Don't toy with me, Jim! A second traditionally-animated feature? AHHH! You've made my day.

I would love Disney to reopen the Florida facility.  But I would want WDAS to survive as a Animation Studio.  After all, many animation studios have closed throughout the years, but Walt Disney Animation Studios is the oldest surviving Feature Animation studio.  I certainly hope both WDAS and Pixar will continue to make good films that will last for years beyond the 21st century.

Good Job jim on your valuable insight!

                                   Jeff

What a great, great, great Why For!!!!!!!!!!  So much good news!!!

As for the lack of 2-disc DVDs, I figured it was because of Blu-Ray.  Not all parents are that stupid!  Why doesn't Disney just put out both 1-disc and 2-disc versions (like with POTC:DMC)?  Is it because some parents might buy the 2-disc version instead of the 1-disc version and complain?!?!?!?  They know that the animation fans will double dip, but that still seems unfair.  I see nothing wrong with releasing both 1-disc and 2-disc sets.

I didn't know that the new Goofy short is in front of "Enchanted"- I was already so excited to see "Enchanted", but now I'm extra excited!!!

And, I agree with megustajake- a 2nd traditionally animated feature would be amazing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  I kind of like the idea of Disney making traditional features and Pixar making the CGI features, since I prefer Disney and I prefer traditional animation, but I wonder if Disney will ever have a story that would benefit from CGI?  I mean, I'm sure that CGI will be incorporated in the traditional films (it has since "The Black Cauldron", so I can't see them stopping now), but will they be completely closed-minded about making CGI features?

Wait a second, if a parent has a two disc dvd they might put in the wrong disc?  That is one of the worst excuses....ever.  

And Jim another thing, you don't always have to write "this Emeryville base studio" or this "Brad Bird film."  it get's a litle annoying.

DAR31

It's a writer's crutch that Jim uses... and yes, it is irritating. I noticed it being very prevelant in the recent Haunted Mansion series. Over the course of the 5 articles he must have referred to HM as "this Liberty Square attraction" at least 15 times.

Even before I was a parent, I couldn't have cared less about the second disc on the DVDs. Now, I take all the DVDs my daughter would ever ask to watch and put them in a 30-disc CD holder (thank goodness it isn't full!).

Thanks Disney...and a Blu-Ray player is exactly how much???

People bought 2 disc Nemo DVD's by the bucketful. If Cars was on 2 discs and Rat was on 2 discs, parents would buy them anyway, so why not put them out and please the hardcore fans at the same time?

This was a cheapskate suit decision if I've ever seen one.

Nice evenhanded article, Jim.

Now is there any chance of an update on the 'disappointing boxoffice result of Ratatouile' a movie which at the moment of this writing (nov2) has made more than 80 million$ more than Cars, more than 60 million$ more than Toy StoryII and more than 25 million$ more than Monsters Inc. worldwide and is still going pretty strong internationally?

http://www.boxofficemojo.com/showdowns/chart/?id=vs-pixar.htm

Just wondering, because it would be a nice counterpart to all the 'suits/wall street/industry insiders have expressed displeasure with the performance of the latest work of this Emeryville based studio' that DID appear on the site regularly until most recently. I'm just saying.

Nah... He'll still figure out a way to spin it so that the Rat looks like a "disappointment".

Man parents are lazy.  When their kids are all fat and stricken with diabetes will they'll need those extra features to have something to do...

" When their kids are all fat and stricken with diabetes"

That's when they'll pop in Wall-E to see what it will lead to.

Great article, Jim! Many thanks. I'm so excited about the new shorts. But...while I like Goofy, I hope we'll also get new shorts starring Mickey. His last short - "Runaway Brain" was excellent (it won an Oscar, after all!) I'd love to see more of the Mouse. (Wouldn't it be great if a new short was creating using the retro-Mickey design? I'd be in heaven!!!!)

As to the 2 disc special editions.

One, Disney is not alone in this. Lord of the Rings screwed us all with one single disc and 6 months later a special 2 or 3 disc edition.

Two, they will sell a single disc edition for the normal $19 - 29, then sell the special 2 disc edition for $29 - 39 later. I know it stinks, but it makes good business sense. I think the better thing to do, is to release both on the same day. But there might be logistical reasons or maybe the retailers don't want two different versions? A compromise might be regular edition for $20 at retailers nationwide and special edition for $30 at disney.com and Disney stores. That way Disney gets a bigger piece of the pie on the special editions.

As to new traditional animation and the future of CGI at Disney Animation.

I suspect that if Glen Keanne's new CGI/Tradional hybrid does well, that they will have a bright future at Disney feature animation. This style suits Disney and NOT Pixar. And can be a 4th unit at Disney?

Rapunzel and Princess and the Frog *may* actually swap release years.  I've heard many good things about Rapunzel; looking forward to that one.

If they reopened Florida I know over a dozen animators (myself included) who would send reels immediately.  That studio was where I really wanted to end up..but anyways.

It would be awesome for that studio to rise again.  One idea could be to make it a Pixar/Disney animation hybrid.  Give guests the opportunity to watch animators and artists from both studios do their thing.

http://www.raymation.net

Jim, it's actually "Glago's Guest." There is a poster for it outside of the Animation Building next time you're in Burbank.

I can understand the reasoning behind only releasing single disk DVDs. Honestly of all of the DVDs I own I don't think that I've watched the special features on more then 2 of them. Why spend the money when 95% of the buyers don't actually watch them?

There was a thread over on Animation Nation reminiscing over the old Animation Building in Florida. It sounds like it was really fun for tourists, but animators hated working there. It was referred to as the "Fish Bowl" because that is what it felt like. They could set up an Ink and Paint department for creating limited edition reproduction cells for sale.

It's a nice idea, jewalker, but my understanding is that Ink and Paint in Burbank is barely given enough work on reproductions to keep it from getting shut down. I can't see Disney splurging for a second Ink and Paint based out of Florida.  

"I didn't know that the new Goofy short is in front of 'Enchanted' - I was already so excited to see 'Enchanted', but now I'm extra excited!!!"

Yup... that's the idea.  They're not taking any chance on this one.

A second 2-D animation in the work?  Please, dear God, tell me it's not American Dog!

Sander, I am not sure where you are getting your fuzzy numbers that account for the discrepancy between the numbers of Monsters Inc and Ratatouille.  Maybe Jeanne Garafalo supplied them to you.

Ratatouille cost 30 million more to make than Cars, though Cars looks like the bigger budget picture.  Rat also cost 35 million more than Monsters did back when it was made.

Rat did better overseas, sure.  This isn't surprising seeing as it was set in Europe.  I am sure everyone is happy about that, especially Disneyland Paris.  But the studios get less of a cut of the overseas budget.  So, I'm not sure if it's even made a profit yet.  Meanwhile, Rat came up 40 million short of Cars domestically and 50 million short of what Monsters did domestically back in 01/02.

The budgets are rising and if they stay the same or keep rising, and the domestic total keeps falling by 40 million, sure I'd say the suits have something to worry about.  Please tell me how I am "spinning" anything.  I guess not all of the overseas numbers are in yet, but I am sure they mostly are.

Oh yeah, then there's that little matter of giving away SEVEN BILLION DOLLARS just to distribute this film and future Pixar films.  So I guess paying billions of dollars for a film that makes a few million is considered a success in today's business world, which is a really scary thought.

Disney shelled out billions to swallow up it's potential competition and people aren't supposed to question that?  I've never seen Jim say anything about the quality of the films and I don't recall him saying this film was a flop.  He just commented on the domestic gross which was very disappointing.

You know, I find Pixar films to feature repetitive, uninspired character designs and unoriginal stories which substitute humor for emotional weight.

Having said all of that, I think they seem like nice films.  You know, I like movies and I like animation and I like Disney so I can feel you.  I think there is a lot of negativity and hate out there in the world right now, and some of it comes from Hollywood, so it's nice to see these cheerful little kid comedies out there.

But look, Disney has competition now, which it never did before the Pixar era.  Shrek the Third really crushed the Rat.  321 domestic, and almost 800 million worldwide?  Fox's Happy Feet did nearly as well domestically as Rat, and the Ice Age movies did great too.  And who knows about Bee Movie?  I think that could surprise people.

And yes, I realize this whole conversation is off topic more or less.

As far as the two disc sets go...I am conflicted.  I think it is wise to offer these films and a lower price point to appeal to families which is by far their biggest audience.  Rat was disappointing compared to the other films, yet it still did 200 million.  But that was mostly from kids and their parents and not geeks.  

At the same time, why not offer the two disc set to the Pixar geeks while the film is still hot?  Aren't the Dreamworks and FOX/Blue Sky geeks shelling out the money for these special edition sets?

However, I just think everyone has gotten really spoiled when it comes to these discs jam packed with extras.  We all expect them right away now for most every new mainstream film.  I guess Disney could be creating demand by waiting a while but I think waiting say three years would be too long.

There isn't a lot of money to be made right now off of Blue Ray.  They sell, just a tiny, tiny fraction of what DVD's do, though it could be geek incentive to add a little something extra to the discs, sure.

The Fishbowl at MGM Studios...really was a great gimmick that gave you something you couldn't get at the other parks and was essentially an edutainment attraction.  It's the behind the scenes aspect of MGM and the edutainment attractions of Epcot and Animal Kingdom which gave these parks a life of their own.  These weren't robots or actors pretending to be creating Disney toons, they were the real deal!

California Adventure never really was able to set itself apart enough from Disneyland, though they really tried at the beginning.  That park just never had an anchor like this or the Studios Tour.  And now it seems they are intent on making that park into Magic Kingdom II which I do not think will work.  These parks need to have their own identities.

As for the future of Feature Animation, I am not getting my hopes up yet.  Enchanted and Frog Princess don't excite me at all.  When I think of Rapunzel, all I can think of is the film Don Bluth wanted to make and the short he did make for the Scissor Sisters music video.  Now Don Bluth was someone who understood these films needed their unpleasant moments and that there was value in that for children and adults.  

All modern animated films are so politically correct and try to just baby sit and cradle children for 90 minutes and I can't stand it!  They should be preparing children for life and the real world, which is oftentimes unpleasant.  Watch anything from the seventies people.  Everything was so much more emotionally sophisticated.  Watch The Rescuers.  We were so lucky to have a film like that.  Has Pixar attempted anything as emotionally challenging as Rescuers?  Come close?  Is that a good thing?

Keep up the good work Jim

Oh, I read Sanders message wrong.  May bad Sand Man!

And....I never thought I'd say this, but....my apologies to Jeanne Garafalo.

I recall being on a press tour of the D-MGM Animation Building while it was still in full operation. We were badged on the way in and escorted to a small classroom on the second floor for a series of presentations. The last presenter finished early and left. Our minders had unaccountably stepped away as well. You just don't leave a half-dozen reporters on their own -- we soon 'escaped' from the room and had about 10 amazing minutes to wander the halls freely before they rounded us up again and herded off to lunch at the Brown Derby. I remember looking in doors and windows, seeing storyboards, maquettes and other art for features that wouldn't appear for years -- some I still haven't seen -- even work hanging on the hallway walls. There was also an awful lot of very elaborate and expensive tech equipment in there. I wonder if they've shipped it all to California or just mothballed it where it sits? I can't imagine just abandoning that facility.

The Goofy short will be attached to Enchanted?  Really?  Someone better tell Disney...they've already started sending out prints to screenings without any short attached, nor have they indicated to any of their distribution partners that a short will be forthcoming.  

Mind you, I'm sure Jill Hill knows more than the studio does about this Andalusian based film.  Why For?  Because Jim Hill pretends to know everything.

I like her costume! I'm a KH fan as well, and I'm going to make Namine for myself, and a young Kairi dress for my little niece. :)

I can't wait for that short, because I grew up on those Goofy shorts where he'd do an instructional film...only to have everything go wrong. :)

There are so many holes to the 2-disc vs 1-disc argument....that i don't know if i'm getting bad info here or the executives are seriously that idiotic. And what's all this garbage about expensive 2-disc sets? Jungle Book, Transformers, Knocked Up, all recent purchases cost me less than $20. How much more are they really making?

And how does an argument that 95% (an absurd number if you ask me) of consumers don't bother with the 2nd disc. No company in their right mind would then rerelease a product aimed at 5% of a market. The popularity of DVDs was built by consumers who wanted more than just a movie. And the popularity of Pixar DVDs was probably built on how much bang for the buck they gave.

I just don't get how Disney would have this mindset for new movies and yet still release 2-disc sets for movies from the vaults. Is there some sort of research out there that says fans of the Jungle Book and Sleeping Beauty are more capable of delineating between a disc that says Movie and one that says Special Features? Versus fans of newer movies who aren't patient enough to spend the 30 seconds allowed to figure it out. Clearly Disney is surveying the worst parents in the world. I'd hate to see how they help their kids with their toys or homework. "I don't have time for this. Does your reading book have Fastplay?"

Thanks, LaDracul.  I showed Alice, and she says thanks, too.  "Is that 'Jim, You're a Moron'?"  (That's what she calls the comments page.)

Happy Birthday Schnebs!

Good points, Hank Hill - don't agree with all of them, but a good solid read.  

"Clearly Disney is surveying the worst parents in the world."

Yep.  Our Disney Store (which we opened a year ago) originally had stars and colorful clouds all over the walls which were quite nice.  The store is pretty bland but the wall paper gave it some warmth, color, and fun.  Then, came... the survey.

Now are walls are white.  Plain old white.  It looks like a Walgreen's and all because of some survey that was given to some suburban simpletons.  Apparently the dullards stated that the colorful, fun, and happy walls "distracted from the product."  

I just want to ask the public one thing:  Are you all out of your _______ minds?

Any woo, I agree that Disney IS surveying the worst parents in the world.  

Falfa31... ever notice the similarities between the new Disney Store and the Apple Store?

I'm just sayin'...

I can understand how leaving out the second disc would help the absent minded parents,  but why leave out the audio commentary?  They've got enough people to make a dozen commentaries.  They could put at least one on the family edition.

I don't know who surveyed whom, but with all due respect, I bought the "Ratatouille" DVD today at Target.

It is a 2-DVD set.

Includes a couple of shorts, making of, etc.

The price was $15.99.

Be a couple of days before we can view it.

"I don't know who surveyed whom, but with all due respect, I bought the "Ratatouille" DVD today at Target. It is a 2-DVD set."

That's a Target bonus, not a replacement for a true 2-disc release.

As for me, I don't care if it's one disc or two as long as the basics are covered.  What gets me is the lack of a commentary when there is no viable reason not to include one.  Most of the other stuff in the two-disc releases is nice, but not necessary, to my mind.  The last two Disney films (Chicken Little and Meet the Robinsons) had them.  It's a travesty that Pixar's did not.