The Magic Maker: Jennifer Lee’s Plan for Walt Disney Animation

[Farerb]

Interesting article:

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movie ... 235076391/

[Ben]

I posted this on the front page the other day too!

[James]

I think the headline of that piece gives away what is wrong with almost every movie released recently: "The Magic Maker: Jennifer Lee’s Plan for Walt Disney Animation — and Finding the Next Frozen" (emphasis mine)

They're not trying to make good films. They're trying to make the next Frozen, for better or worse.

[EricJ]

And that's exactly what sank Gigantic, when they tried to jam the Kirsten Lopez songs into it.

She's also trying to find the Next Independent/Empowered Elsa, instead of the next unique interpretation of a previously "unfilmable" fairy tale STORY, which worked out so well the last time, when "Tangled" saved the studio's hinder.
She should go back and look at some of the messes the story department was trying to make out of Hans Christian Andersen before she got the project.

[Farerb]

When Lee stepped up, she decided she would play from her strengths, which lay in the scripting process, and acknowledge Lasseter’s, which were grounded in his background as an animator. When she first wrote for Disney, Lee had wanted more time for iterating — thanks to her, writers now get four drafts before the storyboard stage, whereas before they had only one or two. “I know the part of the process I’m really good at,” Lee says. “I know the part [Lasseter’s] really good at. I know that those two have to go together, and my job is to make sure that we’re well rounded in all areas. I wasn’t trying to be John.”

This didn't seem to be the case with Frozen II as was shown in Into the Unknown if I remember correctly, and to be honest it doesn't come through with the way Raya and Encanto are written, both of their scripts seem to be half baked.

“A filmmaker coming to me saying they are interested in continuing their IP [intellectual property] or someone having a brilliant idea — it has to come from the idea out.”

This sounds like bs to be honest.
1. Dean Wellins and Paul Briggs were the original directors of Raya and the Last Dragon and were removed from the project (probably because their version was supposed to be too serious and mature for kids) so it doesn't seem like their vision was supported.

2. Musker and Clements never asked for continuation for The Princess and the Frog and Moana, yet they still plan continuation for both with different directors without Musker and Clements' involvement. The fact that it is going to be made by WDAS, gives it more gravitas and legitimacy as a continuation unlike DTVA TV shows like Tangled, Aladdin, The Little Mermaid, or the DisneyToons' cheap sequels.

[Farerb]

And that's exactly what sank Gigantic, when they tried to jam the Kirsten Lopez songs into it.

That might be true but Gigantic was cancelled before Jennifer Lee became CCO, so i'm not sure why you keep blaming her instead of Lasseter.

[EricJ]

2. Musker and Clements never asked for continuation for The Princess and the Frog and Moana, yet they still plan continuation for both with different directors without Musker and Clements' involvement. The fact that it is going to be made by WDAS, gives it more gravitas and legitimacy as a continuation unlike DTVA TV shows like Tangled, Aladdin, The Little Mermaid, or the DisneyToons' cheap sequels.

Think the D+ series are the loophole that gets around the Stainton-era idea that every new 00's movie "had" to have a video sequel (which is why we got the movie-canon Lilo & Stitch 2, unrelated to the series, and could have gotten that good-looking Treasure Planet II), so it would "establish" the title as marketable canon, before Lasseter shut down the factory.

Apparently, nothing in the fine print against Disney Channel cartoons, which were still doing well for Lilo, Hercules and Tarzan, so the factory moved elsewhere.

[Farerb]

Jared Bush Named Walt Disney Animation Studios Chief Creative Officer; Jennifer Lee Returns To Filmmaking With ‘Frozen 3’ & ‘Frozen 4’
https://deadline.com/2024/09/disney-fro ... 236094164/

[James]

- Zootopia co-director
- Moana writer
- Raya and the Last Dragon producer
- Encanto writer and director
- Zootopia+ producer
- Moana 2 writer
- Zootopia 2 writer and director

Apparently the bench isn't very stacked at WDAS!

Lee had her issues but a bigger problem is that Disney is just in a creative slump, as evidenced by the best guy to take over as top creative lead being someone with a resume of those films. Maybe they should have gone outside the company to find someone with a fresh perspective.

[Ben]

There’s more to this than meets the eye. Somethin' ain't right at the House Of Mouse. Replace one writer-director with another writer-director? And have that current chief step down to direct a film but not its sequel in production at the same time? It all sounds a bit skew-whiff to me…

[Ben]

So I probably shouldn’t repeat this, but after my post above, I asked around and a little birdy told me that Lee actually jumped before she was pushed, given the underperformance of the last few Disney Animation films (somewhat unfairly, given the pandemic) commercially and more importantly critically. Plus she stands to financially benefit personally much more as a writer-director on two Frozen sequels than as an executive, so apparently didn’t need too much persuasion. Nice to know these decisions are made based on what’s best for a project creatively…!

And yet, over at Lucasfilm, Kathleen Kennedy retains her position even after having trashed three full franchises in Willow, Indy and, of course, Star Wars…

[ShyViolet]

Her praise for John Williams on the trailer for his doc is so incredibly fake….

https://youtu.be/YrTTTxiuER8?si=wLGqoqAMeV5plbYc

Kind of reminds me of all her gushing “admiration” for Lucas…

[James]

...given the underperformance of the last few Disney Animation films (somewhat unfairly, given the pandemic) commercially and more importantly critically...

I think giving her the benefit of the pandemic is too kind! Six films have made over $500 million internationally since 2020. Not one was from WDAS. (Inside Out 2, Despicable Me 4, Kung Fu Panda 4, The Super Mario Bros. Movie, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, Minions: The Rise of Gru).

What I will give her credit for is putting out original content over pre-established franchise fare. And while sometimes that doesn't bring in as much money initially, the bigger problem is that the original content just wasn't good. And that's all on her as Chief Creative Officer.

[Ben]

Although, as we know, Disney also rushed all-in on putting their films to stream initially, which also harmed the Pixar fare. Inside Out 2 has only done well now because the pandemic is pretty much over, people are back in theatres, and Disney has stopped being so obvious that they’re going to put their big films on streaming the next week!