My Peoples (partially found production material of cancelled Disney animated film; late 1990s-early 2000s): Difference between revisions

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|This article has been tagged as <span style="color:blue">'''Needing work'''</span> due to its [http://disney.wikia.com/wiki/My_Peoples plagiarism].
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{{InfoboxLost
{{InfoboxLost
|title = <center>My Peoples</center>|image = Pic14.jpg|status = <span style="color:red;">'''Cancelled'''</span>|imagecaption = Concept art of Angel and Miss Spinster.}}
|title=<center>My Peoples</center>
{{#ev:youtube|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-opbye7q3o|320x240|right|Opening sequence animatic by Armand Serrano|frame}}
|image=Pic14.jpg
'''''My Peoples''''' was a film developed in the late 1990s by Barry Cook, co-director of ''Mulan''. Despite the fact that production was getting quite far along, it was scrapped in favor of ''Chicken Little'' in the early 2000s.
|status=<span style="color:orange;">'''Partially Found'''</span>
|imagecaption=Concept art of Angel and Miss Spinster, two of the dolls.
}}
'''''My Peoples''''' was an animated film that began life in late 1999. It was created by Barry Cook, who had previously co-directed ''Mulan'' one year earlier. Despite many alterations and retools, the movie had actually gotten fairly far along into production. However, it was ultimately cancelled in favor of the 2005 CGI-animated film ''Chicken Little'', and to this day, only a handful of production materials from the original project have been released.


==Plot==
==Plot==
The film was to be set in the 1940s in Appalachia, Texas. In the original concept, it revolved around a young man named Elgin Harper who falls in love with a woman named Rose McGee, despite an ongoing feud between their respective families. Elgin, who is known for creating folk art dolls out of common household objects, pursues Rose anyway, and Rose's father attempts to cast a spell to make him forget her.
However, the spell actually ends up bringing Elgin's dolls to life, and after one of the dolls (Angel) refuses to help the couple and leaves, the rest of them have to try to make things work.


Set in Appalachia, Texas in the 1940s, My Peoples was to have told the story of two feuding families: the Harpers and the Mcgees, whose two children: Elgin and Rose fall in love. Elgin was to have dabbled in folk-art, creating dolls from various household objects.
According to Cook, the film was intended as a ''"comedy with a romantic subplot, with a lot of adventure."'' It was to be animated with a mixture of styles, as the dolls would have been CGI while the humans and backgrounds were traditionally animated.<ref>[http://animatedviews.com/2012/director-barry-cook-remembers-the-peoples-of-walt-disney-feature-animation-florida/ Animated Views article recounting the film's production.] Retrieved 03 May '17</ref>


A spell cast by Rose's father, Old Man McGee in an attempt to make Elgin forget his daughter was to have accidentally brought the dolls to life, at which point angel declared that she did not want to help Rose and Elgin get together and proceeded to leave town. Some of the dolls went after her in an attempt to get her to come back while others did what they could to help the couple, which included keeping Herbert Hollingshead, the man Rose's father tried to set her up with away.
==Production and Cancellation==
Throughout its production, ''My Peoples'' went through various changes under different studio executives, including several title changes. The doll characters were added after an initial rejection by Michael Eisner (then-Disney CEO) and Thomas Schumacher (then-Head of Walt Disney Feature Animation), and after this rewrite, the film was greenlit and production seemed to be moving smoothly. However, after Schumacher resigned in January 2003 and was replaced by David Stainton, more alterations were made.


{{#ev:youtube|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=livuPKwQMeA|320x240|right|CG test reels (see 1:44)|frame}}
Stainton was less impressed with the movie than Schumacher was, and the film was retooled so that the dolls would be possessed by ancestral spirits rather than simply being enchanted. Cook was not in favor of the change, but he continued working on the film in the new direction, as Stainton seemed happy with it at the time. This did not last, though, and on November 14, 2003, Stainton abruptly announced the film's cancellation, due to his belief that ''Chicken Little'' was more likely to draw in audiences.<ref>[http://jimhillmedia.com/editor_in_chief1/b/jim_hill/archive/2011/02/21/why-walt-disney-feature-animation-opted-not-to-make-quot-my-peoples-quot.aspx Jim Hills Media's article on the film's production and cancellation.] Retrieved 05 Dec '18</ref>


==Decline and Cancellation==
==Availability==
In January 2003, Thomas Schumacher resigned as Head of Animation and was replaced by former-Television Animation Head: David Stainton. Immediately, Stainton began to suggest several name changes for the film and found himself unimpressed with the film's storyreel, presented to him that following February so that eventually, he ordered the project retooled.
The film was far enough into production that various story reels, test animations, and music pieces are known to have been completed. Most of these have not been released to the public, though, and all that currently exists is the animatic of the opening scene (and its song, "Tender Hearts"), a few seconds of animation, and several pieces of concept artwork.


Later, In November of that year, David Staintion flew to the Studio's Florida Animation Branch where Barry Cook worked and announced that the film would be shut down, due to ''Chicken Little'' having more potential. He also announced that the Branch would be closing down the following year, prompting Cook to look for work elsewhere.
==Gallery==
===Videos===
{{Video|perrow  =4
  |service1    =dailymotion
  |id1          =x2tuira
  |description1 =Opening sequence animatic.
  |service2    =youtube
  |id2          =E4rKBN3gdjc
  |description2 =2D test animation (see 1:23).
  |service3    =youtube
  |id3          =v=8s3hYJV5vw0&t
  |description3 =DazzReview's video on the subject.
  |service4    =youtube
  |id4          =W43UlJpNbqc
  |description4 =A compilation of various clips and animation tests from the film.
}}


==Concept Art==
==Concept Art==
<gallery mode=packed heights=175px>
<gallery mode=packed heights=175px>
File:Rose-McGee-My-Peoples-lg.jpg
File:Rose-McGee-My-Peoples-lg.jpg|Early sketches of Rose.
File:Mypeoples3.jpg
File:Mypeoples3.jpg|Character size chart.
File:ImagesAKPAOAKL.jpg
File:ImagesAKPAOAKL.jpg|Concept background.
File:Jj.jpg|
File:Jj.jpg|Cherokee, one of the dolls.
File:ofof.jpg|
File:ofof.jpg|Rose, and Elgin.
File:hh.jpg|
File:hh.jpg|Good O'Boy, one of the dolls.
File:dff.jpg|
File:dff.jpg|Abe, one of the dolls.
File:jjk.jpg|
File:jjk.jpg|Mock-up poster featuring one of the film's alternate titles.
File:fom.jpg
File:fom.jpg|Old Man McGee, Rose's father.
File:jomo.jpg|Storyboard
File:jomo.jpg|Storyboard.
File:ffk.jpg
File:ffk.jpg|Music video storyboard.
File:sky.jpg
File:sky.jpg|More sketches.
File:jjp.jpg|Title
File:jjp.jpg|Title logo.
</gallery>
</gallery>
==External Links==
*[http://disney.wikia.com/wiki/My_Peoples The Disney Wiki's article on the film.]
==References==
{{reflist}}


[[Category:Lost animation]]
[[Category:Lost animation]]
[[Category:Lost films]]
[[Category:Lost films]]
[[Category:Needing work]]
[[Category:Partially found media]]

Revision as of 04:33, 30 November 2021

Pic14.jpg

Concept art of Angel and Miss Spinster, two of the dolls.

Status: Partially Found

My Peoples was an animated film that began life in late 1999. It was created by Barry Cook, who had previously co-directed Mulan one year earlier. Despite many alterations and retools, the movie had actually gotten fairly far along into production. However, it was ultimately cancelled in favor of the 2005 CGI-animated film Chicken Little, and to this day, only a handful of production materials from the original project have been released.

Plot

The film was to be set in the 1940s in Appalachia, Texas. In the original concept, it revolved around a young man named Elgin Harper who falls in love with a woman named Rose McGee, despite an ongoing feud between their respective families. Elgin, who is known for creating folk art dolls out of common household objects, pursues Rose anyway, and Rose's father attempts to cast a spell to make him forget her.

However, the spell actually ends up bringing Elgin's dolls to life, and after one of the dolls (Angel) refuses to help the couple and leaves, the rest of them have to try to make things work.

According to Cook, the film was intended as a "comedy with a romantic subplot, with a lot of adventure." It was to be animated with a mixture of styles, as the dolls would have been CGI while the humans and backgrounds were traditionally animated.[1]

Production and Cancellation

Throughout its production, My Peoples went through various changes under different studio executives, including several title changes. The doll characters were added after an initial rejection by Michael Eisner (then-Disney CEO) and Thomas Schumacher (then-Head of Walt Disney Feature Animation), and after this rewrite, the film was greenlit and production seemed to be moving smoothly. However, after Schumacher resigned in January 2003 and was replaced by David Stainton, more alterations were made.

Stainton was less impressed with the movie than Schumacher was, and the film was retooled so that the dolls would be possessed by ancestral spirits rather than simply being enchanted. Cook was not in favor of the change, but he continued working on the film in the new direction, as Stainton seemed happy with it at the time. This did not last, though, and on November 14, 2003, Stainton abruptly announced the film's cancellation, due to his belief that Chicken Little was more likely to draw in audiences.[2]

Availability

The film was far enough into production that various story reels, test animations, and music pieces are known to have been completed. Most of these have not been released to the public, though, and all that currently exists is the animatic of the opening scene (and its song, "Tender Hearts"), a few seconds of animation, and several pieces of concept artwork.

Gallery

Videos

Opening sequence animatic.

2D test animation (see 1:23).

EmbedVideo is missing a required parameter.
A compilation of various clips and animation tests from the film.

Concept Art

External Links

References