CAYOM YEAR 10 - PART 1 - MOVIE SUBMISSION - Submissions for January-June Closing Monday

[YM!]

Coyotes Wild

Studio: Creatures Incorporated 

Release Date: 8/28/Y10

Genre: Nature Documentary

Director: Mark Linfield

Narrator: Will Forte

Rating: G

Budget: $5M

Theater Count: 2,450

Format: 2D 

Runtime: 100 minutes

 

Plot:

The narrator tells us an informative and fun journey about the pack of coyotes living in North America desert as well as facts about both the harshness and competition in the deserts, to facts about coyotes and the dangers they face.

[YM!]

Sweet Tooth

Infinite Studios

Release Date: 9/25/Y10

Genre: Horror

Director: Adam Robitel

Rating: R

Budget: $10m

Theater Count: 2,785

Format: 2D 

Runtime: 110 minutes

Cast:

Dave Bautista as The Dentist

The rest of the cast are unknowns

 

Plot:

Fiore, is a young woman who is anxious about her annual cleaning is forced to go a new dental office for the procedure. As soon as she is put under, she wakes up in a dungeon with a group of other people, like Erika - who went to get her braces fixed, Mick, a cantankerous old man whose dentures are faulty and the loving couple of Tim and Tammy who have great gums and are proud in it. Fiore finds out the dungeon is built like an escape room, and finds an exit only to find themselves in a disturbing maze.

 

The group learns they’re being held captive by The Dentist (Dave Bautista), a maniacal dentist/serial killer obsessed with creating the perfect set of teeth - aiming to ripe out their teeth and gums to craft them. The group works together at first to make it through the maze but one by one each fall victim to The Dentist’s various traps and his attacks. (Mick gets his gums ripped out by meat cleaver, Tim gets his jaw ripped off by pliers, Tammy gets her head chopped off by The Dentist by attempting to sacrifice the others to save herself, and Erika and Fiore get close to the exit but Erika is killed by nitrous overexposure). Fiore confronts The Dentist but although he physically outmatches, sprays soda in his mouth causing The Dentist to freak out - violently brushing his teeth, flossing until he pulls sections of his mouth out and then bleeding out and dies. Fiore escapes and makes it out alive, happy the incident is behind her.

Edited March 1 by YM!

[MCKillswitch123]

HIDDEN BLOOD

 

Studio: Phoenix Fire Pictures; SP International

Loosely Based On: The Portuguese series Sangue Oculto, by Sandra Santos 

Director: Meera Menon

 

Genre: Romance/Dramedy/Thriller

Release Date: December 23rd, Y10

Theater Count: 3191

Rating: PG-13

Format: 2D

Budget: $25 million

Runtime: 110 minutes

 

Cast:

• Selena Gomez as Carol / Bennie
• Simu Liu as George

Plot Summary: Carol, a professional athlete and Bennie, a nurse, are twin sisters, but they have no idea that the other exists. One day, Carol and her boyfriend George get on a bus ride in Los Angeles, only to crash due to an accident that was quickly determined to be caused by sabotage. Carol goes to the hospital, where she crosses paths with Bennie for the very first time. The two are in absolute shock of the other's existence, while George accidentally kisses Bennie. The two sisters are forced to live with each other, as they learn that Carol's mother gave birth to a sister that she never heard of, and Bennie's biological mother is not who she believed. George keeps floundering which one is which, as he too becomes a mediator between the sisters, ultimately convincing both that the existence of one another is a blessing that both should be happy with. Carol and Bennie slowly grow accustomed to the other, until eventually, weeks later, they've finally become comfortable together. One day, Carol is kidnapped, and Bennie and George team up with the cops to find her out. It is revealed that Carol's kidnapper, and the perpetrator of the bus crash, is actually a woman named Julia... who, in fact, is Carol and Bennie's triplet sister (played by Selena Gomez as well). As George curses aloud just how much of a parody this triplet sisters thing really is, Carol and Bennie try to incentive Julia to turn a new leaf, but Julia, who says she knows the whereabouts of their real mother, knows she and Bennie were abandoned for greedy reasons, and tries to convince Bennie to murder Carol. George and Julia have a fight, until Bennie releases Carol. George winds up pushing Julia off a cliff. But when he notices, she has vanished, seemingly still alive. Carol and Bennie, in each other's arms, have fully accepted and chosen to love one another, as they know that now, they have to find out where Julia and their real mom are.

Edited March 2 by MCKillswitch123

[Hiccup23]

King of Kings

Date- November 20th 

Genre- Historical Epic

Rating- PG-13

Theaters- 3,967 theaters

Budget- 175 million

Running Time- 143 minutes or 2 hours and 23 minutes

Studio- O$corp Pictures

Director- Matt Shakman

Actors/Actresses

David- Jacob Elordi

Jonathan- Tom Blyth

King Saul- Gary Oldman

Michal- Hunter Schafer

Samuel- Michael Douglas

 

Spoiler

Plot: The film opens with a great battle between the Israelites and the Amalekites. The massive army is lead by King Saul who crushes the enemy. After slaughtering all the Amalekites, Saul orders his troops to sack the city and take the plunder. He tells them this is their reward for doing God’s work. After plundering the city, King Saul returns to the capital, which is Gibeah. Upon his return, he is confronted by the prophet Samuel who tells Saul that he disobeyed God by not destroying the Amalekite’s property, but instead taking it as plunder. Saul angered by this tells Samuel that he is God and he is the savior of the Israelites. Samuel warns Saul that it was God who anointed him and it will be God to remove him as king. He tells Saul that God will remove his spirit from him. Saul banishes the prophet from the capital. 

 

Later that night, Samuel receives a vision from God. God in the vision shows Samuel a shepherd in the city of Bethlehem. In a fast forward vision sequence, God shows to Samuel his plan of redemption of humanity through the line of David and the death of Jesus. The next morning, Samuel departs for Bethlehem. 

 

The film moves to Bethlehem, we see David walking with his sheep through a field. He is singing and playing the lyre to sooth the herd of sheep. Suddenly, they are attacked by a lion and David manages to kill the lion with his slingshot. David arrives home with his sheep. We learn more about David’s family dynamic. David is the youngest child and is loved by his mother deeply. His older brothers however pick on him and see his playing of the lyre as silly. His father, Ginnie is concerned for David and feels David might not be suited for the nomadic life. That evening, we see David praying to God. David prays to be great as his father and that he will not disappoint his family. The following day, we see Ginnie is shearing the sheep with his sons. The prophet Samuel arrives. Ginnie asks the well known and respected prophet what they owe the pleasure of his visit. Samuel says he has come to see David. Ginnie says David is in the house. Samuel arrives at the house and is followed by David’s family. Samuel greets David. David kneels before the prophet. Samuel pulls out a horn of oil and pours it on David’s head. Samuel tells David that he is the anointed of the Lord and blessed of God. David as he is covered with the oil sees the same vision that Samuel says. As quickly as Samuel appeared, he is leaves, leaving David and his family in shock. 

 

The film moves back to Saul who is being torment at night by nightmares. These nightmares entail the fall of his kingdom and his death. Each night, he is tormented and eventually can’t take it any longer. Saul’s attendants tell him to find somebody to play the lyre to smooth Saul when the nightmares arise. Saul tells his attendants to go find this individual. A few days later, his attendants return and say they found a man by the name of David from Bethlehem who can play well. Saul commands his attendants to bring David to the palace. Saul’s attendants arrive at Bethlehem and tell Ginnie and his family that King Saul has commanded David to live at the King’s Palace and be his servant. Ginnie unable to refuse the king commands David to go. After tearful goodbyes, David heads to Gibeah. Saul welcomes David to the palace and orders his servants to show David his chambers. From a window high up in the palace, we see Jonathan looking down over the courtyard. He sees David and Saul walking. Jonathan turns to his servant and asks who that is. The servant says it is David of Bethlehem. Jonathan nods and looks back out the window.

 

Over the next, few weeks David enters the service of King Saul. Saul is well pleased with David and orders that David will live at the palace permanently. Saul makes David his armor-bear and head servant to the king. Also during this time, we see Israel go to war with the neighboring Philistine Kingdom. The Philistines successfully battle their way into the Kingdom of Israel and threaten the capital city of Gibeah. Laying siege to the city, the Philistine’s also have a giant who stands 12 feet tall and is named Goliath. The Israelites have never seen a man that tall and fear he is a demon with supernatural abilities. The siege lasts for a week and each day Goliath walks outside of the wall next to the palace and taunts Saul. Saul grows more paranoid and anxious fearing the citizens will rise up against him. David aware of Saul’s anxiety, tells him he will battle the giant. He says he has battled lions when he was a shepard and this ungodly giant will be slain. Saul accepts David’s proposal. David leaves the city and faces Goliath. Goliath begins to taunt David and mocks him. David tells Goliath that his days are numbered by God and he will die. Goliath pulls out a massive sword and charges David. David grabs a rock and runs at Goliath without any fear. David puts the rock in a sling shot and hurls the rock at Goliath. The rock strikes Goliath right between the eyes. Goliath stops and then drops to the ground died. The Israelites watching from the walls and cheer loudly. Saul orders his army to attack the Philistines. The Philistines shocked at the death of Goliath (they also believe he had supernatural powers) immediately begin to flee in chaos. The Israelite forces clash with the Philistine army and annihilate them. 

 

The film moves to that evening, a massive banquet is held in celebration of the defeat of the Philistines. We see Daniel sit next to Jonathan at the banquet. Jonathan congratulates him on the victory over the Philistines. The two have a immediate bond together and soon get drunk off the wine as they engage together in the festivities. Afterward, Jonathan and David are heading back to their rooms when Jonathan asks if David wants to visit him in his room. David agree. We see the two walk over to Jonathan’s room. Jonathan lights a fire in the massive fireplace and we see him strip down and lay down on the rub in front of the fire. He motions to David to do the same. David does and grabs a pitcher of wine. The two lay down in front of the fire naked and talk and drink. They intimately look at each other. Jonathan grows tired and he lays his head down on David’s chest. He caresses David’s abs while David strokes his hair. Both soon fall asleep. 

 

David is soon made commander of the Israelite army by King Saul. David becomes a massive celebrity in Israel. He grows rapidly in popularity among the people. We see him and Jonathan battle together against the Philistine army defeating them time and time again. With David becoming popular among the people and defeating the Philistine army time and time again, Saul grows fearful of David. He believes that David is plotting to rise in popularity with the people and then overthrow him. Saul becomes completely paranoid. After one banquet, Saul extremely drunk tries to kill David as David plays the lyre. He angrily hurls a spear at David. He narrowly misses David’s head. The crowd is stunned by this. Jonathan immediately goes by his father Saul and leads him away to ease the tensions. 

 

David is arranged to marry Michal, the youngest daughter of Saul. We see an elaborate wedding. Saul is completely jealous of David during it but keeps himself under control. After the wedding, we see David and Michael engage in sex. The film moves to the following day, and we see David walking past Saul’s chambers. He over hears Saul telling his servant that he wants David dead since David is a threat to the kingdom. David is alarmed by the news and immediately goes to Jonathan’s chambers. David greats Jonathan with anxiety asking why Saul wants him head. Jonathan is broken by the news and he grapples with the incongruity of his father's actions. Jonathan vowes to stand by David's side and find the truth to Saul's intentions. David and Jonathan crafted a scheme to test Saul's true sentiments. They devised a plan of concealment for David, while Jonathan will meet with Saul to decipher Saul's reactions. Michal comes to Jonathan’s room and says Saul has summoned for David. Jonathan’s face grows white with fear. He tells Michal what David told him. Michal says that her loyalty is to her husband and to the one anointed by God. She says she will sneak David out of the city to the location that David and Jonathan agreed to hid David. Jonathan says he will meet with his father. Michal grabs David’s hand and hastily leads him away. Jonathan mean while is overcome with emotion and breaks down. He soon gathers himself together and goes to meet with his father. 

 

Jonathan arrives in the opulent hall of Saul’s court. Saul immediately questions David’s absence. Saul demands answers from Jonathan. Jonathan says David has gone home to see his family. Saul is angered and says that Jonathan is no son of his and is a traitor to the family blood line. He says David is a poison set to destroy them. Jonathan yells at Saul asking why he wants David dead. Saul grabs a spear and hurls it at Jonathan. Jonathan is struck by the spear in the shoulder and is thrown back. Jonathan is left moaning on the floor. Saul walks over and rips the spear out. He tells Jonathan that he will spare him this once. Jonathan gets up and curses his father. He then stumbles away. Jonathan heads toward his rendezvous point to warn David under the cover of night. He is in pain but his love for David drives him. He reaches a mound and collapses to the ground. David immediately gathers him up and Jonathan tells him everybody. David tears off his cloak and wraps up Jonathan’s wound. The two embrace and Jonathan tells David he needs to leave. The two kiss and then hold each other crying. David’s tears are stronger. *The screen goes black*

 

David seeks refuge with the Priests of Nob as Saul and his army pursue him. David is met with both compassion and solemnity from the priests, who, in their wisdom, impart upon him the weight of his destiny. They recount prophecies spoken over David's life, weaving a tapestry of fate and purpose that both inspires and burdens him. During this time, we learn that Samuel has passed away. Saul grows terrified at learning the death of the prophet as it means his reign is soon finished. Saul soon locates David and sacks Nob. The priests help David escape but the massacre of them and their sacrifice leave David with survivors guilt. 

 

The shows a game of cat and mouse between Saul and David. Jonathan constantly helps throw Saul off the scent of David. One evening, Saul learned of David's whereabouts in the Desert of En Gedi and leads 3,000 men to find him. Saul enters a cave to gather some rest, unaware that David is hiding in there.. David seizes the opportunity to cut off a piece of Saul's robe, but later regrets his action, considering Saul as the anointed of the Lord. In the morning David exits the cave. And calls out to Saul addressing him as "my lord the king," and demonstrated his innocence, showing Saul the piece of his robe he had cut off but refrained from harming him. David expresses his trust in God's judgment and swore not to take vengeance into his own hands. Moved by David's words, Saul acknowledges David's righteousness. In a moment of reconciliation, Saul pleads with David to spare his descendants, to which David agrees, sealing their peace with an oath. Saul departs knowing his death the end of his era is near. He blesses David and tells him to return home until his time comes. 

 

With Saul’s blessing, David returns to his homeland and resumes life as a shepherd. Michal is rejoined with him. Jonathan visits him at his home one day. David and Jonathan and him engage in a deep conversation where Jonathan tells him he loves David but knows his time is coming to an end given the prophecy of Samuel. He tells David he loves him and wants him to become the man he always has been. He and David kiss.

 

The film moves to the land of the Philistines. The Philistines have amassed a massive army and have begun to make plans for a massive army to assault on Israel. Saul learns of this impending attack. He immediately panics knowing the prophecy is coming true. In a moment of fear, he orders his men to take him to the legendary Witch of Endor. Saul arrives in disguise to the Witch of Endor. She dwells on top of mountain and is seated on a rock surrounded by vultures. She asks what brings this man to her. Saul says he wishes to bring a prophet from the dead to seek counsel. The Witch of Endor says cannot or will not due it. She says King Saul executes those who dabble in the dark faith. She says he is setting her up for a trap. Saul says that he swears to her by the Almighty God that he will not speak of what happens here. The woman pauses and asks who he is wanting to bring up. Saul says he wishes to bring up the great prophet Samuel. The woman nods and mutters a spell. She begins to chat the spell louder and twirl around. Smoke gathers around her and the spirit of the Prophet Samuel emerges. The woman cries out with a loud voice that she knows he is King Saul and he has tricked her. The Prophet Samuel approaches Saul. Saul bows to him. Samuel asks why Saul has disturbed his sleep. Saul tells him is is afraid of the Philistines and that God has departed from him. Samuel curses Saul and says that God is not changing and Saul’s heir has been chosen. He says Saul continues to defy God by awakening Samuel. Samuel says Saul will be defeated and because of his arrogance Jonathan his son will perish in the battle too. He says Saul’s dynasty will be erased. Saul pleads with Samuel. Samuel looks at Saul and tells him he wanted a prophecy. This is his prophecy. The sky fills with dark clouds and lightening strikes the summit of the mountain. The rocks break and begin to collapse down the mountain. Samuel raises his hand and then strikes it down sementing the curse of Saul. He vanishes. Saul collapses into the dirt. His soldiers lift him him. *the screen goes black*

 

The film opens with the army of the Israelites gathered on Mount Gilboa lead by Jonathan as the army of the Philistines approaches. The film moves back to Saul in his palace pacing around nervously as he awaits the news from the battle. The film moves back to the battle and we see the two armies clash in an epic scale battle. During the battle the Israelites almost have the upper hand but suddenly Jonathan is fatally struck by an arrow and dies. The Philistines seeing the death rally and defeat the Israelities killing most of them. A messager arrives back to Saul and informed him of the defeat and death of Jonathan. Saul gives his sword to the messenger and commands him to kill him for he has nothing to live for. The messenger is hesitant but kills Saul. He then falls on his own sword killing himself. 

 

The elders of the 12 tribes of Israel arrive at Hebron where they reach a decision to crown David king of Israel. They immediately send a messenger to David to inform him of the death of Saul, Jonathan, and their decision. David after being informed of the message says he needs to consider it with God. He asks for the night. David returns to his house. He tells Michal what has happened. She morns the death of her brother and father. Later that night, David muses and weeps over his times with Jonathan. He says Jonathan would have wanted him to rule Israel. Jonathan loved to tell him and “he was a man after God own heart”. The next morning he informs the messenger that after seeking God’s guidance he has accepted the elder’s request for him to become king. David and Michal leave with the messenger toward Hebron. The camera pans out as David leaves into the sunrise. 
 

 

[Hiccup23]

Ping

 

Date- July 1st (Wednesday)

Genre- CGI Animation

Rating- PG

Theaters- 3,830 theaters

Budget- 80 million

Running Time- 89 minutes or 1 hour and 29 minutes

Studio- O$corp Pictures

Director- Cal Brunker

Actors and Actresses-

Ping- Bowen Yang

 

Plot:  Ping is the name of a domesticated duck who lives on a riverboat on the Yangtze River in China. He gets sent out every morning to forage along the river with his relatives, and is expected back every evening. The last duck on the boat would get a swat with a stick and one day he is the last duck. He is afraid to return and spends the night on shore. When he awakens his boat is gone and he is soon caught by a boy on another boat where he worries about becoming their dinner. After some time the boy lets Ping go. Ping goes on a wild chase through the waterways of China in search for his family. Finally, he sees a boat in the distance with ducks climbing up on it. It is his boat! Ping rejoins his family and happily receives the last duck swat for being lost.

Edited March 4 by Hiccup23

[YM!]

Mouse Hunt
Infinite Studios
Release Date: 10/16/Y10
Genre: Documentary
Director: John-Paul Davidson
Rating: PG-13
Budget: $10m
Theater Count: 2,423
Format: 2D 
Runtime: 110 minutes

 

Plot Summary:1971 words

 

Spoiler

For the early to mid 2000s, Disney as a whole was struggling to find its place within the animation industry. The only true noteworthy hits were from a partnership with Pixar, which although lead to blockbuster classics like the Toy Story, Monsters Inc, Finding Nemo and The Incredibles franchises, Disney’s partnership with tumultuous and almost lead to it falling apart. In fact within the time-frame of 2000-05, only Dinosaur, Lilo and Stitch and Chicken Little did over 100m domestic but none over 150m. With competition arising in the computer animation field such as Dreamworks and Blue Sky, Mouse Hunt takes a look behind the curtain to see how the Mouse House handled it. Director John-Paul Davidson interviews various animators as he highlights three major events through Disney's three other animation arms that all failed to kickoff, The Secret Lab, Disney Animation Florida and Circle 7 Animation.

 

The Secret Lab Shutdown

 

In 1996, Disney bought Dream Quest Images, a VFX studio that helped craft hits like The Abyss and E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial with Hoyt Yeatman who not only was a VFX legend but cocreated the company. Within the 90s, every studio was searching for their own VFX warehouse to help add dazzling visuals to their blockbusters. The studio would go on to doing VFX works for hits like Con Air and The Rock, and creating Shep in Disney’s George of the Jungle. Dream Quest Images also was working on Disney’s first non-Pixar CGI film, Dinosaur, which was highly anticipated in the studio as their next big hit, getting strong audience reception in test screenings, lucrative pre-Memorial Day Weekend spot, and an extensive marketing campaign including a look at the first 5 minutes in front of Toy Story 2. Around October 1999, Disney wanted to have their own CGI powerhouse in case things with Pixar didn't work out, so together with the Dream Quest Images team, a fancy new state of the art building in Burbank, and the wizardry of their feature animation division, made The Secret Lab - both a new CG Animation label for Disney and hopefully a successful VFX outlet for Disney. Andrew Millstein was selected to help run the division. Work even began on Wild Life, a more mature PG-13 aiming animated feature, inspired by Americana 70s pop culture and Pygmalion in which an elephant becomes a local star at a nightclub.

 

Unfortunately for Disney, Walking with Dinosaurs not only stole their thunder showcasing CGI dinosaurs in live action backgrounds but did so on TV. It also didn’t help that Dinosaur ended up getting mixed reviews due to story problems being greater than the visual wizardry which the GA agreed. While a hit grossing over 130m domestically and 350m worldwide on a 128m budget, Dinosaur’s marketing campaign ended up siphoning profit margins. Wild Life also got shutdown in late September, not so much because of story problems though was stated to be a problem but the nature of the film vs the brand of Disney. An in-progress screening ended horribly due to Roy Disney not enjoying the more risqué humor or adult themes (one of which, involving two gay characters entering a sewer teasing each other about going inside a manhole). Having sunk 20m in Wild Life and other directors seeing their failure, like Michael Bay and Pearl Harbor had The Secret Lab/Dream Quest viewed as a black sheep and Disney sought out other vendors for their other films. This led to The Secret Lab being shuttered in 2001.

 

The Rise and Fall of WDAS Florida

 

WDAS Florida was amongst one of the many satellite studios that Disney had which started off making Roger Rabbit shorts, but in late 1993 - impressed by the studio’s output for the early Renaissance films, they were given the ability to make movies starting with 1998’s Mulan which became a big hit for the company. Around the same time in April 1998, a $70m animation studio in Florida was developed.

 

Things were looking good, as Millstein was promoted to senior vice president after The Secret Lab went kaput in 2001. However, a shakeup was going on inside of Disney as production costs ballooned thanks to the artists getting some of the highest incomes to prevent competition from snatching them, recent underperformers and with computer animation on the rise, Disney Animation head Thomas Schumaker (formerly the Vice President for many years) was forced to begin a series of layoffs yearly around 1999-2002, peaking at 1999 - with over 1000 workers as well as salary reductions. 

With the success of computer animation, there was fear that hand drawn animation has lost its luster and could be obsolete as the main studio in Burbank began pivoting to computer animation on March 25th, 2002. Lilo and Stitch, though was thankfully a nice hit, being the first Disney animation over 100m domestic and 270m worldwide since Tarzan, and despite Treasure Planet’s costly bombing being the straw to force a computer animation pivot and Home on the Range being the last hand drawn Disney feature - there was still faith in the time at WDFAF with the much anticipated Brother Bear in the pipeline which Eisner hoped would be the next Lion King and traditional animation still being alive there.

Longtime Florida native and animation guru, Mulan director Barry Cook saw the writing on the walls and had an idea in his pocket. Having a recent animated movie pitch based on Appalachian culture, that was though liked wasn’t screaming to be animated according to Schumaker and head of Disney, Michael Eisner. So Cook not only made household item dolls/folk art based on the main characters but had a big idea: the movie would be 70% CG/30% 2D giving cheaper production costs and give Disney a new edge yet to be done. Cook said “Give us 45m, leave us alone for 3 years and I’ll deliver you a movie. A movie that can deliver a profit.” - and thusly My Peoples was born. 

 

Things were going well, top talent like Dolly Parton, Lily Tomlin and even James Carville was hitched onto the project as voice actors, Ricky Skaggs and Marty Stuart to do the songs, veteran Andrew Deja constructing the 2D human characters and with Thomas Schumaker having faith little stood in their way. Until Schumaker left Disney Feature Animation for Disney Broadway, pushing head of Disney Television Animation - David Stainton in control. Stainton not only gave budget cuts but also employed some creative changers from various title changes (Angel and Her No Good Sister, to finally A Few Good Ghosts) and creative changes like ghosts being the reason the folk art dolls coming to life to various comedic sequences being added which Cook did become partial to a drive-in sequence but didn’t care for the ghosts idea. 

 

However, production was allowed and things were going well for a 2005 release date. Brother Bear though did get an unorthodox release date, pushed to November 1st 2003 vs it’s planned 2004 date to coincide with The Lion King’s Platinum DVD. It also opened on a Saturday vs Halloween which was a Friday to avoid kids being caught up with festivities. Brother Bear underperformed on opening weekend but an early screening for Stainton, Eisner, various executives and Pam Coats, a veteran animator in Florida - loved A Few Good Ghosts. Some even said it could be amongst Pixar’s best. Things were looking great for WDFAF. Unfortunately, on November 14th, Stainton canned A Few Good Ghosts for lack of faith in the concept and Chicken Little, though more expensive and undergone a similar story revision being once focus on a daughter overcoming her anxiety in a summer camp against scheming wolves to the alien story was viewed as a more likely hit as it was wholly CGI. Florida saw its lasts days sometime around January 2004.

Pixaren’t

The hits keep coming that month of January as Pixar decided to leave Disney and try it on their own, seeking new partners for 2006 but Cars was pushed to 2006 in 2004 to give the studios more time to reconcile. Disney owned the characters and wanted more sequels, so they decided to craft Circle 7 Animation, an animation studio similar to DisneyToon Studios to make sequels based on Pixar properties but theatrically. Pixar and the animation industry as a whole were furious, dubbing the studio Pixaren’t and called the situation similar to “molesters having control of their own children” to even Chris Wedge (director of Ice Age and Robots at Blue Sky) calling out the mouse house.

 

Nonetheless, Eisner had faith in the company’s team of storytellers and animators that they could do better than Pixar. Millstein was put up as head of operations and Bradley Raymond (Lion King 1 ½ Director) and WDFA producer Ray Conli began work on Toy Story 3, slated for 2008. However, the most coveted work to come from Bob Hilgenburg and Rob Muir, who although were green screenwriters having just Love Boat and a few episodes of TV to their name, met with Millstein who loved their energy and gave them the choice of Monsters Inc or Nemo. 

The former chose Monsters for their comedic capabilities and made Lost in Scaradise which involved Mike and Sully being stuck in the human world in attempt to visit Boo one more time the eve before Mike’s wedding which leads to being pursued by a wannabe geeky monster hunter, a redeemed Randall and a host of banished monsters at a resort in the Bermuda Triangle. Lost in Scaradise was loved by those who read it, noting quality was on par with the first one. Eisner even had it as his last read film before leaving Disney in 2005, replaced by Bob Iger who also dug the film as well as Dick Cook who headed Disney production was enamored and gave notes and even put them to touch up their Toy Story 3. 

Though things would turn around when Iger bought Pixar, stunning everyone and putting Lassiter in charge as Chief Creative Officer of the various animation divisions which lead to WDFA being turned into Walt Disney Animation Studios and their own logo as well as directly being in charge of developing projects, but ended up making DisneyToon focus on spinoffs instead of sequels and axing Circle 7 Animation. However, 136 of the 168 animators were given work at WDAS and Millstein was put in charge as general manager reporting under Lassiter and Ed Catmull. The scripts of Circle 7 were never read by Pixar crew or Lassiter though.

 

Disney now

 

Thanks to the work of the talented artists and storytellers and Lassiter, WDAS was able to see a second renaissance in the 2010s crafting Frozen, Zootopia, Moana, Tangled and many more hits. Lassiter though was justly let go for years of sexual harassment but found himself running Skydance Animation. Andrew Millstein was put in charge of Blue Sky Studios, which Disney briefly owned when buying 20th Century Fox but Blue Sky got shutdown over the pandemic, but Millstein gathered up Blue Sky alumni and formed Annupurna’s animation division. WDAS has had a recent string of underperformers much like the 2000s with Wish being a key example as well as Strange World, due to quality problems, a shift of more IP based animation and streamer Disney+ taking away theatrical viewers. Endless Animation ended up buying My People’s and releasing it theatrically Y3, which was a success at almost 200m domestic and over 480m worldwide. If there’s some set of advice, Millstein and the various animators have to give to Disney, is to keep on trying and embracing the new and original and not to let the recent problems set them back. Nonetheless, the various animators have all expressed pride in their work, happy to have done it but melancholy some of their projects are lost media.

 

Sources:

Spoiler

https://youtu.be/x_ZFuf6Y6WM?si=mB_O-_veRcojiGQ-

https://animatedviews.com/2012/bob-hilgenberg-and-rob-muir-on-the-rise-and-fall-of-disneys-circle-7-animation/

https://jimhillmedia.com/the-skinny-on-circle-seven/

https://web.archive.org/web/20190330144511/https://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/fl-xpm-1993-12-26-9312060472-story.html

https://www.awn.com/news/david-stainton-named-president-disney-feature-animation

https://jimhillmedia.com/why-walt-disney-feature-animation-opted-not-to-make-my-peoples/

https://animatedviews.com/2012/director-barry-cook-remembers-the-peoples-of-walt-disney-feature-animation-florida/
 

 

[YM!]

On 12/30/2023 at 12:28 PM, MCKillswitch123 said:

Y10 Organized Schedule

 

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January 2nd

Sony vs. Nintendo - Documentary - dir. Lisanne Pajot and James Swirsky - PG-13 - $10m budget - 2,701 theaters

 

January 9th

Puckshot - Sports/Dramedy - dir. Charles Stone III - PG-13 - $18m budget - 2,879 theaters

The Scavenger Wars: Remastered - Re-release/Sci-Fi/Epic - dir. Matt & Ross Duffer - PG-13 - $5m budget (original budget of $225m) - 3,200 theaters

 

January 16th (MLK 4-day weekend)

Money Heist - Heist/Thriller - dir. Steven Spielberg - PG-13 - $100m budget - 3,877 theaters - In IMAX / PLF's

Tailypo - Folk Horror - dir. Alexandre Aja - R - $10m budget - 3,402 theaters

 

January 23rd

Toppings: A Pizza Romance - Coming-of-Age/Romance - dir. Sam Levinson - PG-13 - $30m budget - 2,727 theaters

 

January 30th

Operation Finality - Sci-Fi/Horror - dir. Leigh Whannell - R - $80m budget - 3,340 theaters - In IMAX / PLF's

 

February 6th

Viva Las Vengeance: The Cinematic Experience - Concert Film - dir. Bruce Hendricks - PG-13 - $12m budget - 2,450 theaters

 

February 13th

The Valkyries vs. The Galaxy - Computer Animation/Sci-Fi/Jukebox Musical/Comedy - dir. Ian Jones-Quartery and Jennifer Kluska - PG - $140m budget - 4,062 budget - In IMAX / PLF's

Room 131 - Psychological Thriller - dir. Tate Taylor - R - $12m budget - 2,768 theaters
 

February 20th

The Legend of Hollis Brown - Neo-Western/Drama/Romance - dir. Clint Eastwood - R - $20m budget - 3,180 theaters

 

February 27th

A Ghost Tail - Family/Dramedy - dir. Marielle Heller - PG-13 - $10m budget - 3,235 theaters

 

March 6th

Speed Demon - Thriller/Supervillain - dir. David Yarovesky - R - $17m budget - 3,455 theaters

 

March 13th 

Klonoa: Door to Phantomile - Animation - dir. Angus McClane - PG - $150m budget - 4,008 theaters - In IMAX / PLF's

 

March 20th

Gran Turismo 2  - Sports - dir. Jamie Babbit - PG-13 - $60m budget - 3,267 theaters

 

March 27th

Lions and Dragons - Animation/Fantasy - dir. Troy Quane and Nick Bruno - PG - $100m budget - 3,623 theaters
 

April 1st (Wednesday before Easter)

Father vs. Son - Action/Thriller - dir. Antoine Fuqua - R -  $70m budget - In IMAX / PLF's

 

April 3rd (Easter Weekend)

Cruis'n World - Sports - dir. Sebastian Schipper - PG-13 - $60m budget - 3,500 theaters

 

April 10th

The Enormous Radio - Drama/Fantasy/Romance - dir. Christina Choe - PG-13 - $45m budget - 3,321 theaters

 

April 17th

Penpal - Coming-of-Age/Horror/Mystery/Thriller - dir. David Robert Mitchell - R - $25m budget - 3,310 theaters

 

April 24th

Stallions - Nature Documentary - dir. Drew Fellman - G - $5m budget - 2,450 theaters

 

May 1st

Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas - Action/Thriller/Crime - dir. Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah - R - $75m budget - 4,002 theaters - In IMAX / PLF's

 

May 8th

Time After Time - Sci-Fi/Romance/Thriller - dir. Tom Harper - PG-13 - $50m budget - 3,658 theaters

 

May 15th

Doraemon - Family/Comedy/Drama - dir. Karyn Kusama - PG - $80m budget - 3,478 theaters

 

May 22nd (Memorial Day Weekend)

The Set-Up - Romantic Dramedy - dir. Claire Scanlon - PG-13 - $17.5m budget - 3,475 theaters

DC’s The Siege of Savage - Superhero - dir. Jeff Fowler - PG-13 - $275m budget - 4,430 theaters - In IMAX / PLF's

 

May 29th

12 Angry Veggies: A VeggieTales Movie - Faith-Based/Animation - dir. Phil Vischer and Mike Nawrocki - PG - $5m budget - 1,985 theaters

 

June 5th

Old Men Walking - Action/Comedy/Western - dir. Chris Columbus - PG-13 - $40m budget - 3,280 theaters

 

June 12th

Flesh - Sci-Fi/Action/Animation - dir. Harold Kingsley - R - $25m budget - 3,260 theaters

LittleBigPlanet - Animation/Fantasy/Adventure - dir. Erica Milsom - PG - $120m budget - 4,010 theaters

 

June 19th

Berserk: The Golden Age - Animated Epic Medieval Fantasy - dir. Zack Snyder - R - $235m budget - 4,280 theaters - In IMAX / PLF's

 

June 26th

The Secrets That Love Brings - Melodrama/Romance - dir. Castille Landon - PG-13 - $15m budget - 3,078 theaters

 

July 1st

Ping - CGI Animation - dir. Cal Brunker -  PG - $80m budget - 3,830 theaters

 

July 3rd (July 4th weekend)

51 - Found Footage - dir. Jonathan Liebesman - R - $5m budget - 3,218 theaters

Freedom Day - Horror/Thriller/Sci-Fi - dir. Levan Gabriadze - PG-13 - $3m budget - 2,879 theaters

Second Dimension: Battle for North Kingdom - Fantasy/Action - dir. Chloé Zhao - PG-13 - $180m budget - 4,000 theaters - In IMAX / PLF's

 

July 10th 

The Furby Movie - Animation/Comedy/Adventure - dir. Chris Wedge - G - $45m budget - 3,665 theaters

 

July 17th

Lifeguards - Romantic Comedy - dir. Peter Billingsley - R - $25m budget - 3,204 theaters

The Lottery - Drama/Thriller - dir. Sarah Polley - R - $25m budget - 3,270 theaters

 

July 24th

Green Lantern Corps: Evolution - Superhero/Sci-Fi/Epic - dir. Christopher McQuarrie - PG-13 - $275 million budget - 4,405 theaters - In IMAX / PLF's

 

July 31st

Wii Sports Resort: Vacation on Wuhu Island - Family/Comedy - dir. B.J. Novak - PG - $50m budget - 3,125 theaters

 

August 7th

Tornado - Action/Disaster - dir. Ric Roman Waugh - PG-13 - $100m budget - 3,451 theaters

 

August 14th

Tatiana's Journey - Live-Action & Animation Hybrid/Sci-Fi/Action/Comedy/Romance - dir. Mike Owens and Shadi Petosky - PG - $175m budget - 4,002 theaters - In IMAX / PLF's

A Walk in the London Rain (Limited Release) - Drama - dir. Emma Seligman - R - $20m budget - 4 theaters

 

August 21st

Six Souls - Horror/Supernatural - dir. Bryce McGuire - R - $5m budget - 2,875 theaters

A Walk in the London Rain (Limited Expansion #1) - Drama - dir. Emma Seligman - R - $20m budget - 10 theaters

 

August 28th

Burnout Revenge - Action - dir. Robert Rodriguez - PG-13 - $42m budget - 3,119 theaters

Coyotes Wild - Nature Documentary - dir. Mark Linfeld - G - $5m budget - 2,450 theaters

A Walk in the London Rain (Limited Expansion #2) - Drama - dir. Emma Seligman - R - $20m budget - 300 theaters

 

September 4th (Labor Day weekend)

Providence - Sci-Fi/Thriller - dir. James Wan - R - $100m budget - 3,761 theaters - In IMAX / PLF's

Smile - Animation/Coming-of-Age/Teen Comedy - dir. Kirsten Lester - PG - $80m budget - 3,574 theaters

A Walk in the London Rain (Wide Release) - Drama - dir. Emma Seligman - R - $20m budget - 1,130 theaters

 

September 11th

9/11: Never Forget - Documentary - dir. Keith Maitland - PG-13 - $10m budget - 2,506 theaters

Adam & Cindy ft. Cersei, in: Guinea Piggest - Comedy - dir. Barry Sonnenfeld - PG - $7.5m budget - 3,009 theaters

A Walk in the London Rain (Wide Expansion) - Drama - dir. Emma Seligman - R - $20m budget - 2,342 theaters

 

September 18th

Fishergirls - Fantasy/Animation - dir. Chris Wayan - R - $15m budget - 3,207 theaters

 

September 25th

Kris' Plan - Sci-Fi/Drama/Thriller - dir. Hanelle Culpepper - PG-13 - $80m budget - 3,560 theaters - In IMAX

Sweet Tooth - Horror - dir. Adam Robitel - R - $10m budget - 2,785 theaters

 

October 2nd

Pac-Man - Comedy - dir. Gil Kenan - PG - $30m budget - 3,215 theaters

Paranormal lamronaraP (Limited Release) - Supernatural Horror/Suspense - dir. Scott Derrickson - R - $10m budget - 5 theaters

 

October 9th 

The Boy with the Green Eyes - Thriller/Musical/Dark Comedy - dir. Zach Creggers - R - $20m budget - 3,023 theaters

Monster Farm - Comedy/Animation - dir. Henry Midas -  G - $30m budget - 3,337 theaters

Paranormal lamronaraP (Limited Expansion) - Supernatural Horror/Suspense - dir. Scott Derrickson - R - $10m budget - 82 theaters

 

October 16th

The Elevator - Horror/Thriller - dir. Scott Derrickson - R - $18m budget - 2,986 theaters - In IMAX / PLF's

Mouse Hunt - Documentary - dir. John-Paul Davidson - PG-13 - $10m budget - 2,423 theaters

Paranormal lamronaraP (Limited Expansion #2) - Supernatural Horror/Suspense - dir. Scott Derrickson - R - $10m budget - 495 theaters

 

October 23rd

Hilda and the Midnight Giant: Remastered - Re-release/Animation/Dark Fantasy - dir. Patrick McHale & Dana Terrace - PG - $5m budget (original budget of $130m) - 3,000 theaters

Paranormal lamronaraP (Wide Release) - Supernatural Horror/Suspense - dir. Scott Derrickson - R - $10m budget - 1,189 theaters

Red Flag - Sports/Documentary - dir. Jason Hehir - R - N/A budget - 2,500 theaters

 

October 30th

Life Picture - Drama - dir. Lila Neugebauer - R - $20m budget - 2,975 theaters

Paranormal lamronaraP (Wide Expansion) - Supernatural Horror/Suspense - dir. Scott Derrickson - R - $10m budget - 3,150 theaters

 

November 6th

MBWII: The Second Monster Bug Wars - Action/Thriller/Horror/Sci-Fi - dir. Beth McCarthy-Miller - PG-13 - $100m budget - 3,672 theaters - In IMAX / PLF's

The Second Water War - Family Comedy - dir. David Bowers - PG - $35m budget - 3,201 theaters

Soil (Limited Release) - Drama - dir. Charlotte Wells - R - $8m budget - 5 theaters

The Unseen - Drama - dir. Jayro Bustamante - R - $10m budget - 2,457 theaters

 

November 13th

3 Hearts 3 Fires - Action/Thriller/Romance - dir. Natália Grimberg - PG-13 - $25m budget - 3,101 theaters

For Queen and Country - Documentary - dir. Louis Theroux - PG - N/A budget - 2,000 theaters

Let's Eat Dad (Limited Release) - Black Dramedy - dir. Taika Waititi - R - $15m budget - 20 theaters

Soil (Limited Expansion) - Drama - dir. Charlotte Wells - R - $8m budget - 20 theaters

 

November 20th

King of Kings - Historical Epic - dir. Matt Shakman - PG-13 - $175m budget - 3,967 theaters - In IMAX / PLF's

Let's Eat Dad (Limited Expansion) - Black Dramedy - dir. Taika Waititi - R - $15m budget - 450 theaters

More Than Just a Residency - Concert Documentary - dir. Sam Wrench - PG-13 - $15m budget - 3,077 theaters

The Quest for Buster’s Bones - Animation/Comedy - dir. Steve Moore - PG - $25m budget - 3,256 theaters

Soil (Limited Expansion #2) - Drama - dir. Charlotte Wells - R - $8m budget - 400 theaters

 

November 25th (5 Day Thanksgiving)

Cloud Cuckoo Land - Sci-Fi/Drama/Epic - dir. Ridley Scott - PG-13 - $200m budget - 3,893 theaters - In IMAX / PLF's

Let's Eat Dad (Wide Release) - Black Dramedy - dir. Taika Waititi - R - $15m budget - 2,785 theaters

Soil (Wide Release) - Drama - dir. Charlotte Wells - R - $8m budget - 800 theaters

 

November 27th

Meme Run - Comedy/Adventure - dir. Andy Fickman - PG-13 - $10m budget - 2,857 theaters

 

December 4th

My Winter Retreat - Horror/Supernatural - dir. Rob Zombie - R - $10m budget - 2,831 theaters

Soil (Wide Expansion) - Drama - dir. Charlotte Wells - R - $8m budget - 1,600 theaters

SSX Tricky - Action/Sports - dir. Aaron and Adam Nee - PG-13 - $100m budget - 4,253 theaters

 

December 11th

Happy Together - Romance/Thriller - dir. Adrian Lyne - R - $45m budget - 3,021 theaters

Soil (Wide Expansion #2) - Drama - dir. Charlotte Wells - R - $8m budget - 3,028 theaters

 

December 18th

Gateways: The Empire of Zenith - Animation/Sci-Fi Fantasy/Adventure - dir. Jennifer Yuh Nelson and Adam Muto - PG - $250m budget - 4,238 theaters - In IMAX / PLF's

 

December 23rd (5 Day Christmas weekend)

Hidden Blood - Romance/Dramedy/Thriller - dir. Meera Menon - PG-13 - $25m budget - 3,191 theaters

The Library of Babel - Sci-Fi/Drama - dir. David Semel - PG-13 - $50m budget - 3,110 theaters

 

December 25th

Floodbath: The Play - Filmed Play - dir. Darragh Carey and Bertrand Desrochers - PG-13 - $10m budget - 2,981 theaters

Maniac Magee - Coming-of-Age Dramedy - dir. Robert Zemeckis - PG - $120m budget - 3,822 theaters

 

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