Poll Results - October

The results are in for October! Over the course of the month, Animation Central has run four polls to determine: 

• Your favourite Pixarian
• Your favourite CGI Disney movie
• Your favourite Monsters University fraternity/sorority
• Your favourite Dreamworks movie

You can vote now in our four new polls, details at the bottom, polls right.

Now, the results: 

Pixar poll - Who is your favourite Pixarian?
This was very close, which is understandable. All the main Pixarians have their merits, but Pete Docter came on top, one vote in front of 2nd place Brad Bird. John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton and Lee Unkrich came in a joint third. 
My vote: Brad Bird.

Current film poll - Which Monsters University fraternity/sorority is your favourite? 

Unsurprisngly, Oozma Kappa stormed to victory in this one, with Roar Omega Roar in a predictable second place and Python Nu Kappa in a mildly shocking third place. Of course we all prefer Oozma Kappa...

My vote: Oozma Kappa.

Disney poll - What is your favourite CGI Disney film?

There was a bit of an error in this one, without thinking I put The Princess and the Frog and 2011's Winnie the Pooh on the list, so sorry about that! Anyway the results, Wreck-it Ralph won by a decent margin, followed by Tangled, which also had a sizeable amount, then Bolt, which won third place with a last minute vote. 

My vote: Wreck-it Ralph

Dreamworks Poll - What's your favourite Dreamworks animated movie?

This was a very widely spread poll. How to Train Your Dragon won, with only a few votes, followed by Shrek and Shrek 2 in 2nd place. Third place was a massive tie, with The Croods, Kung-Fu Panda 2, Madagascar 3, Rise of the Guardians and Kung-Fu Panda all getting a vote each. Pretty incredible.

My vote: Shrek 2.

Vote now in our four new polls for November!

Pixar Poll: Which future Pixar feature film are you most excited about?

Current Film Poll (Cloudy 2): Which of the "foodimals" is your favourite?

Disney Poll: Which of the seven dwarfs is your favourite?

Dreamworks Poll: Which of the Guardians is your favourite?

Vote now!

Newt

The Pixar fanbase will all know about Pixar's shelved project Newt (stylized as "newt" - which is what I will be calling it, for the purpose of this article). Directed by Gary Rydstrom - a prominent member of Pixar's "Brain Trust" - production was halted because of similarities to Blue Sky's Rio and to a lesser degree Crest Animation's Alpha and Omega. This was probably the right decision, but I think Pixar could've done a better job with that story line than the other two studios. Rio was entertaining (although far from spectacular) but Alpha and Omega was poor. Read more after the jump.

All hope is not lost. Someday, we may see a bit of footage from newt. The word cancelled isn't used. Only shelved. That makes me think that we may get something in the future. Probably not the full movie, but I'd like to see how it would've turned out. I also would like a feature film from Gary Rydstrom, who directed the original short film Lifted (which was attached to Ratatouille) and the hilarious Hawaiian Vacation, which very much eclipsed Cars 2. 

It's due to art like this which makes me want to see a snippet of newt so much. The character design is stunning and memorable and I love the realistic sheen of his skin. Moreover, newt was an original film. It would've been Pixar's fourteenth feature, preceeding Monsters University. Having two original films inserted inbetween Cars 2 and Monsters University would've helped dispell the sinful claim that Pixar are sequel crazy. Let's explore that a bit shall we.

The wonderful picture above shows that in fact Pixar have only released 4 prequel/sequels, out of fourteen. Compare that to say, Blue Sky, who have released 4 sequels out of 9 films - if we include the upcoming Rio 2. That's a massive difference. So, Pixar critics, why aren't you attacking Blue Sky?

This concept art is similarly lovely. It displays the potential newt had, animation-wise. It's colourful, detailed and very natural. I loved the jungle scenes in Up and the vibrant day care scenes in Toy Story 3, so, after the dark tone of Brave, I would have liked to have seen another bright feature. 

Whilst I'm glad that Pixar didn't send this one to theatres - critics would've ripped apart the recycled plot, especially after Cars 2 - I hope we see it someday. Perhaps, thinking wishfully, we could get parts of newt to appear as a bonus feature on a future DVD release. Thinking even more ambitiously, Pixar Canada or Disneytoon Studios could make a direct-to-video release. 

What do you think? Do you like newt's concept art? Do you think Pixar should've completed and released it? Leave your thoughts below, or contact me on Twitter: @animationctral.

Also, vote on our four new polls at the side of the page now!

Poll Results - September

The results are in for September! Over the course of September, Animation Central have run three polls to determine:

• the Pixar film you want to get a sequel
• your favourite event of Monsters University's Scare Games
• and your favourite Disney princess

You can vote now on our four new polls, details at the bottom of the page. 

Now to the results:

Pixar poll - Which Pixar film deserves a sequel?
The runaway winner - unsurprisingly - was The Incredibles, which was asking for a sequel with an ending like that. Second was Brave and a last-minute third place was Toy Story 3. I have to admit, you guys did well on this one. Whilst I think Brave finished sweetly and doesn't really need a sequel, The Incredibles is most worthy.
My vote: The Incredibles.

Current Film Poll - What was your favourite event of the Scare Games?

This one was very nearly a tie, with Event 1 (the sewer chase) outplacing Event 2 (capture the flag) by just one vote. Event 5 and 4 were in joint third place, with event 3 not receiving any votes at all. Bummer, eh.

My vote: Event 1 (Sewer Chase).

Disney Poll - Who is your favourite Disney Princess?

Merida won this one, with Belle a close second. Unsurprising, considering Beauty and the Beast's enduring popularity and Merida's modern, unique style. Third was Rapunzel, closely followed by Aurora and Tiana in joint fourth. Those last two votes were very late, but ultimately not enough to have a big impact on the result.

My vote: Rapunzel.

Vote now in our four new polls

Pixar Poll: Who is your favourite Pixar director?

Current Film Poll: Which Monsters University fraternity/sorority is your favourite?

Disney Poll: What's your favourite CGI Disney film?

Brand-new Dreamworks Poll: What's your favourite Dreamworks film?

Frozen Preview

It's taken them a while, but Disney have finally released proper posters for Frozen. And, it appears, that instead of a trickle of new stuff, they've bombarded us with a fantastic amount of posters, most of which feature Olaf and Sven - which has caused a suitable amount of furore as you probably know - and everything is pulling itself together. I loved the majority of them, but my favourite has to be the one below. It features all the characters, giving Anna and Elsa equal prominence to Olaf. It looks to be a diverse set of characters, that's for sure.

However, today, we got our TRAILER. Finally, we get to see some proper story bits, lots more of Anna and Hans and a suitable glimpse of Elsa. 

It's simply a nice trailer. Not groundbreaking from first glance (IMO) but it looks very funny and I suspect there will be a handful of moving moments. Moreover, we get to see a lot less of Olaf and Sven and a lot more of Anna, Elsa and Hans. Now, don't label me as an Olaf hater (I love the little guy), I just wanted to see more of Anna and particularly Elsa, she looks incredible.
I have liked the characters since the start. Anna and Elsa look to be exciting and likeable leads and I think Olaf will provide suitable comic relief (although I hope he isn't hideously overused). We also get a bit of Marshmallow (whose design is inspired) - which provides a fantastically quotable line from Anna "It is not nice to throw snow people!" - and even a small look at Oaken, who made me laugh even from his blink-and-you'll-miss-it appearance.

This looks to be one of the gems of Disney's latest reemergence. A pleasing fact, considering the quality of Disney's latest releases. I do think however that it will meet its critics when it comes to humour. I can imagine some of the humour in the trailer not being greeted too warmly with some people *cough* Armond White *cough*. I found it funny and droll and I'm sure kids will adore the humour, which is why Olaf is spearheading the marketing. You can't really blame Disney for that. Frozen has a lot of potential and (especially in the US) it could prove to be a big hit at the box office. I think they have some great characters in their hands here - Olaf will be adored and Anna and Elsa will make solid entries into the Disney Princess pantheon. 

So, roll on December 6th!

Disney Princesses

Let's face it, in the world of Disney, princesses are a big thing. Right up until 1989, there were only three official princesses. Those being Aurora (also, erroneously, known as Sleeping Beauty), Cinderella and, of course, Snow White. Then during the Second Disney Renaissance there was a massive boom in the interest of princesses. Ariel from 1989's The Little Mermaid was a great character. She spearheaded the reemergence of the Disney Princess. Belle came next in The Beauty and the Beast, swiftly followed by Jasmine from Aladdin and the titular characters Pocahontas and Mulan.

For a long time, there were only three official Princesses

Then, along with Disney's films, the presence of the princesses faded. That was until 2009's The Princess and the Frog, where the likeable Tiana was introduced. This became the second reemergence, with Rapunzel from Tangled and Merida (Brave) joining the swelling roster. 
Then of course in early 2014, Frozen's Anna and Elsa will join, bringing the number to thirteen. I expect we'll probably have another before 2025 too.

The Pre-CGI Princesses

I, personally, like the princesses. They are all different and unique in their own ways, even if a lot of them share the same goals. Also, each of them have their own style which sets them apart from the rest. For Instance, Ariel has deep red hair and Rapunzel's hair is immensely long. Then of course there are the dresses. Going into a Disney shop, I could easily name the dresses which match to each character. Snow White has those recognisable flared sleeves and Cinderella's dress is grand and luscious. Their unique fashion's make them even more iconic. 
If you went up to someone on the street and asked them to name a Disney Princess, everyone could name at least one. The majority of people could name many more I'm sure. 

The Traditional and Contemporary Princesses

 As of early next year, when Anna and Elsa are inducted into the Disney Princess pantheon, there will be thirteen Disney Princesses, six of which will be contemporary. This proves that they have an enduring charm and popularity, which many characters don't have.
However, I myself have been confused as to why a few characters haven't been added to the revered selection. I understand how Tinkerbell is part of the much less prestigious Disney Fairies franchise, but to me she'll always be a princess. You could argue that Megara and Esmeralda could join the set too, despite neither of them being proper princesses. That being said, Pocahontas isn't really a princess and neither is Mulan. 
In short, I love the concept of the whole Princess franchise and how each character remains to be relatively distinct, but I do think it has some flaws. I cannot fault that all eleven of the characters are likeable and endearing to all the little girls out there and I'm sure Anna and Elsa will be two solid additions to the franchise.

Vote for your favourite Disney Princess in our Disney poll now!

Why Cloudy 2 and Frozen have a lot of weight on their shoulders

Let's get this straight. This year has not been a bad one for animation. We've had a lot of animated films, particularly this summer. We had The Croods, which was vibrant and full of life. Despicable Me 2 gave us plenty of laughs thanks to those plump little yellow things. Monsters University was both funny and heartfelt, with plenty of nostalgia to boot. Then we had the likes of The Smurfs 2 and Planes, which weren't as entertaining. Turbo and Epic sort of cover the middle ground, they were enjoyable enough but not fantastically original or memorably funny. All this begs the question, have we really seen any sensational animation this year? 

 If I'm honest, I don't think we have. Monsters University came closest with it's colourful mix of humour and heart, but it wasn't as good as Up, How to Train Your Dragon or Toy Story 3. It's a tall order I know, but last year's Frankenweenie and Wreck-it Ralph came closer to accomplishing that feat.
This "issue" could be attributed to any number of things. Let's face it, even Pixar cannot make hit after hit. They're probably the most consistent - although Disney haven't really made a middling-bad feature since Chicken Little all the way back in 2006! 
There's also a bit of a lack in originality in Hollywood this year. Sequels have proved the most successful. Which is why five of the nine big animated releases this year have been part of a franchise. This had consequences for a few of the original films. Whilst The Croods did very well - nearly $600 million worldwide - Turbo suffered, barely recouping it's budget. It may still be up for a release in a few territories, like the UK, but I doubt it will fare much better there. Families across the globe have been drawn in by Despicable Me 2 and Monsters University and let's face it, Turbo's marketing wasn't great. 
It's not just the marketing and visuals, quality is clearly coming into it. Smurfs 2 and Planes both underperformed, clearly because the films weren't good enough. Admittedly Planes doubled it's budget, but I expect Disney were hoping for more than they've got so far.

So this leaves Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 and Frozen as the only wide release animations this year. I have high hopes for both - Frozen in particular. Cloudy was a great film, visually stunning and featuring lots of likeable characters, but it didn't gross a huge amount, although I expect the film's popularity will have swelled since 2009.
Then there's Frozen, an original film, but, crucially, it's a Disney film. Having the Disney brand behind it is a huge asset. Plus, it's CGI which is the most popular form of animation these days. Take The Princess and the Frog, a fun and entertaining film in it's own right, but it flopped compared to Tangled. It didn't do too badly, but its gross looks small compared to Tangled's.

In all honesty, I think both Sony and Disney have successes on their hands here. Cloudy 2 looks fun, vibrant and a perfect distraction for kids. It's the kind of loud, frenetic adventure which will give parents a chance to rest whilst their children are engaged by the bright colours and funny voices. I quite like the puns shown in the trailer, so I'm confident that I'll enjoy it.
Then Frozen looks like a proper animated film. It looks like something which will appeal to both children and adults, like Bolt, Tangled and Wreck-it Ralph. I've been excited for this for a long time, the marketing has been good and the story is extremely interesting. There's an eclectic mix of characters too, which has worked in the past (see Beauty and the Beast, Toy Story and The Lion King). Elsa looks particularly interesting to me and I think Olaf will appeal to kids in a big way. Disney have a winner with this one.
All eyes will be on Cloudy and Frozen when they're released. I'm not so sure about Cloudy but I think Frozen could have a chance at being the best animated wide-release this year. No pressure really then Disney.

Poll Results - August

The results are now officially in! Over the course of August Pixar Central has run three polls to determine: 

• your favourite Pixar feature film
• your favourite member of Oozma Kapa
• the character you're looking forward to most in Frozen

We have three new polls. Vote now on the homepage!   
Pixar Poll - What is your favourite Pixar feature film? 
This was actually a tie. The three winners were:

• Wall-E
• Up
• Toy Story 3

The Incredibles, Brave and Toy Story all tied for second place, with an equal amount of votes. 
I didn't expect a definitive result on this one. It's a very tough call, especially for a Pixar fan, so I'm not surprised at the tie, although I'm surprised that neither Monsters Inc. or Toy Story 2 got no votes!
My vote: Toy Story 3.
 

Current Film Poll - Who is your favourite member of Oozma Kappa?

Just one winner here, although it was a close one!
Mike Wazowski won (unsurprisingly), with Squishy one vote behind in second and Sulley and Art tying for third place with the same amount of votes.
This was pretty predictable. Mike is one of the funniest characters in both Monsters films and he provides much of the heart of Monsters University. Although I'm surprised no one at all voted for the bumbling president of Oozma Kappa, Don.
My vote: Squishy.

Disney Poll - Which character are you most excited to see in Frozen?
This one was a landslide.
Elsa was the winner, probably because of the mystery surrounding her. We've seen very little of her in the marketing for Frozen so far. 
Second was Olaf, closely followed by Anna and Hans in a tie for third place.
My vote: Olaf.

Vote now in our three new polls:
Pixar Poll: Which Pixar film should get a sequel?
Current Film Poll: Favourite event from the Scare Games?
Disney Poll: Favourite Disney Princess?