Monday, January 04, 2010

DreamWorks Animation LLC

The second half of my day was spent at DWA, where different artists brought up the bomb threat brouhaha from Thursday. Employees were either telling me they spent a long time out on the sidewalk in the rain, or that they had been off on vacation and missed it (and a few sorry that they weren't present for the excitement.) ...

But besides staff standing out on the sidewalk on a drizzly afternoon, there are also a bunch of newer pictures being made.

"We've got the first act of Puss in Boots up on boards. It's got different characters than Shrek, more supporting players and second leads from different fairy tales ..."

And apparently The Croods is coming along smartly.

"The Jeffrey presentation is earlier than it was originally going to be, but we're close to ready. We've got the three acts done, and I have to say this story feels a lot more solid than a lot of pictures I've worked on [around the industry]. Not that there isn't tightening and tweaks tweaks that we need to make, but there's a there there ..."

The quote above is from somebody who I respect a lot and knows good from bad from indifferent. Chris Anderson's Sanders's other effort at the studio, How to Train Your Dragon, is also getting good internal buzz. Could this be a positive sign? Could this be a portent of top quality animated features to come? We'll know the answer in due course.

14 comments:

Anonymous said...

Chris Anderson's other effort at the studio, How to Train Your Dragon, is also getting good internal buzz.

Don't you mean Chris SANDERS?

Anonymous said...

No. Chris Sanders was the guy that got fired from American Dog. Chris Anderson is the guy that directed the Penguins from Madagascar. Wait, that's not right.

Perhaps Steve was eating some of those brownies that sinister forces left in on the table in the company commissary?

Hehe.

Anonymous said...

No, Dean DuBlois is directing "Dragon." I think Kris Sandoz is co-directing or something. He quit Disney when the American Dog story reels were a mess and he didn't get his way.

Anonymous said...

Stop bad mouth Sanders! He's a genius and Lasseter is just jealous that he would have proven to be a better story teller. American Dog ruled. It would have been a crazy, abstract animated film that made 500 million dollars if Disney and evil Lasseter would have let him make it.

Steve Hulett said...

It's Chris Sanders.

Sorry, my typo. Made when I was racing off to meet somebody (my bride) for dinner.

Mea culpa.

Know Geeks Allowed said...

Mea culpa?

Watch your language, Steve.

Kids may be viewing this!

;)

Anonymous said...

Haha. Kris Sandoz. Made me laugh.

Kris Sandoz wikes to maek da mooviees.

Anonymous said...

Sanders is talented. But no genius. And I saw the American Dog reels. They were confusing, and a real mess, as the person above stated correctly. Incoherant, all over the place, and not at all entertaining. Some good ideas, but no story. EXTREMELY self indulgant, but with no real point of view. What a shame he couldn't take criticism and quit.

Alex Dudley said...

My animation professor at SCAD told me that Lasseter and Sanders were actually on pretty good terms and he stepped down for the good of the film. He wasn't bitter like everyone thinks.

Of course die-hard fans can believe what they want. They're mostly upset that the character designs (which I think was better than what was use in the final film), weren't used.

Anonymous said...

"Bolt" was boring and predictable. It`s sad that almost all the original helmers at Disney are not directing anymore, and the movies are getting generic and bland.
I´m really waiting for "HTTYD".

Anonymous said...

"Lasseter and Sanders were actually on pretty good terms and he stepped down for the good of the film."
-sounds so much better than "he was fired", which is the case.

Anonymous said...

I can`t find any mention of C. Sanders in the credits of "Bolt"...

Anonymous said...

Let the name of C. Sanders be stricken from every book and tablet. Stricken from every pylon and obelisk of the movie Bolt. Let the name of C. Sanders be unheard and unspoken, erased from the memory for all time said Lasseter.

Anonymous said...

Jeez you guys...

The movie wasnt going well, he either got fired or left, no one knows unless you actually know, but he's probably less upset about it than the rabid fanboys.

Its the movie business, cut throat tactics are commonplace. We all know this! I mean, who among us HASNT been laid off at one point or another.

Chris is a big boy. He clearly is doing just fine.

Site Meter