Have any of you uber-cool pro-critics seen the new Disney cartoon?

I'm still clinging to the hope that it will have some merit, but, frankly, it looks absurdly stupid. Which is a real shame, as some of Disney's recent animated features have ranked among their very best (Lilo and Stitch, especially The Emperor's New Groove).

It's passable. No more. Along with Brother Bear, Home on the Range confirms that the Mouse House is officially out of ideas -- so much so that they're pulling the plug on new hand-drawn animated features.

However, they have a computer-animated project, Chicken Little, slated for next year. But as I wrote in an article that will be available Friday, if they think switching from hand-drawn to computer animated is going to solve their problems, they're as mistaken as a yodeling cattle rustler trying to mesmerize a tone-deaf cow.

QUOTE

the Mouse House is officially out of ideas -- so much so that they're pulling the plug on new hand-drawn animated features.

Well, I just thought the previews of Home on the Range looked stupid.

However, do you know anything about the upcoming Gnomeo and Juliet? It's supposed to have Ewan McGregor doing a voice and some other stars as well. Is it going to be hand-drawn or CGI?

Just a note to say I posted my comments on this film in the 'anthropomorphic munchies' thread.

Josh Hurst wrote:
: . . . especially The Emperor's New Groove . . .

Well, FWIW, Patrick Warburton does make a cameo appearance in this film, which is funny.

SDG wrote:
: It's passable. No more. Along with Brother Bear, Home on the Range
: confirms that the Mouse House is officially out of ideas . . .

Sad but true. And it's especially disheartening to see the hand-drawn division go out on such lame projects. Say what you like about Treasure Planet, but it actually had some good ideas, and a lot of style, plus of course it was rooted in a very iconic story. And Lilo & Stitch was a wonderfully "real" little character piece, in some ways. But these two most recent films just seem so lazy -- though I did think the yodelling castle rustler was such a delightfully ludicrous idea that I wished it had been in a better film. But please, people, why do the bad guys in these movies always have to be such IDIOTS? I detest that cliché above nearly all others.

I've just got back from seeing this and getting a bit of a surprise. I'd looked at the local cinema's film list - and didn't know anything about this one.Did a search on IMDB and it came up with an interesting sounding documentary about Jewish eastern european farmers escaping the holocaust by moving to the states and setting up a farm, as released in 2002. So was a bit surprised to see a Dsiney animated feature (The number of kids in the audience shoudl have given it away really). Debated for a while whether to try and persaude them to let me into another film. For some reason DIsney evokes memories of the awful awful Pocahontis (or Whatever). But decided to stick by it.

I actually quite enjoyed it. Nothing amazing, but a few good laughs (although I| can't remember what exactly - oh yes the bit with the vultures amused me) and if this is the last hand drawn disney ever then I suppose at least I can say I was there. (I was at least glad the songs were mainly background / montage - rather than musicals-style or set pieces. urgh.

So yeah - not the best film choice I've made, but quite an enjoyable surprise.

Matt