RonClements Tagged Articles at Cinematical
Cinematical Uncovers the Secret Side of Disneyland
Filed under: Animation », New Releases », Disney », Fandom »
In spite of what some internet pundits and self-righteous types would have you believe, being a film critic and entertainment journalist does not mean you're handed the keys to Hollywood along with your W-9. Attending screenings and junkets, transcribing interviews, and spending the vast majority of every single day (all day) sitting in front of a computer is far more exhausting than one might expect. In which case, the rare and unique opportunity to have fun and see some truly exclusive stuff is always welcome.
About two weeks ago Disney invited Cinematical to join a small group of print and online journalists for a press day in conjunction with their upcoming return to hand-drawn animation, The Princess and the Frog. In addition to conducting interviews with Ron Clements and John Musker, the guys not only responsible for Princess, but The Little Mermaid as well, our group took a tour of Disney's storied Animation Research Library, and even spent a little time at Disneyland itself on an exclusive behind the scenes tour.
Interview: 'Princess and the Frog' Directors Ron Clements and John Musker
Filed under: Animation », Disney », Family Films », Interviews »
Two decades after their work on The Little Mermaid ushered in a renaissance for hand-drawn animation, directors Ron Clements and John Musker are at the forefront of a new movement to resuscitate the art form yet again. The Princess and the Frog is Disney's first non-computer animated feature film since 2003's Home on the Range, and in addition to competing artistically with Pixar's stellar roster of releases through their shared parent company, the film may ultimately serve as a test among studio executives all over Hollywood who want to see if audiences really want to watch movies where pencils and ink reclaim the place now occupied by ones and zeroes.
Given this enormous pressure, Musker and Clements seem remarkably calm, and most importantly, pragmatic about the film's potential success. Cinematical recently sat down with a small group of journalists to discuss the future of Disney's hand-drawn animation department, vis-à-vis the directors' latest film. Following a day at Disneyland and a tour of the studio's Animation Research Library, Cinematical posed questions to the filmmakers as they enter the final days before the film's release. (While the interview was conducted as a group, questions asked specifically by Cinematical questions are indicated in the transcript below.)
This is the second opportunity for you two to bring traditional animation in at Disney. Can you talk about what's different for you on this one, particularly in terms of technology allowing you to raise the bar?
Disney's 'Princess and the Frog' Gets a Teaser
Filed under: Animation », Disney », Family Films », Movie Marketing », Trailers and Clips »
I'm as big a fan of Pixar movies as anyone, but I honestly miss the old-fashioned 2-D style animation from Walt Disney. I think there's definitely room for both hand-drawn and computer animated films, because as brilliant as movies like Toy Story, Ratatouille and Wall-E may be, they're a completely separate kind of filmmaking from the traditional Disney films. They shouldn't be compared to nor should they replace the kind of beloved fairy tale classics we've enjoyed from the Mouse House for 70 years. So, before commenting on the new teaser trailer for The Princess and the Frog (available here if the YouTube version is removed), let me just say, welcome back, 2-D!
OK, so what do I think? Well, upon seeing the New Orleans setting, my first response was unfortunately one of fear: what if Disney one-ups its Hunchback of Notre Dame pole-dance debacle with a scene involving Mardi Gras beads? Well, obviously Disney knows better than to be so blatantly naughty, though I wouldn't doubt that animators will find some way to slip in a hint of Big Easy-style debauchery.
The African-American Disney Princess Maddy -- A Step Forward, or Another Miss?
Filed under: Animation », Romance », Sci-Fi & Fantasy », Disney », Celebrities and Controversy », Scripts »
While no one can argue with Disney's animated achievements, there's a large, cavernous space to discuss their racial downfalls. The company has gotten a lot of flack for their heroes being generally light-skinned, American English-speaking good guys with symmetrically perfect features, while the villains embody the opposite (Aladdin). However, in March, Jette Kernion alerted us to Disney's latest animated feature -- The Frog Princess, which will break new ground by introducing an African-American princess.The big question: can they pull it off? The team bringing Princess Maddy to the screen are John Musker and Ron Clements. Sure, they brought us The Little Mermaid, but they're also responsible for Aladdin, which was far from a beacon of multiculturalism and racial respect. I'm surprised that Disney would tempt fate with that pair, and not completely remove themselves from the last doomed attempt. That being said, you can check out the first image of Maddy to the right, and she doesn't look half bad. Of course, no Disney film would be complete without a girl with small, cute features, but she also has a different look about her -- sort of old school Betty and Veronica.
However, Maddy actually seems to have two looks, and I'm wondering if the picture to the right wasn't just the stepping stone to making her more like the rest of the recent Disney ladies. (sigh) This other picture has her looking much more like Jasmine and the other heroines that Disney has released over the last few decades. Have they all forgotten that girls can still be cute while looking different? Snow White was nothing like Sleeping Beauty, yet both were popular and loved. What do you think? Is Disney finally starting to get it right, or are they still completely clueless?
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