Chief creative officer John Lasseter hosts a detailed two-hour presentation on the upcoming slate of Disney/Pixar animated films at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival.
Chief creative officer John Lasseter hosted a detailed two-hour presentation on the upcoming slate of Disney/Pixar animated films at the Cannes Film Festival on Wednesday, according to a report by Variety.
The event took place two days after the world premiere for Inside Out, which received rave reviews from critics at the Festival.
Lasseter showed images and footage from a slew of films, plus the very first look at Pixar's latest completed short film, Sanjay’s Super Team.
'The Good Dinosaur'
First up was The Good Dinosaur, directed by Peter Sohn and set for a Thanksgiving release date. “This is a boy and a dog story, but the roles are reversed,” Lasseter reportedly said. “Arlo, the dinosaur, is the boy in the story and Spot is the dog.”
In one clip, Arlo and Spot chase fireflies in an almost photoreal-looking forest. “It’s unlike anything we’ve had before,” Lasseter said. “The level of believability we’re striving for in this film is going to be breathtaking.”
Next was Finding Dory, the follow-up to 2003’s Finding Nemo due in theaters on June 17, 2016. Lasseter unveiled images of Dory’s parents -- voiced by Diane Keaton and Eugene Levy -- and new friends in the form of an octopus and a shark named Destiny. “She thinks she’s a whale, but she’s actually a shark,” he said.
Lasseter then revealed that he would be returning to the director’s chair for Toy Story 4, due in theaters on June 16, 2017. “We’re in the early stages of the film, but it’s shaping up nicely,” he said. “It’s funny. The story is not as much a continuation of the past films, but a brand new chapter in the Toy Story world.”
'Zootopia' concept art
On the Walt Disney Animation Studios feature slate, first up was Zootopia, directed by Byron Howard and Rich Moore and set for a March 4, 2016 release date. Describing it as “classically Disney,” Lasseter said the project was inspired by the idea of a movie anchored by talking animals who act like humans as they do in The Wind in the Willows.
In Zootopia, animals are divided into classes where they face prejudice based on preconceived notions about their species, according to Variety. The plot focuses on bunny cop Judy Hopps (voiced by Ginnifer Goodwin), who is sidelined as meter maid because she’s the first rabbit in the police force, but teams with a fox named Nick Wilde (Jason Bateman) to crack a missing mammal case.
Finally, there was Moana, Disney’s first Polynesian princess movie directed by Ron Clements and John Musker and due in theaters on November 23, 2016. A musical in the tradition of The Little Mermaid or Pocahontas, Moana is set two thousand years in the past, where 16-year-old Moana wants to set sail to explore nearby islands. After her grandmother’s death, she sneaks away in a boat along with sidekicks Pua, a pig, and Hei, a rooster. When she gets stranded on an island, she meets mythical hero Maui (voiced by Dwayne Johnson), who owns a magical sea hook and wears tattoos that come to life.
Lasseter said that members of the Disney team travelled to the South Pacific to perform research for the film, running the story by a group of “fishermen, anthropologists and elders” who live in the region. “We have gotten their notes, their blessings,” he said.
Formerly Editor-in-Chief of Animation World Network, Jennifer Wolfe has worked in the Media & Entertainment industry as a writer and PR professional since 2003.
