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

Latest revision as of 19:51, 19 August 2023

A title card drawn by Doug Walker (unrelated to the Nostalgia Critic).

Status: Lost

Wild Life (not to be confused with the similarly named 2006 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.

Plot

The film's plot was loosely based on George Bernard Shaw's 1913 play Pygmalion,^[1] 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 an 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 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 actor), Craig Kellman, Buck Lewis, and Darryl Kidder, who also served as head of the 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 the fall of 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.^[2]

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.

Gallery

Footage

An animation test of Kitty-Glitter.

Images

Ella before becoming a performer.
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.
Sketch by Ray Shenusay.^[3]

Disney Wiki's page on the film.

References

↑ "Dream Worlds" offers look at abandoned Disney animated features. - Jim Hill Media Retrieved 29 May '20
↑ Jim Hill's blog post on The Secret Lab, with a brief mention of Wild Life. Retrieved 03 Oct '17
↑ Ray Shenusay - Wild Life Retrieved 29 May '20

[1] "Dream Worlds" offers look at abandoned Disney animated features. - Jim Hill Media Retrieved 29 May '20

[2] Jim Hill's blog post on The Secret Lab, with a brief mention of Wild Life. Retrieved 03 Oct '17

[3] Ray Shenusay - Wild Life Retrieved 29 May '20

[1]

[2]

[3]

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-'''Wild Life''' is a CGI animated film directed by Howard Baker and Roger Gould that was being developed at the Walt Disney Company in the late 1990s, but was shelved in 2000. It was to have been a satire of '70s American pop culture and would've paid homage to popular figures at the time such as Andy Warhol, Anna Wintour & Diana Vreeland.
+{{InfoboxLost
+|title=<center>Wild Life</center>
+|image=WildLifeTitleCard.jpg
+|imagecaption=A title card drawn by Doug Walker (unrelated to the Nostalgia Critic).
+|status=<span style="color:red;">'''Lost'''</span>
+}}
+'''''Wild Life''''' (not to be confused with the similarly named 2006 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.
 ==Plot==
-Red Pittsain, the owner of a prestigious nightclub 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 it in Ella: an elephant from the local zoo who is able to talk. However, things do not go well for Ella at first because she doesn't think she is good enough to be a star, and she starts to have second thoughts about performing at all.
+The film's plot was loosely based on George Bernard Shaw's 1913 play ''Pygmalion'',<ref>[http://jimhillmedia.com/editor_in_chief1/b/jim_hill/archive/2008/01/23/dream-worlds-offers-look-at-abandoned-disney-animated-features.aspx "Dream Worlds" offers look at abandoned Disney animated features. - Jim Hill Media] Retrieved 29 May '20</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 an 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 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 actor), Craig Kellman, Buck Lewis, and Darryl Kidder, who also served as head of the story.
-Although, one night, while attempting to plug in a neon sign, the elephant is electrocuted and knocked unconscious. When she comes to, 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 glamourous lifestyle and tells Red one night that she would like to return to the zoo.
+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 the fall of 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 03 Oct '17</ref>
-Not wanting Ella to leave, Red attempts to sweet-talk her into staying. Kitty catches sight of this and mistakenly thinks that Red is trying to seduce the elephant, which upsets her greatly because she is secretly in love with him. After Kitty has angrily confronted Red about the situation, Ella, not wanting to cause any more trouble goes back to the zoo.
+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.
-However, Red and Kitty soon clear up the misunderstanding and proceed to ask Ella to come back and perform for them. Although, after being told by the elephant that she would be much happier in her old enviroment, the two understand, at which point they finally admit their feelings for one another and become a couple.
+==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.
-==Development==
+==Gallery==
-Wild Life began production in 1999, under a team of animators that included Hans Bacher, Floyd Norman Jim Hill, George Mac, Doug Walker, 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."'' However, because they wanted to give it a mature edge and wrote some adult-oriented humor into the script, the animators often worried that Disney would not want to release the film. This constant fear was realized when after viewing the presentation reel that fall, Roy Disney, then vice-chairman of the board, stated 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.
+===Footage===
+{{Video|perrow  =1
+ |service1      =youtube
+ |id1           =cPHETUfJq64
+ |description1  =An animation test of Kitty-Glitter.
+}}
+===Images===
+<gallery mode=packed heights=175px>
+B4FameElla.jpg|Ella before becoming a performer.
+WildLifeKitty.jpg|Concept art of Kitty Glitter by Hans Bacher.
+WildLifeElla_(9).jpg|Concept art of Ella unhappily performing by Floyd Norman.
+WildLifeVisDevelopment (8).jpg|Visual development by Hans Bacher.
+WildLifeVisDevelopment (1).jpg|Visual development by Mac George.
+PreElectricElla_2.jpg|
+PreElectricElla.jpg|
+WildLifeElla (7).jpg|Concept art of Ella being electrocuted by Floyd Norman.
+Ellatrocution.jpg|
+Ellatrocution_2.jpg|
+WildLifeVisDevelopment (7).jpg|Concept art for the club patrons by Doug Walker.
+WildLifeMagda.jpg|Magda by Hans Bacher.
+WildLifeElla%26Red.jpg|Kitty watches as Ella is sweet-talked by Red.
+WildLifeVisDevelopment (6).jpg|Visual development by Doug Walker.
+WildLifeElla (1).jpg|Ella by Darryl Kidder.
+Ella2.jpg|
+WildLifeVisDevelopment (10).jpg|The exterior of the club by Mac George.
+WildLifeVisDevelopment (3).jpg|Ella in the zoo by Hans Bacher.
+Scan 64 - Version 5.jpg|Sketch by Ray Shenusay.<ref>[http://rayshenusay.blogspot.com/2013/10/wildlife.html Ray Shenusay - ''Wild Life''] Retrieved 29 May '20</ref>
+Scan 65 copy copy.jpg|
+Kitty Glitter.jpg|
+</gallery>
+==See Also==
+===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)]]
+===Animation (Disney)===
+*[[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)]]
+*[[My Peoples (partially found production material of cancelled Disney animated film; late 1990s-early 2000s)]]
+*[[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)]]
+*[[Zootopia (partially found pre-rewrite version of Disney animated film; early 2010s)]]
+===Animation (Pixar)===
+*[[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)]]
+===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)]]
+===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)]]
+===Short Films===
+*[[Alice Comedies (partially lost series of Walt Disney animated short films; 1920s)]]
+*[[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)]]
+==External Links==
+*[http://disney.wikia.com/wiki/Wild_Life Disney Wiki's page on the film.]
+==References==
+{{reflist}}
-The animation for Wild Life was to have been handled by Disney's then-current effects team "The Secret Lab" who had previously animated the characters in Dinosaur. After the film was shelved, they were closed down.
+[[Category:Lost animation]]
+[[Category:Lost films]]
+[[Category:Lost literature]]
+[[Category:Completely lost media]]