the frog princess

[KPeveler]

Have we heard anything about this movie? is it really happening? is disney really making a hand-drawn animated move? i miss the "old" animation. does this mean they may be re-opening a studio in FL or CA??????

please, disney, bring back the classic animation!

 

[Another Voice]

It was the big announcement today at the stock holder's meeting. Here's the write-up from The Hollywood Reporter:
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/news/e3i1d2e0aab626463e8060c28ae0f156415

'Toy Story 3,' 'Frog Princess' on tap
'TS3' script is by 'Sunshine' Oscar winner Michael Arndt
By Georg Szalai

March 9, 2007

NEW YORK - The Walt Disney Co. is in production on "Toy Story 3," via its Pixar Animation Studios, and its first hand-drawn animation project in years, "The Frog Princess," via Disney Animation, John Lasseter, chief creative officer, Pixar and Disney Animation Studios, said Thursday.

In an appearance during Disney's annual shareholder meeting in New Orleans, Lasseter said: "We are finally in production on 'Toy Story 3'," adding the film is scheduled to come out in 2010. Tom Hanks and Tim Allen are back on board to voice Buzz Lightyear and Woody.

The screenplay is by Michael Arndt, who just won the original screenplay Academy Award for "Little Miss Sunshine," according to Lasseter, who said: "We got a great story."

He also announced - to much applause - that Disney Animation has started production on "Frog Princess," which goes back to hand-drawn animation and classic Disney fairytales. "Aladdin" and "Little Mermaid" creators Ron Clements and John Musker are the creative forces behind the animated musical, which "takes place entirely in New Orleans," features "the very first African American Disney princess" and includes a "soulful singing alligator," Lasseter said.

In a special surprise, Randy Newman, who spent his childhood in New Orleans and is writing the music for the film, performed a song from "Frog Princess" to big applause.

Discussing other animation projects that his team is currently working on, Lasseter mentioned Pixar's "Wall-E," written and directed by Andrew Stanton, the man behind "Finding Nemo." The film plays 700 years in the future when Wally is a little robot on Earth cleaning the trash-covered planet after the humans evacuated it.

Lasseter also plugged Disney Animation's "American Dog," directed by Chris Williams, about a dog with superpowers who suddenly realizes he is only a TV character and must learn to live in the real world.

There is a rather intense corporate battle going on between Pixar and Disney Feature Animation. A lot of DFA's future rides on Meet the Robinsons - and now that people are getting a look at that film it seems Pixar is winning all the battles.

 

[KPeveler]

YAY

so do we know what studio it is being drawn at? (wow, that was good english!)

 

[Another Voice]

The buzz is that it will be in Burbank. Some of the traditional animators were "retained" to become CGI animators, they can go back to their old jobs. I expect most people working on the movie will be hired from the street. It will take more battling from Pixar before Disney hires a permanent staff of animators.

The Florida Animation Studio is closed for good. There's not even a hint of it every reopening.

 

[Keyser]

which "takes place entirely in New Orleans," features "the very first African American Disney princess" and includes a "soulful singing alligator,"

Hmm... While it seems like they have a lot good people on board with this one, this part worries me a bit - I hope they're letting the story drive the movie, rather than trying to make a movie in order to fit in a checklist of things they're wanting to do (i.e. support New Orleans, get an African American princess, add a new singing animal they can sell plush toys for).

 

[raidermatt]

Hmm... While it seems like they have a lot good people on board with this one, this part worries me a bit - I hope they're letting the story drive the movie, rather than trying to make a movie in order to fit in a checklist of things they're wanting to do (i.e. support New Orleans, get an African American princess, add a new singing animal they can sell plush toys for).

That hasn't been Pixar's M.O., but you're right that its going to be in the backs of people's minds now that they are Disney, and checklist filmmaking has been Disney's M.O. more often than not lately. But I think Pixar is safe from that pressure for awhile.

 

[stczt]

sounds interesting

 

[MJMcBride]

the only problem for me is Randy Newman doing the music

 

[LIFERBABE]

the only problem for me is Randy Newman doing the music

I agree!

Im sorry, but there is nothing soulful about Randy Newman! Michael Bolton has more soul!

 

[canda]

they can get Hillary Clinton to voice the princess.

 

[annakris1973]

more info and a pic of "maddy" the new princess...



http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17524865/?GT1=9145

 

[muse_ginny]

Oh she's pretty!

I'm excited that there's a black Disney Princess! Yay for diversity AND a new handdrawn Disney movie.

 

[DancingBear]

I'll speak up here in support of Randy Newman. The guy can write a tune--see "I Love to See You Smile" from Parenthood, or "You've Got a Friend in Me" or "Woody's Roundup." Would you be surprised that he wrote the song "You Can Leave Your Hat On" that Tom Jones sang in The Full Monty?

And he wrote a whole album, "Good Old Boys," about Louisiana.

Word on the 'net is Lasseter forced Clements and Musker to take Newman over their choice Alan Menken.

 

[EUROPACL]

Oh she's pretty!

I'm excited that there's a black Disney Princess! Yay for diversity AND a new handdrawn Disney movie.

What you were expecting an ugly princess...maybe one hooked on meth and haveing more eyes than teeth.

 

[Keyser]

Word on the 'net is Lasseter forced Clements and Musker to take Newman over their choice Alan Menken.

I might be confused, but didn't Menken write the music for several of the newer Disney "classics" - Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin? If so, I'm honestly surprised that someone would prefer Randy Newman to Menken. A few of Newman's songs are kind of catchy, but nothing I've heard from him (which admittedly is kind of limited - I haven't heard some of the songs you mention) hits the level that I'd think would make the new movie a "classic" on par with some of those earlier ones.

 

[DancingBear]

Yes, Menken wrote those musicals. As far as I know, Newman has never done a true musical with lots of songs, but he's done many soundtracks with integrated songs or theme songs, including:

Toy Story 3 (2009) (filming)
Cars (2006)
Monsters, Inc. (2001)
Toy Story 2 (1999)
A Bug's Life (1998)
James and the Giant Peach (1996)
Toy Story (1995)
Ragtime (1981)

And many other soundtracks. His Academy Award nominations and one win include:

2007 Nominated Oscar Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Song for: Cars (2006) For the song "Our Town".

2002 Won Oscar Best Music, Original Song for: Monsters, Inc. (2001)
For the song "If I Didn't Have You".; Nominated Oscar Best Music, Original Score for: Monsters, Inc. (2001)

2001 Nominated Oscar Best Music, Original Song for: Meet the Parents (2000) For the song "A Fool In Love".

2000 Nominated Oscar Best Music, Original Song for: Toy Story 2 (1999)
For the song "When She Loved Me".

1999 Nominated Oscar Best Music, Original Dramatic Score for: Pleasantville (1998); Best Music, Original Musical or Comedy Score
for: A Bug's Life (1998); Best Music, Original Song for: Babe: Pig in the City (1998) For the song "That'll Do".

1997 Nominated Oscar Best Music, Original Musical or Comedy Score
for: James and the Giant Peach (1996)

1996 Nominated Oscar Best Music, Original Musical or Comedy Score
for: Toy Story (1995); Best Music, Original Song for: Toy Story (1995)
For the song "You've Got a Friend".

1995 Nominated Oscar Best Music, Original Song; for: The Paper (1994)
For the song "Make Up Your Mind".

1991 Nominated Oscar Best Music, Original Score; for: Avalon (1990)

1990 Nominated Oscar Best Music, Original Song; for: Parenthood (1989)
For the song "I Love to See You Smile"

1985 Nominated Oscar Best Music, Original Score; for: The Natural (1984)

1982 Nominated Oscar Best Music, Original Score; for: Ragtime (1981); Best Music, Original Song for: Ragtime (1981) For the song "One More Hour"

 

[raidermatt]

First, both of these gentlemen have doen a LOT of great work for Disney and Pixar, so I would never dream of knocking either one.


This is from Mr. Menken's bio on imdb.

Has won more Academy awards then any other living composer in Oscar history (Alfred Newman received nine but passed away in 1970). He has won the following eight: Best Original Score for The Little Mermaid (1989), Best Song for Little Mermaid, The (1989)_ ("Under The Sea"), Best Original Score for Beauty and the Beast (1991), Best Original Song for Beauty and the Beast (1991)("Beauty and the Beast"), Best Original Score for Aladdin (1992), Best Original Song for Aladdin (1992)("A Whole New World"), Best Original Score for Pocahontas (1995) , and Best Original Song for Pocahontas ("Colors of the Wind"). He has also received seven other nominations.

It's probably fair to note though that his work on Mermaid, Beast and Aladdin was part of a collaboration with the late Howard Ashman (Mr. Ashman was the lyricist).

Mr. Menken also worked on Home on the Range, which shows no composer can save a bad movie.

Here's another note from Mr. Newman's bio on imdb:

On February 12, 2002, he broke the all-time record for most Oscar nominations without any wins (the previous record was 15; Newman got two nominations for Monsters, Inc. (2001) and made it to 16). (This record has been surpassed. As of March 2006, sound re-recording mixer Kevin O'Connell has 18 nominations but not a single Oscar.)

In March of 2002, Newman finally won his first Academy Award for writing the Best Song in Monsters, Inc. (2001). In his acceptance speech, he thanked the music branch of the academy for giving him all those chances "to be humiliated."

If Frog Princess is really a true musical, then it does sound like something more up Mr. Menken's alley than Mr. Newman's.

But like I said, they've both done a lot of great work, so its hard to fault either choice. I know some of Newman's stuff seems "quirky" to some, but I've also been surprised more than once to find he was the composer of the score for a movie. Most notably The Natural.

 

[Another Voice]

The issue from my point of view is that what made Alan Menken's music so interesting was mostly Howard Ashman's lyrics. Mr. Menken's work with others has not reached Little Mermaid or Beauty and the Beast status. And while Mr. Newman can right great movie songs that hit a specific emotional beat at a specific moment, it will be interesting to see if he can write songs that are not only good listening, but also move the plot and advance the character at the same time. That's not easy to do.

 

[DancingBear]

BTW, James and the Giant Peach had 4 songs (one of which used words by Roald Dahl which I assume were in the book). As far as I know, that's the most in any Newman score.

 

[Keyser]

Interestingly (thanks to Wikipedia), I find that Randy Newman also wrote (in addition to lots of stuff I haven't heard or don't remember) "I Love LA" and the theme song to the TV show Monk (both are kind of obvious in retrospect, but I hadn't realized it). Two more catchy songs, which at least I personally like. He evidently also wrote a stage musical (that wasn't tremendously successful).

And while Mr. Newman can right great movie songs that hit a specific emotional beat at a specific moment, it will be interesting to see if he can write songs that are not only good listening, but also move the plot and advance the character at the same time. That's not easy to do.

That makes sense - though I would say his "When She Loved Me" song from Toy Story 2 did help move the plot and certainly advanced the character. It will be interesting to see what he comes up with, and to see whether the movie will be a full musical or just have songs in the soundtrack. I would guess that "singing alligator" == musical, though.