Disney's 'Home on the Range' - (The Last 2-D Animated Feature?)

[Beast]

While I have issues with Disney, I do enjoy many of their animated features. And it's a crying shame to hear that they're going to cease producing traditional 2-D animated features, and move fully to 3-D cartoons. Especially since the Disney that 'Uncle Walt' built was started on 2-D ink and paint animation. I know that Disney was intrested in the next bit of new technology, but I think moving away from traditional animation is a big mistake. There is a trailer for this final 2-D movie on the 'Little Nemo' DVD, and follow the link for some pictures from the trailer.

The Story, from what I've been able to dig up on-line, is set in the old west. And the original title was 'Sweating Bullets', but the name was changed when the character of 'Bullets' the Bull was dropped from the film. Frankly it's probably good they dropped the character/name. Because 'Sweating Bullets' is pretty darn cheesy. Here's the most detailed plot synopsis I could find:

"Home on the Range is the story of a family farm inhabited by a widow (Parker), her young daughter, and various and sundry farm animals. The widow owes a $1,000.00 mortgage on the farm and has no way to pay for it, and the cows get wind of the trouble. Fearing that they'll be sold to the local meat- packing plant, the cows, led by Dame Judi Dench (!) seek to find a way to earn the money. Enter the family horse, played by Cuba Gooding, Jr. He used to belong to a bounty hunter, and knows a great way to save the farm. You see, he's heard that in the nearby town, there's a bandit afoot (Randy Quaid), with a $1,000.00 bounty on his head."

It stars the voice talents of Roseanne (Talk about Typecasting ;)), Dame Judi Dench, Jennifer Tilly, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Randy Quaid.

http://www.animated-news.com/archives/00000020.html

MTFBWY and HH!!

Jar Jar Binks

[Exhaust Port]

That is too bad. Perhaps they'll rethink that decision in the future.

[El Chuxter]

I've heard the reports about Disney shutting down the 2D studio, but I'm not certain I buy it (at least until I see it from the mouse's mouth). Disney's only done two 3D animated movies (and that's if you count Tron), and--despite being one of their best--Dinosaur tanked pretty hard.

Pixar films have without exception done spectacularly well with audiences and critics. But Disney always runs the risk that Pixar will part ways with them in the future. It's already almost happened once or twice.

Some of Disney's more recent 2D movies (Tarzan, Treasure Planet, and Atlantis come to mind) didn't do nearly as well as Disney had hoped. The 3D effects interspersed throughout Treasure Planet were absolutely ghastly, and they know it.

But (and it's a big ol' but, too ;)) this all goes down the drain when you figure in Lilo & Stitch. By far the most successful 2D animated feature they have (or anyone else has) made in almost a decade, and it's pretty low tech overall. I can't imagine them not wanting to ride the wave of success that movie created (considering that everyone's blocked Treasure Planet from their memories by now).

My thoughts are that there is a lot at stake with Brother Bear. Hopefully it will live up to the expectations. On the one hand, the McKenzie Brothers reunited. On the other, pop songs by Phil Collins (which certainly didn't help Tarzan). It could go either way.

I wonder if maybe they're closing down the California studios and moving all the 2D stuff to Florida (whose only two feature films thus far, Mulan and Lilo & Stitch, were both stuuuuupendous movies).