Jim on Film: A Great, Big, Beautiful Tomorrow
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John Lasseter
It’s very hard to work under a microscope. I remember when I was directing high school plays, I would go over scenes again and again, getting kids to take a half step in one direction, to pivot on this line, to try this interpretation. They would get frustrated and would say, “Isn’t it good enough?!?�? And you know what, I remember thinking the same thing of one of my college directors, wanting to say “Isn’t it good enough?!?�? after carrying Marmee’s chair onto the stage for the fifth time at one in the morning. The problem is that in any organization, there can only be one creative leader. Everyone can comment on what’s going on and have their own opinions, but nobody can see the vision inside that leader’s head. For my high school actors, it wasn’t good enough because I could see the final production in a way they couldn’t, and when opening night came, they got the laughs because it hadn’t been “good enough�? for me.

It was easy to dole out criticisms of Peter Schneider and Thomas Schumacher because by the time they took over Walt Disney Feature Animation, they had a track record which many studio insiders could share, and eventually, their mismanagement leaked so much that animation fans themselves could see the results of their poor decisions. David Stainton came on, and while he didn’t have a track record of lay-offs and stifling creativity, he did lack anything in terms of a background that would suggest the ability to successfully manage a creative enterprise such as animation. Not long after stepping in, his choices spoke for him about his inability to lead Walt Disney Feature Animation.

Among the Internet community of animation and Disney fans, there has been much recent criticism of John Lasseter and some of the choices he has made in his role as head of Walt Disney Feature Animation.

John Lasseter has been proclaimed by many as the new Walt Disney with the success he’s had as director and studio head with his homerun track record at Pixar. While CGI animation doesn’t affect me like traditional animation, there is no denying the amazing contributions Lasseter and his studio has made to the American consciousness. People love Pixar. I know adults who count Monster’s Inc and Finding Nemo among their favorite films of all time. Kids love Woody and Buzz Lightyear. And every American child knows Lightning McQueen.

Let’s give the guy a chance. When a person heads an animation studio and gets the job because they have an MBA and get along well with the boss, that’s one thing, but John Lasseter knows what he’s doing, and he has, no doubt, access to a lot of information in his decision-making that the rest of us animation fans do not.

Let’s take the recent decision to take director Chris Sanders off the American Dog film. From watching the bonus features on the discs of many of the great recent Disney classics, I know that Chris Sanders is an amazing storyteller. He worked on developing The Rescuers Down Under, Beauty and the Beast, and The Lion King. As a co-director, he no doubt brought vision and originality to Lilo and Stitch, which has probably been the most profitable film from Walt Disney Feature Animation since Tarzan in 1999. The strength in the film was undoubtedly the richness of the characters of Lilo and Stitch, with strong storytelling and beautiful animation. Another part of the appeal in the film was how far it pushed the boundaries of storytelling, complete with the nastiness of little Stitch and the emotional complexity in the relationship between the sisters. Personally, I have always admired the character development of Nani, who seems so real. At the same time, it is easy to see how that creativity could have worked against the storytelling, crossing the fine line between Disney and edgy, which is a step closer to DreamWorks territory. I have no knowledge of Sanders’ vision for American Dog, but John Lasseter, a man with the artistry and knowledge, did. I have a feeling that Lasseter’s decisions were not based on gut instinct, personal conflict with the director, or his notions on the marketability of the idea to the Walmart crowd but on his own knowledge and love of Disney and Disney animation, storytelling, and good film-making. What might have been “good enough�? to some could be a long step away from the great vision in John Lasseter’s mind.

To offer advice or to dream openly is fine, but I think we need to reserve serious judgment on Lasseter until he actually releases a dud. Animation forums and message boards are really good outlets for animation fans to communicate and bond, and I hope Lasseter isn’t attempting to find acceptance in such places. But it must be hard to take on something like restructuring Walt Disney Feature Animation after the devastation that wrought Home on the Range and Chicken Little from the same amazing artists who blessed us with greats like Beauty and the Beast, Hercules, and The Emperor’s New Groove, only to find your track record and universal industry-wide praise means nothing to a growing choir of critics who are criticizing a future body of work that hasn’t materialized yet. The process of making an animated film means making many decisions, some of which will prove great, some of which will get weeded out when they don’t work. I think John Lasseter has earned the right to go through the same process, to try the things that might work and to realize that there are steps and people who won’t.

I love Walt Disney Feature Animation. I love popping in my Brother Bear soundtrack, watching the Aladdin DVD bonus features, and sitting down to Pocahontas for yet another viewing. As I write this, I am thrilled because I am listening to my new soundtrack to The Black Cauldron (courtesy of my brother and iTunes) and enjoying it immensely. Because of John Lasseter, I am looking forward to the day when I can see an advertisement for a film from Walt Disney Feature Animation once again and know that I’m going to love it, that I won’t walk out wondering how the movie ever got graduated from the development stage.

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-- Jim Miles

-- Posted January 3, 2007