This Week on A113Animation (15th - 21st July, 2013)

Given that it's Comic-Con week, it's no surprise that there's been a lot of Marvel news this week, and we've got everything from casting rumours and posters to official titles and cast chats. Don't be expecting lots of stuff from Disney's other subsidiaries though, the Mouse House has largely withdrawn from Comic-Con in recent years, to announce big things at its own D23 Expo (next month). This week has brought some interesting articles, clips and a teaser though. As well as that and your latest features, we've got two editorial lists for you to check out too! Make sure you catch up on everything you might've missed in the past week below.

Returning to Mars: 7 Reasons Why Andrew Stanton Should Get a Chance at John Carter 2

I just wrote an article for MoviePilot.com, detailing why I think Andrew Stanton's John Carter is enormously underrated, and listing 7 reasons why the director, who is currently helming Finding Dory for Pixar, should get a shot at a sequel. Here's the intro:

Andrew Stanton is an enormously respected name in the world of animation. The director is a double Oscar winner, having helmed two of the greatest animated films of all time, Finding Nemo and WALL-E. It’s hard to argue with the merits — dramatically, visually, thematically — of either of those films, which aren’t ‘good animated films’, they’re good films. Great, actually.

In recent years, we’ve seen directors moving in and out of animation. Gore Verbinski directed the Oscar-winning Rango, and Steven Spielberg helmed the acclaimed-but-snubbed-because-it’s-a-motion-capture-film The Adventures of Tintin; Brad Bird, who also made himself such a name at Pixar with The Incredibles and Ratatouille, successfully transitioned into live action with Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocol and is now hard at work, with Damon Lindelof, on Tomorrowland. Andrew Stanton, it seems, has been the unlucky one. His live-action directorial debut was John Carter, based on the epochal Princess of Mars books by Edgar Rice Burroughs, a film marked as noted only by its caustic reception and disastrous box office results, which shook Disney management all the way to its core.

So, Disney might rightly not be in a rush to green-light a second romp around Mars, but here are 7 reasons why they should:
Read the full list on MoviePilot »

Andrew Stanton Confirms Finding Nemo 2; Talks John Carter

Rumour have been swirling over the past month or so, concerning the directorial future of Andrew Stanton. The two-time Oscar winner most recently directed Disney's famed mega-flop, John Carter. For one reason or another, the WALL-E director's passion project didn't find an audience and resulted in a $200 million write-down and executive shifts for the Mouse House. News broke last month though, that Stanton was returning to more familiar waters (pun intended) with a sequel to his 2003 mega-hit, Finding Nemo.

Since then, we've heard that Lindsey Collins was set to produce, Victoria Strouse had been penned to write the script, and Ellen DeGeneres was in talks to return as Dory, with a view to a 2016 release date. No word, though, had been heard from Pixar's camp, and nothing from Stanton himself, save a Tweet that seemed to deny the rumours. Until now.

Speaking to the LA Times, Stanton spoke candidly about the production of, and response to, the adaptation of Edgar Rice Burroughs' 100 year old novel, and Nemo 2. Check it all out after the jump break:

John Carter Blu-ray Review

This is a belated review, yet I feel an important one.

Pixarians Andrew Stanton (Finding Nemo, WALL-E) and Brad Bird (The Incredibles, Ratatouille) recently branched out their résumés, into the field of live-action, Bird with the fourth instalment in the Mission: Impossible franchise, Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol, and Stanton with the Disney sci-fi epic, and highly controversial, John Carter. Whilst Bird's live-action debut was released to the critical acclaim that Pixar directors are accustomed to, John Carter was received far less enthusiastically.

Andrew Stanton Reportedly Working on Finding Nemo 2!

No, you didn't read that wrong, that's the story that Deadline's reporting! Deadline reports, following the supposed $200 million loss on his live-action directorial debut John Carter, that Andrew Stanton is returning to animation with a sequel to his Oscar winning 2003 animation directorial debut, Finding Nemo!

Deadline's Mike Fleming says that he has been "told [Stanton's] now officially come aboard the Finding Nemo sequel and has a concept the studio loves." The article also suggests that the reason behind Stanton's sudden involvement is directly due to the failings of John Carter (belated review up soon by the way) and that a sequel to Pixar's second highest-grossing film might ingratiate him to the Disney top-brass again. I can't believe - if the story is true - that this is the legitimate reason behind the sequel. One of Pixar's brain trust and a two-time Academy Award winner for his animated films, the faith in Andrew should still be there, despite one shortcoming - one not even necessarily due to the quality of the film.

It may not be the sequel fans were particularly clamouring for (The Incredibles 2), but it's almost a complete certainty that Finding Nemo 2 would be huge; possibly the only Pixar film that would have a real shot at beating Toy Story 3 worldwide. The timing of the reveal also makes sense, with Finding Nemo 3D hitting theatres in September. But, I can't escape the feeling that a sequel is not needed! Nemo 1 had a perfect ending as is.

That said, Pixar have never disappointed me; Toy Story 3 had its naysayers prior to release - if you're looking for them, just check the "Toy Story 3 was great!" bandwagon - and, although its quality is debated much more, the same is true for Cars 2. Both were, in my eyes, fantastic films, and I have no doubt that Pixar would give a sequel to one of its most beloved properties its all. It would also take a remarkably strong idea to get Stanton interested in a sequel - if the rumours about it being a ploy for more Barsoom time are false of course.

Let's see how Monsters University turns out first.

Where do you stand on a Nemo sequel? Yay or nay? There will be a poll up on the right very shortly, sound off there, in the comments section or Tweet us about it (@A113Animation).

UPDATE

Giving more credence to the already trustworthy claims is the fact that The Hollywood Reporter is also reporting that Lindsey Collins (also John Carter) is set to produce, Victoria Strouse is set to write the script, and a 2016 release date is being aimed for.

Breaking: Disney Chairman Rich Ross Resigns

We rarely cover corporate news, or details of hiring or firing, here at A113Animation - this blog is primarily focused on the entertainment side of things - however, this is too huge a piece of news in terms of the scope it affects animation: Rich Ross has stepped down as Chairman of The Walt Disney Studios.

The former creative head of Disney Channel, responsible in his reign there for Hannah Montana and High School Musical, had been running Disney's film department for the past two and a half years - a tenure recently marred by such box office failures as Mars Needs Moms and John Carter.

Disney CEO Robert Iger said, of Ross's departure:

“I appreciate his countless contributions throughout his entire career at Disney, and expect he will have tremendous success in whatever he chooses to do next”.

No successor has thus far been named and it will likely take some time to fill the position, but, depending on the success of Marvel's The Avengers (which will almost certainly be an enormous hit), Marvel Studios (owned by Disney after all) President, Kevin Feige may be considered a front runner for the job.

Via Reuters.

The Lorax and John Carter Debut - Who's Winning?

The latest animated effort from Illumination Entertainment - the studio behind Despicable Me - The Lorax, was released last Friday. While the critical response to the film hasn't been overwhelmingly positive, it has been raking it in at the US box office, opening in the number 1 position and maintaining that place this week. It's currently grossed over $120 million, making it the highest grossing film of the year thus far.

It's placed ahead of a film that made its debut this weekend, a film that Disney was hoping would place significantly higher, Andrew Stanton's John Carter. The Finding Nemo director's adaptation of Edgar Rice Burroughs's first Barsoom based sci-fi novel was hoped to be Disney's next franchise, to replace Pirates of the Carribbean; yet it took only £30.6 million in its opening weekend. While it's far too early to write it off yet, the combination of bad marketing, poor critical response so far and a reportedly large budget mean that a sequel is looking less likely; which is a real shame given Andrew Stanton's blatant love for the source material and his immense talent.

It's a shame to see John Carter under-perform, and I'll be able to judge it for myself (and contribute to its worldwide gross) when I see it this weekend.

John Carter - 10 Minute Clip

Despite having the utmost faith in Andrew Stanton, the visionary director behind Pixar's Finding Nemo and WALL E, I had thus far been underwhelmed by John Carter; the trailers looked a bit generic, making little of the fact that this is the story that inspired Star Wars and Avatar, instead making it look like a mash-up of Prince of Persia and Avatar.

However, as we approach its release date (Friday) and the review embargo is lifted, more and more good things are being said about Andrew Stanton and Disney's adaptation of Edgar Rice Burroughs's classic Barsoom novels. But, what's got me most excited is embedded above, Disney have released a ten minute clip from towards the start of the movie, showing the events leading up to the titular character's arrival on Mars, and they're brilliant.

A mix of intensity, epic scope and comedy, John Carter looks set to keep Stanton's immaculate reputation intact and possibly help launch Disney's next franchise come Friday.

Pete Docter and Andrew Stanton Teaming Up

Yes, you read that right, the two famed Pixar directors who brought us, Monsters, Inc. and Up, and Finding Nemo and WALL E, respectively, were recently announced to be working together on a project - an animated short film.

Despite the Oscar winning pair's very hectic schedules - with Stanton directing the live-action space epic, John Carter, for Disney, and Docter directing the Untitled Pixar Movie That Takes You Inside The Mind - Andrew Stanton told us in a recent interview with Ain't It Cool News of the collaboration, which allows him to return to animation at Pixar whilst working on the John Carter franchise.

Stanton said:

"As a matter of fact I’m developing a short film with Pete Docter. There’s an idea that he and I have had for years that we are finally getting around to doing which is kind of funny. We are both way too busy, but we just love the idea of doing this one little project together"

Via Pixar Talk.

John Carter Trailer, Poster and More

Over the past week, there has been a glut of new images, including stills and a new poster (above), from John Carter, acclaimed animation director Andrew Stanton's (Finding Nemo, WALL E). The striking new red poster, gives us some little hints at the film's story and the message about finding one's place in the world, or in another. However, most of the new revelations in terms of the massive battle scenes and in terms of story come from the images and the brand new theatrical trailer (below).

The trailer (above) showcases far more of the plot than we saw in the mystery shrouded teaser. We are shown some of the huge, epic battle scenes that span the adaptation of Edgar Rice Burroughs's sci-fi series, as well as a look at the romance of the film and how, exactly, Andrew Stanton is translating the character to the big screen. The film, which reminds me of a cross between Avatar and Prince of Persia, looks intense and vast; the only thing that concerns me is that it looks, although I'll be more than happy to be wrong, like it could be a vast CG pig-out. Sure, it looks a tad corny, but the huge talent behind it that has made Pixar's classics so great, promise a great film, and my hopes are still high.

We've also been treated to a few awesome images from the film, showcasing its action and epic scale. You can see some above and below and view the rest over at The Pixar Times.

Trailer via IGN.

John Carter Teaser Trailer

The first teaser trailer for Pixar director, Andrew Stanton's first voyage into live-action, John Carter, has debuted online. The teaser is intense, fantastical and mysterious and I love the epic feel of it, it feels like a cross between Avatar and Prince of Persia, in the best possible sense.

John Carter is a Disney film, but is directed by Pixar brain trust member and WALL E director, Andrew Stanton. Stanton's feel for scope has clearly transferred from animation to Live Action very well, as the film has an epic, fantasy adventure feel to it. The music and the action all seem top notch, I'm sure we could have done without "Destiny" and "Fate" being slipped in there, they're so overused that they're not effective anymore, nonetheless, the trailer looks fantastic and I can't wait to see how Stanton transfers Edgar Rice Burrough's sci-fi book (which will be 100 next year, when the film comes out) onto the big screen.

The film debuts in American theatres on March 9, 2012 (not sure yet when it will debut here in the UK and elsewhere) and the trailer will be attached to showings of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, which opens tonight!

Thanks to The Pixar Times for the trailer.

Prince of Persia meets Avatar

Assorted Disney News

Not everything on A113Animation will always be dedicated to animation - although if it's not, it's generally closely linked -, today is proof of that. Above you will see the latest trailer for The Muppets, due out in November, and it looks great, parodies can sometimes seem asinine (although we are expecting a proper film-footage trailer very soon), I love this one, it's great. Also, from what I've heard, this trailer's already better than the full Green Lantern film... just saying...

Secondly, Disney have recently released the first teaser poster for Pixarian Andrew Stanton's first venture into Live Action, John Carter (formerly John Carter of Mars). Due to be released on March 9, 2012, this is the first look we get at the two time Academy Award winner's first Live Action feature.

I'm actually very excited to see this film and can't wait to see how Stanton's talent transfers to Live Action.