Opus (partially found production materials and tests for cancelled animated film; 2001-2007): Difference between revisions
(Created page with "{{InfoboxLost |title=<center>Opus</center> |image=Screen Shot 2022-10-08 at 9.48.41 PM.png |imagecaption=Original title treatment. |status=<span style="color:orange;">'''Parti...") |
No edit summary |
||
| (2 intermediate revisions by one other user not shown) | |||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
{{InfoboxLost | {{InfoboxLost | ||
|image=Screen Shot 2022-10-08 at 9.48.41 PM.png | |image=Screen Shot 2022-10-08 at 9.48.41 PM.png | ||
|imagecaption=Original title treatment. | |imagecaption=Original title treatment. | ||
|status=<span style="color:orange;">'''Partially Found'''</span> | |status=<span style="color:orange;">'''Partially Found'''</span> | ||
}} | }} | ||
'''''Opus''''' (also known at one point as '''''Opus: The Last Christmas''''') was a proposed animated feature based on the character from the comic strip ''Bloom County'', and its subsequent follow-ups ''Outland'' and ''Opus'', by Berkeley Breathed. Originally set to be produced through Miramax's Dimension Films sub-label, the project moved when Bob and Harvey Weinstein separated from Miramax in October 2005 to form The Weinstein Company. In development as early as 2001, the film was ultimately put in turnaround by 2007 due to creative disagreements between creator Berkeley Breathed and the Weinsteins. | |||
''Opus'' (also known at one point as ''Opus: The Last Christmas'') was a proposed animated feature based on the character from the comic strip ''Bloom County'', and its subsequent follow-ups ''Outland'' and ''Opus'', by Berkeley Breathed. Originally set to be produced through Miramax's Dimension Films sub-label, the project moved when Bob and Harvey Weinstein separated from Miramax in October 2005 to form The Weinstein Company. In development as early as 2001, the film was ultimately put in turnaround by 2007 due to creative disagreements between creator Berkeley Breathed and the Weinsteins. | |||
==History== | ==History== | ||
In December 2001, Storyopolis, a production company with a working relationship with cartoonist Berkeley Breathed, sold the film rights to his character Opus the Penguin to Dimension Films, a sub-label of Miramax, as part of a production deal with the studio.<ref>https:// | In December 2001, Storyopolis, a production company with a working relationship with cartoonist Berkeley Breathed, sold the film rights to his character Opus the Penguin to Dimension Films, a sub-label of Miramax, as part of a production deal with the studio.<ref>https://screendaily.com/dimension-storyopolis-plan-opus-animated-film/407836.article Initial announcement</ref> At that time, Breathed was attached to write and direct the project. In preparation for the movie, Breathed redesigned Opus' eyes by separating them to make them more workable in computer-animated form; Breathed would draw Opus like this in all further appearances thereon, up to this day.<ref>http://platypuscomix.com/otherpeople/nightwithberke.html Regarding Opus' redesign</ref> | ||
===WildBrain=== | ===WildBrain=== | ||
On September | On September 29th, 2004, Miramax struck a deal with the San Francisco-based animation studio WildBrain to produce computer-animated films. It was also announced that ''Opus'' would be the first collaboration between the two companies. WildBrain would have jointly co-own and financed the film with Miramax, with the latter releasing the film through the Dimension Films label, supposedly through its Disney distribution pipeline. Craig Mazin was also announced to be the screenwriter for the film.<ref>https://variety.com/2004/film/news/cgi-opus-blooms-at-dimension-1117911176/ Press announcement on WildBrain's involvement</ref> WildBrain co-founder Jeff Fino would later reveal that this Opus movie would be a stand-alone film based on the character, but not a direct adaptation of the ''Bloom County'' comic strip.<ref>https://awn.com/dev/news/wild-brain-reveals-more-about-opus-2/ More WildBrain details on Opus</ref> | ||
===Weinstein Company/Tuxedo Films (The Last Christmas)=== | ===Weinstein Company/Tuxedo Films (The Last Christmas)=== | ||
In March 2005, Miramax founders Bob and Harvey Weinstein split from the studio and formed The Weinstein Company. They effectively ended their partnership with WildBrain soon after | In March 2005, Miramax founders Bob and Harvey Weinstein split from the studio and formed The Weinstein Company. They effectively ended their partnership with WildBrain soon after and brought the ''Opus'' project with them. Once their transition was complete, the Weinsteins rebooted the film in 2006 and set up a production studio in Los Angeles known as Tuxedo Films. This incarnation of the film was a holiday-themed outing known as ''Opus: The Last Christmas'', and would be given a release date of December 19, 2008.<ref>https://dailycartoonist.com/index.php/2006/08/11/opus-coming-to-the-big-screen/ Article regarding the release date and title</ref> Timothy Björklund (the director of [[Disney's Teacher's Pet (found Toon Disney animated series; 2000-2002)|Disney's Teacher's Pet]]) served as this version's director, and Reel FX was also rumored to have participated in this production. The plot of this version involved Opus getting stranded on an island, and somehow finding the North Pole and Santa's workshop. He is then tricked by Krampus into putting a pole that allows him to take control of the North Pole. Opus then sets off on a journey in order to stop Krampus and save Christmas. | ||
===Cancelation=== | ===Cancelation=== | ||
After several months of development, the filmmakers of ''The Last Christmas'' struggled to work with the existing treatment available to them. Around November 2006, Berkeley Breathed stepped in | After several months of development, the filmmakers of ''The Last Christmas'' struggled to work with the existing treatment available to them. Around November 2006, Berkeley Breathed stepped in and wrote a brand new treatment for an Opus movie, which was supposedly enjoyed more by the production crew.<ref>http://cganimation.blogspot.com/2006/12/opus-dead-again.html Insider comment</ref> However, tensions between Breathed and the Weinsteins began to rise more and more. | ||
Eventually, it reached a breaking point when the Weinsteins suggested to Breathed that Opus should not speak to humans: | Eventually, it reached a breaking point when the Weinsteins suggested to Breathed that Opus should not speak to humans: | ||
<blockquote>"It finally ended when I received a memo from Bob Weinstein ordering the script rewritten so that Opus didn't speak. 'A talking penguin would confuse the audience' was the explanation."<ref>https:// | <blockquote>"It finally ended when I received a memo from Bob Weinstein ordering the script rewritten so that Opus didn't speak. 'A talking penguin would confuse the audience' was the explanation."<ref>https://washingtonpost.com/news/comic-riffs/wp/2017/10/23/yes-says-bloom-county-creator-harvey-weinstein-still-owns-opus-the-penguins-movie-rights/ Breathed on Weinstein's Opus ownership</ref></blockquote> | ||
Soon after, Berkeley Breathed decided to back out of the development of the movie, feeling that the Weinsteins weren't trusting him enough to help adapt the character into film: | Soon after, Berkeley Breathed decided to back out of the development of the movie, feeling that the Weinsteins weren't trusting him enough to help adapt the character into film: | ||
| Line 29: | Line 27: | ||
Ultimately, the Weinstein Company put the film in turnaround by 2007, with Breathed refusing to participate anymore in the production of the film, and no one entirely satisfied with the results in order to meet the Christmas 2008 deadline. As Breathed would comment to the Houston Chronicle: | Ultimately, the Weinstein Company put the film in turnaround by 2007, with Breathed refusing to participate anymore in the production of the film, and no one entirely satisfied with the results in order to meet the Christmas 2008 deadline. As Breathed would comment to the Houston Chronicle: | ||
<blockquote>"They were set and determined to make the cheapest animated film in Hollywood history, and they finally gave up trying to figure it out, thank God,"<ref>https:// | <blockquote>"They were set and determined to make the cheapest animated film in Hollywood history, and they finally gave up trying to figure it out, thank God,"<ref>https://chron.com/life/books/article/Opus-creator-more-satisfied-writing-children-s-1794204.php Houston Chronicle interview with Breathed.</ref>"</blockquote> | ||
The film rights for ''Opus'' would remain dormant with the Weinstein Company, up until the 2017 sexual allegations that would bring the company to its ultimate demise. Rights were then transferred to its successor entity Spyglass Media Group, with Miramax still holding a stake in the property. In February 2022, it was announced that Berkeley Breathed, Spyglass Media Group and Miramax, would be developing a ''Bloom County'' animated series for Fox, featuring Opus as one of the main characters.<ref>https://variety.com/2022/tv/news/bloom-county-animated-fox-berkeley-breathed-1235182440/ Bloom County series announcement</ref> | The film rights for ''Opus'' would remain dormant with the Weinstein Company, up until the 2017 sexual allegations that would bring the company to its ultimate demise. Rights were then transferred to its successor entity Spyglass Media Group, with Miramax still holding a stake in the property. In February 2022, it was announced that Berkeley Breathed, Spyglass Media Group and Miramax, would be developing a ''Bloom County'' animated series for Fox, featuring Opus as one of the main characters.<ref>https://variety.com/2022/tv/news/bloom-county-animated-fox-berkeley-breathed-1235182440/ Bloom County series announcement</ref> | ||
==Surfaced Content== | ==Surfaced Content== | ||
At least three animation tests for ''Opus'' are known to exist. The first test was produced around the time the project was initially announced in 2001. This test was directed by Eric Goldberg | At least three animation tests for ''Opus'' are known to exist. The first test was produced around the time the project was initially announced in 2001. This test was directed by Eric Goldberg and animated by DUCK Studios. In it, a director (voiced by John Cleese) attempts to get a suspicious Opus (voiced by Joe Alaskey) to do a scene where he gets attacked by a whale. A second animation test would later be produced in 2005 by Blur Studio, under the direction of Paul Taylor. This test depicts a dramatic scene, possibly from one of the finished screenplays, in which Opus consoles May the Mayfly as she lies on her deathbed. In the third known test (possibly done by Wild Brain), Opus (here voiced by David Hyde Pierce) works at a fast food restaurant as he tries to resist the temptation to pull off the pants of two customers with exposing buttocks. Berkeley Breathed has been known to share these tests at occasional convention appearances.<ref>https://robojapan.blogspot.com/2010/07/bloom-county-revisited-berkeley.html Details on test</ref> | ||
Several production materials and concept work from ''The Last Christmas'' production have also surfaced up online, including a scene from a storyboard animatic and a brief pre-visualization sequence. | Several production materials and concept work from ''The Last Christmas'' production have also surfaced up online, including a scene from a storyboard animatic and a brief pre-visualization sequence. | ||
| Line 40: | Line 38: | ||
==Gallery== | ==Gallery== | ||
===Videos=== | ===Videos=== | ||
{{Video|perrow =1 | |||
|service1 =youtube | |||
|id1 =mntM7r3SGK4 | |||
|description1 =Stay Up Late Production's video on the subject. | |||
}} | |||
===Footage=== | |||
{{Video|perrow =4 | {{Video|perrow =4 | ||
|service1 =youtube | |service1 =youtube | ||
|id1 =pGxrxZFAwyI | |id1 =pGxrxZFAwyI | ||
|description1 = The initial test directed by Eric Goldberg (minus the ending) | |description1 =The initial test directed by Eric Goldberg (minus the ending). | ||
|service2 =vimeo | |service2 =vimeo | ||
|id2 =8391309 | |id2 =8391309 | ||
|description2 =Blur Studio test | |description2 =Blur Studio test. | ||
|service3 =youtube | |service3 =youtube | ||
|id3 =t_x2H4dWX5w | |id3 =t_x2H4dWX5w | ||
|description3 =Camcorded copy of complete Goldberg test (see 0:55) and the David Hyde Pierce test (see 4:43) | |description3 =Camcorded copy of complete Goldberg test (see 0:55) and the David Hyde Pierce test (see 4:43). | ||
|service4 =vimeo | |service4 =vimeo | ||
|id4 =50945757 | |id4 =50945757 | ||
|description4 =Previs sequence from ''The Last Christmas'' by Kenneth Wiatriak (see 2:33) | |description4 =Previs sequence from ''The Last Christmas'' by Kenneth Wiatriak (see 2:33). | ||
}} | }} | ||
{{Video|perrow =1 | {{Video|perrow =1 | ||
|service1 =youtube | |service1 =youtube | ||
|id1 =1GWnQONweeY | |id1 =1GWnQONweeY | ||
|description1 =Storyboard sequence from ''The Last Christmas'' by Timothy Björklund | |description1 =Storyboard sequence from ''The Last Christmas'' by Timothy Björklund. | ||
}} | }} | ||
===Concept Art=== | |||
==Concept Art== | |||
<gallery mode=packed heights=175px> | <gallery mode=packed heights=175px> | ||
File:Screen Shot 2022-10-09 at 3.57.19 PM.png|Concept art by Berkeley Breathed | File:Screen Shot 2022-10-09 at 3.57.19 PM.png|Concept art by Berkeley Breathed | ||
| Line 77: | Line 80: | ||
File:Screen Shot 2022-10-09 at 2.25.43 PM.png|Elf model by Bruce Buckley | File:Screen Shot 2022-10-09 at 2.25.43 PM.png|Elf model by Bruce Buckley | ||
</gallery> | </gallery> | ||
==See Also== | |||
*[[Opus 'n Bill (found original version of Death Toasters screensaver; 1993)]] | |||
==External Links== | ==External Links== | ||
[https:// | *[https://gagneint.com/Final%20site/Animation/Opus/Opus_main.htm More ''Last Christmas'' concepts by Michel Gagné] | ||
==References== | ==References== | ||
Latest revision as of 14:36, 18 January 2024
Original title treatment.
Status: Partially Found
Opus (also known at one point as Opus: The Last Christmas) was a proposed animated feature based on the character from the comic strip Bloom County, and its subsequent follow-ups Outland and Opus, by Berkeley Breathed. Originally set to be produced through Miramax's Dimension Films sub-label, the project moved when Bob and Harvey Weinstein separated from Miramax in October 2005 to form The Weinstein Company. In development as early as 2001, the film was ultimately put in turnaround by 2007 due to creative disagreements between creator Berkeley Breathed and the Weinsteins.
History
In December 2001, Storyopolis, a production company with a working relationship with cartoonist Berkeley Breathed, sold the film rights to his character Opus the Penguin to Dimension Films, a sub-label of Miramax, as part of a production deal with the studio.[1] At that time, Breathed was attached to write and direct the project. In preparation for the movie, Breathed redesigned Opus' eyes by separating them to make them more workable in computer-animated form; Breathed would draw Opus like this in all further appearances thereon, up to this day.[2]
WildBrain
On September 29th, 2004, Miramax struck a deal with the San Francisco-based animation studio WildBrain to produce computer-animated films. It was also announced that Opus would be the first collaboration between the two companies. WildBrain would have jointly co-own and financed the film with Miramax, with the latter releasing the film through the Dimension Films label, supposedly through its Disney distribution pipeline. Craig Mazin was also announced to be the screenwriter for the film.[3] WildBrain co-founder Jeff Fino would later reveal that this Opus movie would be a stand-alone film based on the character, but not a direct adaptation of the Bloom County comic strip.[4]
Weinstein Company/Tuxedo Films (The Last Christmas)
In March 2005, Miramax founders Bob and Harvey Weinstein split from the studio and formed The Weinstein Company. They effectively ended their partnership with WildBrain soon after and brought the Opus project with them. Once their transition was complete, the Weinsteins rebooted the film in 2006 and set up a production studio in Los Angeles known as Tuxedo Films. This incarnation of the film was a holiday-themed outing known as Opus: The Last Christmas, and would be given a release date of December 19, 2008.[5] Timothy Björklund (the director of Disney's Teacher's Pet) served as this version's director, and Reel FX was also rumored to have participated in this production. The plot of this version involved Opus getting stranded on an island, and somehow finding the North Pole and Santa's workshop. He is then tricked by Krampus into putting a pole that allows him to take control of the North Pole. Opus then sets off on a journey in order to stop Krampus and save Christmas.
Cancelation
After several months of development, the filmmakers of The Last Christmas struggled to work with the existing treatment available to them. Around November 2006, Berkeley Breathed stepped in and wrote a brand new treatment for an Opus movie, which was supposedly enjoyed more by the production crew.[6] However, tensions between Breathed and the Weinsteins began to rise more and more.
Eventually, it reached a breaking point when the Weinsteins suggested to Breathed that Opus should not speak to humans:
"It finally ended when I received a memo from Bob Weinstein ordering the script rewritten so that Opus didn't speak. 'A talking penguin would confuse the audience' was the explanation."[7]
Soon after, Berkeley Breathed decided to back out of the development of the movie, feeling that the Weinsteins weren't trusting him enough to help adapt the character into film:
"...the problem with developing these kinds of movies and films is that inevitably they discover that a property as idiosyncratic as a comic strip doesn't translate well unless you have the confidence of bringing the creator in and factoring him into the creation of the movie. They never, never do that. Yeah, um, they just don't trust us. So without that control there probably shouldn't be an Opus movie[8]
Ultimately, the Weinstein Company put the film in turnaround by 2007, with Breathed refusing to participate anymore in the production of the film, and no one entirely satisfied with the results in order to meet the Christmas 2008 deadline. As Breathed would comment to the Houston Chronicle:
"They were set and determined to make the cheapest animated film in Hollywood history, and they finally gave up trying to figure it out, thank God,"[9]"
The film rights for Opus would remain dormant with the Weinstein Company, up until the 2017 sexual allegations that would bring the company to its ultimate demise. Rights were then transferred to its successor entity Spyglass Media Group, with Miramax still holding a stake in the property. In February 2022, it was announced that Berkeley Breathed, Spyglass Media Group and Miramax, would be developing a Bloom County animated series for Fox, featuring Opus as one of the main characters.[10]
Surfaced Content
At least three animation tests for Opus are known to exist. The first test was produced around the time the project was initially announced in 2001. This test was directed by Eric Goldberg and animated by DUCK Studios. In it, a director (voiced by John Cleese) attempts to get a suspicious Opus (voiced by Joe Alaskey) to do a scene where he gets attacked by a whale. A second animation test would later be produced in 2005 by Blur Studio, under the direction of Paul Taylor. This test depicts a dramatic scene, possibly from one of the finished screenplays, in which Opus consoles May the Mayfly as she lies on her deathbed. In the third known test (possibly done by Wild Brain), Opus (here voiced by David Hyde Pierce) works at a fast food restaurant as he tries to resist the temptation to pull off the pants of two customers with exposing buttocks. Berkeley Breathed has been known to share these tests at occasional convention appearances.[11]
Several production materials and concept work from The Last Christmas production have also surfaced up online, including a scene from a storyboard animatic and a brief pre-visualization sequence.
Gallery
Videos
Footage
Concept Art
Concept art by Berkeley Breathed
Opus and Mayfly by Berkeley Breathed
Opus concept by Randy Gaul
"Louie" model from the Blur Studio test by Cemre Ozkurt
The Last Christmas concept art by Timothy Björklund
North Pole being destroyed by Michel Gagné
Destroyed North Pole concept by Michel Gagné
Santa Opus concept by Ken Duncan
Krampus concept by Ken Duncan
Concept by Ken Duncan
Concept by Ken Duncan
Concept by Ken Duncan
Cockroach model by Bruce Buckley
Elf model by Bruce Buckley
See Also
External Links
References
- ↑ https://screendaily.com/dimension-storyopolis-plan-opus-animated-film/407836.article Initial announcement
- ↑ http://platypuscomix.com/otherpeople/nightwithberke.html Regarding Opus' redesign
- ↑ https://variety.com/2004/film/news/cgi-opus-blooms-at-dimension-1117911176/ Press announcement on WildBrain's involvement
- ↑ https://awn.com/dev/news/wild-brain-reveals-more-about-opus-2/ More WildBrain details on Opus
- ↑ https://dailycartoonist.com/index.php/2006/08/11/opus-coming-to-the-big-screen/ Article regarding the release date and title
- ↑ http://cganimation.blogspot.com/2006/12/opus-dead-again.html Insider comment
- ↑ https://washingtonpost.com/news/comic-riffs/wp/2017/10/23/yes-says-bloom-county-creator-harvey-weinstein-still-owns-opus-the-penguins-movie-rights/ Breathed on Weinstein's Opus ownership
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20090924165954/http://wamu.org/programs/dr/07/05/08.php Diane Rehm Show interview
- ↑ https://chron.com/life/books/article/Opus-creator-more-satisfied-writing-children-s-1794204.php Houston Chronicle interview with Breathed.
- ↑ https://variety.com/2022/tv/news/bloom-county-animated-fox-berkeley-breathed-1235182440/ Bloom County series announcement
- ↑ https://robojapan.blogspot.com/2010/07/bloom-county-revisited-berkeley.html Details on test