Glen End...

I wish him well, but I wish he'd stay...






Well, we told you over a year ago here that it might happen...

Glen Keane has made it official and here is his letter to WDAS:

March 23, 2012

Dear Colleagues and Friends of the Walt Disney Animation Studio,

After long and thoughtful consideration, I have decided to leave Disney Animation.

I am convinced that animation really is the ultimate art form of our time with endless new territories to explore. I can’t resist it’s siren call to step out and discover them.

Disney has been my artistic home since September 9,1974. I owe so much to those great animators who mentored me—Eric Larson, Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston—as well as to the many other wonderful people at Disney whom I have been fortunate to work with in the past nearly 38 years.

Over these four decades I have seen so many changes, but the one thing that remains the same is that we all do this because we love it.

I am humbled and deeply honored to have worked side by side so many artists, producers and directors during my career here at Disney, and I am tremendously proud of the films which together we have created. I will deeply miss working with you.

With my most sincere and heartfelt good wishes for your and Disney’s continued artistic growth and success,

Glen

Circus Leaves Town...

Bill Keane, the creator of "The Family Circus" and father of legendary Disney Animator, Glen Keane passed away today...

Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends.

Heaven must have one massive bullpen of talented artist right now...

Keane Observations...

Since Blue Sky broke the news about the Moon looking to buy a star the Internet has been a buzz...

At least, for those of us that keep track of such things. Not everyone knows who does what in Disney Animation (or cares for that matter). But for those that love Disney, Glen Keane is the animated equivalent of Brad Pitt or some such other that would set Tween hearts a flutter.

Well, Steve Hulett (a former story man at the Mouse and son of famed Disney background artist, Ralph Hulett) over at the TAG Blog happened to have stumbled into Glen and posted this conversation about the rumor we reported on:

"My contract is up at Disney in May, and I'm doing due diligence, looking around, seeing what's out there. I'm 57 years old and I want to make the rest of my career count.

"I've known Jeffrey Katzenberg for a long time, and like him. And DreamWorks Animation is a dynamic studio. I also like what's happening at Disney. I think Tangled was one of our best features, and I did more drawings on it than I did working on Tarzan. It was great working with the animators on the crew, helping them take the work to the next level ..."

Check out the post for a bit more on Hulett's observations and some really snarky comments afterwards. Let's just hope that the Suits in the Hat Building know what they'll be losing, because DreamWorks Animation KNOWS what they'd be getting. Talent can sometimes come cheap, but reputations never do.

Keane is a major reason many a young animator would wind up choosing WDAS...

Between The Mouse & The Moon...

Sabbatical or retreat...







Some interesting stirrings in the Hat Building of late...

Or perhaps that should be out of the Hat Building? With the stunning hit that is Walt Disney Animation Studios' "Tangled," one would think that the success has everyone with their heads a bit in the clouds. This starting out as Glen Keane's pet project, it would seem that his head would be up there as well. And it is, or was. Right now Glen is on sabbatical from Disney and enjoying a much needed, and much deserved break from the grind of animating.

That said...

It appears that some folks (Bothans included) think that Glen isn't happy with the current slate of projects at WDAS and is looking for greener pastures to ply his trade. Or maybe he's simply just looking for a change? And a certain animation studio knows this. They dream of working with the likes of someone of Keane's stature. And it has the Suits at this particular place in Glendale trying/attempting to woo him over to this side of the valley. And they're wooing him very aggressively.

Glen has had meetings with people at that studio recently and while no decision has been made, they want him and are wooing him with opportunities and dangling carrots in front of his face to get him to make that walk across the long yard from Burbank to Glendale.

Nothing is set in stone, but losing Glen Keane, who is one of the premiere talents and master animators that have defined the Second Golden Age of Disney Animation, would be a major blow to the recently revived studio. He's my favorite living animator, a living legend, a true talent and a genuinely nice guy. Hopefully, he'll decide to stay, but the very fact that he's entertaining the offer is something that is frightfully scary. It would be like Babe Ruth leaving Boston Red Sox for the New York Yankees. A truly monumental leap for someone who has been iconically linked to the Disney name for over three decades.

Then again, maybe with starting the Third Golden Age for Disney, he feels it's time to move on to a new, and different chapter of his life?

Time will tell...

Studio Identity...

Shine that bright light over here...


There's a really nice interview with Glen Keane over at a French website called CloneWeb that you might be interested in...

The video of the interview with my favorite living animator is all in French. Who would have thought living over in France during the making of Tarzan would have left him so, uhm, fluent and cultural? But there is also an English translation of the interview as well. And it's a very thoughtful piece that has an interesting jewel of information near the end.

It begins with a typical question about wondering if John Lasseter really is now Walt Disney. But during that part Glen boils down what he believes is what Pixar Animation Studios is and what Walt Disney Animation Studios is as well.

Keane says that when you strip it apart down to what the Lamp really is about is this: "Wouldn’t it be cool if?"

And then he says that what the Mouse really is about is this: "Once upon a time…"

He goes on to talk a bit about how different that means they are/should be. And how it's taken John a difficult journey over the past two years as he figures what the animators in the Hat Building are like, and how they should be and why he's learned to not make them Pixar South.

Which when you think about it kind of explains the journey the animation studio has been on over these last three years and how now the animators have some success to show for all their hard work. And how now, after all these years of being in free fall, the heart of the Walt Disney Company may have figured out its place in the world again.

Just like they did once upon a time...

Hat Tip to Cartoon Brew via Michael Barrier.

Getting Tangled...

The actual first teaser trailer for Walt Disney Pictures' "Tangled" has been released...

This is the same one which will be before "Toy Story 3" next weekend. As for what it shows, there is really very little of the story shown in context. The trailer is marketed very edgy, and is naturally trying to play up to the market that the Mouse thinks it missed out on in "The Princess and the Frog."

Males/Young Boys.

It comes off closer to pop-cultury references, but don't worry about that rock song being in the film. From what I've heard this is marketing for the trailer and the film has songs that play more classically, like B&B. The few I've talked to about the film said it's actually quite good, and Lasseter and the directors have been busy tightening up the story. Little tweaks here and there and most everyone is happy with the result despite a very crunched schedule.

Let down your guard, go over to the recently activated official website and give it a look...

Rapunzel Begins To Let Down Her Hair...

Now this IS beautiful, isn't it...

Walt Disney Animation Studios has updated their "Rapunzel" page with a new logo and a sampling of the conceptual art for the film.




Lovely, no?







And to think, we'll get to see this and "Tron Legacy" weeks apart, holidays 2010 is starting to sound really, really cool...

A Very Keane Interview...

The Line Boil blog has posted a really great interview with animator, executive producer and would-have-been director of "Rapunzel" Glen Keane up for all to see...

One of his responses is directly along the lines of my post the other day:

"I want to explore new directions that hand-drawn animation can be moving in; directions that the computer has now made possible."

Give it a read, the man is an amazingly, talented genius...

Hat Tip to Cartoon Brew.

Artwork by Jim Kim.

First Hair Cut...

Within a matter of hours(literally) Byron Howard and Nathan Greno will have their first test as the new directors of Disney's long gestating film, "Rapunzel." Their first up on reels story boarded pitch, a first pass if you will, will be seen by Lasseter and the crew.

Here's wishing upon a star that they've been able to navigate beyond the story problems that resulted in Glen Keane being removed from the director's chair.

I'm crossing my fingers for you guys...

The Shuffle...

While I've always been excited about seeing "The Princess and the Frog", I've looked even more forward to seeing "Rapunzel", not only because of the beautiful style of it's design or the good vibes I was getting from people that have seen it, but also because it was a labor of love for co-director(and my favorite living animator) Glen Keane.

Well...

No more.

He has left the project as director. His co-director, Dean Wellins has left the project as well. Nathan Greno(head of story on "Bolt") & Byron Howard(co-director of "Bolt") are the new duo in charge of bringing all that hair to the screen. Glen will stay on as an executive producer, while Wellins will be working on directing a short and several pitches for a future Disney animated film.

Don't take this as a disaster. If they've left the project, it's a reflection of where Lasseter wants to take the story and it apparently wasn't going there based on the last story reel he watched. While I regret the loss of seeing Keane get to direct his first film, I realize that for the film to succeed Lasseter has make sure the film is proceeding ahead in a direction he believes in. There is over two years before the film comes out and that's more time than an obscure director named Brad Bird had on a little film called "Ratatouille." It boils down to my faith in John Lasseter. I still believe in him and his decision making. We'll get our first look at his work for the Mouse on Thanksgiving weekend...

Developing...

Unbound By Unbraided...

This is a film that has been in development almost as long as Rapunzel's hair. When Glen Keane first pitched the idea of doing this classic fairy tale he envisioned a classic telling of the beautiful girl with the endlessly long locks locked high up inside a tower by an evil Witch who one day has a handsome Prince climb her hair to save her. Actually, the Brother's Grimm version of this tale does end so quickly and the road to it is not so happily. In their version the Prince doesn't play as prominent a role. In fact, when he gets to the imprisoned girl, he's confronted by the Witch and cowardly jumps from the tower. As he runs away through a brush of thorns he becomes blinded. Years later he comes upon an older Rapunzel and she recognizes him she cries and her tears land in his eyes, restoring his vision...

And they lived happily ever after.

Not quite the Disney tale, huh? Eisner thought so as well. And being as this was the time that "Shrek" had just come out he had Keane take "Rapunzel" and turn it into a "Shrek-like" retelling where a modern girl and boy are transported back into the fairy tale. A modern edgy fantasy that became known as "Rapunzel Unbraider". Through the years of development we've seen more and more animated films with this pop-culture/edgy feel to it and the uniqueness of "Shrek" and this tale has dwindled. By the time Lasseter got there the only thing exciting about the story was the fact that Keane was directing it. The designs which he had literally spent years working on were/are amazing. It's like watching a moving painting. The Mousetro thought that it would be better to go back to the original plan that Glen had and do a classic version of the story. So off Glen Keane went to do another pass at the story. When he returned to Keane months later, Lasseter loved the version of the story Keane had brought him. He felt the first act was as good if not better than the best Disney films from the first and second Golden Age's of Mouse animation. But that was the first act... the second and third act needed work. So off the animator did again to work on the second and third acts. When he returned, what was the result? Lasseter still wasn't happy with the new middle and ending. So another pass was taking and this time it still didn't meet approvingly. Lasseter talked to Keane about possibly having another director with a fresh set of eyes co-direct this movie with him. At first, as expected, Glen Keane resisted... this was after all going to be his directorial debut. Eventually he chose Dean Wellins(The Iron Giant, Osmosis Jones), whom has worked closely with Keane on "Treasure Planet". Lasseter wanted to make sure the two could get along so he chose someone that the artist would feel comfortable with and whom Keane would not see as a threat to his vision or another example of the studio taking control of a project. After they collaborated, the resulting first showing of their story to Lasseter? He liked it... it was more in the direction he thought it should head and the finale was more focused, but it was not ready for a complete greenlight.

Thus is the case with the Pixar mode of story that is now being routinely practiced at the Hat Building. Story. Story. Story. What is the focus of the characters? Why are they doing what they are doing? Where is the narrative taking us? Those kinds of things get asked and re-asked until they are answered satisfactorily to Lasseter. The Story Trust also keeps commenting each time a film gets a showing when it goes "up on reels". Such is the case with "Rapunzel" right now. It's not totally there yet, but it's getting extremely close. Those that have seen it think it will be one of the strongest stories that Disney has put out. The first film of Lasseter's tenure at the Mouse may be "Bolt", but his stamp will be set when "The Princess and the Frog" comes out next year and the new seal of quality, style and direction will reach a pinnacle in 2010 when "Rapunzel" unfurls her blond strands of hair. By then, we will hopefully be in a Third Golden Age of Disney Animation...

By the end of the decade we'll have an answer to the question everyone was asking when Iger purchased the Lamp and brought its talent in to revive WDFA.

"Was Pixar worth the price Disney paid?"

With the new slate that was announced last week that fuzzy question is closer to having a clear answer. For the moment, it looks like they got a bargain...

Rapunzel, Let Down Yer Hair...

At a recent Walt Disney Animation Studios meeting, Glen Keane, co-director of the new Rapunzel film commented how the new structure of feature animation that new leaders Ed Catmull and John Lasseter have instituted has greatly improved the story for Rapunzel. In fact, everyone seems to be excited about the new emphasis on story.

We all know that the creedo in Pixar is "Story is God" and it appears that WDAS are new converts. The atmosphere is decidedly upbeat. Glen and co-director Dean Wellins are moving ahead with the story, which is up on reels. The "Story Trust" of Disney and "Brain Trust" of Pixar have contributed valuable assistance to the second and third acts of the film. The first act is relatively the same as Lasseter fully approved of it earlier in the year.

Rapunzel is tentatively scheduled to be the Summer 2010 release for Walt Disney Animation Studios. I'm counting the seconds...