Disney Debate: 2D or 3D ?

[wvrevy]

I was just reading an article in the Orlando Sentinel about the demise of Disney Animation Florida and Michael @%$! Eisner's "brilliant" decision that 2D animation (think Brother Bear and Mulan) is dead and that the future is all in 3D (Nemo, Toy Story), and it just makes me angry. Look, I've got nothing at all against innovation...I'm all for it. But to think that "Chicken Run" is more relevant than "Cinderella" is just idiotic, in my opinion.

Anyway, it got me wondering if anybody else agrees with Eisner's decision to axe the animation department (well, except for the cheesy kind that they use in making the endless number of sequels that Disney seems to pump out these days) in favor of putting all of the company's eggs in the digital basket. Personally, I think it's a horrible decision....am I wrong ?

 

[oogieboogie]

No, I totally agree with you. IMO there will always be a place for 2D animation alongside 3D.

I think the bigger mistake is churning out sequels after sequels or features that don't have a good story foundation beneath it.

The last truly great animated feature that I think came out of Disney was The Lion King and Beauty and The Beast. After that, everything was just typical fare. It seemed like no thought process was put into the storyline but rather how much merchandising and publicity can we drum up for this feature and how many tie-ins can we do.

IMO the animation is just a way of telling the story. The main ingredient is the story itself, and if the story stinks, it won't matter if the animation is 2D or 3D, the movie will stink.