Strange Magic

[KennethE]

This news is hot off the press from comingsoon.net.

Apparently, Lucasfilm's next project is a computer-animated musical featuring fairies, directed by the same guy who helmed the CG Ninja Turtles movie a couple years back. The screenplay will be written by the same guy who wrote the screenplay for "Elf."

Lucas is only producing this one, as he is hard at work in preproduction on "Red Tails." This news is a great surprise for all of us. Not only is this going to be Lucasfilm's first musical, but there have never been any real musicals in CG before. (Sure, once in a while a "Shrek" character will burst out in singing mockery, but not serious, full-blown musical numbers. That will change this December with Disney's "Rapunzel".)

Personally, I'm really intrigued by this news. I'm glad Lucasfilm is making films other than Star Wars spinoffs. However, I have a fear that this might a cheap knock-off of Disney's Fairy movie franchise. What do you guys think?

[SpringHeelJack]

However, I have a fear that this might a cheap knock-off of Disney's Fairy movie franchise.

Disney's fairy franchise is essentially a knock-off of itself, so I feel that's unlikely. And it's not like the material is terribly well-known or screaming for a parody.

[Sotiris]

George Lucas is tackling his first musical. The untitled, top-secret CGI-animated film is in preproduction at Lucas’ Skywalker Ranch in Marin County.

Kevin Munroe is directing the CGI film, which is expected to feature music from a variety of sources. Munroe hails from the animated world and made his directorial debut in 2007 with the fourth Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie, “TMNT.” He recently wrapped production on his live-action debut, the adaptation of the “Dead of Night” comic that stars Brandon Routh and Taye Diggs.

David Berenbaum, who wrote the Will Ferrell comedy “Elf” and children’s fantasy “The Spiderwick Chronicles,” penned the screenplay. Plot details are locked tighter than the plans for the Death Star, but one element known is that the script features fairies.

It is not known whether Berenbaum is working from a story by Lucas, who tends to originate much of Lucasfilm’s intellectual property. A Lucasfilm spokesperson said it was too early to comment on the details of the project.

Source: http://www.vulture.com/2010/01/george_l ... _on_c.html

Lucasfilm Singapore is now ramping up for the production of “one of the biggest” projects it has handled – and its parent company’s first animated film of its own, a Lucasfilm spokesperson in the United States told MediaCorp.

Significantly, the production of the animated feature will be done here, while only the pre- and post-production processes will be carried out in the United States.

As the film is still a work-in-progress, Lucasfilm declined to give further details on it or its expected release date. Until now, the film production company’s work on animation films has been for other clients.

Source: http://www.bleedingcool.com/2010/10/12/ ... singapore/

I had a good long chat with Lucasfilm producer Rick McCallum in the summer, and as well as discussing Red Tails, I asked him about progress on the fairy film. Our conversation went like this:

Q: It’s a musical?

Rick McCallum: Yes.

Q: It’s about fairies?

Rick McCallum: Yes.

Q: The animation will be outsourced?

Rick McCallum: Nobody knows where that will be done yet. I have no idea when it’s going to be finished… or when they’re actually going to start properly on it. It’s a very complex thing to do a perfect fairy, technologically a perfect fairy.

Q: Do you have songs yet?

Rick McCallum: There’s a list of potential songs that will be in the movie.

Q: So they’re pre-existing songs?

Rick McCallum: I’m not going to tell you.

Q: That sounds like a yes.

Rick McCallum: It’s a “Possible.”

The project seemed very much alive, as of that conversation in June of this year.

Source: http://www.bleedingcool.com/2012/11/13/ ... -evidence/

[ajmrowland]

And everbody starts talking about disney.

[Super Aurora]

[disneyboy20022]

Flora and Merryweather have a dispute over what color lightsaber is better, red or blue

[disneyprincess11]

....Wow, Disney took over quick.

[Super Aurora]

Flora and Merryweather have a dispute over what color lightsaber is better, red or blue

obviously the black lightsaber reign supreme.


























yes there is actually a black lightsaber in Starwars expanded universe..

[ajmrowland]

....Wow, Disney took over quick.

right on cue!

[Sotiris]

Wow, Disney took over quick.

Actually, the project was first announced in 2010.

[disneyprincess11]

Wow, Disney took over quick.

Actually, the project was first announced in 2010.

Oh ok. But, I still think it's odd. The mastermind behind Star Wars....is doing a musical about fairies?

[estefan]

Well, it wouldn't be the first time George Lucas has produced something very fantasy-based. Remember that he was also the executive producer of Labyrinth and Twice Upon a Time.

[Atlantica]

I think Tinkerbell might be a bit ticked off about this to be honest ...

[Sotiris]

He's also been working on something he describes as "really fun."

"I wish I could tell you what it was, but it hasn't been announced," he laughs.

Source: http://www.sfgate.com/movies/article/Ga ... 179483.php

As some of you seem to already know (ah, the marvel of technology), I’ve started consulting for Lucasfilm Animation. I am not directing. This was a wonderful opportunity to work with someone whom I've admired from a distance in the film industry for years: Kathleen Kennedy. I was completely surprised and honored when she asked me to work with her on this particular project – which I am not at liberty to discuss. (Sorry, I know you wanna know, but I just can’t tell ya.) I feel very privileged to have this opportunity, even for a short time.

Source: http://brenda-chapman.com/blog/animatio ... p-to-next/

Q: Tell us about your consultation plans at Lucasfilm.

Brenda Chapman: I have been working on a project with Lucas for quite some time — about six months. When Lucasfilm was handed over to Kathleen Kennedy, she asked me to consult on the film to help solve its story problems. It was an opportunity for me to work with her. I felt honored to be asked by her, after what happened at Pixar. DreamWorks was very generous to me in postponing my start date with them so that I could work with Kathleen, also. My work on the project is done. My good friend, Gary Rydstrom, is directing it now.

Source: http://www.animationmagazine.net/people ... a-chapman/

Lucasfilm still has a feature animation unit; my information is it will continue with the current project. Whether it makes a feature beyond the project now in work is anybody's guess.

But I would prognosticate a big "no," and that the current movie will be a one-off. Disney needs a third feature animation division like it needs a third ear on Mickey. And I don't know how John Lasseter would fit into the equation (if he'd fit at all).

Source: http://animationguildblog.blogspot.com/ ... tions.html

We know some of the folks working on this project, but little about the project itself. We're told it's pretty much a one-off, as Disney probably doesn't need four feature animation studios in its future.

Source: http://animationguildblog.blogspot.com/ ... ature.html

Q: I heard [Oscar-winning sound designer] Gary Rydstrom was directing an animated film for Lucasfilm, so I wondered if that project might fall under you?

John Lasseter: No, nope. That stays under the leadership of Lucasfilm.

Source: http://insidemovies.ew.com/2013/08/08/j ... awn-d23/3/

[Maerj]

Cool! Wonder what it is? I remember seeing some footage years ago of an animated remake of Frankenstein that they were doing and it looked incredible. Here it is:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oDK9_p5VbXU

[Sotiris]

It looks like the Mouse is going to give Tinker Bell a few siblings. It's been rumored that Lucasfilm Animation was working on a fairy film for a few years, but of late the talk around the water coolers have virtually vanished. No one has heard anything in the past couple of years about the project. Some have thought the film was dead or had sadly been put into turnaround. That appears now to not be the case.

Kathleen Kennedy has been busy behind the scene doing more than just Star Wars apparently. In addition to working with J.J. Abrams on "Episode VII", she's also determined to make sure Lucasfilm isn't known only for Luke Skywalker and that far off galaxy he lives in. It seems once one door closes, another opens. Once the production of Pixar's "Newt" was shut down a couple years ago, its director found himself ready to make a film that was no longer there because of similarities to a competing film.

Luckily for him, when Kathleen Kennedy took the top job at Lucasfilm, she went through the inventory of projects in development at Skywalker Ranch and saw potential in the musical about fairies that had been languishing in development for the past few years. She realized it needed a new direction and a director to take it there. Right place, right time. Gary Rydstrom found himself being asked to helm the film, and before you know it, Brenda Chapman was brought in to help focus on the story structure (she's known for strong characters, particularly female characters).

Don't expect to hear much about the film right at this moment, but there'll probably be more focus on it, as well as a possible announcement of it next year, should the creative process not hit anymore speed bumps before then.

Source: http://www.blueskydisney.com/2013/08/th ... iries.html

[Atlantica]

Isn't this still a bit too much like Tink though ?

[Sotiris]

Somewhere between the Presidio in San Francisco bay and Skywalker Ranch in Marin County a story is unfolding. It's a story that Gary Rydstrom is telling, and it might involve tiny creatures with little wings and magic. Now, Disney and Lucasfilm have to keep things legit, they have to make sure it's all legal. So when a company wants to claim something as part of its intellectual property, one of the things they do is copyright it. Well Lucasfilm recently copyrighted a new name for something that it's working.

Primrose.

There was also the mention of something with "Big Rock", which might translate to an area of Skywalker Ranch known as Big Rock Ranch. One of the interesting things about the location of this area of the ranch is that it is where Lucasfilm's animation department worked on "The Clone Wars". Could they be working on some other animated project there?

If you want to go further into the Pixie Hollow then you have to examine what is a Primrose? Does it have anything to do with this mysterious project supposedly about fairies. Well, for those that don't know, a Primrose is a flower in Ireland and Wales. It is known as the "fairy flower" and it's supposed to have mystical properties that can grant someone the power of invisibility.

Is this the name of Lucasfilm's secret animated project? Could it involve Irish/Welsh fairies with some aspect of invisibility? I honestly don't know. But Lucasfilm copyrighted the name for a reason. They're currently working on a film about fairies. Perhaps, that's the reason? Time will tell.

Source: http://www.blueskydisney.com/2013/09/ma ... tales.html

[Big One]

I can't even remember the last Lucasfilm product that was a solid movie. Indiana Jones IV had it's problems but wasn't too bad, I guess... Red Tails was mediocre garbage. I'm not sure why anyone would care about anything Lucas' production touches.

[disneyprincess11]

Look what has been announced to be released....this January.

In the two years since Lucasfilm was bought by Disney, the studio has returned to its beloved Star Wars feature film franchise – announcing a continuation of George Lucas’s film series (as well as spinoffs), which will kick off (again) in 2015 with Star Wars: The Force Awakens. As for Lucasfilm Animation, their newest television series, Star Wars Rebels, launched last month with the animated movie Star Wars Rebels: Spark of Rebellion.

Now, Lucasfilm Animation is preparing to release its first non-Star Wars related animated movie, titled Strange Magic, a fairytale musical inspired by William Shakespeare’s play “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”.

Lucasfilm Animation announced that Strange Magic will be released January 23, 2015 by Touchstone Pictures. The story — written by Gary Rydstrom (“Toy Story Toons: Hawaiian Vacation”), David Berenbaum (Elf), and Irene Mecchi (Brave) — will use popular songs to chronicle the misadventures of goblins, elves, fairies, and imps who fight over a powerful potion. Rydstrom will direct with Lucas executive producing.

The cast for Strange Magic includes Alan Cumming (The Good Wife, X-Men 2), Evan Rachel Wood (True Blood), Kristin Chenoweth (Glee), Maya Rudolph (Big Hero 6), Sam Palladio (Nashville), Alfred Molina (Spider-Man 2), Elijah Kelley (Hairspray), Bob Einstein (Curb Your Enthusiasm), Peter Stormare (The Blacklist), and newcomer Meredith Anne Bull. Additionally, Marius de Vries (Moulin Rouge!) will serve as the musical director and composer.

Though Lucasfilm Animation has primarily focused on the sci-fi/fantasy world of Star Wars, Strange Magic won’t venture too far outside the box for Lucasfilm, as the movie will take place in its own fantastical realm. However, what may be the most surprising aspect of Strange Magic is its musical leanings. Even though Disney is largely known for its animated musical films, the company’s animation studios have released mostly non-musical features in recent years — with the major exception of Frozen.

That being said, Disney has, of course, released many of the most successful and beloved animated musicals over the past few decades. As Frozen proved last year, audiences (including both children and adults) will still show up and spend money on an animated musical experience. Add in Kristin Chenoweth, who starred with Idina Menzel (Frozen) in the long-running musical Wicked on broadway, and Strange Magic may certainly be worth watching for all ages.

Strange Magic will be released January 23rd, 2015.

http://screenrant.com/strange-magic-luc ... ease-date/

Wow, they really kept this under wraps. But, wow! What a cast!