As Mark Twain once so eloquently put it: “The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated.”
To explain: Yesterday, we reported on a rumor that had been flying around the Web recently. One that said that Disney’s “Chicken Little” (the Mouse House’s first full computer animated release) was in serious trouble. Perhaps on the verge of being completely scrapped.
This rumor can actually be traced back to a letter that the folks over at SaveDisney.com posted last week. One that talked about how the problems that used to haunt Walt Disney Feature Animation when that division made traditionally animated films (I.E. tens of millions of dollars of development work would be tossed out the window because new movies had gone into production before all of their problems had been resolved) have continued that the Mouse House has moved into CG.
The line in that letter that — just like that acorn in the tale of Chicken Little — that got this whole story started was:
“… Just three days ago I was told that with a July release date Chicken Little, a 3D production only 20% complete, is being totally scrapped.”
That one little sentence became the Animation World’s equivalent of “The Shot Heard ‘Round the World.” With discussion boards from here to Timbuktu suddenly filling up with stories with subject lines like “Chicken Little – What’s the Status?”
Happily, the news coming out of Burbank yesterday was that — just like with Mark Twain — the reports of “Chicken Little”‘s demise were greatly exaggerated as well. According to one WDFA insider that I spoke with yesterday:
“What are these people talking about? The film is fine. Sure, we’re still making some changes in its third act. But what film — 15 months prior to when it’s supposed to be released in theaters — isn’t still making changes?
Trust me, Jim. ‘Chicken Little’ is still a very funny movie. People are going to be very pleasantly surprised when July 2005 finally rolls around.”
You know what’s the really funny part of this whole story? You know what seems to have sparked the rumor that “Chicken Little” was in serious trouble? That Mark Dindal, the movie’s director decided to cut 30 seconds of finished footage out of the film.
As one anonymous Mouse House manager put it to me yesterday:
“You have to understand that the stakes are ridiculously high on ‘Chicken Little.’ Up until this film, Disney has never made a completely CG animated feature before. And there are a lot of people out there who would love to see this film fail. As well as all the other computer animated projects that we have in the pipeline. Just so Disney would then have to go back to making traditionally animated movies.
So — understandably — every little production problem that ‘Chicken Little’ experiences is going to be exaggerated. Particularly if it helps someone else’s agenda. Don’t worry. The film is fine.”
Well, here’s hoping that these folks who are familiar with what’s really going on with “Chicken Little” are correct. That this film really isn’t in danger of flaming out anytime soon.
You wanna take a peek at what “Chicken Little” will look like? Then take a look at the film’s trailer (QuickTime required).