After All It's a Step in the Right Direction
Tuesday, March 2, 2010 at 11:52PM Posted by Lilly Thoughts on "The Princess and the Frog", "Tangled", and the future of Disney Feature Animation.
By Lilly
After letting it sink in for a few weeks, I went and saw Disneyʼs The Princess and the Frog for the second time. This time I tried my darnedest to watch with less critical eyes. After all, it is in 2D. After 5 years, I think I join many Disney fans in saying thank you (itʼs about time).
Now I have to admit, even after the second viewing, Disneyʼs The Princess and the Frog isnʼt my favorite movie of all time, it seemed a bit formulated to me (African American + Princess + a Prince with a personality + songs by Randy Newman = demographics and ratings–and was it just me or was Tiana a black version of Belle?), but Iʼll take it. The animation looked great and I thought the talent was excellent particularly Anika Noni Rose and Keith David–they sound great. And despite my petty thoughts on the plot, Iʼve read reviews, reviews and more reviews that rave about the plot, the characters and the whole experience. Well, I donʼt think weʼre quite there yet, but I guess I wonʼt complain too much.
I hope Disney also wonʼt complain too much. A $25 million opening weekend may not have been a complete blow out, but it wasnʼt a crash either and I suspect so many positive reviews (itʼs rated 84% on Rotten Tomatoes) will give Disney plenty of continuing revenue, proving 2D animation still has its place in the world. I just wish this news would have reached them before they decided these beautiful concept drawings of Rapunzel, or should I say Tangled as it is now called, should be taken to the computer instead of the drawing board.
However, the filmʼs previous director, Glen Keane, has said although Rapunzel/Tangled will be in 3D, it is being designed to feel more like a traditional hand-drawn Disney Classic. Animators for this film will use a non-photorealistic rendering technique which will make the surface look like it is painted but still contain depth and dimensions. Well, I guess weʼll see. I can only hope the reason the filmʼs release date continues to be delayed is because they are making marvelous changes. Iʼll wish a star tonight that that is the case. At least theyʼve bagged the idea of intermingling it with the modern world back when it was entitled Rapunzel Unbraided. Whew, that would have been a catastrophe.
Overall, my greatest desire is that Disney will continue to take steps in the right direction. Hopefully we can put the days of The Wild, Chicken Little, Home on the Range, Brother Bear and Treasure Planet behind us. As Princess Tiana said, “Weʼre Almost There!”
Reader Comments (4)
I wonder if they're hoping for more than they'll ever get again, what with the DVD coming out very soon. Some films will do huge box office, but I think those will include family films less and less. I can buy the DVD for less (when it comes out) than it cost me to take my two kids to the movie in the theater. Something like AVATAR, that appears to be something that will look a ton better on the big screen than on a home theater setup or just a regular tv, will likely still do big numbers at the box office. (I'll probably buy the DVD of TPATF when it comes out anyway.)
2D animation movies are dead to children past the age of 8 for boys & 12 for girls. There will always be exceptions but I thought it was an extraordinary bold move for Disney to jump into CGI. CGI appeals to the kids (with 3D CGI probably being the next phase of that) & that's where Disney needs to go to remain competitive.
I would prefer for Disney to concentrate their 2D efforts on truly spectacular efforts that do not have to appeal to young girls, young boys, or some other "saves the industry for the moment" demographic. 2D animation efforts ought to be SPECIAL & EXCLUSIVE... Disney needs to wrap it's 2D movies around "spectacle" again, advertising the fact that it WON'T be on DVD for at least a year after it leaves theaters. When you cloak a property with a bit of exclusivity (both in format, theme & availability), people flock to it MORE.
Imagine a world where Disney releases experimental 2D movies (which would still have to be good beyond the gimmick factor) that appeals to animation buffs once every two years into select theaters for a limited engagement, then releases limited-edition DVDs akin to the Disney Treasures DVDs. In five years, people would be talking about Disney movies again with a certain aura instead of waiting for it to come out on DVD 6 weeks after it leaves the local multiplex.
Oh, wait... I just remembered Disney's "What have you earned for me yesterday?" fiscal policy. Never mind.
From the look of it, I think this is what a lot of us have been waiting for. A traditional story with great design. I hope there is no contemporary twist now that they are using the modern techniques of CG. But looking at the teaser, you get the sense that it only furthers the techniques of old, in a way that doesn't compromise tradition too much. Like you said, Lilly, "we'll see".
Great post.
I thought Tiana was MILES ahead of Belle in terms of representing a strong woman who wasn't helplessly dependent on men to get where she wanted to go. If bookish Belle was a good example for girls, then tenacious Tiana is an even better one.
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