Untitled Carlos López Estrada Film

[Disney's Divinity]

Well... This is incredibly disappointing news.

[Sotiris]

I have no idea what it means for this film, whether it was shelved or another director was brought in as a replacement.

My hunch tells me he was replaced as the director and that's why he left. I wouldn't be surprised if we soon heard he's directing an animated feature at Netflix. I find it unlikely the film was shelved at this stage. That would create a big gap in the production pipeline and the release schedule. They'd want to avoid that by redeveloping it with in a new creative team and salvaging whatever they can.

[PatrickvD]

It’s nice to know WDAS is still a place of juicy drama under Jen Lee’s leadership as well

Sometimes I really miss the early 00s when artists were constantly leaking to the press. It felt like we were literally looking over everyone’s shoulders as they were trying to make Brother Bear, Home on the Range and Chicken Little.

Of course that was part of a problem, but still fun and juicy.

I do hope this film can be fixed nonetheless.

[Disney's Divinity]

My hunch tells me he was replaced as the director and that's why he left.

I doubt that--it was only common under Lasseter because he was usually running the show on every film regardless of who the director was--but of course there's always a possibility of that. My guess is the film started to go places he didn't agree with as it was being worked through, and he decided to leave. Especially since Raya was screwed over by being given a random March release instead of a November one like Encanto, Frozen II, etc. were; they couldn't have screwed that film more if they tried. At the same they started a fight with Cinemark and were sending PIXAR films to streaming because they thought theatrical wasn't secure enough yet for their business (but it was fine to sacrifice Raya ).

And it's not like Estrada had nowhere to go, like many in animation often feel. He was in live-action before WDAS, wasn't he?

[D82]

Wow, this was totally unexpected. Especially, when he was working on more than one project for Disney and I think was even part of the Brain Trust at WDAS. I agree something must've happened for him to leave. Jennifer Lee has replaced directors mid production before, so I wouldn't be surprised if that was the case here. Curiously, Carlos López Estrada was in the opposite situation the last time, as he and Don Hall were chosen by Lee to replace the original directors of Raya. It's a shame he won't be able to complete the film he was originally hired to make, which on top of that was quite personal to him, but I agree he won't lack offers at other studios and it's likely he wants to return to live action.

[Farerb]

I guess the film was shaping up to be too mature for kids
Castrated inoffensive films is all we're going to get from Disney.

[Jules]

I guess the film was shaping up to be too mature for kids
Castrated inoffensive films is all we're going to get from Disney.

This crossed my mind too and I truly hope we are both wrong, that the film wasn't a classic-in-the-making after all and that it just wasn't working.

At any rate, if it isn't scrapped I guess we can expect delays while it is "retooled."

I am dying for a personal and visionary film from WDAS. I am convinced it can happen. I hope it does.

[blackcauldron85]

In here, Skyler Shuler says the name of the film is "Foster".
I don't think it's correct though. I think he mistakes it for an unmade movie from Blue Sky.

This site (posted in the Lightyear thread) also says Foster comes out in November 2023:
https://comicbookmovie.com/doctor_stran ... re-a193428

[Sotiris]

Here's what Carlos has been up to since leaving WDAS.

Carlos López Estrada has been enlisted by Paramount, Bad Robot and Toho to rewrite and direct the sci-fi anime live action remake “Your Name.” López Estrada is currently developing an animated feature documentary set to release in 2023, as well as the live-action adaptation of Disney’s animated favorite, “Robin Hood.”

Source: https://variety.com/2022/film/news/raya ... 235418682/

[Disney's Divinity]

A documentary? I wonder what about.... Anyway, I thought he'd left Disney altogether, so I'm surprised he's involved with the Robin Hood remake.

[D82]

I wonder if the reason he left WDAS is that he was offered to direct this movie. It's interesting that both the Your Name remake and the documentary he's developing are somehow related to animation.

A documentary? I wonder what about.... Anyway, I thought he'd left Disney altogether, so I'm surprised he's involved with the Robin Hood remake.

I'm a bit surprised by that too. If it's true, I guess he left on good terms with the studio.

[blackcauldron85]

Kelly Marie Tran, ‘Raya and the Last Dragon’ Director Carlos López Estrada Launch Antigravity Academy Banner
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/busin ... 235270011/

The pair have launched production company Antigravity Academy, which will develop and produce movies, television, theater and short-form content from and about people from historically excluded communities.

[Farerb]

I guess now we know what she was talking about:

I have to say, I agree. If you can, watch the movie first. Avoid all spoilers. Enjoy the movie exactly as it was meant to be enjoyed. Then come home and play the soundtrack until 2023.

https://twitter.com/Lyrikris10/status/1 ... 93760?s=19

I guess this was what she was referring to:
https://youtu.be/crhL1eOjf4U

And might also explain why they didn't work on Wish.

[friendoftheotherside]

We knew he was developing a film for WDAS, but I don't think there was a thread about it yet. This was going to be his first film for the studio, but now of course, it'll be the second since he and Don Hall replaced the original directors of Raya and the Last Dragon.

Here are some details about the project he shares in this interview (in Spanish):

- It's a very personal film.
- He developed it from scratch (unlike Raya, where he was brought in mid-production).
- It'll be released in 2023.
- It's in full development right now and in a few months they'll start with storyboards, music, screenplay, etc.

Anyone knows what happened to this movie? Was López Estrada working on Wish all along? He’s credited as “ Additional Story Material” on Wish. But I couldn’t find anything about his involvement in the movie beyond that.

If he really were working on Wish, that contradicts what he said in that LA Times interview, since it wouldn’t be a personal film nor he developed it from scratch. The ideia for Wish came from Jennifer Lee and Chris Buck, at least that what was said in the press.

Were his movie and Wish being developed for the 100th anniversary (in some kind of a competition) and Wish won the spot? Or both projects were merged together? Was he replaced as Wish’s director?