This is such a great open letter, and one that really needs to be shared, because it has some great ideas here that could be considered for Disney going forward. I agree with so much of what is said.
I personally really dislike Bob Iger for so much of what he did to the Disney company in his first term, especially acquiring Marvel, Lucasfilm, and Fox, (Pixar is an exception, due to their prior history with Disney,) but what I dislike just as much, if not more than that, is how the animation studio, the very thing the company was founded on, had been handled.
Your statement about modern Disney's lack of respect for or understanding of its own history really hits the nail on the head with what I've noticed about Disney in the modern era, especially when animation is concerned. I never saw the Pinocchio remake, but just seeing reviews of it was more than enough to tell me what a colossal misfire and an embarrassment it was. And that's not even getting into how that Chip & Dale: Rescue Rangers movie depicted Peter Pan, which is a lot harsher when you realize what happened to the original voice of the character, Bobby Driscoll.
On top of that, the Walt Disney Animation Studios seems to lack its own identity these days, due to how the newer WDAS movies are almost indistinguishable from Pixar's movies both in style and even in substance at points. It makes me long for the days of traditional animation and the hand-drawn/CGI hybrids that were done in the 1990s and early 2000s. Now, I have to hunt outside of the mainstream for animated movies that aren't entirely CGI.
I see a lot of people have been very unhappy with the state of Disney in the current era like I am, but unlike those who want to see the company fail out of spite, I just really want for them to turn themselves back around somehow.
I will say, the only thing I kinda disagree with is your statement about focusing more on films with animal characters over those with largely human casts. Don't get me wrong, I love stories that involve animal and non-human characters, especially when they're really good, and I would like to see more of that sort of thing in the modern era, but if that was done all the time, it would become boring and audiences would grow tired of it. Variety is the spice of life, after all.
Anyways, just felt like sharing some of my thoughts about this, as a long time Disney fan.
You were the inspiration, Floyd. You said you were working with people who were young enough to be your grandchildren. I thought, this is a good idea, why stop there?
It's funny, I only got the idea to write this when Floyd Norman wrote me that he was now doing storyboards with people who were young enough to be his grandchildren (good for you Floyd, and good for them!) so, I figured, why stop there? Plus, that Pinocchio film was a slap in the face to everything that studio once stood for.
I feel the deference and humility in the words you write. Hopefully, they won't fall on deaf ears. I feel the issues at Disney have more to do with the ol' money-hungry animal and their bottom line more than anything. The price of the door tickets have skyrocketed this year. My yearly subscription to Disney Plus (which I have had since its inception) has increased by $40 in two years. I have been a Disney Vacation Club member also for now 25 + years and the fees for that has gone through the roof as they keep trying to get me to add on to it.
Who knows, maybe they will get it. Yet, pessimistically, I don't think so.
Your letter is dead-on right in my opinion. You are an eloquent and succinct writer. I do hope you also sent this to Mr. Iger. He needs to hear these ideas and reflections from you who was there in the trenches experiencing the former Disney and has stayed up to date with the present Disney. Your idea to mentor the newest generation of animators is terrific. I wonder if they would be interested in that? I feel the lack of a guiding philosophy in the films as well. There is little heart left. It has lost a sincerity I felt when working there, and comes off as lip service to a lot of over-used cliches.
Well-written and thank you for putting these ideas out there in the ether. So many of us agree with you!
Nancy,
This is such a great open letter, and one that really needs to be shared, because it has some great ideas here that could be considered for Disney going forward. I agree with so much of what is said.
I personally really dislike Bob Iger for so much of what he did to the Disney company in his first term, especially acquiring Marvel, Lucasfilm, and Fox, (Pixar is an exception, due to their prior history with Disney,) but what I dislike just as much, if not more than that, is how the animation studio, the very thing the company was founded on, had been handled.
Your statement about modern Disney's lack of respect for or understanding of its own history really hits the nail on the head with what I've noticed about Disney in the modern era, especially when animation is concerned. I never saw the Pinocchio remake, but just seeing reviews of it was more than enough to tell me what a colossal misfire and an embarrassment it was. And that's not even getting into how that Chip & Dale: Rescue Rangers movie depicted Peter Pan, which is a lot harsher when you realize what happened to the original voice of the character, Bobby Driscoll.
On top of that, the Walt Disney Animation Studios seems to lack its own identity these days, due to how the newer WDAS movies are almost indistinguishable from Pixar's movies both in style and even in substance at points. It makes me long for the days of traditional animation and the hand-drawn/CGI hybrids that were done in the 1990s and early 2000s. Now, I have to hunt outside of the mainstream for animated movies that aren't entirely CGI.
I see a lot of people have been very unhappy with the state of Disney in the current era like I am, but unlike those who want to see the company fail out of spite, I just really want for them to turn themselves back around somehow.
I will say, the only thing I kinda disagree with is your statement about focusing more on films with animal characters over those with largely human casts. Don't get me wrong, I love stories that involve animal and non-human characters, especially when they're really good, and I would like to see more of that sort of thing in the modern era, but if that was done all the time, it would become boring and audiences would grow tired of it. Variety is the spice of life, after all.
Anyways, just felt like sharing some of my thoughts about this, as a long time Disney fan.
Thank you very much for writing this open letter, Nancy. Every word is spot on. You are a gifted writer.
You were the inspiration, Floyd. You said you were working with people who were young enough to be your grandchildren. I thought, this is a good idea, why stop there?
It's funny, I only got the idea to write this when Floyd Norman wrote me that he was now doing storyboards with people who were young enough to be his grandchildren (good for you Floyd, and good for them!) so, I figured, why stop there? Plus, that Pinocchio film was a slap in the face to everything that studio once stood for.
Nancy,
I feel the deference and humility in the words you write. Hopefully, they won't fall on deaf ears. I feel the issues at Disney have more to do with the ol' money-hungry animal and their bottom line more than anything. The price of the door tickets have skyrocketed this year. My yearly subscription to Disney Plus (which I have had since its inception) has increased by $40 in two years. I have been a Disney Vacation Club member also for now 25 + years and the fees for that has gone through the roof as they keep trying to get me to add on to it.
Who knows, maybe they will get it. Yet, pessimistically, I don't think so.
Nancy,
Your letter is dead-on right in my opinion. You are an eloquent and succinct writer. I do hope you also sent this to Mr. Iger. He needs to hear these ideas and reflections from you who was there in the trenches experiencing the former Disney and has stayed up to date with the present Disney. Your idea to mentor the newest generation of animators is terrific. I wonder if they would be interested in that? I feel the lack of a guiding philosophy in the films as well. There is little heart left. It has lost a sincerity I felt when working there, and comes off as lip service to a lot of over-used cliches.
Well-written and thank you for putting these ideas out there in the ether. So many of us agree with you!
Thank you for this, Nancy. Even to one who is not involved in animation field, you are spot on.