Walt Disney Studios 2006 Showcase
Page 3 of 6

Popcorn, Chicken and Elton John
On the way back into the theater we picked up popcorn buckets from the lobby with Chicken Little emblazoned on them – a hint of things to come. For the second part of the morning we were greeted by a massive Disney Animation backdrop (featuring all the Disney characters) and again by Dick who stated, “We are ushering in a new golden age of animation,�? with films like Chicken Little, Meet the Robinsons and American Dog. And then we were treated to clips from each. American Dog, which bows in 2007, is directed by Chris Sanders and if the clip was any indication, it will be Disney’s 3D darling. Not to take anything away from the other films, but this film looked amazing, and any picture that features a cat driving a car with a pirate eye patch, well, is something to see. Not a line of dialog was heard, but the visuals and the fact that the guy that brought us Lilo & Stitch is doing this film, something about it, made it very special.

Elton John

Dick continued with talk about Disney’s other upcoming CG films. Rupunzel Unbraided from Glen Keane (the supervising animator for Aladdin, Tarzan, Ariel, Beast from Beauty and the Beast), and Gnomeo & Juliet. Since no trailer was available for Gnomeo Dick walked us through the film – a romance about garden gnomes. He spoke of romantic situations while a few bars of various Elton John songs were played backstage on piano to set the mood for the film. Dick then explained he was happy to report that Disney were working again with Elton John on the film and that the film is being produced by Elton John (who is also writing new songs for the film) and his company Rocket Pictures. Dick then offhandedly commented “Wouldn’t it be great if Elton were here now?�? And on that note the curtain rose and there sat Sir Elton John at the piano, and he proceeded to bang out “Crocodile Rock.�?

The theater exhibitors, studio partners and executives made an awkward rock audience. While most of the people on the floor sang along during the “Na na na na Nah�? chorus, the balcony remained stiff and quiet. Nonetheless, an undeterred Elton plowed on, finished the song then smiled, bowed and shuffled off stage. Dick then explained Elton was in the middle of tour and flew overnight from England just for this event. Wow.

Dick continued, while Gnomeo & Juliet, American Dog and the other films were further down the line, he proudly touted Chicken Little as the first of a new crop of Disney animated CG films, a bold “new golden age of animation.�? And after a brief introduction to the films stars Zack Braff (Chicken Little) and Garry Marshall (who plays Little’s father), Dick then raised the curtain on the first audience screening (outside of Disney) of Chicken Little.

Overall, Disney’s first CG-animated outing was good. From the untraditional opening to the nail-biting baseball sequence that makes Mr. Little the talk of Oakey Oaks, it’s a cute film that has several Disney touches and memorable characters – Fish Out of Water and Runt of the Litter practically steal the show.

Director Mark Dindal (the visual effects supervisor for The Little Mermaid) does a decent job. Unfortunately, at times, it seems like it’s trying to be a Pixar film not a Disney one. In one instance as Chicken Little and pals are plotting to save the world, there’s reference to the word “pee,�? we then go off on half-minute long exploration of the word. It’s something we expect from a Shrek outing, possibly even from the boys at Pixar, but Disney? Chicken Little tugs at the heartstrings, sure, but never gives them a really good pull. An outcast, Chicken Little is one bird you never feel really sorry for. And the father and son dynamic could have been explored with more Disney-like emotion.

On a scale of 1 to 10, that’s a bout a 7 folks. What I give an 8, 9 or 10 is the 3D version of it. After the film was over, the crowd was treated to ten minutes of Chicken Little in 3D. As Disney representatives passed out green Chicken Little-like 3D glasses, Dick explained that through a partnership with Dolby Digital and ILM, Chicken Little would be projected in 3D (or D III) in 85 theaters. Unlike other 3D films, since this film was “made digital and projected digitally, the screen becomes a window.�? Projected at 144 frames per second, there was no distortion, or eye strain and having seen other 3D shows like Muppet*Vision and Honey I Shrunk the Audience, the ten-minute clip was the best presentation of 3D I’ve ever seen.