Monday
Oct202008
Monday, October 20, 2008 at 8:05AM Rapunzel, Rapunzel, Hire Some New Directors
Disney will be carting out a new version of
Rapunzel two years from now, or at least that's
the hope. The project has spent over five years already cultivating ideas to
make the story more palatable for modern movie audiences, and it just took a
right turn where that's concerned. 
Howard and Greno are also the guys who cleaned up Disney's new animated flick, Bolt, which once upon a time, was called American Dog. It also used to have a different director, so perhaps these guys are Disney's fixers or something. Hill reports that progress had been made when Wellins joined Keane but that ultimately, the heads of animation at Disney still felt like the story didn't connect with audiences. So, it was out with the old and in with the new.
I guess I'm the exception to their rule here, but I remember Rapunzel as being a story that managed to live on for centuries. How much of a lift does it really need?
There is also the report that Keane has left the project voluntarily to deal with a "non-threatening ailment," and is temporarily cutting back his workload. Comic Mix reports that Keane, the son of Family Circus creator Bil Keane, may stay on board as a producer of Rapunzel while he develops other projects.
If you haven't seen them yet, here are a couple production images from Rapunzel that were released earlier this year:
Rapunzel, featuring the distinctive voice of Kristin Chenoweth, is scheduled to be released on Thanksgiving, 2010.
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Reader Comments (4)
There is an S-Load of pressure riding on the shoulders of Lady Rapunzel. Bolt could realistically be Disney's true arrival in the 3-D Animated market that they have struggled mightily in since Pixar robbed them of their title-belt with the release of Toy Story. Rapunzel, to me, appears to be their first attempt to blend classic Disney animation with modern computerized imagery.
Can it be enough to put Pixar back on the ropes and declare that the Mouse House is back? It will have to be Beauty and the Beast to do it...
And, as an purely speculative afterthought, if Disney finally does have their animation division back on track, I'd like to see them step away from fairy-tales and option a number of broadway musicals for the Disney treatment. Wicked, Phantom, Cats, and Les Miserables would all make great cartoons, with natural tie-ins for the theme parks...
Looks like "Rapunzel: The Ride" would make a great Disneyland attraction as well, based on those production stills.
Disney is getting more aggressive with their animation. I think a lot of that has to do with the fact that non-traditional players like The Weinsteins and Paramount (through Nickelodeon) have cut into the pie. Bolt seems like a master class in designing a hit movie, and if they can keep Rapunzel between the ditches, the studio could be off to a great start in that regard.
Wow, it is going to be awesome to see Walt Disney's version of Rapunzel. I think my children are going to love it. I guess when you run out of the more popular fairy tales, the lesser known ones will get a chance.