![]() The film commenced in 2000, when Jan Pinkava, who had directed the short film Geri’s Game for Pixar, began developing the treatment for what would become Ratatouille, with the idea being that Pixar would give him the director’s chair of his first full-length feature. Perhaps none of those were as pronounced as the trouble that beset Ratatouille, however. When we interviewed Pixar’s Angus MacLaine last year on the Wall-E promotional tour, he noted that every project the firm had undertaken had suffered a dark period. It awaits a DVD release, though, but it’s one film we’d definitely like to see. A documentary, Sweatbox, was subsequently released which covered Sting working on the project. And the critical response was very strong, even if the box office didn’t set the world alight. It was, eventually, released in 2000, getting a December 15th bow in the US. Also, the title changed, to The Emperor’s New Groove. Gone was the plot to capture the sun, the characters were changed, most of the Sting songs were dropped (something the singer wasn’t happy about), and the film became more of a buddy-buddy film. Producer Randy Fullman then had a six month turnaround window to sort the film out – a not insignificant time frame in what was generally regarded to be a three year production – and major changes were made. He reportedly asked for an extension of up to a year on the project, but had this turned down, and subsequently quit the project. Allers, however, was still pursuing the dramatic side. It thus brought in Mark Dindal to help with the directing of the film, and he started adding in lots of comedic elements. ![]() With the all-important commercial tie-ins in place, and early test screenings coming back with dismal results, Disney had a major problem, and didn’t have the flexibility to push back the film’s release. It was originally planned for release in 2000, but even two years before that, it was clear that it was running very late. The final version of the film, however, was much different, although it was nearly shut down altogether. Said llama, however, then – in true Disney fashion – learns about goodness, and sets off to put the world to rights. Yzma then finds out about the switch, and turns the emperor – the real one – into a llama. In the midst of all of this, though, was supposed to be Yzma, the evil witch, who summons – in order to retain her youth – a dark spirit to go and capture the sun for her. Before you can say ‘Prince And The Pauper’, the pair swap places. And the story was about a selfish emperor who discovers a double of him among the peasants of his empire. Sting had been brought in to write the songs for the film, following a strategy that had worked with Elton John and The Lion King, and to a lesser extent, Phil Collins with Tarzan. The film was originally conceived as ‘Kingdom Of The Sun’, with Lion King co-director Roger Allers at the helm.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |