for him.
What changed? The deserts of Nevada became the streets of New York.
- Henry, the misshapen even moose-looking brown dog became Bolt, the American White Shepherd.
- Ogo, the eye-patched cat became Mr. Mittens - your typical street ruffian feline.
- The unnamed gargantuan, nuclear-waste morphed bunny became Rhino, an otaku highly excitable hamster in a ball.
- Henry went from getting lost but knowing he was just a star with no powers, having to come to terms with no longer being pampered to being Bolt, a dog who believes he's actually has powers and is solely focused on rescuing his owner Penny.
Therefore, I began to come to terms with the switcheroo. No sooner had I begun to accept the change than did the wound get opened again when I read Cartoon Brew's review of The Art of Bolt book.
I held out hope some hope some remnant of Sanders would show up. Did it? Nope. Nothing. Not one image. Not even his name. Yet they still have the gall to claim the inspirtation of Edward Hopper - that was Sanders' big buzz line.Sanders has moved on over to DreamWorks but expressed deep sadness and anger over losing his pet project. His comments echoed mine - why would Lasseter, a man who claims Disney is now a "director-driven studio" - so strongly go against his own mantra? Maybe those bright hawaiian shirts should just be business suits, after all.
It seems Disney just wants to wipe their hands clean of this whole debacle.
Because of this, I've made my own art of "book". I've collected every image I've ever attained from Sanders' American Dog and posted it below. Enjoy. If you have any more pieces, or know the name of that bunny - please contact me!
The Original Title Card For American Dog
Theatrical Poster for American Dog
The Display At SIGGRAPH 2005
Original Concept Sketches For Henry
Original Concept Sketch For Ogo
The Film Was To Take Place In The Deserts Of Nevada
Perhaps Ogo Channels Kill Bill?
Henry Had To Learn To Overcome His Ego And Meet Normal People
Henry Seems A Bit Scared Of His Soon-To-Be Companions
A Still Shows CGI Henry, Ogo, and Radioactive Bunny at the Magic of Disney Animation at MGM Studios
Henry Was A James Bond -like Character In His Show
Slowly Henry Becomes More Accustomed To The Real World
Ogo And Henry In A Garage, Believed To Be Ogo And The Bunny's Home
Henry Steals From Mobsters At a Casino - In Real Life Or A Sketch From His Show?
Henry Awakes On The Train As It Passes Mt. Rushmore
Closer View Of Kill Bill Ogo
Oops! There Goes Henry!
Wild Car Chase? Just Another Average Day...
A Closer View Of The Coffee House
Closer More Henry & Gang
Isn't he debonair?
Posts
17 animated thoughts:
Thanks a lot for posting. I wish they wouldn't have changed it so much. :\
You're welcome! Glad to see someone read it! I feel disappointed, too, but am still going to go see Bolt. I hope Bolt is good or I'll feel even more let down.
While I appreciate you lamenting over the loss of A-Dog (and I am too, a little) you must realize Lasseter didnt walk in willy-nilly firing people left and right. Sanders was given chance after chance after chance and the story NEVER came together. I know, I was there. The mantra "director-driven-studio" is actually a false one: it's really a "story-driven-studio." So if the story is NOT coming together (which it wasnt) anything and everyone is expendable, even the director. Sanders was replaced at the last possible second, and it was a very very hard decision.
You see, Lasseter was given the job to fix Disney, and without getting rid of Sanders, American Dog would have dragged Disney down to where they probably would never have recovered. It would have closed the studio. American Dog (while conceptually beautiful) was rife with problems. The story was disjointed and going nowhere, the designs in CG were unappealing, Sanders wasnt leading. I could go on and on.
But no one talks about this because no one knows about it, and if Disney would have included all of this in the Art of Bolt book, it would have looked like they were airing dirty laundry and it would have dragged Sanders name through the dirt. Instead, Disney runs the risk of looking like the bad guy and takes the blame for firing Sanders, when really Sander's forced their hand.
So there's the full truth, hopefully it helps clear the air for ya
Anonymous - Thank you for your comments! Obviously, a layperson like me only knows what has been shown and what has been shown is quite conflictual. I've read other accounts from people claiming to have been there that say Lasseter truly acted as negatively as most people say. That it was a power play. He didn't like Lilo & Stitch so he didn't like Sanders. That Sanders story wasn't as bad as Lasseter acted, he just wanted to make sure American Dog never got made.
The problem is for every positive article about Lasseter that makes him seem like a genuine, nice person there's an article that says he's not that at all.
I don't know what to believe.
He still talks about directors driving movies not story even now. "...to me, the best way is you bet on a really, really talented director and then let them focus on making their movie and it comes from their heart and they're really invested in it. I think this is a better way of working." That was just two days ago.
I've heard Sanders was pouring himself into American Dog.
Once again, your post offers yet another view on the matter. I don't disbelieve you were there, it's just that other people who equally sounded as if they were there said Sanders was the victim.
The biggest problem is no one expands on the stories. They either say 'the film was fine, Lasseter is evil' or 'Sanders resisted too much, it was his fault'.
They don't go into any more detail. What was wrong with the story, exactly? Where/when/why did it stop moving along smoothly? What is the story beyond the couple sentence summary we've heard? What changes did Lasseter suggest? Why specifically did Sanders resist? How did Sanders manage to go from making what's considered so brilliant with Stitch to this supposed mess in American Dog?
All these vague accounts hoping to either support Lasseter's side or Sander's side only leave the rest of us more confused and unsure than before.
Are you able to explain any more than you have?
"American Dog would have dragged Disney down to where they probably would never have recovered."
First of all, Bolt didn't do that well. I think that American Dog could have easily cleared the $27 million Bolt did. Sorry, but even if you were there, there is nothing to suggest that American Dog would have closed Disney Animation for good. That is just absurd.
Second, we'll never be able to see the movie that Chris Sanders was making. While you claim to have been there, how do we know for sure?
Third, Lasseter is a hypocrite for talking about director-driven films when he's taking over projects and firing directors left and right, which is fine, but you can't have it both ways.
American Dog looks a million times more interesting than the generic, safe Bolt.
This just sounds like baseless internet whining.
The reality is that Lasseter knows what he's doing far better than you do. Bolt ended up a quite solid movie, and the reality is that you really can't ask for more than that reasonably.
Lasseter may not be perfect, but there's a good chance he knows much better than you, and a good chance he knows much better than a lot of the folks at Disney.
Grousing about this is silly and pointless. You don't know how the movie would have turned out, and all indications are that it wouldn't have ended well. When competent people make such decisions, you really have to say "Well, I'm not them, and I'm not privvy to private details, but they've made other correct decisions, so more likely than not they made the correct decision."
And its not like the previous story wasn't "The Incredible Journey" anyway.
Does that mean one can never criticize Lasseter or any decision he makes?
I mean, George Lucas has done a lot of great things so does that mean that the groaning over the tweaking of the original trilogy and the awful prequel trilogies is unwarranted?
Sorry, but sometimes these so-called geniuses develop this big ego and believe that everything they touch is gold, and sometimes it takes a brutally honest fanbase to bring them back to Earth.
"and all indications are that it wouldn't have ended well."
What indications? We don't have the full story and we probably never will. I've only heard Lasseter talk about it in the press and he didn't say much. Chris Sanders has not told his side of the story. Insiders claim to know what happened but it's difficult to tell who is telling the truth.
All I know is that I'm not interested in Bolt and won't see it.
American Dog is a movie I'd be interested in.
Thanks for putting these up I've been looking for pics of this movie ever since i figured out this is what spawned Bolt. While, I haven't and sadly will never get to see this Bolt was a good movie none the less and actually was the one i figured out about first.
I say Sanders should take all of his drawings and plans for American Dog, produce it with Dreamworks, and shove it up Disney's butt by releasing to prove it would have been a bigger box office hit had they not altered it. Believe me, I know a good movie when I see one. And if Disney tries to complain about it or sue them, he should take it to court show the judges proof that he is the original creator and that Disney altered it till the point it is like an entirely different movie and not even give him credit for it even though he was fired. It is certainly not the first time Disney has done this kind of stunt. I am a big time Lion King fan, but I have to admit that they completly copied Kimba The White Lion, which they never did give credit for. Even Matthew Broderick said that he was told that he was being hired to be a voice in a remake of "Kimba: The Jungle Emperor", which Disney still denies to this day. But the biggest rip off I have ever seen was when Dreamworks made Madagascar in 2005 and then Disney makes a movie in 2006 called "The Wild" which was almost exactly the same movie only under Disney. Sheesh.... Walt Disney would be ashamed.
I am wondering if there is a larger version picture (higher resolution) of Kill Bill shot in the green car. If there is please email amadden_madisoid@yahoo.com
I need the higher resolution image for an art festival that raises money for kids to have after school art programs.
Please let me know if anyone can help out - it would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks,
Amy Madden
amadden_madisoid@yahoo.com
I would love to help you out, but don't have a higher resolution. As this art is 4 years old, and from a canceled film you may never find a bigger version.
If it's true that JL didn't like "Lilo & Stitch," that calls his judgment of Sanders' work into question for me. "Bolt" is OK, but not in the same league as "Lilo" at all.
Thanks for posting these, they're beautiful.
Pixar is a great studio, but it's also a business. For all the paeans to the Great American Highway that are supposedly the inspiration for "Cars," it's hardly an accident that the film is also (a) targeted at a specific demographic (NASCAR) that Pixar wanted to tap and (b) the biggest source of merchandising revenue they ever came up with. The obvious calculation and marketing strategy behind that film is actually one of its biggest failings, IMO. So the idea that Lasseter made a cold business decision and screwed Sanders -- under the pressure JL was under from Disney at the time, and given the situation at the Mouse in 2006 -- isn't especially shocking, and doesn't make Lasseter a bad person, even if there are people (including Chris) who have valid reason to consider him a dick.
Bottom line, "American Dog" looks like it would have been artistically interesting and "Bolt" is just a slightly above average piece of product with a couple of nice touches. I know which movie I'd rather see -- but no one was expecting me to "save Disney," either.
At this point, the best revenge Sanders can have is to make another great film like "Lilo" and have it make tons more money than "Bolt." I hope he does.
I wasn't there when Sanders was fired and neither were 99.99% of anyone else, but I'm sure there was a good reason for it. Disney is a business above all else; they have countless people working for them and investing in them, and they can't be too experimental. The American Dog concept art looks intriguing and it makes me wish that movie would be made, although quite frankly a few pages of concept art and a brief summary of the plot aren't enough to make any real judgment. I can imagine many reasons why Disney might turn it away, and if Sanders was being belligerent about his concept, it's no wonder he was fired. I'm sure Lasseter was tough to deal with, but frankly most effective bosses are (they do what is right for the company rather than trying to befriend their employees).
There are plenty of independent filmmakers and animators out there who turn out great work, so I don't think we're missing much in the end. Bolt was pretty good and a lot closer to what people expect to see from Disney.
American Dog is a concept. There wasn't a story.
Btw. for those saying 'creator of lilo and stitch, creator of lilo and stitch' all the time have no clue whatsoever.
It;s not like the movie was all Sanders. There are two directors and numerous others involved. So yes I believe it is very possible he needed a co-director who would help steer his vision. Which from all stories - he eventually refused.
It;s ironic that he has moved to Dreamworks and has taken over two films who's directors were also removed or left. That never gets talked about either.
This is to just point out that creating and directing are two very different things, and it might be a good idea if whoever it was that commented that Chris didn't create Lilo and Stitch learned that. Chris Sanders created Lilo and Stitch on his own. He created the story concept, characters, and even the art style.
He co-directed with Dean the movie and whatnot, but I just wanted to point out that the new two-disc edition of the movie points out only Dean as the director of Lilo and Stitch. How messed up is that? To me that's interesting that they would put Dean down as the director for all those who look up buying it online rather than the two of them.
Thanks again for posting these images as I only knew a little about it based on conversations I had with some of the animators but never really saw all that much visually about it. I really wanted to ask Chris about it when I saw him, but seriously I think it just wouldn't have been cool at all. Still, would love to have seen more of the art behind it. Well that and some credit for Bolt or at least a thanks to Chris for it. Best.
just found this post, i remember seeing this version, i was very interested in this movie, then "things" happened, i would love to see a art of Amercian dog book, But i know this will never happen.
As far as the Anonymous comment, it all boils 2 sides to a story, and taste, as the bolt movie that came out, that claims to be "fixed" really was not that great as far as story, animation was great some nice acting moments fun characters and shots, but bland story. so i wonder how "bad" could sanders story have been, as the finished result of bolt as far as story is concerned was not amazing, it worked. so i am curios to know what were these "story problems"
But at the same token when you are involved in a film and it is your "baby" you can also become blind, as you are so involved in the project, you either love it or hate it but your judgment can sometimes be blinded based on your involvement, so the only way we will ever know the "truth" is to hear the other side of the story which would be to see the American dog film whether it be in anamatic form (as i am sure it exists ) or the boards, as right now we are hearing more of one side of the story which has a little bit of a strong hold in the industry so i think it would be only fair to hear the other story
I must say, very interesting article about art.
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