Animation News: John Lasseter, Epcot's Imagination Ride, and Sequel Strategies

John Lasseter Controversy and Skydance Animation

• ⚠️ Emma Thompson has publicly exited Skydance Animation's "Luck" due to concerns over hiring John Lasseter, citing his alleged pattern of misconduct.
• 💬 Thompson's open letter to the Los Angeles Times questioned the financial and ethical implications for employees working with Lasseter.
• ⚖️ A comparison is drawn between Hollywood's forgiveness of Robert Downey Jr. and the ongoing scrutiny of Lasseter, with a friend of Lasseter's suggesting Downey's past actions were more self-inflicted.
• 📺 The narrative surrounding Lasseter's career resurrection at Skydance is expected to be studied as a cautionary tale.

Epcot's Imagination Ride Redesign Debate

• 🎨 Imagineering initially planned to re-theme Epcot's Journey into Imagination ride into an Inside Out attraction, a plan in development since at least 2015.
• 🐭 However, Pete Doctor insisted on preserving Figment, the ride's original character, arguing for his enduring popularity over a new film-based attraction.
• 💰 Doctor's preference for a Figment-centric ride, despite a significant budget for an Inside Out attraction, highlights his genuine love for the theme parks.

Animation Studio Sequel Strategies and Budgeting

• 🎬 Studios are increasingly greenlighting sequels based on the success of animated series, such as Netflix's "Race to the Edge" influencing "How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World" and "Hotel Transylvania: The Series" impacting "Hotel Transylvania 4."
• 💰 Illumination is highlighted for its exceptional budget control, averaging $72.7 million per film, significantly lower than Blue Sky ($97.6 million), Walt Disney Animation Studios ($155.5 million), and Pixar ($185 million).
• 📈 The success of "How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World" is partly credited to the promotional efforts by Universal and the engagement of fans from the "Race to the Edge" series.
• 🎥 The decision to have Bob Persetti, a director of "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse," direct "Puss in Boots 2" is noted, with speculation on Illumination's oversight and DreamWorks' animation production.

Voice Actor Departures and Production Challenges

• 🎤 The challenges of actors stepping away from projects are discussed, referencing Emma Thompson's departure from "Luck" and the Al Pacino situation with "Despicable Me 2" where Benjamin Bratt had to lip-sync to pre-animated dialogue.
• 🎭 The original concept for Shrek, featuring Chris Farley as the voice, is revealed to have been a much sweeter story about Shrek's parents and his desire to be a knight, a significant departure from the final film.
• 🎙️ The difficulty of recasting and re-animating scenes is emphasized, as seen with Mike Myers re-voicing Shrek, which added millions to the budget.

Trailer Park and Other Animation News

• 🐦 The trailer for "Angry Birds 2" is discussed, featuring a new ice bird character voiced by Leslie Jones.
• 🕵️ The "Pokémon Detective Pikachu" trailer is praised for its visual style, drawing comparisons to "Who Framed Roger Rabbit" for its integration of CG characters into live-action environments.
• 🐶 "Clifford the Big Red Dog" is given a November 2020 release date, with a director from the "Alvin and the Chipmunks" franchise attached.
• 🎙️ Drew Taylor promotes his work on Moviephone.com and his podcast "Light the Fuse," focusing on the Mission Impossible franchise, with upcoming interviews including Brad Bird.