Posts Tagged ‘Disney’

Director Robert Zemeckis, head of motion-capture animation company ImageMovers, has an uncertain relationship with Disney

ImageMovers, the motion-capture effects studio headed by Robert Zemeckis, is being dropped by Disney. The “shingle” is known for producing computer animated movies such as Monster House, Beowulf, as well as the recent Jim Carrey vehicle A Christmas Carol, which was produced by Disney. The Mouse House has only financed the last of those three, and began production of a remake of Yellow Submarine, but appears to consider such financial commitments as too costly with the current market. A Christmas Carol, directed by Zemeckis, had a budget of around $200 million but had a domestic gross of only $137 million (the film totaled $323 million all in all).

“Bob [Zemeckis] and the entire [ImageMovers] team successfully built a state-of-the-art studio and produced an amazing film, A Christmas Carol, at a time when the dynamics of the industry are rapidly changing,” Disney Studios president Alan Bergman said in a statement. “But, given today’s economic realities, we need to find alternative ways to bring creative content to audiences, and [ImageMovers] no longer fits into our business model.” – Hollywood Reporter

Disney does not want to lose Zemeckis and his team, however, more or less saying that they want to keep such high-quality talent in house so they can continue to work on Yellow Submarine. As late as Friday, however, there has been no reported deal.

Source: Hollywood Reporter

Quick Opinion: As disappointing as the news is, it doesn’t come as too big of a shock. Financially speaking from Disney’s standpoint, it makes a lot of sense. For not only does a motion-capture film like A Christmas Carol cost a lot of money, but a lot of time as well. And being that any studio usually limits itself to financing so many projects at any one time, money used to produce such a supposedly fiscally unrewarding project as a motion-capture animated one might keep Disney from financing a project that would deliver better returns. So why would Disney continue production for Yellow Submarine? Well, the project is fully into pre-production, as it is already cast, has a workable script, and the FX team is no doubt already deep in focus to provide the film’s animation and 3-D effects. In other words, they’ve sunk too much money into the film to just scrap it at this juncture.

Walt Disney Productions has released a teaser trailer for their film Tron Legacy, scheduled to be released into theaters December 17th.

Click here to see it.

“Sam Flynn, the tech-savvy 27-year-old son of Kevin Flynn, looks into his father’s disappearance and finds himself pulled into the same world of fierce programs and gladiatorial games where his father has been living for 25 years. Along with Kevin’s loyal confidant, father and son embark on a life-and-death journey across a visually-stunning cyber universe that has become far more advanced and exceedingly dangerous.” – IMDb.com

The film will be released in 3-D as well as 2-D.

Short Take: Not as intellectually stimulating as Lewis Carroll's books, but still fun

Director: Tim Burton (Big Fish, Charley and the Chocolate Factory)

Screenwriter: Linda Woolverton (The Lion King, Homeward Bound); based from characters by Lewis Carroll

Cast: Mia Wasikowska (Amelia), Johnny Depp (The Pirates of the Caribbean), Helena Bonham Carter (Sweeny Todd), Anne Hathaway (Rachel Getting Married), Crispin Glover (Charlie’s Angels)

Length: 1h 48m

Synopsis: The same Alice that we’ve come to know from Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass is back, only this time she’s 19. As a young lady of moderate social status and peaking beauty she is expected by her family and peers to wed a Lord and secure her financial future. However before she offers an answer of “yes” or “no” she becomes lost down a familiar rabbit hole all over again, and finds that those in Wonderland have been waiting for her to fulfill a different destiny. Read the rest of this entry »

"Flight of the Conchords" actor Bret McKenzie, actor Jemaine Clement, and co-creator/executive producer James Bobin

“Flight of the Conchords” co-creator James Bobin has signed on to direct the next Muppet-starred movie from Disney after original directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller (Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs) backed out to direct 21 Jump Street with Sony. Bobin had the choice to direct either the Muppets movie or a Judd Apatow comedy titled Bridesmaids.

Jason Segel and Nicholas Stoller wrote the script for the Muppet movie, Segel being a confessed Muppet fanatic.

Source: Hollywood Reporter

Disney Studio chairman Rich Ross has recently announced that Sean Bailey, current producer of Disney’s Tron: Legacy, will replace Oen Aviv as the company’s President of Production. He will oversee all aspects of live-action production and development for Walt Disney Pictures as well as Touchstone Entertainment.

“Building upon a strong foundation with the company, Sean brings great creative instincts and considerable filmmaking experience to his new role,” Ross said. “His close relationships throughout the creative community and industry at large make him an ideal leader to set the direction of TWDS’ future film slates. Sean’s talent, energy, and commitment to delivering quality content will help us achieve our goals of producing and distributing Disney-branded movies that entertain audiences worldwide.” – Hollywood Reporter

Other producing credits of Bailey’s include Matchstick Men and Gone Baby Gone.

Source: Hollywood Reporter

Short Take: Impressive for many reasons, but perhaps no better reason than because it's NEW

Directors: Ron Clements (Aladdin), John Musker (Aladdin)

Writers: Ron Clements, Jason Oremland, and John Musker (story), Ron Clements, John Musker, and Rob Edwards (Treasure Planet) (screenplay)

Cast: Anika Noni Rose (Dreamgirls), Bruno Campos, Keith David (Coraline), Jim Cummings (Bee Movie)

Length: 1h 37m

Synopsis: Tiana (Rose) is a hard-working lower class girl who is trying as hard as she can to save up enough money to open up her own restaurant, which was both her and her father’s life long dream. One day, while wishing upon a star for help in achieving this, she comes across a frog who calls himself a prince (Campos). He claims that he’s only a frog because an evil voodoo magician turned him into one, and that a kiss would set everything right again. As it turns out, the solution to their problems is not so simple. Read the rest of this entry »

Suddenly Dickens' timeless tale is too scary? Humbug.

After reading numerous reviews of Robert Zemeckis’ newly released A Christmas Carol, starring Jim Carrey, it appears that there are two main congruences among the majority of critics who disliked the film: 1) the film lacks the warmth and emotional weight of the book and other adaptations; 2) certain parts are too scary for children. The lacking of an emotional connection (which no critic I have yet read has successfully explained and/or articulated) is certainly a valid critique if one were to grade the film based purely on a personalized evaluative judgment, but the argument that the film is too scary for kids intrigues me.

Exactly what makes a movie “too” scary for kids? And for that matter, who said the movie was made just for kids? Pixar’s Up, which was released earlier this year to wide critical acclaim and is a shoe-in for an Oscar nomination, opened with a montage that explicated how Mr. Fredrickson and his wife were unable to conceive a child of their own, and how later Mr. Fredrickson eventually became a widower. Those old enough to understand what was being explained got teary-eyed, while little kids just sat there confused. This is certainly not “kiddy” material, and yet it’s at the beginning of a children’s movie. Critics praised this. The consensus is that one reason Pixar is such a fantastic filmmaking company is because their films can be thoroughly enjoyed by audiences of all ages. The point becomes – if Pixar can be heralded for not being afraid to appeal to audience demographics aside from just children, then why criticize Zemeckis’ A Christmas Carol for attempting to do the same thing? Read the rest of this entry »

Short Take: The animation will leave you breathless, and the story is satisfyingly loyal

Director: Robert Zemeckis (Beowulf, Forest Gump)

Screenwriter: Robert Zemeckis, Charles Dickens (story)

Cast: Jim Carrey (Yes Man), Gary Oldman (The Dark Knight), Robin Wright Penn (State of Play), Bob Hoskins (Hollywoodland), Colin Firth (Love Actually)

Length: 1h 36m

Synopsis: A retelling of the Charles Dickens classic where when an old, greedy curmudgeon named Ebenezer Scrooge (Carrey) is visited by various spirits on Christmas eve who try to teach him the error of his ways in order to save his soul.

Read the rest of this entry »

Oscar winner Anthony Hopkins

Thor, set to begin production in January, will now star Anthony Hopkins as Oden, father on Thor and Loki. The rest of the cast includes Chris Hemsworth (as Thor), Tom Hiddleston (as Loki), and Natalie Portman as Jane Foster, Thor’s romantic interest.

Thor is set to release May 20th, 2010.

Source: Variety

In Other News…

Disney continues to trim down Miramax studios. Miramax president Daniel Battsek has been asked to step down as head of Disney’s specialty film division. Disney plans to cut 50 more jobs at Miramax by January, leaving only around 20.

The figurative trimming of the fat is a continuation of Disney’s plans to cut costs, which it said it planned to do months ago. Miramax, which usually releases 6 to 8 films per year, will now only release 3 annually.

Under Battsek’s guidance over the last 18 years, Miramax has released such acclaimed films as The Queen, Gone Baby Gone, Gangs of New York, The Aviator, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, No Country for Old Men, and Doubt. Miramax’s last film this year will be Everything’s Fine starring Robert De Niro, set to release December 4th.

Source: Hollywood Reporter

Venom

Screenwriter Gary Ross, whom is currently working on the script for Spider-Man 4 (set to begin production next year) has also been hired by Columbia Pictures to write the script for and possibly direct Venom, a spinoff from the Spider-Man franchise. Ross aims to make Venom an anti-hero, defending the innocent. Topher Grace, who just signed on to Robert Rodriguez’s Predators, is not expected to reprise his role as Venom from Spider-Man 3.

Related: Disney, who now owns the rights to Spider-Man and the rest of the Marvel universe, reportedly plans to make another Ghost Rider film, as well as Silver Surfer (a spinoff from Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer).

Writer Jamie Vanderbilt is currently working for Columbia to write the 5th and 6th Spider-Man movies. Director Sam Raimi is so far not attached to them.

Sources: Variety, Hollywood Reporter