Wild Life (lost production material for cancelled Disney animated film; late 1990s-2000): Difference between revisions

Revision as of 15:50, 3 October 2017

A title card drawn by Doug Walker.

Status: Lost

Wild Life (not to be confused with the similarly named 2016 computer animated film The Wild Life) is a cancelled late 1999-2000 CGI-animated film directed by Howard Baker and Roger Gould and was to be animated by Disney's then-current special effects team The Secret Lab.

The movie would have been reminiscent of 1970s American pop culture and would have paid homage to popular figures at the time such as Andy Warhol, Anna Wintour and Diana Vreeland.^[1]

Plot

The film's plot was loosely based on George Bernard Shaw's 1913 play Pygmalion^[2], as it involves Red and Kitty-Glitter trying to find a new star for Club Wild Life as Kitty Glitter, once the star attraction for Club Wild Life, has dwindled in popularity in contrast to Magda, the editor of the popular fashion magazine "Magazizi" and a operator of a popular night club that rivals Red's club.

Red and Kitty-Glitter then find their new star in Ella, a talking elephant they found in the zoo. Ella is reluctant to be a new star for Club Wild Life, but after a an accident on the stage where she is electrocuted by wires, she instantly transforms into a singing diva and becomes rich and famous, much to Red and Kitty's delight. However, Ella soon gets tired of her new lifestyle and wishes to return to the zoo, which eventually causes complications for Red, Kitty and Ella.

Development

Wild Life began production in 1999, under a team of animators that included Hans Bacher, Floyd Norman Jim Hill, George Mac, Doug Walker (unrelated to the Nostalgia Critic), Craig Kellman, Buck Lewis and Darryl Kidder, who also served as head of story.

In the words of Jim Hill, the directors were hoping to create something that would really knock the socks off the competition. They wanted Wild Life to have a mature edge and wrote some adult-oriented jokes, however, the people working on the movie, especially the animators, often worried that Disney would not want to release the film. This constant fear was realized when Roy Disney, then vice chairman of the board, viewed the presentation reel in fall 1999 and stated that he was "appalled" at the mature humor (particularly one joke where two gay characters are about to enter the sewers and one remarked "have you ever been down a manhole before?") and ordered the film to be shut down.^[3]

The Secret Lab had previously produced the 2000 CGI-animated/live action film Dinosaur with Disney, but after the film was shelved, the company was shut down.

Availability

Though concept artwork from the film has been made available through the 2008 book on cancelled Disney animated films titled Disney Lost and Found: Exploring the Hidden Artwork from Never-Produced Animation by Charles Soloman, no footage of the film has ever been released to the public and no pictures or video of the presentation reel have ever been leaked.

Image gallery

Concept art of Kitty Glitter by Hans Bacher
Concept art of Ella unhappily performing by Floyd Norman
Visual development by Hans Bacher
Visual development by Mac George
Concept art of Ella being electrocuted by Floyd Norman
Concept art for the club patrons by Doug Walker
Magda by Hans Bacher
Kitty watches as Ella is sweet-talked by Red
Visual development by Doug Walker
Ella by Darryl Kidder
The exterior of the club by Mac George
Ella in the zoo by Hans Bacher

References

↑ Disney Wiki's page on the film Retrieved October 3, 2017
↑ Wikifur's entry on the film Retrieved October 3, 2017
↑ Jim Hill's blog post on The Secret Lab, with a brief mention of Wild Life. Retrieved October 3, 2017

[1] Disney Wiki's page on the film Retrieved October 3, 2017

[2] Wikifur's entry on the film Retrieved October 3, 2017

[3] Jim Hill's blog post on The Secret Lab, with a brief mention of Wild Life. Retrieved October 3, 2017

[1]

[2]

[3]

@@ Line 5: / Line 5: @@
 |status=<span style="color:red;">'''Lost'''</span>
 }}
-'''''Wild Life''''' is a cancelled late 1999-2000 CGI-animated film directed by Howard Baker and Roger Gould.
+'''''Wild Life''''' (not to be confused with the similarly named 2016 computer animated film '''The Wild Life''') is a cancelled late 1999-2000 CGI-animated film directed by Howard Baker and Roger Gould and was to be animated by Disney's then-current special effects team The Secret Lab.
-The movie would have been reminiscent of 1970s American pop culture and would have paid homage to popular figures at the time such as Andy Warhol, Anna Wintour & Diana Vreeland.
+The movie would have been reminiscent of 1970s American pop culture and would have paid homage to popular figures at the time such as Andy Warhol, Anna Wintour and Diana Vreeland.<ref>[http://disney.wikia.com/wiki/Wild_Life Disney Wiki's page on the film] Retrieved October 3, 2017</ref>
 ==Plot==
-The plot begins with Red Pittsain, the owner of a prestigious nightclub who is quite distressed because Kitty-Glitter, his once-beloved diva pop sensation, has dwindled in popularity. Without a star attraction, everyone will go to the club owned by Magda, editor of "Magazizi," the city's most popular fashion-magazine and Red's biggest rival. Needing something big to regain the reputation their club once had, Red and Kitty find Ella: an elephant from the local zoo who is able to talk. However, things for Ella do not go as they plan at first because she doesn't think she is good enough to be a star, and she starts to have second thoughts about performing.
+The film's plot was loosely based on George Bernard Shaw's 1913 play ''Pygmalion''<ref>[http://en.wikifur.com/wiki/Wild_Life_(movie) Wikifur's entry on the film] Retrieved October 3, 2017</ref>, as it involves Red and Kitty-Glitter trying to find a new star for Club Wild Life as Kitty Glitter, once the star attraction for Club Wild Life, has dwindled in popularity in contrast to Magda, the editor of the popular fashion magazine "Magazizi" and a operator of a popular night club that rivals Red's club.
-One night, though, while attempting to plug in a neon sign, Ella is electrocuted and knocked unconscious. When she gains conscious, Ella is now under the impression that she is a famous pop singer and quickly rises to fame, much to Kitty and Red's delight. However, Ella soon tires of her the glamorous lifestyle and tells Red one night that she would like to return to the zoo.
+Red and Kitty-Glitter then find their new star in Ella, a talking elephant they found in the zoo. Ella is reluctant to be a new star for Club Wild Life, but after a an accident on the stage where she is electrocuted by wires, she instantly transforms into a singing diva and becomes rich and famous, much to Red and Kitty's delight. However, Ella soon gets tired of her new lifestyle and wishes to return to the zoo, which eventually causes complications for Red, Kitty and Ella.
-Not wanting Ella to leave, Red attempts to sweet-talk her into staying. Kitty catches sight of their conversation and mistakenly thinks that Red is trying to seduce Ella, which upsets Kitty greatly because she is secretly in love with him. After Kitty has angrily confronted Red about the situation, Ella goes back to the zoo.
+==Development==
+''Wild Life'' began production in 1999, under a team of animators that included Hans Bacher, Floyd Norman Jim Hill, George Mac, Doug Walker (unrelated to the Nostalgia Critic), Craig Kellman, Buck Lewis and Darryl Kidder, who also served as head of story.
-However, Red and Kitty soon clear up the misunderstanding and proceed to ask Ella to come back and perform for them. Even though Ella told Red and Kitty that she would be much happier in her old environment, Red and Kitty understand, at which point they finally admit their feelings for one another and become a couple.
+In the words of Jim Hill, the directors were hoping to create something that would really ''knock the socks off the competition.'' They wanted ''Wild Life'' to have a mature edge and wrote some adult-oriented jokes, however, the people working on the movie, especially the animators, often worried that Disney would not want to release the film. This constant fear was realized when Roy Disney, then vice chairman of the board,  viewed the presentation reel in fall 1999 and stated that he was "appalled" at the mature humor (particularly one joke where two gay characters are about to enter the sewers and one remarked ''"have you ever been down a manhole before?"'') and ordered the film to be shut down.<ref>[http://jimhillmedia.com/editor_in_chief1/b/jim_hill/archive/2003/01/15/224.aspx Jim Hill's blog post on The Secret Lab, with a brief mention of ''Wild Life''.] Retrieved October 3, 2017</ref>
-==Development==
+The Secret Lab had previously produced the 2000 CGI-animated/live action film ''Dinosaur'' with Disney, but after the film was shelved, the company was shut down.
-''Wild Life'' began production in 1999, under a team of animators that included Hans Bacher, Floyd Norman Jim Hill, George Mac, Doug Walker (unrelated to the Nostalgic Critic), Craig Kellman, Buck Lewis and Darryl Kidder, who also served as head of story. In the words of Jim Hill, the directors were hoping to create something that would really ''knock the socks off the competition.'' They wanted ''Wild Life'' to have a mature edge and wrote some adult-oriented jokes, however, the people working on the movie, especially the animators, often worried that Disney would not want to release the film. This constant fear was realized when Roy Disney, then vice chairman of the board,  viewed the presentation reel in fall 1999 and stated that he was "appalled" at the mature humor (particularly one joke where two gay characters are about to enter the sewers and one remarked ''"have you ever been down a manhole before?"'') and ordered the film to be shut down.
-The animation for ''Wild Life'' was to be handled by Disney's then-current effects team "The Secret Lab" who had previously animated the characters in the 2000 ''Dinosaur'' film. After the film was shelved, "The Secret Lab" was closed down.
+==Availability==
+Though concept artwork from the film has been made available through the 2008 book on cancelled Disney animated films titled ''Disney Lost and Found: Exploring the Hidden Artwork from Never-Produced Animation'' by Charles Soloman, no footage of the film has ever been released to the public and no pictures or video of the presentation reel have ever been leaked.
 ==Image gallery==
@@ Line 38: / Line 39: @@
 File:WildLifeVisDevelopment (3).jpg|Ella in the zoo by Hans Bacher
 </gallery>
+==References==
+<references/>
 [[Category:Lost animation]]
 [[Category:Lost films]]