No more Animation Studio tours at WDW . . .

[Deb in IA]

Disney To Close Florida Animation Studio Today, Say Reports


Disney is expected to shutter its feature-animation studios in Orlando, FL today (Monday), despite the unit's relative success with such films as Brother Bear and Lilo & Stitch, published reports said today. Several of the nearly 300 animators who are being laid off announced last week that they plan to form their own animation company. News reports indicated that Disney has concluded that hand-drawn animation is an expensive -- and dying -- art form and that it intends to focus on computer animated features in the future.

 

[antnee]

This is a mistake. Years from now someone will create a movie with hand drawn animation and it will be considered a classic. I am surprised they still dont want to keep that aspect around as a historical tribute. I mean it was an animator and an animator is who helped make Disney what it is today

 

[tkyes]

very sad

 

[disfanatiks]

Sad for Walt's memory.

 

[ohanafamily]

We love you Uncle Mike!!!

www.savedisney.com

'Nuff Said...

 

[janette]

I wish I'd known. We didn't do the tour on the last couple of trips and now it won't be there anymore

 

[Micca]

Are we certain the tour is closing? Seems like they could keep a small number of artists around to operate the animation tour

 

[chell]

 

[wdwoldtimer]

Now I know what the guide meant when he said the studio was on hiatus, last week. The work areas were deserted and he blamed it on "vacation".

Interestingly, the "updated" version of the tour was better than it ever was, despite the studio being empty. They had an artist out in the touring area sketching and answering questions. He was a great guy. Plus this was the first time I had seen the guest drawing area at the end of the tour.

 

[oldkicker]

Maybe they're right.

Maybe one day people will look back in amazement that people actually used to sit at drawing boards and meticulously draw, frame by frame, entire movies.

If so, I hope that their amazement is rooted in respect for the passing of a wonderful art form and not based on a profit margin.

I think that if Walt were alive and somehow still running things, he'd embrace computer technology as part of the creative process. I think that he wouldn't abandon the tradition that his company was founded upon but would find a creative way to blend it all into the corporate mix.

Heck, as much as I love Carousel of Progress, I wouldn't want to go as often as I do if the place were full of attractions at that technology and entertainment level. You've gotta mix in a Tower of Terror every now and then to keep my attention. But I'll still be sure to stop by CoP each and every trip that it's open. It should be the same with the animation division. The old and the new can coexist, In fact they can be the key to success!

I don't know enough about how or why this decision was made, but I'd be rather saddened if it were just a case of a division being profitable, but not profitable ENOUGH to satisfy the bean counters and Wall Street.

I love what PIXAR has done with their films. Each and every one has been an absolute wonder. Disney's recent hand-drawn films, when they've been 'on' (The Lion King, Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid, Mulan, Aladdin, and even Fantasia 2000, IMO) have been just as wonderful. Disney's support of projects like James and the Giant Peach and The Nightmare Before Christmas has been very welcome here too. The best of their live action films have been excellent too!

I think that the common factors in successful films that Disney is associated with are films that are of a high quality, exhibit a great attention to detail, are ingenious and clever, and present terrific stories.

It seems that for each traditionally-drawn film that has been a hit, Disney has pushed out several low-quality, sometimes direct-to-video, dregs. If this is the best that they can do in this medium, then they should, indeed, stop trying. When was the last, honest-to-goodness, big HIT that Disney has been able to generate with a traditionally-drawn film?

It seems unfair to expect that ANYONE in Disney show the same genius that Walt had. Or to care as much for animation and quality as he did. That's just too much to expect, isn't it?

Disney became an American (heck, world-wide) icon on the strength of three hand-drawn circles, a great deal of imagination and effort and caring so greatly that a level of excellence be maintained.

It seems to me that more than the three circles have been abandoned here.

And that's a real shame.

 

[oldkicker]

Oh.....HI DEB!!!

 

[Micca]

Good thoughts Oldkicker

 

[tlgoblue]

That is so sad! Of all companies to keep an art form from dying, I would have hoped it would be our Beloved Disney. Walt is rolling and Roy is moblizing his troops and supporters, I hope.
I have been holding back form stating the obvious. Mr. Eisener must go!

Wishing Upon a Star!
Tracy

OOPs! Sorry about the double pst thinggy. Hey, it's my first in over 900!

 

[tlgoblue]

That is so sad! Of all companies to keep an art form from dying, I would have hoped it would be our Beloved Disney. Walt is rolling and Roy is moblizing his troops and supporters, I hope.
I have been holding back form stating the obvious. Mr. Eisener must go! Good luck to those great Animators! (Lilo was one of my favorites! )

Remember the Magic!
Tracy

 

[FINFAN]

We spend over an hour with the tour each time we can.....DD has always wanted to involve computer graphics in her future and loved to see the talent displayed, as did we. Having a BA in Illustration, this sort of feels like a punch in the stomach.....I'm obsolete The way thge artisits drew the concept images, and then use the computer as a tool is the perfect blend....how I wish it still were. This just doesn't seem right...but am glad we and the kids did get to experience it when we did.

 

[KristaTX]

I absolutely love the theme park side of MGM. However, if they are going to call it the "Studios", it would be nice to see evidence of some actual productions. The animation tour was the only place where I got the feeling that movies were actually stilll being created on property. I will miss it.

 

[ZachnElli]

What about the new Lilo and Stitch tv series? Did they cancel it? Or is this just movies? It's very sad either way.

 

[Deb in IA]

Hi to you too, Bernie!!! Miss those great Friday Places Posts . . .

Thank you for your thoughtful essay on this post.

Yes, I also feel a twinge of sadness and regret. As Walt made his start as an animator, and essentially built his entire empire on the animated full-length classics, it really does seem to be the end of an era. Yes, I know that Walt would have LOVED the new computer technology, but there is STILL something special about a hand-drawn animated full length feature, that the CGI ones just can't capture. Too bad no one in the Disney organization seems to have the creativity and committment to somehow preserving the animation aspects of the studio, either as their Saturday morning shows, or some combination of CGI and animation.

I can't help but think that the recent dismissal of Roy Disney had something to do with this as well, as Roy had been the head of the feature animation section of the Disney enterprise.

Yes, we will still go to WDW, and yes, we will still go to see Disney movies in the theaters. But times, they are a changing, and I'm not so sure if they are changing for the better, or worse . . .

 

[WDWHound]

Originally posted by ZachnElli


What about the new Lilo and Stitch tv series? Did they cancel it? Or is this just movies? It's very sad either way.

Disney's animated TV series are contracted out to overseas production houses, mostly to save money. I expect the Lilo and Stitch series will continue, assuming it gets good enough ratings.

 

[Danauk]

I agree this is sad news. I'm glad I got to go around the studios on my last visit. It was one of the things I was really looking forward to, in fact it was one of the few things I did twice. Perhaps they could keep it open in memory of the art form. It would be a shame if generations to come only got to know cartoons as computer animations. We toured the studios just as they were finishing Brother Bear so many animators were on holiday but it was still interesting. They could still have one animator demonstraiting the drawing techniques like they did when I did the tour.