Victim of Culture

The Princess and the Frog takes Disney 2D again with new trailer

In case you’re just joining us, Disney very nearly lost control of Pixar’s films over the past few years.  Yes, that Pixar of Toy Story, Finding Nemo, and Wall-E fame.  A nearly last minute deal kept Pixar under the house of mouse, and in the process put Pixar head honcho John Lassiter into place as Disney’s head of their animation studio—which fired him years earlier.

Got all that?  Good, because here comes the really interesting part.  Lassiter, who truly made his name off of pioneering 3D cartoons threw a fit over Disney’s closure of their 2D animation arm, and reopened it as his first order of business.  The end result of that move?  The production of The Princess and the Frog, for which you can get your first glimpse below.

It’s a significant moment for lovers of 2D animation, as it means the medium will remain alive at the company that was built upon it.  If Disney can find success again with it, then it also means other studios might not complete forego 2D in favor of 3D.  That’s a good thing for those who can still remember the joy of seeing a 2D animated Disney film for the first time in a theater.

“But,” some would cry, “why care about 2D animation?”  After all, isn’t going back to 2D animation like going back to black and white from color?  Perhaps, but then again look how often filmmakers do so.  From The Mist to Schindler’s List to Raging Bull.  Just because a medium has been surpassed technologically does not mean it is useless artistically.

So, what about the trailer?  It looks beautiful, and echoes further back than Aladdin—to Disney classics like Lady and The Tramp with the painting-like backdrops.  Is it a can’t miss hit?  No, but it’s a lot closer to looking like one than Atlantis.  Godspeed little frog.

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