The Disney Thread

Deano · Apr 19, 2011

I was kinda shocked to relaise there wasnt a Disney Thread on here already (seeing as many Gc'rs have mega fans already), so I decided to start one up

Anything related to Disney, be it films, books, stores, theme parks etc can go here!

So......

Winnie the Pooh returns to animate cinemas

After more than 35 years since the original, Walt Disney Animation Studios has released a new Winnie the Pooh movie, inspired by three stories from A A Milne's books.

But why has Winnie the Pooh had such a lasting appeal?

"To us he is exactly what he was to Christopher Robin. He was a favourite toy, but he became more than that - he became a favourite friend, and I think that Pooh was very loyal and a faithful friend," says Mark Henn, supervising animator for the film.

"Both are qualities we recognise and would like to see in our own friends and show to other people, and I think that is a big part of who Pooh is."

It was not always like this though. Walt Disney himself had doubts about his character after the first screening of the first film.

Burny Mattinson, senior story artist, affectionately known as the The Pooh Guru because of his knowledge and work on the original film states.

"I think he appreciated the material, but he didn't know how it was going to look until about two or three quarters of the way through it, and he wanted to see what we had.

"So we had a screening, all the animators were there. He ran it, and he sat at the back of the room. At the end he went out the hall and said 'I don't think the kids are going to really enjoy this type of humour'. In other words there were no big-belly laughs," says Burny.

So they decided to put it out as a 25-minute featurette titled Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree in 1966 and used the extra footage to put out Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day in 1969, which went on to win an Academy Award.

'Old friend'

In this latest adventure, Pooh wakes-up hungry, and with no honey in the house he sets out to find some to satisfy the "'rumbly in his tumbly", but his mission is thwarted by a contest to find Eeyore a tail, and save Christopher Robin from an imaginary creature called the Backson.

The movie opens with the classic Winnie the Pooh song which has been given a contemporary feel by singer and songwriter Zooey Deschanel, and the live action opening scene of Christopher Robin's bedroom tells the reader that we are entering the imagination of a little boy.

Winnie the Pooh was inspired by the teddy bear of author and playwright A A Milne's son, Christopher Robin Milne. He was named Winnie after a Canadian black bear at London Zoo. Pooh was the name of a swan that they came across.

The rights to Winnie the Pooh were purchased in the early 1960s by the Walt Disney studios.

It was the idea of John Lasseter - chief creative officer for Walt Disney and Pixar Animation Studios - to bring Pooh back to the cinema, believing it to be the right time, say Mattinson and Henn.

Lasseter approached directors Don Hall and Stephen Anderson.

"We thought it was a great opportunity to revisit these really beloved characters and get to play with them, play in their world and bring them to today's audience," says Anderson.

And Burny Mattinson was also invited to get on board.

"Since I worked on the original, it is like going back to an old friend. It was just a warm, friendly film that I had worked on for a couple of years, that I'm thrilled to be able to come back to," Mattinson says.

"The directors came to me, knowing that I had been involved in the earlier film, and asked if I go through and find what stories we could use for the picture, and I read the books, and I came up with the three stories that I thought would work."

And with the old school charm of the original Disney featurettes and a faithfulness to A A Milne's tales, this is the Pooh that adults of a certain age will remember.

"Winnie the Pooh is our star. He is the star of the movie. But within this ensemble of very unique characters I would say he is the central figure. He is the anchor. The stabling personality amongst the rather wide variety of personalities," says Henn.

'Counter-programming to Harry Potter'

But this isn't just a cut-and paste job. The producers, directors, animators, and voice actors have put their own stamp on the film. It is the same Pooh in the same hand-drawn art style with the classic watercolour feel, but given a spring clean.

The film is witty, creative, funny, and the character interaction with the narrator and the book text will remind audiences that this is a storybook which has come to life.

The voice cast include Jim Cummings (voice of Pooh and Tigger) who has worked on several of the Winnie the Pooh film and TV animations, and Travis Oates who provides the voice for Piglet.

John Cleese is the narrator.

Producer Peter Del Vecho believes Pooh's life lessons and the overall feel to the film will resonate with today's audience.

'What is great about him [Pooh] is that he lives totally in the moment. We tend to get so focused in the future we forget to live in the moment. And Pooh reminds us that it is actually okay not to be the best in any one thing but to have fun.

"There is a time to put down the iPhone, to put down the Wii, and have simple conversations in life and remember our values, and there is something about simple movies like this, as well as books, in sparking the imagination of kids, and it is something we don't do well anymore."

And just like Walt Disney 35 years earlier, Del Vecho attended a preview screening of his film but this time the producer was left with a very different impression.

"I have seen it with audiences who laugh. It is a very funny film. It is a bit counter-programming to the Harry Potters that are out there, but I certainly believe it will be well accepted."

I never realized Winnie The Pooh was around for 35 years!!! :O :O :O

I always thought it came around in the late/Mid 90s! Couldn't believe that! Dont care for the show myself because I never saw it growing up, still though it's a nice return from Disney

JoannaRyde · Apr 19, 2011

Its only the 2nd official sequel! The first was Rescuers Down Under.

I love this thread Deano!!! Just back from Disneyland a few weeks! Thinking of Japan and Hong Kong for next year and that'll be all of them!

Deano · Apr 19, 2011

This is pretty cool

Rapunzel is now an offical Princess and the first ever Pixar/Dinsey Princess may join them in 2012!! Not really a fan of a CGI Princess (Rapunzel) but the new Pixar one looks very good!!! Its very dark! Kinda like sleeping beauty or the black cauldron...

Brave is set in the mystical Scottish Highlands, where Merida is the princess of a kingdom ruled by King Fergus (Billy Connolly) and Queen Elinor (Emma Thompson). An unruly daughter and an accomplished archer, Merida one day defies a sacred custom of the land and inadvertently brings turmoil to the kingdom. In an attempt to set things right, Merida seeks out an eccentric old Wise Woman (Julie Walters) and is granted an ill-fated wish. Also figuring into Merida’s quest — and serving as comic relief — are the kingdom’s three lords: the enormous Lord MacGuffin (Kevin McKidd), the surly Lord Macintosh (Craig Ferguson), and the disagreeable Lord Dingwall (Robbie Coltrane).

seanisbored · Apr 19, 2011

I love the original Winnie-the-Pooh and watched it constantly as a kid. But in typical Disney fashion they watered down the brand with mindless straight-to-DVD sequels and crappy TV shows, hopefully this movie will be more true to the original vision and the books.

louislestat · Apr 19, 2011

Deano said: ↑

This is pretty cool

Rapunzel is now an offical Princess

This picture seems very familiar to me for the life of me I can't figure out why???

Deano · Apr 19, 2011

louislestat said: ↑

This picture seems very familiar to me for the life of me I can't figure out why???

Oh didnt even realise you had that one!!!

Thought you had the one before Rapunzel!

louislestat · Apr 19, 2011

Deano said: ↑

Oh didnt even realise you had that one!!!

Thought you had the one before Rapunzel!

I used to but I changed it when the movie came out and she was added to the roster

triton201 · Apr 19, 2011

Deano said: ↑

Oh didnt even realise you had that one!!!

Thought you had the one before Rapunzel!

What is going on with the pictures??
Deano's one had Giselle in it earlier, and now (poof) she's gone!

.....(mutter mutter)...damned internet...(mutter mutter)...

Deano · Apr 19, 2011

triton201 said: ↑

What is going on with the pictures??
Deano's one had Giselle in it earlier, and now (poof) she's gone!

.....(mutter mutter)...damned internet...(mutter mutter)...

I found a better one lol without giselle (even though i wish she was a princess)

louislestat · Apr 19, 2011

Deano said: ↑

I found a better one lol without giselle (even though i wish she was a princess)

They can't make her one as they would have to pay Amy Adams

Deano · Apr 19, 2011

louislestat said: ↑

They can't make her one as they would have to pay Amy Adams

I know, I was gutted

Brought back Falcon a couple Disney Dvds from town yesterday and watched The Hunchback of Notre Damn last night....Its now one of my favourite Disney Cartoons, and I'm not a huge Disney fan (prefer Pixar) but I Loved this......especially this song!! LOVE LOVE LOVE IT!

louislestat · Apr 19, 2011

Deano said: ↑

I know, I was gutted

Brought back Falcon a couple Disney Dvds from town yesterday and watched The Hunchback of Notre Damn last night....Its now one of my favourite Disney Cartoons, and I'm not a huge Disney fan (prefer Pixar) but I Loved this......especially this song!! LOVE LOVE LOVE IT!

Wash out your mouth with soap and water I don't have one pixar movie. I'm more of a Fairy Tale man

Love Hunchback, makes me cry like a baby.

Deano · Apr 19, 2011

louislestat said: ↑

Wash out your mouth with soap and water I don't have one pixar movie. I'm more of a Fairy Tale man

Love Hunchback, makes me cry like a baby.

What about Wall.e??? Finding Nemo? Monsters Inc? :O They're great!

And Toy Story! Thought I was gonna break down in the cinema when I saw the third one

louislestat · Apr 19, 2011

Deano said: ↑

What about Wall.e??? Finding Nemo? Monsters Inc? :O They're great!

And Toy Story! Thought I was gonna break down in the cinema when I saw the third one

No no no and I've only seen the first Toy Story

I never got into them really. Don't have any of those

jimjam · Apr 19, 2011

As much as I love the Pixar movies, I prefer the old Disney animations. There's just something more magical to them.

One of my favourite scenes and songs from Beauty and the Beast.

Deano · Apr 19, 2011

jimjam said: ↑

As much as I love the Pixar movies, I prefer the old Disney animations. There's just something more magical to them.

One of my favourite scenes and songs from Beauty and the Beast.

That's my favorite movie from classic Disney

jimjam · Apr 20, 2011

Deano said: ↑

And Toy Story! Thought I was gonna break down in the cinema when I saw the third one

I didThe ending was so lovely and sad at the same time. Bawled my eyes out. I wasn't the only one though.

louislestat · Apr 22, 2011

ColleenDawnagh · Apr 22, 2011

I adore Disney. I'm with Louis in the classic animation camp. Those were pure magic but I did bawl at Toy Story 3.

For anyone who hasn't been to the theme parks, it is simply a must!! The parks are amazing. They are at a far higher level than other parks. The attractions are not just rollercoasters or carousels. Every ride has a story attached. One of my favourites is the Haunted Mansion or in Paris Phantom Manor. The top prize in my opinion goes to the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror. Simply oustanding!

Deano · May 5, 2011

Rachel Weisz In Talks For Disney’s ‘Oz: The Great And Powerful’

Cant wait!

Rachel Weisz looks likely to join James Franco and Mila Kunis in Disney’s upcoming Oz: The Great and Powerful, which 'Spider-Man' and 'Evil Dead' helmer, Sam Raimi is set to direct.

If you haven’t heard already, this Disney production, written by Mitchell Kapner and David Lindsay-Abaire, will be a prequel to the original ‘The Wizard of Oz’, which was directed by Victor Fleming and based on L. Frank Baum’s book. The prequel will be told from the point of view of the Wizard and convey how he arrived in Oz and became ruler of the wonderful, magical land.

Weisz, notable for her prominent roles in films such as ‘The Fountain’, ‘The Mummy’, and ‘The Constant Gardener’, the latter leading to her scooping an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress, is the latest big casting update to come from the film’s production. James Franco and Mila Kunis have already been cast as the Wizard of Oz and Theodora respectively and Weisz is reportedly in talks to play Evanora. She is the mean and nasty older sister of Theodora, who goes on to become the Wicked Witch of the East. As you undoubtedly may recall, in the original film when Dorothy first lands in the world of Oz her house crushes the Wicked Witch of the East, killing her. Kunis’ character Theodora becomes the Wicked Witch of the West, and is the main antagonist in the original.

Personally I think the casting for this prequel is shaping up to be promising and that the actors have been selected based on their individual talents, not merely their ‘big name’ status. There is no doubt in my mind that Franco, Weisz and Kunis all have the talent to succeed in their roles. And although I would never expect ‘Oz: The Great and Powerful’ to come close to matching the success of the original film, it might just have the legs to stand on its own. Currently the film is scheduled for a 3D release in 2013 and production is due to start this summer.

Are you on board this Wizard of Oz prequel or could it taint the beloved legacy of the original? Agree with the casting of Weisz, Franco and Kunis? Who do you think should be cast as the Glinda aka The Good Witch of the North?

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