They've taken us under the sea with their charming
reimagining of Hans Christian Andersen's "The Little Mermaid." Not to
mention soaring through the sky aboard a magic carpet in their wildly comic
take on the 1001 Arabian Nights, "Aladdin."
So where will John Musker and Ron Clements be taking
moviegoers next? To the South Seas. A remote spot on the
map that these two Walt Disney Animation Studios veterans genuinely believe is
the perfect setting for "Moana," a CG-animated comedy-adventure that
will be sailing into theaters come November of 2016.
So what made Musker & Clements decide to set their next project
in the South Pacific? To hear John recount the origins of this production, it
all had to do with the books that he read as a kid.
"I grew up reading the novels of Melville and Conrad.
And the South Seas, the exotic world that a lot of their
stories are set in, was extremely intriguing to me. Just looking at the art
which comes out that corner of the globe — the carvings, the statuary, the
sculpture — I thought that it all begged for this bigger-than-life treatment
that you can only get with animation," John remembered. "So to expand
on that idea, I then began reading up on the mythology of this area. Which is
when I came across these incredible tales about Maui,
who's one of the great cultural heroes of the South Pacific."
It was this point that Musker thought that there was a film
to be found somewhere amid all of this promising material. So he and Clements
put together a pitch for this project. Which they then ran by John Lasseter,
the Chief Creative Officer of Walt Disney and Pixar Animation Studios.
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"So Ron and I developed this very simple storyline. And
John being John, he said 'I love this arena. I love the bare bones of the story
you've got. But this really begs for research. On the ground research.' So we
were forced, as it were, " Musker said jokingly, "to go to the South
Seas two years ago. We've gone twice now. Two big research trips.
And those trips have been revelatory and kind of life-changing in a way. In that
it made us take our very simple outline and rework the whole thing."
"When we visited those islands, John and I were
especially interested in meeting people who lived on islands where they had
grown up surrounded by an ocean. We wondered how that might effect your
point-of-view. And we learned a lot. We learned all kinds of things that we
didn't know. We learned how the sea and the land are one and the same. How
these people think of the ocean as something that unites the islands, not
something that separates them," Clements recalled. "And then we
learned about the great migration and how the people of the Islands
take great pride in the fact that their ancient ancestors invented this way of
navigation called dead reckoning which involved studying the stars and the
currents. And way before the European explorers or the Vikings, these people
had this very, very incredibly advanced techniques of navigation."
"So many of these ideas in terms of respect for nature,
respect for the ocean and the elements — all of these things — really had a
huge influence on us and then began to make their way into this film's
story," Ron continued. "Which is why 'Moana' is now the most
ambitious thing that John and I have ever attempted. There's definitely an epic
aspect to this story. Not to mention huge opportunities for comedy and action
and adventure. But at the same time, there's also a key relationship at the
very heart of this story. An emotional core that — I think — is especially
important with this film. But as it is with any of these things, you just hope
that — in the end — you can get it right."
Of course, what really helps in a situation like this when
you're tackling something truly ambitious is have a talented team backing you
up. Which is what Musker & Clements honestly believe they have with all the
artists, animators and technicians who are currently working at Walt Disney
Animation Studios.
(L to R) Ron Clements and John Musker last month at the
Burbank International Film Festival
"There's an incredibly talented crew here right now
that has just been developing in an amazing way over the past few years.
Particularly since John Lasseter and Ed Catmull have come onboard. And with
each new film, this crew has sort of been stretching its boundaries,"
Clements enthused. "I mean, it's very exciting at the Studios right now.
People don't feel like they're limited in what their aspirations can be.
There's a huge push now to just and try to do better. Make something as special
as possible."
Mind you, with much of "Moana" taking place in the
open ocean and with this film's title character encountering enormous sea
creatures and mythic figures … There are all sorts of technical challenges
that Musker & Clements know that they will be facing on this project. Which
is why — to help them with their first-ever all-CG film — Ron & John
asked Osnat Shurer (who had previously worked with John Lasseter over at Pixar)
to come be their producer on this production.
Just to be clear here: Osnat's no newbie when it comes to
Disney. She's been working as the VP of Development at WDAS for a while now.
"And much as I loved all the projects currently in
development (WDAS has a very strong development slate and amazing filmmakers at
the helm), I particularly resonated with 'Moana' for a number of reasons: Ron and John are
awesome. This film deals with a surprising, exciting, and lesser known culture,
which is right up my alley. It's a fantastic story. And 'Moana' has this
kick-ass, feisty, interesting female protagonist," Shurer explained.
"So that when Ron and John asked if I would be their producer, and I said
I would very much like to, John Lasseter, Ed Catmull, and Andrew Millstein
thought it was a fantastic match."
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So with today's announcement, a two year journey begins. One
that Ron, John and Osnat (not to mention Ian Gooding, who's also agreed to come
on board "Moana" and become this new animated feature's production
designer) hope will end with a genuinely entertaining motion picture.
"That — in the end — is the real challenge here.
We've got this story that's set 2000 years ago which we're building around a 14
year-old heroine. That's the youngest character Ron & I have ever built a
film around. And while we want to do something that honors the culture of the South
Seas, at the same time, we want to make a film that will work for
people all around the world," Musker stated. "So is 'Moana' is going
to be challenging? Yes. But it's exciting to be challenged. If it were easy,
why would we do this? Ron and I like a challenge. And this project — while
difficult — has already been so
rewarding. If only for all the amazing things that we learned on our research
trips to the South Pacific."
"We're a long way from the finish line. But we're
already heavy, heavy into storyboarding and scripting and screenings. And as
these processes go along, I know that there'll be more announcements coming
down the line in regards to various other aspects of this movie," Clements
concluded.
So as we wait for further announcements on this film, here's
hoping that it's smooth sailing for Disney's "Moana." As Ron &
John chart a course for their most ambitious animated feature to date through
those treacherous, shark-filled waters that are known as modern motion picture
production.
This article was originally posted on the Huffington Post's Entertainment page on Monday, October 20, 2014