Posts tagged walt disney company

Big Hero 6.

Earlier today, the Walt Disney Animation Studios announced their newest film which, of course, will be done with computer animation now that the company has cut its hand-drawn animation department.

As sad as that may be, new partnerships are forming and with the announcement of the new animated film called “Big Hero 6,” a new animation world filled with new stories will be emerging.

Due out in theaters on November 7, 2014, “Big Hero 6” will tell the action-comedy story of a robotic prodigy named Hiro and his robot named Baymax as they team up with other crime fighters in a futuristic twist on an American city called San Fransokyo (seen in the concept art above).

If the story seems familiar to you know, then you most likely wouldn’t be mistaken the film is based off a little-known Marvel comic book series set in Japan. This marks the first real partnership that Disney and Marvel will have together since the acquisition back in 2009 where Disney artists will be combined with comic storytelling.

We’re certainly looking forward to what “Big Hero 6” has in store for us. In the meantime, be sure to check out the video HERE as Disney Animation has released a first-look at the footage from the film which is currently still in production.

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Have any of you heard of the “Big Hero 6” comic series from Marvel before? What can you tell us about it? What do you like from it, if anything? Are you happy to see Marvel stories slowly take a bigger portion of Disney territory? Let us know in the comments!

Scratch It Out.

We have some sad news to report today, folks. That type of drawing and animation seen in the picture above that Walt himself perfected and took pride in no longer exists at The Walt Disney Company.

Earlier last week, Disney marked the end of the hand-drawn animation department by laying off many of the veteran animators in Walt Disney Animation Studios which perfected the art for years through the multiple ground-breaking and award-winning films this generation has seen and beyond Walt himself.

Although the reason for the cuts haven’t been revealed, many speculate that the Disney is just prepping itself for the future with the transition of all their animated films now coming from computers, which would cut costs.

Although costs must be cut as the business grows, we still believe that the art form of hand drawn animation can still live on, don’t you think? We aren’t Disney “purists,” but we do think that hand drawn animation still brings a lot of emotion to films with the stroke of every animator’s pencil. Take “Paperman”!

Although the end of an era has come and the cuts have been made, we still hope that animators and their pencils will eventually make their way back to the desk creating the films that we’ve loved.

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What do you all think about the loss of the hand drawn animation department at Disney? Do you remember the hand drawn animated films? Do you think hand drawn animation differs from computer animation? Let us know in the comments!

Disney Treasures.

This past MLK Day Monday, some of the DE Staff decided to pay a visit to the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum. Now, we’re sure you’re wondering why we did so.

The simple answer was that there was treasure there, and not just any type of treasure(s), folks. This was Disney treasure and it is all part of a temporary exhibit at the library called Treasures of the Walt Disney Archives.

Put on by our friends at D23 (The Official Disney Fan Club), the exhibit brings treasures from The Walt Disney Company’s history all in one place. Some of those treasures include original Disneyland ride vehicles and Disney Pictures’ movie character costumes. You’ll even get a glimpse of the beginnings of the company through the early pieces from Walt Disney’s life as well. Many of the things you’ll see have never been on display to the public before!

We’ve posted some pictures from our visit to our Facebook Page, but really encourage you to go visit the exhibit and the rest of the Reagan Library yourself! Not only will it give you a deeper appreciation of being a Disney fan, but a deeper appreciation of a former President and how he was just as much a Disney fan as we were.

D23 Presents Treasures of the Walt Disney Archives will only be around at the Reagan Library until April 30, 2013. Be sure to buy your tickets now (and remember to apply your discount if you’re a D23 member)!