Is Disney Running Out of Original Ideas For Animated Movies? [Archive]

Bubblegum Girl

03-14-2006, 09:03 PM

I've just saw the commerical for Disney's newest 3d animated film. "The Wild". And basically, it's about a lion who looks for his son who was taken by humans. Sound familar? It's almost sound like the same plot for Finding Nemo by Pixar except it takes place in the city and the lion had more friends on his quest.

I don't know about you but I think Disney is running out of original ideas so they try to do the same idea but just made some changes to it.:shrug: Maybe that's why they make so many DVD sequels....

Undrave

03-15-2006, 09:43 AM

I saw a preview of it before it was fully finished and I tought it sounded like Madagascar myself... it's some cross betweem Madagascar and Finding Nemo it seems --

Crash

03-15-2006, 07:45 PM

I saw a preview of it before it was fully finished and I tought it sounded like Madagascar myself... it's some cross betweem Madagascar and Finding Nemo it seems --

...First thing I thought was 'Madagascar meets Lion King.'

Jave

03-15-2006, 07:54 PM

They ran out of ideas when they started making cheapquels...

Marinite

03-15-2006, 08:07 PM

To me, it seems they seem to be shifting more towards live-action (Sky High, Narnia)

I don't really care as long as their movies are entertaining.

Wonderwall

03-16-2006, 10:45 AM

Aren't most original ideas just old ideas with different spins on them? Anyway as long as Disney can keep their movies entertaining is all that really matters. But with that being said this too seems to Madagascar meets Finding Nemo, which for me is a cross between a movie that I was never interested in and an overrated movie that I still thought was nice.

Wanted

03-16-2006, 02:29 PM

Yeah... when I saw the ads for this movie the first time (I'm here referring to The Wild), I thought... Madagascar in New York, New York. It just seems to me that Disney's too busy catering to the kids to see what they're doing.

GagaMan

03-17-2006, 08:53 AM

With the Pixar guys taking over key roles at Disney, movies like The Wild should hopefully be a thing of the past in the future (boy,that line is confusing). It's just a shame this movie was too far nto production to flat out cancel, as it looks awful.

03-17-2006, 06:53 PM

Disney out of ideas? Hardly. If anything they've been churning out lots of ideas on their shows and movies. Not to say they're all good, but they're definately pushing out a bunch.

spongebob03

03-18-2006, 11:42 AM

The Wild looks terrible. I didn't even know what the movie was about until I read this thread. Everytime I seen a preview for the movie, they just talked about the characters in the film. But I didn't even crack a smile while watching the previews.

AdamYJ

03-18-2006, 03:27 PM

I think Disney needs some time to rest and recharge before it puts out any more animated features. There was a period of time when Disney wasn't making animated features. Then they came back with The Little Mermaid and it was a hit, subsequently followed by a string of hits. They shut down their traditional animation studios because they thought people weren't coming to them anymore in favor of computer animated fare like the Pixar movies and Shrek. The truth is that Disney isn't coming up with its best stuff lately. The Pixar movies are endearing, clever, heartfelt stuff. Shrek and Shrek II were both clever and entertaining to both kids and adults. They need to take a break to rest, recharge, refocus their energies and maybe bring in some new talent. Then, they'll be ready to be back like gangbusters.

Hiya Animation

03-18-2006, 06:13 PM

The Wild wasn't created by Disney. It's only being released by Disney. It was created and animated ar C.O.R.E. Feature Animation (http://www.imdb.com/company/co0150935/) and Complete Pandemonium. (http://www.imdb.com/company/co0123287/)

So no. Disney has not ran out of original ideas. They have several more original in-house projects planned.

James :zim:

Draft

03-18-2006, 07:45 PM

i shall quote issue 100 of simpsons comics:

comic book guy(talking about the comic company that bought the rights to right comics about springfield) there slogan is "the house has run out of ideas" here is one of there draw your own comic issues

lisa: its just a bunch of bnlank paper

cbg: exactly

i think disney just is in a slump it will never get out of, but lets wait and see how many movies they can make with the same plot, and still make 50mil domesticly..

Kagetsu

03-18-2006, 08:28 PM

Original, clever inovative ideas don't happen very often. I think much of cinema is in a slump and sometimes they can get it right. Animation in general is hit and miss. For every show I like in a given genre, I can list about four I hate. But I agree, with Nemo, Chicken little, that pigeon one, Madgasgar and now the Wild, (haven't wanted to see any of them) there has been a glut "same ol' animals say cliche jokes"

Undrave

03-19-2006, 11:17 AM

I think Shrek was overrated, it got lucky, but now people are getting wise that CGI isn't all that is needed to make a successful movie.

Anyone remember Disney's Dinosaur? I think not.

Sr.Infierno

03-19-2006, 11:28 AM

Im sure there's some obscure folk tale or novel out there that havent turned into an animated comedy yet

Undrave

03-19-2006, 11:45 AM

How about 'Romance of the Three Kingdom' but with talking animals? XD

Sr.Infierno

03-19-2006, 11:49 AM

How about 'Romance of the Three Kingdom' but with talking animals? XD

The sad thing is, I can definitely see that going into production.

Undrave

03-19-2006, 12:55 PM

:lol::sweat: but which section of the story? It's so huge you can't put that into a single movie XD

AdamYJ

03-19-2006, 03:33 PM

Anyone remember Disney's Dinosaur? I think not.

I do, unfortunately. It was a bit disappointing. I remember watching it and thinking it seemed a little bit too much like Tarzan in that they had an Iguanodon rasied by lemurs (as opposed to a human raised by apes). Anyway, there had been better animated dinosaur movies. Dinosaur lacked the heart of Land Before Time or the even fun of We're Back: A Dinosaur's Story.

I would have liked to see Pixar do a dinosaur movie. They've already done movies about toys, insects, monsters, sea creatures, superheroes and pretty soon cars. All they really have to do is make a movie about dinosaur and they'll have covered the grand majority of things that occupy a little kid's imagination (or at least, mine when I was little). Not to mention that they'd probably do a pretty good job. Even my least favorite Pixar movie (incidentally, it's Monsters, Inc.) is more entertaining than Disney's Dinosaur.

Donald Duck 12

03-21-2006, 04:09 PM

Well Disney never had fully original ideas. I mean, believe it or not, Snow White wasn't an original idea.

The truth is that Disney isn't coming up with its best stuff lately.

Lilo and Stitch, Treasure Planet, and Brother Bear are very good movies. The blame goes elsewhere. People don't see animation as a form of entertainment, they see it as a genre. When there are over 10 animated films being released in a year (like we get now) people won't go to see them. Until we can prove that animation movies can be taken seriously it is rather pointless to keep cranking them out.

They need to take a break to rest, recharge, refocus their energies and maybe bring in some new talent. Then, they'll be ready to be back like gangbusters.

The way things are moving ahead now, that is what may be happening! :D

adoptedBatpuppy

03-23-2006, 10:26 AM

Well Disney never had fully original ideas. I mean, believe it or not, Snow White wasn't an original idea.

Lilo and Stitch, Treasure Planet, and Brother Bear are very good movies. The blame goes elsewhere. People don't see animation as a form of entertainment, they see it as a genre. When there are over 10 animated films being released in a year (like we get now) people won't go to see them. Until we can prove that animation movies can be taken seriously it is rather pointless to keep cranking them out.

The way things are moving ahead now, that is what may be happening! :D

You know none of them are! Most Disney ideas are taken from Fairy tale books. Like Little Mermaid from Hans Christian Andersen! :eek:

judyindisguise

03-23-2006, 01:50 PM

Disney ought to distribute its only its own animated movies IMO. There is no way the general public is going to distinguish between a cartoon Disney MADE over one it's only DISTRIBUTING. So Disney gets all the blame nonetheless over stinky stuff like "Valiant".

And I might be wrong, but I think I read somewhere that "The Wild" actually began production before "Madagascar", so that it's not exactly a ripoff maybe. Although that still doesn't say it'll be good. Frankly I think the character designs look awful, especially for the lion. I won't be seeing this one.

AdamYJ

03-26-2006, 08:57 PM

You know none of them are! Most Disney ideas are taken from Fairy tale books. Like Little Mermaid from Hans Christian Andersen! :eek:

Yeah, let's see.

The Little Mermaid- Hans Christian Andersen
Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty- Charles Perrault
Aladdin- Arabian Nights . . . sort of.
Beauty and the Beast- Madame de Villeneuve
101 Dalmations- Dodie Smith
The Great Mouse Detective- Eve Titus
Rescuers- Margery Sharp
The Fox and the Hound- David Mannix
Bambi- Felix Salten
Tarzan- Edgar Rice Burroughs
The Sword in the Stone- T.H. White by way of Sir Thomas Malory.

There are plenty more. What's funny is that now that I think of it, they've used very little Grimm. It's strange for a company best known for adapting fairy tales.

Elven Moon

03-27-2006, 03:19 PM

My sister gets angry every time she sees the commercial. She's a big fan of Madagascar.

adoptedBatpuppy

03-29-2006, 05:28 PM

Yeah, let's see.

The Little Mermaid- Hans Christian Andersen
Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty- Charles Perrault
Aladdin- Arabian Nights . . . sort of.
Beauty and the Beast- Madame de Villeneuve
101 Dalmations- Dodie Smith
The Great Mouse Detective- Eve Titus
Rescuers- Margery Sharp
The Fox and the Hound- David Mannix
Bambi- Felix Salten
Tarzan- Edgar Rice Burroughs
The Sword in the Stone- T.H. White by way of Sir Thomas Malory.

There are plenty more. What's funny is that now that I think of it, they've used very little Grimm. It's strange for a company best known for adapting fairy tales.

There is a Grimm fairy tale they used... I can't think the name of it.
I think it was Little Red Ridinghood or The Brave Little Tailor short story with Mickey Mouse.

Don't forget Winnie the Pooh! :sweat:

SonicFan

04-01-2006, 05:22 AM

Dang straight, The Wild looks crappy!

Baby Blue Queen

04-14-2006, 05:14 PM

they are running out of ideas, Finding Nemo, Madagascar, and The Wils ARE THE SAME! They can't find much more to do, so they change a movie a little, and make it so different

Marinite

04-15-2006, 09:50 PM

they are running out of ideas, Finding Nemo, Madagascar, and The Wils ARE THE SAME! They can't find much more to do, so they change a movie a little, and make it so different
Disney didn't make any of those movies.

Anyone00

04-15-2006, 10:21 PM

How about 'Romance of the Three Kingdom' but with talking animals? XD

Eh, I'm just waiting for Disney to announce they're coming out with "All Cuddly on the Western Front".

Bruce Wayne Jr.

04-16-2006, 09:42 AM

It's strange for a company best known for adapting fairy tales.

Therein lies your answer. Disney needs to return to mining the classics, instead of trying to create something new. That's where their strength lies. (Although they tinkered a little too much with Treasure Planet. A missed opportunity in that a more down-to-earth version could have jumpstarted the pirate craze, instead of Pirates of the Caribbean)

As it is, all they're doing now is trying to recreate past successes. Little Nemo was very lucrative, but Disney's first instinct these days is to either clone the idea elsewhere or make an unnecessary sequel.

I'll be keeping my eye on Pixar, but Disney's definitely in a slump for the near future.

AdamYJ

04-16-2006, 10:34 AM

Therein lies your answer. Disney needs to return to mining the classics, instead of trying to create something new. That's where their strength lies. (Although they tinkered a little too much with Treasure Planet. A missed opportunity in that a more down-to-earth version could have jumpstarted the pirate craze, instead of Pirates of the Caribbean)

As it is, all they're doing now is trying to recreate past successes. Little Nemo was very lucrative, but Disney's first instinct these days is to either clone the idea elsewhere or make an unnecessary sequel.

I'll be keeping my eye on Pixar, but Disney's definitely in a slump for the near future.

I had a Children's Literature professor who would say otherwise. She absolutely hated Disney and thought they were butchering the stories and removing the lessons from most of them by making the fairy tales less gruesome. She also claimed that she thought Disney was worthwhile in terms of their original characters (Mickey, Goofy, etc). I don't necessarily agree, but then again I'm the guy who sees both the movie and reads the original book.

Originally posted by Anyone00
Eh, I'm just waiting for Disney to announce they're coming out with "All Cuddly on the Western Front".

Actually, ever since stuff like Hunchback of Notre Dame, I can't help imagining the beginning of a movie trailer that goes "Introducing the newest in a line of great animated family musicals: Walt Disney's Frankenstein!" :D :p

(Maybe they should be redirected to the Children's section of Barnes and Noble in their search for material).

SonicFan

04-17-2006, 12:38 PM

And on Disney ideas, neither "Lion King" and "Atlantis" were original! they were basically American remakes of anime.

Ducktales Fan

04-17-2006, 12:58 PM

they are running out of ideas, Finding Nemo, Madagascar, and The Wils ARE THE SAME! They can't find much more to do, so they change a movie a little, and make it so different

I enjoyed Finding Nemo immensely but couldn't stand Madagascar.

Marinite

04-17-2006, 02:10 PM

And on Disney ideas, neither "Lion King" and "Atlantis" were original! they were basically American remakes of anime. There's been many debates on that subject, and it basically boils down to "they were both based off previous books to begin with so it's moot" (20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and Hamlet) But no one ever seems to accuse the anime of ripping off the books. ;)

Baby Blue Queen

04-18-2006, 08:30 AM

I enjoyed Finding Nemo immensely but couldn't stand Madagascar.

I loved Finding Nemo, Madagascar, the only part is the following that I liked:
King person dude:So Giants.. Where are you from?
I Think Alex: New York
King person dude: ALL HAIL THE NEW YORK GIANTS!
Everyone:NEW YORK GIANTS YAY!

and...
the move-it song/dance that was funny

Disney might have not made them, but they still are the same

mg_winxclub

04-19-2006, 06:04 PM

I heard on the radio that Disney actually had the concept of "The Wild" on the drawing board for 9 years. Now people have been asking, did someone steal the idea from Disney and make Madagascar, or did Disney have 9 years to make a movie not as good as Madagascar? All the radio people I've heard say is go see Ice Age 2 instead of The Wild if you want to see a funny movie. They are also questioning the "timing" of The Wild's release too. I haven't seen either movie yet so I can't make any personal opinions, just passing on what I heard the other day.

M.A.S.

04-20-2006, 08:47 AM

Next we'll be seeing "Don quixote :The movie Starring Ben Stiller And Antonio Bandares! Coming in Summer!"

tb4000

04-20-2006, 09:31 AM

Next we'll be seeing "Don quixote :The movie Starring Ben Stiller And Antonio Bandares! Coming in Summer!"

Road to El Dorado 2.

Undrave

04-20-2006, 09:40 AM

On the Snow White thing, the original story, which originated somewhere in the lands of the Cossacks was actually Snow White and the Seven KNIGHTS, not Dwarves. It was later that the story was transformed (before Disney used it though).

There's been many debates on that subject, and it basically boils down to "they were both based off previous books to begin with so it's moot" (20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and Hamlet) But no one ever seems to accuse the anime of ripping off the books. ;)

Nadia mentionned its looseley based on Jules Vernse in its opening credits I believe (or was it ending credits?).