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Confession time: I've never been a huge Disney fan. Technically, their work has always been visually breath taking, blah, blah, blah. BUT it's also rather... vanilla? Kiddified? No, that's not quite right... Ah, how's this; dated. Oh boy, hear comes the hate mail. "My greatest memory with my kids/parents/grandkids was watching....' PLEASE, STOP... let me explain. Even with new work such as 'Beauty and the Beast', there was always a feeling for me that Disney 'toons were made for two types of people. They were either grandparents who go 'Now THAT'S the kinda toon's I remember when I was a kid' or to placate parents desperate for something safe enough for their 5 year-old to watch. Is that a bad thing? No, not by any means. Parents everywhere still cling to Disney as a safe thing to take the kids. Considering what the movie market is like, having Disney as a brand you can trust is a lifesaver. BUT, there is a problem; the planet isn't populated only by kids 7 and under and septuagenarians who harken back to the 'old days'. The rest of us, especially the powerful demographic with MONEY, are looking for something with a bite. No, it's not necessarily 'Heavy Metal', but something that kids AND adults enjoy.
For one moment, Disney GOT IT. A tiny company, Pixar, headed by PC maverick Steven Jobs created 'Toy Story'. At the time, it seemed like just another cute flick with cool voice actors and decent CGI. But the movie was peppered with witty dialog, an original story, and hearing Tim Allen and Tom Hanks banter back and forth made everyone do a double take... and the money rolled in. Suddenly the animation bar was set higher then the Sears Tower, and Pixar was a name to be reckoned with.
The movies rolled on: Monster's Inc', 'Toy Story 2', 'A Bug's Life', and more recently 'Finding Nemo'. And the contract with Disney came up. Doh! You would think, considering the money Pixar has made for Disney and how HORRIBLE Disney's animation division has been lately, Michael Eisner would give Pixar the house, car, boat, and any appendages they wanted.
Well, things blew-up, and Mr. Jobs comments were pretty typical for him; biting and blunt and unrestrained. Should he have held back and been more tactful? Probably. The entertainment industry is well known for holding grudges till the end of days... but this is Steven Jobs who also could care less what Bill Gates does. An interesting combination of gall, confidence... or being crazy.
All that raises this question is Disney irrelevant in animation? Yes, I said it. It sounds like a crazy question considering how BIG it is... but so is an African Elephant that's past it's prime and ready to drop dead. Blunt, crass... but something to think about. Dreamworks has been steadily releasing animation product. Ok, so 'Sinbad' did horribly, but moments like that are balanced out by successes like 'Shrek' and 'Prince of Egypt.'
Good news for Disney is animation is still very expensive, even with new technology, so there aren't a ton o' hotshot companies jumping on the animation bandwagon. Warner Brothers has... oh, forget it. WB WANTS to join the party... and keeps showing up at the door with their fly down. Go figure. And as 'Final Fantasy' by Sony proved, having butt-kicking CGI doesn't mean a thing if the story is 'eh'. On the other hand, 'Treasure Island' proved you can actually be a pretty decent movie and get creamed at the box office just the same.
What does this all mean? Animation in the US is at a crossroads. Disney isn't the King of the Animation Jungle. Disney still has a small vestige of it's reputation...but it's SMALL, and Dreamworks has been nipping at it for a while. Losing Pixar just adds fuel to the fire. Eisner can talk all he wants about banner year, blah, blah, blah, but the fact of the matter is Disney has been left talking about yesteryear while Dreamworks and Pixar are looking into the future. Eisner and Co. better think fast regarding their animation department before the Mouse's rep goes the way of the dying elephant and comes to a loud, painful death.