When you look back over the past three months of Disney Company history, with all its dramatic twists and turns, all the sudden surprises … one has to wonder: How did we actually get here?
How did we get to the point where Roy Disney and Stanley Gold are on the outside of the corporation, calling for Disney’s CEO to step down? Where Pixar’s getting ready to pack up and move on, while Kermit and Co. are getting ready to move into the Mouse House? Meanwhile, Comcast is said to be readying yet another takeover bid for the Disney Company. While Michael Eisner’s job … well, it appears to be hanging on how well Disney’s Big Cheese performs at next week’s annual shareholder meeting in Philadelphia.
How did we get to this extremely weird juncture in Disney Company history? Well, if you asked me, I’d say that the first domino fell back on Friday, November 17th. That was the day that WDFA president David Stainton snuck into Orlando and — with little or no warning — suddenly pulled the plug on “A Few Good Ghosts.”
That was the event (to my way of thinking, anyway) that served as the catalyst for much that followed. The incredibly shoddy way that the artists and technicians who worked at Feature Animation-Florida were treated in the weeks that followed caught the attention of both the mainstream press as well as Disneyana fans everywhere. It was into this highly charged atmosphere that Roy and Stanley decided to launch their savedisney.com effort … and the rest of the story, you know.
But what you may not know is — this past Saturday night — the alumni of Feature Animation-Florida gathered backstage at Disney-MGM for one last time. Many of the studio’s executives, artists, animators and technicians made one final visit to this state-of-the-art facility. To talk, to drink, to reminisce … as well as to wonder why in hell Disney management could do something so stupid as to break up such a winning team.
Some of you may recall Brother Bri, the WDFA staffer who was kind enough to share his thoughts with JHM readers last month when Stainton finally officially pulled the plug on Feature Animation-Florida. Well, Brother Bri is back. This time with an admitted bittersweet take on what just happened this past Saturday night. When the talented team that made WDFA-F such a special place to work … gathered at that studio for one final fling.
Jim,
It’s hard to believe, but the last mass assembling of the Walt Disney Feature Animation-Florida crew has come and gone. No real big dramatic embarrassing speeches with fake tears from Disney management. Just a really nice night with food and games and many, many welcome faces from the WDFA-F past and present.
Among the notable mingling guests were Max Howard, that wonderful man who helped start up this studio. He was unlike any other studio head: sincerely personable, friendly, and a guy who honestly cared. It was so amazing that he showed up to help bookend the history of this place.
Also among the surprise guests were Chris Sanders, Dean DeBlois, and Clark Spencer — the brilliant directors and producer who brought us “Lilo and Stitch,” arguably the Florida Studio’s finest hour and twenty minutes. Chris and Dean had such great affection for this place because they could be unbelievably creative here without Disney executives breathing down their necks. I really believe they discovered how free they felt when they came out to Orlando to work out “Mulan” ‘s story.
Clark Spencer, who was all too briefly the studio head before being placed as the producer of “Lilo and Stitch,” is one of THE most professional individuals I have ever met. He never forgot a face, and always displayed such abject humility despite his incredible communication skills. Because of these 3 men, “Lilo and Stitch” ‘s production was such a well-oiled machine. It’s a crying shame that Disney has split up that incredible team with Clark on “Wilbur Robinson,” Chris on “American Dog,” and Dean writing live action features.
Then again, that was the theme of the whole night. How could Eisner and Stainton let slip through their fingers THE premiere 2d animation staff in the world? It made me sick to my stomach to hear Eisner on “Larry King Live” (this past Friday night saying things like): “Well, everything has not moved to California. We will still be demonstrating animation in Florida. We will still be doing certain cell animation in Florida. And it’s going to be the same great attraction that it always has been. We consolidated a lot of the creative work back in California in our building, so that we could participate in the rejuvenation and the rebuilding of three-dimensional animation which really has to take place in one location.” How many times could that man drop the term “three-dimensional animation”?! … And (just) what did he mean by “doing certain cell animation in Florida”?! … Or why does that even have to take place in one location?
The question I get most often when I inform other people that I was a member of the Florida crew is, “Are they moving you out back to California?” As if all they were shutting down was the building and we were all going to be flown to Burbank on a private jet to continue the work that we all dreamed of doing as children. Jim, a SMALL minute fraction of us were offered that deal. They are retaining next to nothing of the Florida crew. We have been scattered to the four winds.
The talent has already bled away. The beneficiaries are Pixar, Sony, CORE digital, Blue Sky, Electronic Arts, and a few others. Historians will look back at this point in Disney history and ask “Why?! This doesn’t make any sense.”
The great majority of us are still languishing here hoping that work will come along. I think many people believe that LEGACY picked up all the pieces left in the debris, but even they can only afford a small handful of people. The many remaining casualties are trying to find that redirection and purpose in life.
There was a small rumour that Roy Disney might show up and speak to us. But — sadly — he never appeared. The naive fool inside of me thinks (that) he’ll oust Eisner on March 3rd, remove David Stainton, and (then) wave his magic wand and (put Feature Animation-Florida back the way) it was before all the events from the past year took place.
However, I know that’s a huge pipe dream that can never come true. A resurrection of the Florida Studio would truly have to be a miracle.
The most I can realistically hope for is the ousting of Eisner as some sort of satisfying revenge. In a way, the closing of the Florida Studio started a HUGE chain reaction that changed the face of this company. It’s amazing to recount the events of the past few months. In November, our picture was shut down. Next, Roy Disney and Stanley Gold quit. In January, they officially shut us down. Pixar secedes from the union. Comcast attempts a hostile takeover. The Muppets are taken hostage. It’s like some sort of strange war is being played out and the Florida Studio was the “Pearl Harbor” that started it all.
The saddest moment last night was when we were all being ushered out as catering packed up and they flashed the lights like they do at the library to let us know that we only had ten minutes left in our fifteen year run. No one wanted to leave. If they’d let us, we’d still be standing about right now recounting all the wonderful experiences that we shared on the backlot of the Disney/MGM-Studios.
Instead, we were given a sack full of parting gifts that they cleaned out of their storage closets and we went our separate ways.
It is too difficult to express how I truly feel right now. I’m still too close to it. All I know is that I shared in something great and it died prematurely. Our coping mechanisms have kicked in as we say things like, “It was probably time to move on …” or “This is a new beginning.” While those statements ring true, it doesn’t diminish how terrible it feels to have gone through one of the biggest mistakes in Disney history.
Jim, thank you so much for being our sounding board. I’ve CC’d this to Roy Disney and Dave Pruiksma to let them in on the events of last night ….I don’t know if you’ll hear from me again. I don’t have much more to offer you. March 19th is the last day we have to clean out our stuff before they refit the studio for whoever inherits it. Feel free to share my thoughts on your site. I just hope my words can have some small affect to put the company back on track.
Someday, I’d like to work for Feature Animation again. It was a realization of a lifelong dream …. Hopefully, the next iteration of my life will be just as satisfying and not as bittersweet.
All the best
Brother Bri
In the years ahead, when the management of the Walt Disney Company finally DOES come to its senses and realizes that it HAS TO get back into the traditional animation business again (And — trust me, folks — that’s going to happen. Sooner rather than later. Just wait ’til that glut of CG animated features that’s currently in the production pipeline hits the big screen in late 2005/early 2006. Audiences are really going to hacker for something different to look at right about then), shutting down Feature Animation-Florida is going to be seen as one of the most ridiculously short-sighted maneuvers that the Mouse ever made.
It’s going to take YEARS for Disney to rebuild its traditional animation department, to recreate the unit that once brought us such memorable motion pictures as “Beauty and the Beast,” “Aladdin” and “The Lion King.”
That’s perhaps why so many WDFA vets (at the Burbank studio, anyway) have opted to swallow their pride, taken salary cuts, spending hundreds of hours taking computer classes … all in an effort to hang on to their jobs at Feature Animation. Not just because they have mortgages to pay and families to support.
But rather … here, let me let one anonymous Disney animation great (a man who — I’m sure — has animated some of your favorite Disney characters over the past 20 years) explain:
“Someday, in the not-so-distant future, Disney’s going to realize that it made a huge mistake in shutting down the studio’s traditional animation unit. That our CG films aren’t going to seem all that special. That they’re going to look just like the stuff that Pixar, Blue Sky and Sony are churning out. So Disney’s animated films are going to start to look like everyone else’s do.
At that point — in order for our studio to seem special once more — Disney’s going to HAVE TO to get back into traditional animation again. The suits are going to realize that — once they see the glut of CG product that’s coming — that hand drawn stuff is going to look special to audiences once more. So the only way that Disney can differentiate itself from Pixar and the rest of the pack is by going back to what it once did sowell.
That’s why I’m hanging on here, Jim. For the day I know is coming. In two years, maybe three. When the suits suddenly realize how just badly they’ve screwed up. When they finally announce that Disney’s going to make another traditionally animated feature.
That’s why I’m staying here at the Burbank studio. When I know I could probably get a better paying job elsewhere. Because someone — when Disney Company management finally realizes that Feature Animation is broken — has to be on hand to fix it.”
It’s kind of sad, isn’t it? To read about WDFAF’s last big blow-out this past Saturday night. Then to hear how truly dedicated some of the remaining Feature Animation employees really are …pParticularly when you realize that Disney Company management doesn’t have nearly this amount of dedication and heart. Those guys are just concerned about how the stock price is doing this week. Whether the Disney corporation is going to meet its quarterly earnings projections.
It’s at moments like this that I realize that — these days — the wrong people are really running the show at the Mouse House. This is an issue that we’ll discuss at some length over the next few days.
Til then … your thoughts?