Countdown To Extinction Bumped...

Nobody ever remembers that you slipped a film, but they will remember a bad film.

- Ed Catmull

The dinosaurs have dodged the meteor...

The prehistoric creatures will live to star in the Lamp's next film.  Just not in 2014.  The film "The Good Dinosaur" that was scheduled to open on May 30, 2014 will now open on November 25, 2015.  If that date sounds familiar it's because that was the release date for "Finding Dori".  And I mean was because it has now been bumped to summer 2016.

There still has been no decision on who will take the helm, although an announcement should be coming soon.  This leaves 2014 without a Pixar film.  But don't feel sad for long as you'll get two films in 2015.  John Lasseter and Ed Catmull are ultimately concerned about getting the story right, not meeting a release date.  If they could have met the original date they would have.

Now the dinosaurs have a little breathing room having escaped extinction...

Paper Trail...

Everyone is panicking about several recent events that have happened in the past few days...

From Bob Peterson being removed from "The Good Dinosaur", which actually occurred a while ago, to the recent news about John Kahrs' departure from WDAS.  Some are frightened the wheel are coming off.  The halo around John Lasseter has swollen his ego.  The Disney Suits are squashing the freedom and creativity that putting John and Ed in charge of animation was intended to foster.  Is this true?  Is the end nigh?

Absolutely not.

Far from it.  In fact, moral at the Hat Building is very high.  The lay offs and rehires that used to go on rarely happen and the work flow is running smoother than it has in a decade.  The success of films like "Tangled" and "Wreck-It Ralph" have created a confidence that was missing for years.  The feeling that their younger sibling was was getting all the credit is no longer something you might hear in th cubicles around the departments.

And speaking of the younger sibling, Pixar is not crumbling because of micomanaging involvement.  The biggest concern for the Lamp, as well as the Hat, is story.  It has to work no matter how much you like the guy directing it.  If it's not working out, you have to find someone that can make it work. There are hundreds of jobs and hundreds of millions of dollars at stake.  Not to mention diminishing time.  John Lasseter goes with how he sees a project is progressing.  If it's not, after numerous attempts, something has to be done.  If the project can be saved, you have to bring in people to do it.  If the project can't be saved, then it will be canned or allowed to whither on the vine (see the article below this for proof).

So what about John Kahrs leaving Disney Animation?

It comes down to one word.  Slots.  With all the success that the studios are having, there are really only so many projects available.  And with all these talented people there comes a time when you have to move on and expand your wings.  And when you won an Oscar for Best Short there are going to be opportunities opening up for you.  There are only so many project at each company that need directors.  But there are other companies/opportunities out there.

John is simply one of those spreading his wings...

Not Extinct, But Evolving... (Exclusive)

The animation business can be a very chaotic experience...

The Lamp has had many films in production that would either shut down (Newt) because of similarity to another project (Rio), or drastically changed (Ratatouille) to make the release date. Word from my Bothans is that there is another having such difficulties.  It's not a good thing, but it is a normal, yet chaotic process.  Which film?

The Good Dinosaur.

The producer and director of the film had been removed, but the film is not as of yet in turnaround. John Lasseter has reportedly taken Bob Peterson off the film, and is attempting to still meet the 2014 release date.

This will not be an easy task, but they're hopeful that another director will be able to bring the project back in to better focus as the story wasn't coming together.  The meteor that killed the dinosaurs hasn't yet destroyed this film, but it has put it in jeopardy.

Developing...