Why Walt Disney Feature Animation opted NOT to make “My Peoples”

Jim Hill

14 years ago

I’m sure that you’re already familiar with that Audio
Animatronic version of Abraham Lincoln which appears in The Hall of Presidents
at WDW‘s Magic Kingdom.

And maybe you’ve seen that cool, new NextGen version of
Honest Abe which made its debut in Disneyland‘s significantly revamped “Great
Moments with Mr. Lincoln” show back in December of 2009.

In honor of Presidents Day, I thought that I’d show you another
Disney version of Abe Lincoln that you may not be familiar with. Which is the
folk art version of our 16^th president that was supposed to have
appeared in “My Peoples.”

“My Peoples” AKA “Eglin’s People” AKA “Once in a Blue Moon”
AKA “Angel and Her No Good Sister” AKA “A Few Good Ghosts” was the animated
feature that Walt Disney Feature Animation – Florida had in the works right
before that studio was closed for good in March of 2004.

Now as to why “My Peoples” got shut down (More importantly,
why this animated feature was going to feature a folk art version of Abe
Lincoln ) … Well, it’s kind of an interesting snapshot of what was going on at
Walt Disney Feature Animation at that time.

According to Barry Cook, the co-director of Disney’s “Mulan
“
as well as the creator / director of the “My Peoples” project, the origins of
this proposed production can be traced back to the late 1990s. Which – as you
may recall – was a pretty stressful time to be working in feature animation.

For those of you who don’t recall: As the summer of 1998 was
arriving, Disney Company management was increasingly concerned about WDFA’s
mojo. Or lack thereof. You see, the three animated features that the Studios
had released since the Summer of 1994 – 1995’s “Pocahontas,” 1996’s “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” and 1997’s “Hercules” – hadn’t even come close to
matching “The Lion King” ‘s box office earnings and/or merchandising might.

And then – when you factor in the increased competition that WDFA was about to face in the animation marketplace, what with
the upcoming release of DreamWorks Animation‘s first two feature-length films,
“Antz” (which was released to theaters on October 2^nd, 1998) and
“The Prince of Egypt” (which went into
wide release on December 18, 1998) – there was increasing pressure on Walt Disney Feature Animation to deliver a hit.

Thankfully, “Mulan” delivered. The first feature-length
project to be produced primarily by the crew working at Disney Feature
Animation – Florida, this Tony Bancroft / Barry Cook film performed solidly at
the box office. More to the point, critics hailed “Mulan” as the Studio’s best
film since “The Lion King.” Which is just the shot in the arm that Walt Disney
Feature Animation needed at that time.

But as for Barry Cook … As he looked at all of the other
animated features that Disney had in development and/or active production at
this time, ambitious & hugely expensive projects like “Tarzan,” “Fantasia 2000,” “Kingdom of the Sun” and “Atlantis,” Cook couldn’t help but think that WDFA
needed to be doing things differently. Like maybe borrow a page from what Walt did in the early 1940s. Which is — in addition to the big, expensive, labor-intensive projects like “Pinocchio,” “Fantasia” and “Bambi” — you slip a smaller, sweeter, easier-to-animate films like “Dumbo” into your production schedule. That way … Well, you’d be adding some variety to the mix. More to the point, Mouse House managers then wouldn’t have to worry about all of these hugely expensive animated event films becoming massive blockbusters. Which was the only way that these movies were ever actually going to recover all of their production / P & A costs.

And Barry … He thought that he had the perfect premise for a small but sweet Disney animated feature: “The Ghost and his Gift.” Which was a short story that Cook
had written (which – in a phone conversation that he and I had last week –
Barry described as being a cross between “The Canterville Ghost” and “To Kill a Mockingbird“) about these two star-crossed lovers who lived in Appalachia in
the late 1940s. More importantly, how a ghost and three small kids helped to bring
this couple together.

“Mulan” co-director and “My
Peoples” creator Barry Cook. Copyright
2004 Westlund Productions, Inc. All
rights reserved

Now given that Cook had actually grown up in Tennessee, he knew
this region of the United States — more importantly, its music & style of
storytelling — very well. Which is why Barry was then able to create a series
of beat boards that he used to pitch this project to Michael Eisner, the
then-Big Cheese at The Walt Disney Company, and Thomas Schumacher, the
then-head of Walt Disney Feature Animation.

And while Eisner & Schumacher were admittedly charmed by
Cook’s initial presentation, they both had concerns about “The Ghost and his
Gift.” Michael flat-out told Barry that his story was just too simple &
sweet, that it needed more edge. Whereas Thomas … His main concern with “Ghost”
was that this premise – as Cook had initially pitched it, anyway – wasn’t
crying out to be animated. That this film (in its present form) could just as
easily be produced by the live-action side of things at Walt Disney Studios.

So Barry took the notes that he got from Michael &
Thomas and then thought some more about this Appalachia-based tale. Which then
made Cook think of his grandmother who dabbled in folk art. Who’d taken things
like high heel shoes and glued pieces of macaroni & fabric to them,
thereby transforming those shoes into something entirely different; truly
unique pieces of character art.

Barry wondered. If he removed the Ghost & the kids from
his storyline and then made it pieces of folk art which eventually brought
these two star-crossed lovers together … Would that make this story seem that
much animate-able and edgier? At least in Eisner & Schumacher’s eyes?

So Cook quickly sketched up 7 folk art characters: Angel
(the sweet protagonist of our tale, whose body & head had been made out of
an old flour scoop) and Ms. Spinster (whose body & head were fashioned from
of someone’s long-discarded wooden leg & foot) …

Whereas Blues Man had been built out of a broken mandolin,
Abe Lincoln was made using an old scrub brush & some spoons, and Good O’
was fashioned entirely out of auto parts …

Cherokee had been crafted out of an old work glove …

While Crazy Ray had been carved out of an old tree stump.

With these seven pieces of folk art now acting as the backwoods
Cupids that ultimately brought Rose & Elgin (i.e. they’re the human couple at the very heart of “My
Peoples” ‘ story) together, Barry wondered: Would these characters actually be enough to
then put this story premise over the top? Get Michael & Thomas to allow “My Peoples”
to move beyond beat boards into artistic development?

To seal the deal, Cook had a maquette of Angel created …

… and then had this folk art figurine placed inside
of an empty fiddle case. Which Barry then had shipped to Thomas’ office at
Feature Animation’s headquarters in Burbank. And when Schumacher opened that
fiddle case and saw the Angel maquette, he was immediately charmed and saw the
true potential of “My Peoples.” Which is why Thomas then allowed Barry to proceed with development of
this project .

Which isn’t to say that “My Peoples” had
a particularly smooth production path. Given that Disney Feature Animation already had a
“Romeo & Juliet” -themed project (i.e. “Gnomeo & Julliet”) in
development, Cook knew that his proposed animated feature had to seem that much better, had to have
some sort of additional hook if it were to eventually get greenlit by
Mouse House managers.

And given that Barry – thanks to his work experience on “Off
His Rockers,” that hand-drawn / CG combination short that Cook and the crew at
Walt Disney Feature Animation – Florida had created back in 1992 — …

… he knew that there was considerable cost savings to be had
if all of the “My Peoples” folk art characters were animated via CG while this
film’s human characters were done hand-drawn style.

So that’s how Barry wound up pitching his production plan for
this Walt Disney Feature Animation – Florida project. That “My Peoples” would
be 70% CG and 30% hand-drawn. Which meant that he could then deliver this movie
for a considerably lower price point than – say – “Atlantis: The Lost Empire“
or “Treasure Planet.”

As Cook recounted in an interview that he did for Dan Lund
& Tony West‘s acclaimed documentary, “Dream On Silly Dreamer
” :

“As I told (veteran WDFA producer) Pam Coats: ‘Give us $45
million dollars, leave us alone for 3 years and I’ll deliver you a movie. A
movie that could make a profit. I felt very confident that I could do that.”

Mind you, it was very canny of Barry to suggest that he
could deliver “My Peoples” for $45 million. Given that – back in 1992 &
1992 – “The Lion King” had been produced for just $45 million. And that Don
Hahn film had gone on to make $783 million worldwide.

And Coats – to her credit – genuinely went to bat for “My
Peoples.” Doing everything she could to run interference for this Walt Disney
Feature Animation – Florida production, as she tried to keep the executives back
in Burbank out of Cook’s hair.

Want proof? Here’s an excerpt from James B. Stewart’s 2005
book, “DisneyWar.” Where Pam actually stands up to Michael Eisner in an
animation production meeting. Telling the then-head of The Walt Disney Company
that ” … We
don’t want you to shoot (“My Peoples”) down,” when Eisner continues to quibble about this particular
project. Saying that this Barry Cook film is admittedly “… cute but it feels
small.”

Well, to counter Michael’s concerns, Barry then went out
and signed a big-name vocal cast for “My Peoples.” Hiring Dolly Parton to voice
the role of Angel, Lily Tomlin to do Ms. Spinster’s dialogue and Hal Halbrook
to perform Abe Lincoln’s lines. Cook – for a short time, anyway – even
convinced James Carville (i.e. the former lead strategist for Bill Clinton‘s
presidential campaigns and now a noted liberal pundit) to do the voice of Crazy
Ray.

Better yet, Barry convinced Ricky Skaggs & Marty
Stuart to come handle the musical end of things on “My Peoples.” Which meant
that this WDFA production was going to have an absolutely killer score. Which
would then (hopefully) translate into a best-selling soundtrack for Walt Disney
Records.

All of the necessary pieces seemed to be falling into
place. With master animator Andreas Deja agreeing to handle Elgin & Rose,
this film’s two hand-drawn starring roles. While Ric Sluiter handled character
development of “My Peoples” CG characters and Andy Harkness worked on this
film’s overall look.

And for a while there, it really did look like “My Peoples”
was actually going to get made. Especially when – on March 25, 2002 – Thomas
Schumacher announced that the Burbank end of Walt Disney Feature Animation
would soon be transformed into an all-digital operation producing only CG
films. With the Studio’s two remaining hand-drawn projects (2003’s “Brother Bear” and the 30% hand-drawn “My Peoples”) being completed by the crew
at Disney Feature Animation – Florida.

Given that hundreds of his longtime friends &
co-workers had lost their jobs as a direct result as Schumacher’s announcement,
Cook tried to stay positive. Tried to keep his team at WDFA-F on track,
focusing on the day-to-day problems involved with developing a brand-new
feature-length cartoon. Rather than obsessing on what was going on in Burbank
at that moment and what the long
term implications for the staff of Disney’s Florida studio might be.

“Tom genuinely believed in ‘My Peoples,’ ” Barry stated.
“Which is why – if he had just stayed with Disney Feature Animation – I’m
certain that he would have helped me get this project where it needed to be.
That this movie would have eventually been made.”

Unfortunately, Schumacher exited WDFA in November of
2002. Opting to move over to Buena Vista Theatrical Productions, so that Thomas
could then concentrate on developing new plays & musicals that The Walt
Disney Company could then present on Broadway.

Which is why –
after a brief power vacuum – Eisner then appointed David Stainton as the head
of Walt Disney Feature Animation in January of 2003. And given how poorly
“Treasure Planet” had performed over the 2002 holiday season (earning only
$38.1 million during its entire domestic run), Stainton was under orders to
make even more reductions-in-production-costs-and-head-count at WDFA. Which
didn’t bode well for the folks in Florida.

“Don’t get me wrong. I don’t think that David was a bad
guy. I just don’t think that he never got ‘My Peoples,’ ” Cook said. “

Which is why – while Stainton was calling the shots at
WDFA – “My Peoples” went through a number of title changes (In “DisneyWar,”
David is quoted as being really enthusiastic about renaming this film “Angel
and her No Good Sister” because that title then suggested ” … automatic
conflict”).

On Stainton’s watch, the main plot of this animated
feature also received a pretty significant rewrite. Now it wasn’t just
enchanted pieces of folk art that were helping Elgin & Rose with their
romance. But – rather – pieces of folk art that were now possessed by
mischievous mountain spirits. Hence “My Peoples” late-in-the-game title change,
“A Few Good Ghosts.”

And then the production team began to get increasingly
erratic story notes from the execs back in Burbank. So one week, the folks in
Florida would be told “Stage that scene indoors at an old-time movie theater …”

And the very next week, these same allegedly-creative
executives would then say “You know, maybe this scene would play better if it
were set outdoors at a drive-in movie?” …

And the crew in Orlando would then have to create all-new
artwork in order to accommodate this sudden story change.

Mind you, all of this extra effort & aggravation
would have been worth it if “My Peoples” had actually been completed. But in the end, though David allowed Barry’s
film to officially go into production in May of 2003, this project was only up
and running for a brief six months. In November of that same year, Stainton
abruptly pulled the plug on this combination hand-drawn / CG animated feature
because … Well, for a variety of reasons, actually.

Some folks will tell you that it just came down to the
fact that “Chicken Little” had far better name recognition than “My Peoples”
AKA “Angel and Her No Good Sister” AKA “A Few Good Ghosts.” Which is why Disney
then decided to press ahead with production of that Mark Dindal movie rather
than continuing with Cook’s film.

“Which is kind of ironic. Given that Disney then didn’t allow
Dindal to make the movie that he originally wanted to make either. Mark’s an
old friend of mine. We started at Disney together in visual effects animation.
We both worked on ‘Tron,’ ” Barry remembers. “And after they okayed production
of his animated feature, the Studio then made Mark make all sorts of changes to
Chicken Little. They made him get rid of Holly Hunter as the voice of Chicken
Little because some VP suddenly decided that ‘This character should be a 10
year-old boy.’ All sorts of stuff like that. Mark had a really tough time on
that project.”

Another factor in Disney’s decision to abandon “My
Peoples” came because there were a lot of executives at Walt Disney Studios who
seriously underestimated the appeal of bluegrass music.

“Which again is kind of ironic., ” Cook laughed. “Given
that Disney was the company that had distributed “O Brother, Where Art Thou?‘ domestically in
2000. And given the soundtrack
for that Coen Brothers film – which was just
loaded with great bluegrass music – then went on to win a Grammy as Album of
the Year and then become one of the best-selling soundtracks of all time. But –
by the time 2003 rolled around – people at the Studio had entirely forgotten about that. Which just goes to
show you how short memories in Hollywood really are.”

Still others will tell you that the decision to shut down
production of “A Few Good Ghosts” in November of 2003 (and then the entire Walt
Disney Feature Animation – Florida studios just four months later) wasn’t
Stainton’s doing. But – rather – Eisner’s. Who – as he did with ABC back in
1999 when Michael ordered that that network move its corporate headquarters
from Manhattan to the Disney lot in Burbank – was just looking for ways to consolidate
power. Put all of WDFA employees in one place under one roof so that they could
then respond that much quicker to any & all of Eisner’s commands.

Whatever the real reason for “My Peoples” ‘s shutdown, it
was then up to Barry to pick up the phone and break the bad news to all of
the voice actors that he’d signed to work on this Disney Feature Animation
-Florida production.

“I think that the toughest call that I had to make was
the one to Charles Durning. You see, when we hired him to do the voice of Old Man
McGee, Charles just went on and on about how thrilled he was to get this part.
How he’d always wanted to do a voice for an animated character in a Disney
film. And now I had to call Durning and tell him that the Studio had decided
that it didn’t want to make that movie anymore?,” Cook remembered. “Yeah, that
was a tough call.”

Barry also had to reach out to Hal Holbrook, the voice of
Abe Lincoln for “My Peoples.” Who – as our 16^th president was going
to be portrayed in this proposed Walt Disney Feature Animation production – was
going to be a very comical character.

“Just like the Teddy character in ‘Arsenic & Old Lace
‘
is crazy and thinks that he’s Theodore Roosevelt, our folk Abe
wasn’t going to be the real President Lincoln. He was just an old scrub brush
with spoons for ears that thinks he’s president,” Cook explained. “So we were
going to have him do crazy President-Lincoln-kind-of things like emancipating
the chickens out in the barnyard.”

But that said, “My Peoples” Abe Lincoln character was
also going to be this movie’s voice of reason. He was the one who’d be advising
caution when all of the characters wanted to go rushing after Angela. Who – after learning that Elgin
had created this particular piece of folk art in order to tell Rose of his love
for her … Well, Angel decides that she just isn’t up for playing the role of
Cupid and then runs away from home.

And given that Holbrook had already played Honest Abe in
“Sandburg’s Lincoln” (which was this 6-part mini-series about our 16^th
president that NBC aired back in 1974) … Well, Hal gave a wonderfully warm
& thoughtful performance as this cartoon character. In fact, it was during
one “My Peoples” recording session that Holbrook did something that
brought Cook and the rest of his team in the booth to tears.

“Before he got started, Hal said ‘I gotta warm up as
Abe.’ So then – in his Lincoln voice, entirely from memory – Holbrook performed
the Gettysburg Address,” Barry recalled. “And to hear those words in that voice
was just so moving.

And speaking of moving … As if the sudden shutdown of “My
Peoples” AKA “Angel and her No Good Sister” AKA
“A Few Good Ghosts” wasn’t bad enough, Cook soon discovered that there just
wasn’t any room for him at the new
Burbank-based version of Walt Disney Feature Animation. So after 22 years at
the Mouse House, Barry moved on.

“Which was tough. I mean, it’s a hard lesson to learn
that — while you may personally be loyal to a corporation – it’s impossible
for a corporation to then be loyal back to an individual. Enormous multinational
companies just aren’t built like that,” Cook continued.

But Barry took all of that story-telling expertise that
he picked up during his two-plus-decades of working at Disney and then took it on the road. For most of
2009, Cook was over in the UK., where he worked with the folks at Aardman
Animations, Ltd. as the co-director on their upcoming Holiday 2011 release, “Arthur Christmas.”
Which is already getting some terrific buzz thanks to its very funny teaser
trailer.

But as for “My Peoples” … Well, Cook continues to have a
soft spot in his heart for this aborted WDFA-F production. Which is easy to understand. Given that Barry associates so
many great experiences with this nearly-made movie (like the time he got to go to Ricky
Skaggs’ house and watch this country star perform in his home recording studio)
that it’s hard to now dwell on what might have been.

But that said … Given that the Walt Disney Feature
Animation management team that actually pulled the plug on “My Peoples” is no
longer in power in Burbank … More to the
point, given that the crew that’s now in charge of Walt Disney Animation
Studios have begun circling back on feature film concepts that Schumacher &
Stainton couldn’t quite make work (EX: “Reboot Ralph.” That
console-game-character-who-escapes-from-his-vintage-cartridge-only-to-then-discover-that-it’s-now-a-MMORPG-world
film that’s currently in active development at WDAS. Whereas – back in the late
1990s / early 2000s – this project was known as “Joe Jump”).

So if “Joe Jump” can be rebooted … Wouldn’t it stand to
reason that a sweet, sincere and deliberately-low-cost project, one that’s
deliberately aimed at the heartland of the country and combines CG &
hand-drawn animation, deserves another look-see?

Well, here’s hoping that – someday soon – John Lasseter has his people take
another look at “My Peoples.”

Your thoughts?