Hey folks, Harry here with Hootie's look at the Disney slate from a recent (today) screening of a whole buncha Disney films. I guess what most intrigues me will be that footage from ATLANTIS which sounds as good as what Sir Etch-A-Sketch described all those months ago. Anyways, let's get on with it...
Hi Harry,
Okay, so they had this 'do' showcasing all the Disney product over the next few years, before showing TOY STORY 2 here in Sydney. First, a small clip from REMEMBER THE TITANS, where highschool football coach Denzel Washington leads his charges on a midnight run which finds them in Gettysburg, as a lesson to respect each other. It was quite moving at the time, with effective use of the score from "Born On The Fourth Of July". Then there was a teaser trailer for 102 DALMATIANS, which gave away none of the plot, aside from the fact that Glenn Glose's character has been in jail for three years etc. She laughs and says "Woof Woof". Indeed.
But then the excitement begins. We see the clip of DINOUSAUR which is at the start of TOY STORY 2. At first I thought that the backgrounds were just beautifully animated, and then throughout the clip you realise that they are real, and the dinosaurs are the only things that are animated. The clip we saw detailed some parts of the plot, including how the furry thing at the end of the trailer is a leemur, who finds the dinosaur egg. This dinosaur is brought up with the leemurs, there is much frolicking. Then the meteors start to fall and all hell brekas loose. Other dinosaurs (who sound exactly like B-list celebrities of little note) join this one dinosaur and start their own little exodus to find safety. It looks unbelievable, the way the animators have blended CGI with actual footage. There are endless, breathtaking panoramic vistas that these huge creatures find their way through. I cannot wait to see it.
KINGDOM OF THE SUN was given the treatment next, with more of an emphasis on the comedy in the film, thanks to the vocal talents of David Spade, who voices the character of Kusco, an emperor of a ficticious South American country. In the story he apparently turns 18 and decides to trash a nearby village and erect a theme park in his name (how very Disney, I thought, to point out how money and theme parks don't add up to much in the long run), but his advisor Yzma (voiced by Ertha Kitt) wants the empire for herself and plots to have him killed. But her assistant botches the job, adventure ensues. They showed us a far-from-complete clip where Yzma plots with her assistant Kronk (voiced by Patrick Warburton, Puddy from Seinfeld) to poison the emperor. But Kronk is a moron and gives the emperor the poison to turn him into a Llama (high concept). This clip was made up of a lot of concept sketches, no music and as such, could give a way not a whole lot about the film. A clip showcasing the songwriting of Sting made the film seem more interesting. Even so, this one could be good when it's finished next August. Way too early to tell.
What impressed me most was the clip from ATLANTIS, which was surprising in that it was in widescreen. There was no dialogue, just a rousing piece of orchestral score, with a montage of finished animated shots and some full-colour stills. It looks unbelievable! What gets to me is the sheer scale of it, the film looks massive, and the style of animation is reminiscient of the Disney of "old", exagerated features, pointed faces and wide, expressive eyes. There were shots of underwater vehicles reminiscient of 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea. The shots of Atlantis seemed amazing, full of colour and light. It's a shame that it won't be out for two years, but when it does arrive, it ought to be magnificent.
So, to sum up: REMEMBER THE TITANS looks like it could have something. I could care less about 102 DALMATIANS. KINGDOM OF THE SUN might be good, but some (not me, I think the man is hilarious) may be put off from seeing Finch from Just Shoot Me in an animated feature. DINOSAUR will surely be historic. ATLANTIS (which is called Atlantis: Search for the Lost City or something stupid) looks like they're aiming at monumental animated epic status, and may very well achieve this.
Also, TOy STORY 2 turned out to be better than the original, which was wonderful. This is faster, funnier, more emotional and animated with more gusto (if this means something).
Go the whole nine yards and call me Hootie.
