Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Princess and the Frog

YES! My first blog entry!!! HIP HIP HOORAY!!! HUZZAH!!! WHOOPDEEDLYDOO!!!
I made this blog primarily to sort out, organize and share what I've learned in animation and art in general. I'll also feature all sorts of random findings that come by in my life... what I've learned what I've seen what I've made...

So with that said....

Disney's Animation Studio has FINALLY released a formal trailer for its long awaited Princess and the Frog.
This probably isn't new news...especially for the friends who are the victim of my Disney babble :) I literally got goosebumps from watching the trailer!!! The scenery is just so drop dead gorgeous... How the hell do you paint beauties like that?! Do they even get to the keep them? Lol probably not...

WATCH THE TRAILER!!!!!!!!!!!!!! though the resolution here doesn't do the film enough justice :(




Here's a synopsis from online:

"When the free-spirited, jazz-loving Prince Naveen of Maldonia comes to town a deal with a shady voodoo doctor goes bad and the once suave royal is turned into a frog. In a desperate attempt to be human again, a favor in exchange for a fateful kiss on the lips from the beautiful girl, Tiana takes an unexpected turn and leads them both on a hilarious adventure through the mystical bayous of Louisiana to the banks of the almighty Mississippi and back in time for Mardi Gras in New Orleans. An unforgettable tale filled with music, humor and heart where two frogs—along with the help of a 200-year-old voodoo priestess, a love-sick Cajun firefly, and a trumpet-playing alligator—discover that what they want isn’t as important as what they need."

Why is this so important you say? BECAUSE Disney hasn't released a 2-D animated film in a long time. Former CEO Mike Eisener decided to shut down the 2-D department shortly after the production of Home on the Range, which was released back in 2004. He believed that the world no longer wanted to see hand-drawn films, and that Computer Graphic imagery (CGI) was going to dominate the future of animation.

BUT CEO Ed Catmull (co-founder of Pixar) and Creative officer John Lasseter had a talk with John Musker and Ron Clements, former directors of Aladdin and the Little Mermaid. Frankly, nobody wanted to see the end of 2-D animation. After all, it is because of the traditional hand drawn medium that brought all these people together in the first place (more on that later). It was then decided that the Disney Animation Studio would work on the Princess and the Frog. Hopefully, if this movie is a success, more 2-D films can be produced by Disney! Now there is great anticipation for what is to come!

Some of you may think, why another princess? This is because the"rags to riches" storyline has always been the formula for financial success. Of course, if there's no money there's no movie. Since Disney's just beginning to lubricate its rusty joints, it cannot risk having a completely new and never-before-heard plot and expect a positive reception from the audience. Disney needs to do what it does best, conveying the same princess idea but with a slightly different story each time. This is clearly evident since Disney's beginnings, with its first full length animated feature Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, and its old Silly Symphonies shorts like the Cookie Carnival. To me, this is monumental because I've always dreamed of working on a Disney 2-D film...regardless of what the task is. It really broke my heart when I realized that I may never be able to fulfill that wish, even though it already was pretty much a pipedream.

There's been a racial controversy over how Tiana is the first African American princess but Prince Naveen is not African American (is he French? Latino? No one's even sure.) It is understandable that this may be a bit unsettling... but this can also be seen as an attempt to embrace diversity, which has been one of Disney's trademark, as it has made films based on Greece, India, China, Hawaii, South America, Space etc. I think the Disney artists just wanted to produce work that is ideal and free from social tensions. We shouldn't throw rotten tomatoes at the film before it has even been released.

I'm not trying to be cliche, but we take a lot of wonderful things in life for granted. 2-D animation is one of them. To the general audience, its just a cartoon character on an unrealistic adventure. But if we all took a few minutes to explore the process of making such a film, we would find it more as a sophisticated rarity than a mere source of entertainment for kids. Then again, it wouldn't be realistic if everyone appreciated everything... But at least those who read this would be so kind as to consider my opinion.

SOO EVERYONE BUY TICKETS FOR PRINCESS AND THE FROG WHEN IT COMES OUT IN THEATERS!! SUPPORT THE ARTS!!!

5 comments:

  1. i actually kinda wanna see the new disney movie - i've watched all of them, why stop now?

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  2. because, sana, you're kind of... 17? 18? either way, you're too old and wrinkly.

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  3. I SAW THIS PREVIEW WHEN I WATCHED UP AND I WAS LIKE OMGGGG I NEED TO SEE THAT

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  4. Sana- don't stop believing, watch all you want cuz its adults making them
    Arnold- I'm 17
    Louisa- OMG IM SO EXCITED TO SEE THE PREVIEW ON THE BIG SCREEN!!!
    Sophia- lol i know right?

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