There’s a saying in the book of Proverbs: Pride goeth before a fall.
But — in the case of Disney Feature Animation-Florida — it would appear that it was Simba’s Pride may have had a hand in what happens next at this Central Florida studio.
“The Lion King II: Simba’s Pride,” to be specific.
How is it that a single Disney Television Animation production could have such a calamitous impact on the crew that works at the Disney — MGM production facility? Simple. Back in October of 1998, as this direct-to-video project was popping up on store shelves all over the U.S., some enterprising accountant in the Team Disney Burbank building took a hard look at “Lion King II: Simba’s Pride” and thought: “This video is the best looking thing that DTA has ever burped out. I wonder … Would people pay to see ‘Simba’s Pride’ inside of a real theater? What would happen if we were to arrange to show this direct-to-video production up on the big screen?”
So — almost as a lark — that’s just what the folks at Buena Vista Home Entertainment did. Working in cooperation with the international arm of Disney’s film distribution network, they quickly and quietly arranged for “The Lion King II: Simba’s Pride” to have a brief theatrical run in Asia in the late fall of 1998. And this direct-to-video project did surprisingly well at the box office.
Looking at the impressive ticket sales that “Simba’s Pride” had racked up in Asia, the accounteers then wondered: Would the same thing have happened in America if Disney had opted to show “Lion King II” in theaters prior to putting this DTV product out on store shelves?
So the folks at Disney Television Animation ran this idea by the crew in the Team Disney Burbank building. And — at least initially — these guys Disney management reportedly really resisted the idea of allowing a Disney Television Animation direct-to-video production to be put into theatrical release in the U.S. because … Well … The Walt Disney Company was known for its lavishly produced, lushly detailed animated features. Surely something that was made overseas and on the cheap couldn’t do all that well at the domestic box office.
It was just about this time that Paramount rolled “The Rugrats Movie” out in theaters nationwide. This Nickelodeon Pictures production (which reportedly costs only $25 million to make) went on to gross an astounding $100 million over the 1998 holiday season.
When they saw that a relatively low budget animated feature could go on to achieve blockbuster status at the domestic box office, the crew in the Team Disney Burbank building suddenly sat up and took notice. Which is why they then turned to the execs over at Disney Television Animation and said: “We’ve suddenly warmed to your domestic-theatrical-run-for-a-Disney-direct-to-video-movie idea. Did you have a particular project in mind?”
As it turns out, Disney Television Animation did. Given how well “The Rugrats Movie” has done at the box office, these execs felt that the smartest thing for Disney to do in this situation was to test the waters with a direct-to-video project that was built around another animated character that had also started out life as a Nickelodeon Television star: Jim Jinkins’ “Doug.”
Which is how “Doug’s 1st Movie” (which Disney had initially announced and promoted as a direct-to-video project) suddenly became a theatrical release. Rolling into theaters in March of 1999, “Doug’s First Movie” was a rather modest success — only grossing $19 million during its initial theatrical run.
But — even so — Mouse House officials generally seemed pleased with the results of this test run. Particularly when September 1999 rolled around and they saw how well “Doug’s 1st Movie” did during its home video and DVD debut.
It was then that the weasels who were running the Mouse Factory realized that it was now possible to get two bites from the same apple. As in: They could take one of these low budget direct-to-video productions that Disney Television Animation had produced, stick into theaters nationwide for a limited release and (given that these DTV films usually only cost $8 — $15 million to produce) turn a tidy profit BEFORE that film actually reached its original final destination: which was the store shelf at your local video and DVD emporium.
Best of all (at least from the corporate weasel’s point of view), given all the hype that’s involved in the proper launch of a new Disney theatrical release, the theatrical run of these DTV project basically amounted to one enormous elongated promotion of that film’s upcoming release in the home video and/or DVD format. So the picture’s theatrical release basically primed consumers’ pumps, if you will. Raised their awareness of the project. Making Disney’s customers all the more eager to snatch up that film when it finally hit store shelves four to six months later.
So — after “Doug’s 1st Movie” — out came “The Tigger Movie” in February 2000. Again originally intended as a direct-to-video release, “The Tigger Movie” went on to gross $45.5 million during its domestic theatrical run. This DTA film also went on to sell a surprising large number of units once the DVD and home video version hit store shelves in August 2000.
Now you have to understand that — just as the folks in the Team Disney Building in Burbank are marveling about how much the “The Tigger Movie” was making (A very impressive amount. Particularly when you combined that DTV film’s theatrical gross with its video and DVD sales totals) — the hard numbers for “Dinosaur” have begun rolling in. And this May 2000 release (which was rumored to have cost $150 million to produce) had to struggle all summer long before it could earn $137.7 million domestically.
Disney Feature Animation’s December 2000 release — “The Emperor’s New Groove” — also failed to impress Mouse House execs. Rumored to have blown through over $100 million during its troubled production period, “Groove” only managed to pull in $89 million during its initial domestic run.
Now contrast that with the $36.7 million that “Recess: School’s Out” earned when this Disney Television Animation production rolled into stateside theaters in February 2001. Okay. Sure, that’s less than half of what “The Emperor’s New Groove” earned. But then — when you factor in that the “Recess” movie reportedly cost less than $10 million to make — that puts this DTA production into profit well ahead of “Groove.” Which (I hear) only managed to make its way into the black last year after the film’s overseas box office as well as its home video, DVD and pay-per-view revenues were all factored in.
So can you see the dilemma that’s arising here? It used to be that Disney Feature Animation-Florida was the Mouse’s fair haired child. Why for? Because movies cost one third less to produce in out in Orlando than they did in back in Burbank.
But now Mickey was using some new math. And — in comparison to the cost-to-profit ratio of these direct-to-video projects that Disney Television Animation was consistently churning out — suddenly all of those fine feature length films that the WDFA crew were turning out didn’t seem like such bargains after all.
Mind you, in comparison to Burbank’s batting average, the folks at Disney Feature Animation-Florida were still on a hot streak. While the Mouse’s June 2001 release — “Atlantis: The Lost Empire” — had come up short (earning just $84 million during its initial domestic run, “A:TLE” didn’t even come close to covering its $120 million production costs), WDFA’s June 2002 production — “Lilo and Stitch” — was the big, fat traditionally animated hit that Disney has been looking for. Costing just $80 million to produce, “L&S” pulled in $145 million from its initial domestic run.
But — again — in comparison to the cost-to-profit ratio of all of those Disney Television projects, even “Lilo and Stitch” ‘s impressive box office returns wound up looking puny. Given that they’d only cost $8 — $15 million to produce, the $48.4 million that “Return to Never Land” pulled in February 2002 and the $47.9 million that “Jungle Book II” pulled in February 2003 looked like pure profit-making machines.
Which is why — truthfully — Mouse House officials decided to turn their backs on the dedicated artists and technicians who toiled at Disney Feature Animation-Florida for the past 15 years. Not because these animators did bad work. Because they didn’t. The team at WDFAF actually turned out three hit films in a row: “Mulan,” “Lilo and Stitch” and “Brother Bear.”
But because — these days — animation is a numbers game. At least the way the Mouse plays it. And it really looks like Walt Disney Company officials think that they can get a better return on their investment if they just abandon their corporation’s 67 year tradition of telling great stories through the medium of traditional animation … and — instead — just go with these low budget sequels that execs at Disney Television Animation supervised which are basically produced overseas.
Kind of a sad end to the Disney legacy, don’t you think? Well … maybe not … You see, I just learned that — while the Walt Disney Company seems to have given up on the team who worked at Feature Animation-Florida — that talented group of artists and technicians have NOT given up on traditional animation. Take a gander at the press release that literally just popped into my in-box tonight:
Continuing Walt’s Legacy
ORLANDO, FLORIDA (January 8, 2004) — Legacy Animation Studios, a new animation production studio in Orlando, Florida, opens its doors in Winter Garden, Florida, close to Orlando later this month. The studio will offer a full-range of traditional hand drawn (or 2D) animation services for film, television and commercials. Legacy was established by a group of animators and artists formerly employed by Walt Disney Feature Animation Florida. Legacy will also be dedicated to developing original properties for television and film. In time the studio hopes to produce its first feature film project.
“We believe that traditionally animated films are still a viable form of entertainment,” says Legacy Animation Studios Directing Manager, Eddie Pittman. “Our goal is to create quality animated films with compelling stories and strong characters and to continue Walt Disney’s legacy of hand drawn animation.”
The Legacy team has the talent to back up their claim, with the combined experience of over 25 animated films including The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, Mulan, and Lilo and Stitch.
Pittman has worked on such animated features as Mulan, Tarzan, and Lilo and Stitch. He has taught for the renowned Computer Animation program at Ringling School of Art and Design, and his popular drawing classes taught around Central Florida have been recommended to aspiring animators by Walt Disney Feature Animation Florida. Recently, he produced and directed Legends of the Night Sky: Orion, the world’s first full dome (360°) traditionally animated movie.
Also joining the management team as Creative Director is veteran assistant animator David Nethery. Nethery has nearly 20 years of experience as an animation artist, most of those years at Walt Disney Feature Animation. His credits include such characters as “Meeko” the raccoon from Pocahontas, “Mushu” from Mulan, “Cobra Bubbles” from Lilo and Stitch, and most recently “Tug” and “Koda’s Mom” from Brother Bear.
Legacy currently has three projects in development, including a short film that will begin production in late January 2004.
For more information, visit http://www.legacyanimation.net/.
That’s pretty happy news, don’t you think. Ironically enough, it throws off the sort-of-sad ending that I had mapped for today’s story.
You see, I was originally going to try for a somewhat ironic bookend effect here: I had started the story out by pointing out that WDFAF’s problems appear to have started with the arrival of “The Lion King II: Simba’s Pride.” And I was going to close out today’s article by pointing out this studio’s demise seems to be occurring just as another DTV TLK sequel (“The Lion King 1 ½”) is looming on the horizon.
But now … with the news that Eddie Pittman and Co. are going to try to keep traditional animation alive in Central Florida by starting up Legacy Animation Studios in Winter Garden, I don’t feel sad or ironic anymore. I feel … happy. Hopeful.
Sure, it’s sad that it looks like — come Monday — Mouse House officials will still probably shut down Feature Animation-Florida. But now — what with Bob and his old WDFAF buddies setting up shop just down the street — I can’t help but think about what happened 25 years ago this year. When Don Bluth suddenly decided to walk off the Disney lot back in Burbank, taking a handful of animators with him.
Why for? Because Bluth felt that the folks who were then running Walt Disney Productions no longer really cared about traditional feature animation. And Don was determined to do whatever he had to — even if it meant striking out on his own — in order to save this art form.
That dramatic walkout in September of 1979 inadvertently lead to the second Golden Age of Disney Feature Animation. So — given the parallels to what’s going on now — I can’t help but be somewhat upbeat.
So maybe I WILL close out this story with a “Lion King” reference. Quoting from Tim Rice’s lyrics for that film:
In the circle of life
It’s the wheel of fortune
It’s the leap of faith
It’s the band of hope
Till we find our place
On the path unwinding
In the circle, the circle of life
Here’s hoping that Eddie Pittman’s “leap of faith” pays off in a really big way. Both for him and his very brave crew of former WDFAF artists and technicians. As well as all us animation fans.
I sincerely hope that Legacy Animation Studios is a huge, huge success. Showing the Walt Disney Company — once and for all — what a huge mistake it made when it decided to walk away from Feature Animation Florida and cut all of those talented artists and technicians loose.
That’s it for today, folks. Your thoughts?