Article On Disney Animation: Is It Fading?

[trekkie1701E]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A52642-2002Dec13.html

A very interesting article, I thought ... Especially the quote about today's kids being raised on Viacom instead of Disney.
It makes one wonder, though: TP is a flop. So was DINOSAUR, ATLANTIS & ENG. So ... With all these animated sequels, is Disney perhaps helping out its animation arm? Now ... I love Walt Disney & I would love it if they quit producing sequels to his animated classics. But, as much as it pains me to say this, we live in a much darker & more competitive world than he did. In Walt's time, kids looked up to people like Dick Van Dyke & Davy Crockett. In today's society, kids have idols such as Eminem, Dr. Dre & Snoop Doggy Dog. They have dozens of options when it comes to animation, whereas in Walt Disney's time (Even up to the mid '90's), his company was the only real source of "consistantly" great theatrical animation. Now we have DREAMWORKS, more animated stuff coming out of FOX & WARNER BROS and a bunch of smaller independent films.
Don't think I'm insulting Walt Disney be defending his companys right to
make these cheap things. But, the animation in some of them -- excluding Cindy II & the dreadful POCO II -- is a lot better then most non-Disney direct-to-video films (God, the animation looks horrible on the latest -- and never-ending -- LBT installment); same with some of the storys, too. All I can say is thank God that WDTA is making them. I have "always" believed that most, if not all, Disney animators have a proud sense of tradition, and, when not "too" rushed, have the ability to make some pretty cool stuff, such as hand drawn films. Whether we like the finished product or not is up to us, but at least there are people in the Walt Disney Company who care about upholding its legacy. And They do it the only way they know how.
As much as it "pains" me to say it, from a business standpoint, sequels to some of Disney's animated movies are not "such" a bad thing.

 

[GWGumby]

My problem on the whole "cheapquel" debate is not that sequels to cartoons are bad. On the contrary, sometimes a sequel can be a good thing. Some stories/characters/situations lend themselves easily to futher adventures. I mean no one has to look further than "Toy Story 2" to see how wonderful a good sequel can be. And it's not uncommon knowledge that TS2 was originally intended to be a "cheapquel" straight-to-video product.

No, the problem is that most of the sequels being made are not being made because someone had an amazing story that was begging to made with already established characters. The folks at Pixar have stressed multiple times that story is everything. All the great looking technical accomplishments and pretty pictures they've made don't add up to much if there isn't a compelling story. And let's face it, hardly any of the "cheapquels" being made have a compelling story. They are being made because someone says "Make a sequel to Jungle Book" or "Cinderella." Not because someone says, "I have this amazing idea for a story that will take Cinderella to a new level! It needs to be told! Please let us make a sequel."

I faced a very similar situation when I worked in the gaming industry. I'm guessing about 80% of all games are based on pre-existing non-game licenses. Of those, about 80% are created based on the license alone not because anyone has any compelling gameplay ideas. So someone with the license says, "Make a Shrek game" or "Make a Spongebob game" and someone makes it. And maybe 10% of those games are any good because someone actually cared about both the gameplay and the license branded to it.

So Disney sequels are similar because once in a while someone actually cares enough about both the character AND the story to deliver something that works. But most of the time that's simply not the case. And the movies are bought based on the characters alone, not because they story or production is any good.

I don't really care if the production is not as magnificent or if the pictures aren't as pretty as the theatrical counterpart. What I want is a compelling story. What I want is compelling gameplay. Once in a while I get it, but most times it's just a cheap product made for getting a quick buck off a disposable established license.

 

[beaker]

Originally posted by GWGumby
My problem on the whole "cheapquel" debate is not that sequels to cartoons are bad. On the contrary, sometimes a sequel can be a good thing.

Oh indeed. When I saw Fantasia 2000 3 years ago on Imax opening day I was astonished to say the least. For those that just see me talk trash about the Diz, believe me...I have plenty of reason to celebrate the Diz. I mena Fantasia 2000, wow.

Also a lot of the sequels I really dug, most notably Lion King 2 and Aladdin 3. But now they just dont care.

I mean Diz is trying to go so many routes in the last couple years. Thinking they could make their own cgi, they ended up with the boring flop Dinosaurs(ooh, realistic dinosaurs...we havent seen that before!)

Toy Story 2 eclipsed the first one in so many ways, but of course that's because it's Pixar.

Anyways, like Ive said...this cheapquel stuff is starting to get really out of hand.

 

[trekkie1701E]

True; I actually do enjoy about half of their sequels but do see the amount of sequels in production as "out of control. While 101 DAL & "possibly" JUNGLE BOOK might have room for a continuing story, both MULAN & DUMBO don't.
As for LADY & THE TRAMP, the sequel was like making a long movie out of those old LATT Disney comics. It's a dumb idea.
On the upside, the animation in 101 DAL II & JB II looks pretty good
The only good sequels, in my opinion:
BTB ENCH XMAS
HERCULES ZTH
LION KING II
ALADDIN 2 was ok
ALADDIN 3
RESCUERS DOWN UNDER (So much better than the original)
BUZZ LIGHTYEAR (I know ... I know )

What we "really" need is A DUCKTALES II!

 

[Drtooth]

Originally posted by trekkie1701E

The only good sequels, in my opinion:
BTB ENCH XMAS
HERCULES ZTH
LION KING II
ALADDIN 2 was ok
ALADDIN 3
RESCUERS DOWN UNDER (So much better than the original)
BUZZ LIGHTYEAR (I know ... I know )

What we "really" need is A DUCKTALES II!

In case you want to know, I hated BTB Ench Xmas. Herculese ZTH might have just been three episodes pieced togehert. Lion King 2 rocked, Aladdin 3 was good (because of the Genie) and.. I heh.. actually LIKED Buzz Lightyear... In fact I like the cartoon, because it lets you glimps into Buzz's ego, and it actually gave Toy Story a whole new level to me. Actually, the original opening (to TS 1) was supposed to be a Buzz Lightyear cartoon, but they changed their minds at some point.

Ducktales 2 would rock! My only complaint about DT the Movie was that all the great supervillains (Glomgold, Magica, Thje Beagles) we sitting this one out, and Dijon was in it (I have no problem with Dijon, it's just that he was only in 3 episodes). I mean, a second one could have a great story about a Beagle Uprising, or Magica finally getting that dime.

Now, I love Lilo and Stitch, and I must say it is one of my favorites.. but there is absolutely NOOOOOOOOOOOOO room for a sequal (my sister made up her own ideas, but still).

Now what we need is a Darkwing Duck movie... or maybe a Tailspin one!

 

[beaker]

Originally posted by Drtooth
In case you want to know, I hated BTB Ench Xmas. Herculese ZTH might have just been three episodes pieced togehert. Lion King 2 rocked, Aladdin 3 was good (because of the Genie) and.. I heh.. actually LIKED Buzz Lightyear... In fact I like the cartoon, because it lets you glimps into Buzz's ego, and it actually gave Toy Story a whole new level to me. Actually, the original opening (to TS 1) was supposed to be a Buzz Lightyear cartoon, but they changed their minds at some point.

A Ducktales 2 would rock, no matter how its done. Even on the cheap I'd rent it. But how can you make a watered down version of Tarzan? Just look at that amazing fluid animation in 1999, and compare it to the horrific sequel 'Tarzan and Jane'.

Not sure what BTB or Hurcules ZTH is(more episodes packged as a sequel?) As for Buzz Lightyear the movie, I was a bit disappointed that after the first couple minutes of cgi it turned animated. bah.

Heck, if Jimmy Neutron can reamin looking like the cgi film its based off of, well.

Me personally, the sequel Im looking forward to is Fantasia 3000.
Sure, we'll all be old and grey(well some of us, Im still trying to import the methuzala orchid root that allows for immortality...ok, I just made that up...but somewhere in the deep recesses of some jungle theres got to be a never aging plant or something)
but we'll get to have a real party for the 4th millennium!
Plus, I wanna see if life will really be like it is in Futurama^)^

 

[kansasteen14]

I really like BBX-mas, about JB2 there was a sequel written by Rudyard Kipling so I dont think you could say possibly.

 

[trekkie1701E]

There was? I never knew that.
As for HERCULES: ZERO TO HERO ... well ... I like the HERCULES TV series ... so there
And I haven't seen TARZAN & JANE yet. I do admit to liking the TARZAN television series, though (I know... But to me, the series is kinda like a mixture between TAILSPIN and JUNGLE CUBS)...

 

[kansasteen14]

I also like the Tarzan series,but Tarzan and Jane was just compilation of episodes as I believe Zero to hero was.

 

[trekkie1701E]

I know. Therefore, I don't know if I'd call them "sequels," per say. They belong more in the WDTA video series. The same "could" also be said for BUZZ LIGHTYEAR