MORT Info...

Yeah, but is it a musical!???




Well???
I thought since it was finally revealed I would clarify a few things about Ron & John's new film...

First off, patience should be expected as it's very early in development. They've just recently secured the rights to it so there hasn't been a lot done. These films take about three years to churn out so it'll be at least that long before you see it. That means 2013 at the earliest. And for my opinion, it won't be out then. More likely it'll be 2014. The way it looks right now, the picture that will likely be positioned for 2013 is "Reboot Ralph." It's much further along in development and therefore closer to actually getting animated. Secondly, it appears that Progress City wasn't the only one reporting on this, as Bleeding Cool has gotten info of its own.

Now, as for the story of Terry Pratchett's book, here are some bullet points. Those that don't want to know spoilers can stop here.

- The writing style of Pratchett is said to be a combination of the humor of Douglas Adams and the fantasy of J.R.R. Tolkien.

- Mort is the fourth book in a 38 book series set in a world/realm called Discworld.

- The Discworld is a fantasy realm that is flat and sits atop four elephants that stand atop a giant turtle (very metaphysical, eh?).

- The lead character is a young man named Mort who thinks too much and his father takes him to a form of job fair to find someone to apprentice with. No one takes him until right before midnight when a figure in a dark robe shows up on a white horse looking for an assistant.

- This is Death, whom will figure in many Discworld novels. He takes Mort and has him usher souls from this world to the next.

- This story has a princess, her name is Keli and Mort falls for her, thus creating the story's dilemma. He saves her from death and alters the reality of Discworld.

- He ultimately battles Death for Keli and loses. But Death spares her and turns the altered reality that Mort caused into a pearl which Mort has the responsibility to guard.

And if you want to know anything else, here are plenty of Wiki links that you can indulge yourself with...

Animated Progress...

Yeah, but will it be a musical???


Over at Progress City, they've got a really big rumor...

We all know that after "Winnie the Pooh" next year, there is a hole in the schedule and then there is a mystery as to what will come out in 2013/2014. The site is reporting a rumor that Ron Clements and John Musker's next film will be an adaptation of Terry Pratchett's book "Mort." Blue Sky reported that the next hand drawn film from the Mouse would again be by the duo back earlier this year. At the time we knew it was a fantasy. I was told, but didn't reveal that it was based on a book by a famous fantasy author that was published in the 80's. This book fits the period when the book came out and the type of author that would provide this source material.

But is it true?

Yes, kinda. I will say that the film does take place in the Discworld series which is where the Mort book (fourth in the line of books, btw) takes place, but remember that this is an adaptation that won't necessarily be literal (no film adaptation really is). I got confirmation from the Bothans of this. The hero of the book shows that this is an entirely different kind of story than Walt Disney Animation Studio has told before, but it does have a princess in it. Remember that this is early in the process and things can change. It's at least three years before it will come out and the animation process is a long, bumpy and slow road. This project as well as "Reboot Ralph" and another to be announced "untitled project" give you a sense as to how the course will change in the Mouse's animation direction after that one year break. Interesting, no?

So now you know what the next hand drawn is, but you still don't know how different it really is...