Monday Morning Quarterback Part I

By BOP Staff

December 14, 2009

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Michael Lynderey: I don't think we're going to see a flood of traditionally animated titles just yet. Such a scenario would have to follow an outright old-school animation hit - a film that would take in north of $150 million. This almost certainly isn't that film, but it might inspire a studio to greenlight the very project that would end up playing that role - thus making Princess + Frog an important stepping stone in the animation resuscitation process, if not quite the main course.

Matthew Huntley: I don't think so, especially for other studios, who can't count on the Disney brand name to sell tickets. If films like these can't open with at least $40 million, it makes it hard to think 2-D animation will return as a viable investment, not when their budgets keep growing. I think 2-D animation will be around for years to come, but they'll be a rarity compared to computer animation and 3-D.

George Rose: This should serve as a reminder, a throwback, to the traditional animated musical, NOT as new a trend setter. I will lose all faith in the marketing whores of Hollywood if they start green lighting all sorts of 2D extravaganzas. I'm almost 100% sure this will not earn enough to set the world on fire. I doubt it will earn as much as the live-action/animated split Enchanted, and even that hasn't spawned a sequel yet. I'd rather see a second installment to that franchise (of which there are endless possibilities) than a sequel to this or another attempt at this medium. What I want to know is why nobody has made a CGI animated musical. I'm not entirely sure why 2D animation (and their musical sub-genre) died all together in the light of straight CGI. Sure, CGI took a step up by occasionally implementing 3D glasses, but they never tried making Shrek or Buzz Lightyear sing and dance. As awful as the idea sounds, I'd rather see that experiment than another attempt at rejuvinating 2D animated musicals. Its time has come and gone. The Princess and the Frog is like Michael Jackson's This Is It; a reminder of that which is dead and a pleasant experience for die hard fans, but the final nail in the coffin for everyone else.

Reagen Sulewski: Probably no one is more excited about this development than Don Bluth, I'd say. But as always, Hollywood is a town of copycats. If the return of traditional animation can find a niche, other studios are going to try and exploit it. It depends a lot on the cost, though - most studios have sunk their costs into the digital studios, and only Disney has the patience and ability to absorb the re-growing pains of this medium so easily.




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Sean Collier: It's hard to say, since Avatar is about to completely change film as we know it forever and ever, Cameron without end, amen. The world of animation is in such a state of flux right now, with 2D, computer animated, 3D computer animated, IMAX 3D computer animated, and motion capture all being toyed with - and a big part of Cameron's project seems to be blurring the lines between animation and live-action. The dust is going to take a long time to settle on this subject.

Jason Lee: In a word, no. This type of film will simply not fall into the "must-see" category in the near future, especially with 3-D animation (goggles and all) so much on the rise.

Kim Hollis: I think Disney will try to keep the faith. Lasseter will dedicate the studio to that. But I agree that not many other studios are going to give it a go. The world of animation has changed.


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