Secret Lab's Wild Life - Any info?

Post by **lordcookie** » February 22nd, 2008, 5:12 pm

Is this the right folder for this?

I recently got Hans Bacher's excellent Dream Worlds book and he mentions the failed project Wild Life. Unfortunately he doesn't really go into any detail and the only thing I have garnered is that it was loosely based on Pygmalion and would be in 3D. Does anybody else have more information, artwork etc from the project?

Thanks in advance.

Post by **Ben** » February 23rd, 2008, 2:56 pm

Wild Life was a Disney project...not sure why it comes up in a DWs book?

Post by **lordcookie** » February 23rd, 2008, 3:58 pm

Dream Worlds isn't a Dreamworks book. It is a book by Hans Bacher, a production designer on films from Beauty and the Beast to Brother Bear and he worked on Wild Life.

Post by **Ben** » February 23rd, 2008, 5:28 pm

Oops...darn my fast scan reading! My mistake!

Not a lot is known on this, other than it was going to be an adult comedy which Roy Disney was very uneasy with, hence the shut down.

Elements, supposedly, ended up in The Wild and rival movie Madagascar.

Post by **lordcookie** » February 23rd, 2008, 7:11 pm

Ben wrote:Elements, supposedly, ended up in The Wild and rival movie Madagascar.

Interesting. It is a shame there is hardly any concept art out there. I can find a fair bit on 'Fraidy Cat but nothing on this.

Thanks for the help.

Post by **eddievalient** » February 24th, 2008, 3:44 pm

Ben wrote:
Elements, supposedly, ended up in The Wild and rival movie Madagascar.

Neither of which were very impressive. Madagascar wasn't bad per se, just painfully mediocre. The Wild was a waste of time though. And really, I don't know who copied who, but one of them obviously cheated off the other's paper.

Post by **Meg** » February 24th, 2008, 8:10 pm

This is the only concept art I could find...

Post by **lordcookie** » February 25th, 2008, 5:21 pm

Yeah I found those on Jim Hill's blog too. There are a few more in the Dream Worlds book but not much. Whilst I know why studios don't want to release info and sketches on failed projects it is a shame this sort of stuff is so hard to come by.

Post by **Jérémie** » February 26th, 2008, 5:00 am

In an interview we published on Animated Views, Disney Legend FLoyd Norman speaks about that:

"AV: There was also a title that was never released, called Wild Life?

FN: Wild Life! Yes, that is correct. Wild Life was a film that was in development…I started on the film in January of 2000. The film was actually shut down in the summer of 2000, and the film was never made, it was never produced, because Roy Disney, the nephew of Walt Disney, thought that the film was a little too “sophisticated”, I guess to be kind about it, that’s the best word to use, for Disney’s family audience. And Roy Disney said that it was a film that Disney should not be making. So the film was shut down in the late summer of 2000.

AV: What was it about?

FN: Believe it or not, it was an animated film about a night club! A night club which is not exactly the kind of film you would take the children to see. It was probably not the best of ideas."

More on Floyd here: http://animated-views.com/2008/floyd-no ... ngle-book/

Post by **Meg** » February 26th, 2008, 8:23 am

FN: Believe it or not, it was an animated film about a night club! A night club which is not exactly the kind of film you would take the children to see.

So, animated films = automatically for children?...

Post by **Jérémie** » February 26th, 2008, 8:31 am

Of course, not, you're right. Just have a look on both Fantasias, or more recently to Destino to see that Disney can do more adult ones.
But I guess what Floyd meant is that it was a "classic" WD feature animation project and, as such, Roy Disney (who produced both F2000 and Destino) wanted to have a true "family film".

Post by **Josh** » October 8th, 2008, 12:12 am

Anyone still wanting info on Wild Life may be interested in Floyd Norman's new 'Elephant in the Room' series of articles. Here is the first installment.

Post by **Meg** » October 8th, 2008, 9:10 am

Ah, very cool! Thanks Josh!

Post by **Neal** » October 13th, 2008, 9:50 pm

The Second Installment is Up!

Post by **disneyaholic** » October 21st, 2008, 9:04 pm

There is quite a bit of concept art of Wild Life at http://animationarchive.net/Deleted%20M ... ld%20Life/