March 10, 2007

Ribbit

So, I was reading about Disney's new new animated movie. No, not Meet the Robinsons, nor any movie released before 2009. No, it's The Frog Princess and is the first feature length 2D animated film from the studio since the 2002 hit film Lilo & Stitch. For some reason they thought hand-drawn animation didn't make money, even after Lilo made over $145 million in America and another $130 million around the rest of the world. Sure, the film wasn't the greatest, but if that can make it to that much money, then imagine how much a good hand drawn film could make. Hell, it could reach the heights of movies such as The Lion King. Or at least the $170 million of 1999's (which, to be honest, is still "recent" for animation) Tarzan - the #6 film of 1999 in America. That one also made an extra $280 million outside of America, so it was, by definition, a blockbuster - the #5 film of 1999 globally.

By the time The Frog Princess (the first of it's type to be overseen by Toy Story and Cars director John Lasseter) hits cinema screens in 2009 it would have been 10 years since Tarzan grossed $450 million world wide. And with things such as ticket price inflation and the seemingly never-ending desire for kids entertainment, I don't see why this film can't reach those heights.

Oh, and The Frog Princess' heroine? An african-american. And it's set in New Orleans. I suppose if international audiences don't make The Frog Princess gross a quadrillion gazillion dollars we'll be deemed racist by trigger happy dickheads.

All box office numbers curtosy of Box Office Mojo.

4 comments:

Amy said...

Anyone who bitches about people bitching about racism before they even bitch about racism seems more trigger happy to me. Just sayin'.

And did you misread the article or am I missing a point? Frog Princess is hand drawn.

Glenn Dunks said...

Yeah, I said that. I was commenting on the strange belief that hand drawn animation doesn't sell when it clearly has in years past, as recently as 2002's Lilo.

Poli said...

But what about Home on the Range? That's a Disney hand-drawn movie that recently came out (2005 maybe?)

I'm glad Disney is making hand-drawn again. Beauty and the Beast and The Lion King will always hold a special place in my heart.

Glenn Dunks said...

Yeah, that was one of their unsuccessful ones. But it was also being released at the time when Disney were going through all this internal fighting and the hand-drawn animation department was, essentially, being shut down. Doesn't surprise me that the movie was bad and didn't succeed.

Another 2d movie was The Emperor's New Groove, which was a small hit and was actually really great. That was in 2000 I believe.

So, as long as there's quality, there really is not excuse for people to believe hand-drawn animation will always fail to draw an audience. None at all.