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

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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.}}
|image=Pic14.jpg
{{#ev:youtube|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-opbye7q3o|320x240|right|Opening sequence animatic by Armand Serrano|frame}}
|status=<span style="color:orange;">'''Partially Found'''</span>
'''''My Peoples''''' was a film developed in the late 1990s by Barry Cook, co-director of ''Mulan''. Despite the fact that he even went as far as to hire voice actors, as well as musicians to score the film, it was scrapped in favor of ''Chicken Little'' in the early 2000s.
|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.


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 which included the following.
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.


'''Angel-'''A heaven-themed doll made from a flour scoop that Elgin created as a proposal gift for Rose.
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>


'''Abe-'''An Abraham Lincoln doll made from a scrub-brush who had spoons for ears.
==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.


'''Cherokee-'''An Indian boy doll fashioned out of an old garden glove.
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>


'''Miss Spinster-'''An old lady doll made from the wooden leg of Elgin's dear, departed aunt.
==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.


'''Good O'Boy-'''a hillbilly-type doll made from car parts.
==Gallery==
 
===Footage===
'''Blues Man-'''A doll with the mannerisms of a Blues musician, constructed from the handle of a broken mandolin.
{{Video|perrow  =4
 
  |service1    =dailymotion
'''Crazy Ray-'''A convict-themed doll made from a tree stump that lived under Elgin's porch.
  |id1          =x2tuira
 
  |description1 =Opening sequence animatic.
'''Angel's Dog-'''Angel's canine companion, made from a spool and clothespin
  |service2    =youtube
 
  |id2          =AS10NkEHa-4
Cook also considered the possibility of an over-the-top Southern preacher named '''Preacher Man'''. However, the executives at Disney were worried that such a character might be considered offensive, so he was cut.
  |description2 =2D test animation.
 
  |service3    =youtube
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.
  |id3          =YHDO_Iqnkgw
 
  |description3 =More test animation.
==Production==
  |service4    =youtube
{{#ev:youtube|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=livuPKwQMeA|320x240|right|CG test reels (see 1:44)|frame}}
  |id4          =W43UlJpNbqc
  |description4 =A compilation of various clips and animation tests from the film.
}}
===Videos===
{{Video|perrow  =1
  |service1    =youtube
  |id1          =8s3hYJV5vw0
  |description1 =DazzReview's video on the subject.
}}
===Concept Art===
<gallery mode=packed heights=175px>
File:Rose-McGee-My-Peoples-lg.jpg|Early sketches of Rose.
File:Mypeoples3.jpg|Character size chart.
File:ImagesAKPAOAKL.jpg|Concept background.
File:Jj.jpg|Cherokee, one of the dolls.
File:ofof.jpg|Rose, and Elgin.
File:hh.jpg|Good O'Boy, one of the dolls.
File:dff.jpg|Abe, one of the dolls.
File:jjk.jpg|Mock-up poster featuring one of the film's alternate titles.
File:fom.jpg|Old Man McGee, Rose's father.
File:jomo.jpg|Storyboard.
File:ffk.jpg|Music video storyboard.
File:sky.jpg|More sketches.
File:jjp.jpg|Title logo.
</gallery>


===Pre Production===
==See Also==
Five months after finishing his work on ''Mulan'', Barry Cook began developing a pitch for an animated based short story that he had previously wrote called ''The Ghost and the Gift'' which involved three children and a ghost helping an Appalachian couple get together. However, the idea was rejected by both Michael Eisner, the Disney CEO and Thomas Schumacher, the then-Head of Walt Disney Feature Animation. This was because Eisner thought that the story needed more conflict, while Schumacher thought that the cast was "too human" and the film would be better in live-action.
===Advertisements===
*[[The Incredibles (found full version of McDonald's Happy Meal commercial for Pixar animated film; 2004)]]
*[[The Incredibles (found online promotional trailers for Pixar animated film; 2004)]]
*[[Pixar (partially lost early CGI animated commercials from animation studio; 1989-1998)]]


===Rewrite and Greenlighting===
===Animation (Disney)===
Looking back over the research he'd done on Appalachia, Cook remembered how many of the residents there dabbled in the creation of household-item induced dolls. Thinking that these unusual creations would make a unique feature, he created a Marquette of Angel, placed it in a violin case, had it delivered to L.A. and instructed an assistant to place it on the conference room table at the next story meeting. When the meeting came, Barry Cook related his revamped pitch to Thomas Schumacher over the phone and told him to open the case. Intrigued, Schumacher greenlighted ''My Peoples'' with a budget of $45 million. The reason that it was titled as such was because ''My Peoples'' had been the collective name of a group of dolls that were created by a descaled folk artist. Cook also thought that that title would suggest "a welcoming reference to one's family" which was one of the film's major themes.
*[[Alice in Wonderland (partially lost original draft of Disney animated film; 1939)]]
*[[Aladdin (found Howard Ashman treatment of Disney animated film; 1988)]]
*[[American Dog (partially found original version of "Bolt" Disney animated film; 2007-2008)]]
*[[The Black Cauldron (partially found deleted scenes of Disney animated film; 1985)]]
*[[Chanticleer (partially found production material of cancelled Disney animated film; 1940s-mid 1960s)]]
*[[Chicken Little 2 (partially found production material of cancelled sequel to Disney animated comedy film; 2006)]]
*[[Disney Circle Seven Animation (partially lost production material of cancelled Pixar sequel films; 2004-2006)]]
*[[Dumbo II (partially found production material from cancelled Disney animated sequel film; 2000s)]]
*[[Fantasia 2006 (partially lost production material for cancelled Disney animated sequel film; 2002-2004)]]
*[[Fraidy Cat (lost production material of cancelled Disney animated film; 2004-2005)]]
*[[Frozen (partially found early drafts of Disney animated film; 1937-2012)]]
*[[Gigantic (lost production material of cancelled Disney animated film; 2013-2017)]]
*[[The Jungle Book (lost Bill Peet version of Disney animated film; 1963-1964)]]
*[[Kingdom of the Sun (partially found original version of "The Emperor's New Groove" Disney animated film; late 1990s)]]
*[[The Lion King II: Simba's Pride (partially found production material and deleted scenes of Disney animated sequel film; 1995-1998)]]
*[[Maleficent (lost production material of cancelled Disney animated film; 2003-2005)]]
*[[Music Land (lost Disney animated anthology film; 1955)]]
*[[Phineas and Ferb (lost production material of cancelled theatrical film of Disney Channel animated series; 2010s)]]
*[[The Search for Mickey Mouse (lost production material of cancelled Disney animated film; 2002)]]
*[[The Seven Dwarfs (partially found production material of cancelled direct-to-video prequel to "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" Disney animated film; 2000s)]]
*[[Tangled (partially found early drafts of Disney animated film; 2001-2010)]]
*[[Tinker Bell (partially found first draft of Disney animated film; 2007)]]
*[[Treasure Planet II (lost production material of cancelled Disney animated sequel film; 2002)]]
*[[Wild Life (lost production material for cancelled Disney animated film; late 1990s-2000)]]
*[[Zootopia (partially found pre-rewrite version of Disney animated film; early 2010s)]]


===Decline and Cancellation===
===Animation (Pixar)===
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.
*[[A Tin Toy Christmas (lost production material of cancelled Pixar animated Christmas TV special; early 1990s)]]
*[[Cars 3 (lost deleted scene of Pixar animated sequel film; 2017)]]
*[[The Good Dinosaur (lost original version of Pixar animated film; 2011-2013)]]
*[[Inside Out (lost original Bing Bong death scene of Pixar animated film; 2015)]]
*[[Made in Point Richmond (found miscellaneous content from Pixar DVD; 1986-2000)]]
*[[Newt (partially found production material of cancelled Pixar animated film; early 2010s)]]
*[[Toy Story (partially found early test footage of Pixar animated film; 1992)]]
*[[Toy Story 4 (found original script of Pixar animated sequel film; 2013-2017)]]
*[[Toy Story & Toy Story 2 (partially found intermissions for 3D double feature re-release of Pixar animated films; 2009)]]
*[[Toy Story "Black Friday Reel" (partially found rough cut of Pixar animated film; 1993)]]
*[[Toy Story "Jessie" (found Patsy Montana Award acceptance speech animation of Pixar character; 2000)]]
*[[WALL·E (partially found original treatments of Pixar animated film; 1994-2008)]]


After taking a research trip to the Appaclian mountains, Cook suggested that the dolls be possessed by Elgin's deceased relatives, as a lot of ghost stories were present in that city. Due to this, the title was changed from ''My Peoples'' to ''A Few Good Ghosts''. While Stainton was happy with this change, Barry Cook, having a personal attachment to his original storyline wished he could stick with it. However, he knew that as a director, he had to make sacrifices.
===Audio===
*[[Enchanted (lost deleted song from Disney live-action/animated fantasy comedy film; 2007)]]
*[[Fantasia (partially lost original audio of Disney animated film; 1940)]]
*[[Jack Wagner (partially lost Disney Park background music collection from American actor; 1970s-2001)]]
*[[Mars Needs Moms (found Seth Green vocal performance of Disney motion-capture animated film; 2011)]]
*[[The Nightmare Before Christmas (lost original Vincent Price audio of Disney stop-motion animated film; early 1990s)]]
*[[Pinocchio (lost Mel Blanc's "Gideon the Cat" dialogue from Disney animated film; 1940)]]
*[[Toy Story 2 (partially found Bullseye dialogue test footage from Pixar animated sequel film; late 1990s)]]


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.
===Live Action===
*[[101 Dalmatians (found "Spotted Landmarks" teaser trailer of Disney live-action film; 1995-1996)]]
*[[Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey (found deleted scenes from Disney live-action film; 1993)]]
*[[Sleeping Beauty (partially found live action reference material for Disney animated film; 1959)]]
*[[Something Wicked This Way Comes (lost original cut of Disney dark fantasy film; 1982)]]
*[[Walt Disney (lost physical Mickey Mouse animation reference footage of animator; late 1930s)]]


==Voice Cast==
===Short Films===
{{#ev:youtube|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UIuqZRvnBd4|320x240|right|Proof-of-concept trailer|frame}}
*[[Alice Comedies (partially lost series of Walt Disney animated short films; 1920s)]]
Dolly Parton as Angel
*[[Blowin' in the Wind (found Pixar animated short film; 1985)]]
*[[Lafflets (lost series of Walt Disney animated short films; 1922-1923)]]
*[[Language Arts Through Imagination (found series of Disney educational short films; 1988-1989)]]
*[[Mickey and Minnie Mouse (lost unauthorized pornographic animated short film; existence unconfirmed; 1936)]]
*[[Mickey's Man Friday (partially found production material of unproduced remake of Disney animated short film; 1939-1941)]]
*[[Oswald the Lucky Rabbit (partially lost series of Walt Disney animated short films; 1927-1928)]]
*[[Poor Papa (found "Oswald the Lucky Rabbit" Walt Disney animated short film; 1927)]]
*[[The Princess Academy (lost production material of cancelled Disney animated short film; 2009)]]
*[[Short Subject aka "Mickey Mouse in Vietnam" (found unofficial animated short film; 1968)]]
*[[Tales from Radiator Springs "To Protect and Serve" (lost episode of "Cars" animated miniseries; 2015)]]
*[[Totally Twisted Fairy Tales (partially found Disney animated short series; 1997)]]
*[[Uncle Walt (lost unauthorized Disney short film; 1964)]]


Charles Durning as Old Man McGee
==External Links==
*[http://disney.wikia.com/wiki/My_Peoples The Disney Wiki's article on the film.]


Mike Snider as Good O'Boy
==References==
 
{{reflist}}
Travis Tritt as Elgin Harper
 
Ashley Judd as Rose McGee
 
Lou Rawls as Blues Man
 
Lily Tomlin as Miss Spinster
 
Hal Halbrook as Abe
 
Jean Smart as the Mcgee's neighbour Arvilla Tugthistle.
 
Diedrich Bader as Herbert Hollingshed
 
James Carville as Crazy Ray
 
Billy Connolly as Angel's Dog
 
==Music==
Bluegrass musician Ricky Skaggs was hired as music consultant and worked together with Marty Stuart and Hank Williams III to compose the film's songs. Barry Cook also wanted fiddler Mark O'Connor to provide some music, but never got the chance to ask him.
 
==Concept Art==
<gallery mode=packed heights=175px>
File:Rose-McGee-My-Peoples-lg.jpg
File:Mypeoples3.jpg
File:ImagesAKPAOAKL.jpg
File:Jj.jpg|concept art for Cherokee.
File:ofof.jpg|Sketch
File:hh.jpg|Art
File:dff.jpg|Abe.
File:jjk.jpg|poster from when it was called "A Few Good Ghosts".
File:fom.jpg
File:jomo.jpg|Storyboard
File:ffk.jpg
File:sky.jpg
File:jjp.jpg|Title
</gallery>


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

Latest revision as of 19:11, 1 January 2024

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

Footage

Opening sequence animatic.

2D test animation.

More test animation.

A compilation of various clips and animation tests from the film.

Videos

DazzReview's video on the subject.

Concept Art

See Also

Advertisements

Animation (Disney)

Animation (Pixar)

Audio

Live Action

Short Films

External Links

References