Originally Posted By AutoPost This topic is for Discussion of <a href="http://www.LaughingPlace.com/Latest.asp?I1=ID&I2=75614" target="_blank"><b>Latest: CartoonBrew: Brenda Chapman No Longer Directing Pixar's "Brave"?</b></a> <p><em>Cartoon Brew</em> shares unofficial reports that Brenda Chapman has left Pixar and is no longer directing Pixar's "Brave" (previously titled Bear and the Bow).</p>
Originally Posted By skinnerbox From comments posted at the link: "Floyd Norman says: 10/19/10 7:53am There are many opinions here because none of you know what really happened. I stand with my friend and colleague, Mike Gabriel who said it better than I ever could. Brenda is indeed a class act, and for this old animation veteran the news is heartbreaking." Sounds as though she might not have left on her own, that perhaps Brave was taken away from her, like Ratatouille was taken away from Jan Pinkava and given to Brad Bird. Brenda was also one of Pixar's "Sacred Seven" who factored heavily in the Disney acquisition. Sad news indeed. I was very much looking forward to seeing Brave next year. My enthusiasm has definitely dipped.
Originally Posted By mawnck One of the "Home On the Range" directors, John Sanford, has a different take. I'll quote the family-friendly parts only: >>They took a look at her movie and couldn’t fit it into any box they had, and so they took it away from her and gave it to someone else. A movie that SHE concieved, She nurtured, and she worked hard to make a reality. Then, they trumpet it to the heavens that “Pixar has a FEMALE director!!! Huzzah!” So what happened? She made a movie that didn’t fit into the “Pixar mold”, and these guys are afraid of failure, so they make a few changes. One of those changes is that Brenda is no longer directing. The Pixar powers that be smugly tell everybody that it’s all about the story and that it’s a director’s studio. Sure it is. Hypocrites in Hawaiian shirts and Razor scooters. << And Floyd Norman replies: >>Right on, Mr. Sanford. Finally, somebody has the stones to speak up. << Yeouch. <a href="http://www.cartoonbrew.com/feature-film/exclusive-brenda-chapman-no-longer-directing-pixars-brave.html" target="_blank">http://www.cartoonbrew.com/fea...ave.html</a>
Originally Posted By skinnerbox Go, John Sanford, GO!! Here are two more of John's comments. First up, someone on CB takes a shot at John as replacement director for Sweating Bullets: "If you are trying to take a shot at me, then it is a poor one. There is a world of difference between me being asked to take over “Sweating Bullets” and Pixar firing Brenda off of Brave. First: Disney never claimed to be “A director’s studio” and never claimed to support the “director’s vision”. Second: The way we did things at Disney was different. HoTR was never Mike and Mike’s movie, it was never Me and Will’s movie, it was Disney’s movie. They had expectations for the movie and we had to fulfill them, good or bad. This was supposedly BRENDA’s movie. That is how Pixar works, or at least, that is how they would like us to think. I wouldn’t be so mad if they would just come right out and admit they are no better than anyone else. Do I regret taking over from Mike Gabriel and Mike Giaimo? No. It was a great experience and I learned a lot. I’m not happy about how the movie turned out for a number of reasons. However, we are talking about Pixar and how they treat talent, in this case, Brenda Chapman. And truthfully, they don’t treat talent any better than anyone else. As a matter of fact, in some cases, they are worse. Just ask the guys who up there who are working hours of overtime with NO pay. On second thought, don’t. They won’t answer honestly. They are afraid for their jobs, and with good reason, wouldn’t you say?" John Sanford is right on the mark here. My Pixarian friends are too afraid to discuss ANYTHING about their work conditions with me. The only thing I've heard out of their mouths recently is how Pixar isn't the same studio they hired into, many years ago. They've all said that since the acquisition, it's a totally different ballgame. This next comment of John's is in response to how many actual details he knows about what happened between Brenda and Pixar, slightly edited for "adult" content: "It is an educated guess. You will notice that I have included no specifics. I do know that her movie was unconventional and that it was unpopular with certain members of the “Brain Trust” because of this. I can speculate based on other cases, the Chris Sanders thing, the Jan Pinkava thing, the Newt deal, and the troubles Brad and his Incredibles gang endured when they first arrived up there. I know how things work up there, Guy. You play by their rules. It’s their game. Like I said, I’d have no problem with this if they just fessed up and admitted that they are a business and no better than anyone else. Instead they persist with this “artist’s studio” 'equine waste', and that is exactly what it is. 'equine waste'. Remember how everyone back in 2006 was all excited about how the "Pixar Culture" was going to influence and change WDAS down in Burbank? Yeah, right. From the looks of things, I'd say it was the other way around. I believe that Iger is so terrified of having his judgement ridiculed regarding the Pixar acquisition, that he's put enormous downward pressure on Lasseter and E-Ville leadership to avoid box office bombs at all costs. As a result, the slightest whiff of potential mediocrity sends them all into a tizzy and WHAM! Films get re-assigned and re-written or simply flat out cancelled. Then leadership begins to heavily rely on sequels while creative and experienced talent walks out the front door. My friends are 110% correct. Pixar has definitely changed. And not for the better.
Originally Posted By Kar2oonMan >>the slightest whiff of potential mediocrity sends them all into a tizzy<< But, is that a bad thing? Pixar has one hell of a track record for providing high quality, extraordinarily profitable crowd-pleasers. Of course they're going to be protective of that. They continue to exceed audiences' expectations, including terrific shorts as a cherry on top. No winning streak can go on forever. They'll produce a film at some point that doesn't connect. But thus far, their intuition has been rather flawless.
Originally Posted By leemac Wow - oh wow. John Sanford certainly didn't pull any punches there. If Brenda has been removed from this project and left Pixar then it is another huge loss to TWDC - she is a very talented movie-maker and her vision for Brave was extraordinary. I continue to question John's decision-making at both WDAS and Pixar. It seems only Ratatouille turned out well after his meddling. Bolt and Meet The Robinsons weren't better movies for his involvement. And there is that question of who is left from the Brain Trust. TWDC made it very clear in its filings with the SEC at the time of the transaction that the huge premium was entirely down to the talent there. Who is left that is actively working on features now? I wish Rhett would chime in.....
Originally Posted By skinnerbox <<But, is that a bad thing?>> It is when you're constantly relying on the same "Brain Trust" members over and over and over, with little regard to the future. Losing all the other talents like Jan Pinkava, Jimmy Hayward, Lou Romano, and Doug Sweetland were bad enough. But now a member of the Sacred Seven is gone? Because they didn't have the courage to do what originally put them on the map -- think outside the box? Pixar is getting pressured by Burbank to conform and produce the same cookie cutter formulary films over and over again, in order to protect profits and insane executive bonuses handed out each year. What made Pixar great in the first place -- bucking the norm -- has now been tossed out the window and replaced with the safety net of predictable stories and branded merchandise a la Walt Disney Animation Studios. The heavy reliance on sequels will continue, and quirky original films will be few and far between. Brave was supposed to be that one quirky original film amongst a sea of sequels. But with Brenda being replaced by Mark Andrews? Strap yourselves in for a tweened up Cartoon Network restylizing of her story. You know, something safe and predictable. Something only Iger's financial advisor could love.
Originally Posted By skinnerbox <<If Brenda has been removed from this project and left Pixar then it is another huge loss to TWDC - she is a very talented movie-maker and her vision for Brave was extraordinary.>> Ditto! <<I continue to question John's decision-making at both WDAS and Pixar. It seems only Ratatouille turned out well after his meddling. Bolt and Meet The Robinsons weren't better movies for his involvement.>> Double ditto. Bolt was very disappointing. I would have preferred American Dog a la Sanders' vision. Bolt was too safe... bland and predictable. Blech. <<And there is that question of who is left from the Brain Trust. TWDC made it very clear in its filings with the SEC at the time of the transaction that the huge premium was entirely down to the talent there. Who is left that is actively working on features now?>> Good question, Lee. I've often wondered what's been going on with the 'Sacred Seven' lately. Let's see... Brad Bird -- gone to make live action; doubt he'll return. Andrew Stanton -- gone to make the John Carter series; doubt he'll return. Pete Docter -- still there. Bob Peterson -- still there. Gary Rydstrom -- I have no idea; is he working on a new project, post-newt? Lee Unkrich -- still there. Brenda Chapman -- gone. It was my understanding that at least four of the seven had to remain for five years as part of the deal. Docter, Peterson, and Unkrich are still there, and probably Rydstrom. I guess that's enough? I have no idea. Lee?
Originally Posted By Kar2oonMan >>The heavy reliance on sequels will continue<< All sequels aren't created equal. The Toy Story sequels got better and better. There was a natural, continuing arc of a story with those three films. It could have easily turned into variations of the toys getting lost/stolen and they went beyond that. I know that getting into a formula and playing it safe is one of the dangers that success brings. But for the most part (excluding the built-in audience sequels bring), the movies so far haven't been all that safe. I know nothing about 'Brave' at all. What was Brenda Chapman's vision for it, and how do you think it will be compromised?
Originally Posted By mawnck I fully understand that the sausage factory is judged by the taste of the sausage, and not by what goes on behind the scenes to make it. But kicking all your most innovative sausage makers out, so they can go work for the other sausage factories, strikes me as a little short-sighted. Ain't no sausage that good. Pride goeth. So doth insecurity in leadership positions.
Originally Posted By skinnerbox <<I know nothing about 'Brave' at all. What was Brenda Chapman's vision for it, and how do you think it will be compromised?>> Brenda wrote the original story to Brave (Bear and the Bow) for her daughter. It was more of a traditional Scottish folk tale, told from the viewpoint of Princess Merida and her mother. It was going to be Pixar's first truly female-centric film, with a leading female protagonist and her story envisioned by a female director. Now... Mark Andrews has taken over the film. I have no idea what changes he's making, but obviously, changes are being made. Otherwise, Brenda wouldn't have been removed from the production, since she's an experienced feature film director with a solid career in animation. Mark also has a solid career in animation, but his work has mostly been male-centric in nature, which I believe, makes him a risky choice to continue Brenda's original vision. He's worked on television shows such as Samurai Jack, and on films such as Iron Giant, Incredibles, and Ratatouille. And he's never directed a feature film before, so obviously, Brenda didn't get fired from Brave for lack of directorial experience. IMHO, I believe Pixar leadership is dipped in just enough misogyny to influence their production decisions. They've demonstrated time and again their uncomfortable stance with strong female characters telling their stories. Like other animation studios, Pixar is predominately a boys' club. But unlike other studios, such as Miyazaki's Studio Ghibli, Pixar's all-male brain trust won't leave the boys' clubhouse and go spy on the girls' clubhouse down the block to see what fantastical dreams they're conjuring up and sharing with each other. The Pixar boys are too content to stay put and play with their cars and comic books behind the "Girls Not Allowed" sign on the clubhouse door. And for the long-term health of the studio, that's very bad. mawnck is correct. Pride goeth indeed.
Originally Posted By Kar2oonMan >>Brenda wrote the original story to Brave<< Wow, that is unusual they'd pull her off the film then. Thanks for the backstory!
Originally Posted By skinnerbox Now at 157 comments and counting! For those who haven't been reading the comments at Cartoon Brew (earlier link from mawnck's post #3), it's been pretty much a love fest for Pixar, as usual. Most are defending Pixar's decision to kick Brenda off production while speculating that the film was probably lame. Typical fanboi adulation without having all the facts. Except for John Sanford, bless his stones of steel. Here's his latest: "I’m not second guessing. The movie I saw was solid. She’s been Jacked. Period. Man, you people and your Pixar worship. Do you turn and bow 3 times in the direction of Emeryville every morning? Do you guys have little statues of John Lasseter on your dash boards to ensure safe travel? Do you burn sacrifices to the Mighty Luxo for a healthy harvest? Pathetic." I think I'm falling in love.
Originally Posted By leemac ^^ Ditto. I've got a man-crush I must admit I have no idea what John does these days. Please keep posting the snippets here - I can't keep up with the posting style at CB - all those hierarchical posts that aren't in date order.
Originally Posted By skinnerbox In order to help out leemac, I'll keep posting interesting comments over at CB. On a related note, someone posted a link to an NYT article about the director switch: <a href="http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/10/20/first-woman-to-direct-a-pixar-film-is-instead-first-to-be-replaced/" target="_blank">http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes....eplaced/</a> "Walt Disney Studios confirmed a report on the blog CartoonBrew.com that Brenda Chapman — heralded as the first woman to direct a Pixar film, the forthcoming “Brave” — had been replaced at the helm of that picture by Mark Andrews, the director of the 2005 Pixar short “One Man Band.” Pixar has faced criticism from some corners about its lack of gender diversity behind the camera. All 11 of the celebrated animation studio’s features have been directed by men. Some movie critics, bloggers and others have also faulted Pixar for a shortage of leading ladies on screen, with most of its films — “Up,” “Toy Story,” “Cars,” “Monsters Inc.” — focused on male characters. “Brave,” scheduled for release in June 2012, was supposed to squelch such complaints. Ms. Chapman, who co-directed “The Prince of Egypt” for DreamWorks Animation in 1998, has been working for years on “Brave,” which, in an extra display of girl power, is centered on a woman. The movie tells the tale of a Scottish princess, Merida, who defies her parents by pursuing archery. Ms. Chapman did not respond to telephone messages. Contrary to blog reports, Ms. Chapman remains on staff at Pixar. It is not unusual for animated films, particularly those made by Pixar, to change directors midway through a project. It happened on “Toy Story 2” and “Ratatouille,” for instance." OK, now I'm really confused. The CB source stated that Brenda was gone from Pixar. John Sanford and Floyd Norman didn't deny it. So... is Brenda still at Pixar or has she left?
Originally Posted By skinnerbox Later today, Mark Walton (WDAS story artist and voice of Rhino from Bolt) had this timely comment about Mark Andrews taking over Brave: "NC, I think it’s possible for a man to tell a great story about a strong, believable female protagonist and vice versa. To me, a big part of the creative process is about imagining what it’s like to experience the world through someone else’s eyes, even someone quite different than yourself. Mark Andrews may be a very nice guy, and may make a great film, albeit a different film than the one Brenda wanted to make, for better or worse. I have to say, I’ve seen some of the movies you listed and really liked them – I don’t necessarily equate box office with actual quality, as there are a lot of movies that have made a lot of money that I consider absolute garbage, aimed at the lowest common denominator, and vice-versa (some of my favorite movies were box office flops). For me, the biggest tragedy here is that Brenda, who came up with this project, which was, by all reports, deeply personal to her, invested years, a lot of blood, sweat, tears and herself, with the understanding that Pixar would make HER movie with HER in charge, and then pulled it away from her when it was too late for her to take it somewhere else, and will do what they will with it whether she likes it or not. I used to think, when I’d hear of directors being switched out on animated films, Man, I feel bad for the poor guy who got the boot – must be humiliating! – but it must have been the right thing to do, because look how much better the film turned out! Then I was on a film that was the brainchild of the director, something he developed for almost a decade, that the head of the company loved and quickly got into production. My friend, the director, was promised multiple times that the film would be made, with him in charge, but he still had it in his contract that he could take the film with him if he ever left the studio. Then the studio leadership changed, the champions of the film were removed, and the one guy who continued to promise that everything was fine, not to worry, kept the development going long enough to suddenly cancel the film, tell my friend that, should he leave, too much money had already been spent to let him have the project back, contract or no, and, when he left in frustration, quietly started the film up again with a different director. Maybe we’ll never know what happened with “Brave”, but I can never again assume that “it was all for the best”. Sounds to me like John Sanford was there and may have the most accurate bead on the situation, unless someone else in the know has a different perspective." Excellent post. I'm glad Mark took the time to respond.
Originally Posted By leemac Thanks skinnerbox - truly heart-breaking one way or another. It is even more puzzling if she is remaining with Pixar too - that can't be good for your own self-esteem. I wish that Chris Sanders would chime in - I don't know anyone else you has had a similar experience on a deeply personal story. I still hope that one day we see American Dog - it really was a wonderful story. Leagues better than the homogenized gloop that was Bolt. I'm going to dig out the Pixar acquisition files later and get back to you on the Sacred Seven clauses. I've got them all filed somewhere.....
Originally Posted By leemac And I should have added that just because Brenda is still "on staff" doesn't mean that she isn't leaving. Disney is notorious for playing hardball in contract negotiations - particularly for departures. She could be "on staff" for months whilst they work out her exit.
Originally Posted By skinnerbox <<I wish that Chris Sanders would chime in - I don't know anyone else you has had a similar experience on a deeply personal story. I still hope that one day we see American Dog - it really was a wonderful story. Leagues better than the homogenized gloop that was Bolt.>> Totally agree. Bolt was very weak and I would have rather seen American Dog. (Is that the film Mark Walton is referencing in his comment on CB? Seems like he might be describing Chris Sanders' experience at Disney.) <<I'm going to dig out the Pixar acquisition files later and get back to you on the Sacred Seven clauses. I've got them all filed somewhere.....>> Thanks, Lee. <<And I should have added that just because Brenda is still "on staff" doesn't mean that she isn't leaving. Disney is notorious for playing hardball in contract negotiations - particularly for departures. She could be "on staff" for months whilst they work out her exit.>> Hmm... would keeping her "on staff" possibly have anything to do with the Sacred Seven clause on the acquisition? The five year mark hasn't been reached yet, so maybe this does have to do with her contract.
Originally Posted By skinnerbox More pearls-o-wisdom from John Sanford, edited for adult content: "'cow waste.' The movie was great and there is no reason to fire her, other than her movie didn’t fit into one of their boxes. Her firing is a crime. Now go say a penance to The Mighty Luxo." It's interesting to see both Sanford and Floyd Norman doing battle with the apologist fanbois. Both have worked at Pixar and have friends and colleagues still working there. Most of the fanboi apologists have never worked at Pixar and probably don't have any friends or colleagues who do. I'm amazed at how defensive the fan community can get regarding matters they have so little information about, not to mention that Pixar is part of a hugely successful multinational corporation and not some struggling start up studio on the back alleys of Burbank. The fanbois act as if their lives depend upon defending Pixar's actions. Very unsettling.
