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Shorts
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Shorts

Glago’s Guest
2008 - dir. Chris Williams
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Glago’s Guest is something of a departure for Disney; the short is a science fiction tale that depicts the meeting between a lonely Russian soldier at a distant Siberian outpost and an extraterrestrial. Set to employ 3-D animation, the film has been described by its director as “serious, suspenseful and arty.”

Set to debut at next year’s Annecy Animated Film Festival and to premiere in front of Disney’s 3D-animated feature Bolt on November 26, 2008, Glago’s Guest is directed by Chris Williams - the same Chris Williams who is directing Bolt itself. In an odd twist of fate, Williams won the job on Bolt when John Lasseter was impressed with the story reels for Glago’s Guest. Lasseter was looking for someone to take over production on the troubled American Dog project when its former director Chris Sanders left the studio. Williams, a former story artist at the studio, got the nod, and now both his debut films will premiere together.

Much like at Pixar, Disney looks to use its shorts as testbeds for new technological innovations. Glago’s Guest will push 3-D character design and textures; shorts producer Chuck Williams was quoted as saying “there’s human animation and a step toward what they’re doing on Rapunzel, but also the hair and cloth were a challenge beyond what has ever been done before at Disney. Shapes are stylized and pushed, and the proportions are exaggerated, but the environments and detail are photoreal.” Like its theatrical counterpart Bolt, Glago’s Guest will be released simultaneously in conventional and stereoscopic 3-D formats.

The Ballad of Nessie
2008? - dir. Kevin Deters & Stevie Wermers-Skelton
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The second production from the directors of How To Hook Up Your Home Theater, The Ballad of Nessie eschews Goofy’s - goofiness - for a sweeter tale depicting the origin story of a female Loch Ness Monster. An elaboration of a project Wermers-Skelton began whilst a student at CalArts, the short is being produced in traditional 2-D animation and uses much of the same talent as their Goofy short including animators Dale Baer, Andreas Deja and Mark Henn. With an aesthetic inspired by the works of Disney legend Mary Blair, the short will sport a very stylized look akin to storybook illustrations.

Despite its traditional roots, Nessie will also innovate. The president of Disney Animation, Ed Catmull, told Businessweek that the kilts that characters wear in the short will provide an exercise in helping animators improve their skills at drawing fabric in a naturalistic way.

Rumors are that production is nearly complete on Nessie, although the eventual release date has yet to be announced. Looking at Disney’s upcoming release schedule for suitable release dates, Prince Caspian would seem like a good fit; it’s unknown if Nessie can meet that film’s May 2008 release deadline.

Prep and Landing
2009? - dir. Chris Williams
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This Christmas-themed short claims to show how Santa’s elves help prepare for his annual Christmas Eve visit, only in this case the elves are slightly inept and wackiness ensues. I’ve read rumors that Lasseter likes this short so much that he considered expanding it into a Christmas television special. This short is also directed by Chris Williams, who will most probably be far too busy with Bolt to get this short out by next Christmas. Assuming Disney wants to stick to a holiday release date for this, one would think we’ll see this around Christmas 2009.

Untitled Mickey, Donald and Goofy Short
Release Date Unknown - dir. Eric Goldberg

Little is known of this project so far, but animator Eric Goldberg is said to be boarding a short involving Disney’s legendary trio that Goldberg compares to classic efforts such as Boat Builders. Goldberg took an interest in the shorts program upon his return to the studio in 2006, and has a desire to especially focus on the classic characters. Goldberg is currently working on animating for The Princess and the Frog, so it’s probable that this project is a few years off.

Untitled Goofy “How To” Short
Release Date Unknown - dir. Kevin Deters & Stevie Wermers-Skelton

The directors of How To Hook Up Your Home Theater have expressed a desire to return to the “How To” series in the future. Several different concepts were pitched at the time they decided on Home Theater, so there are already several existing ideas for this sequel.

Untitled Meet the Robinsons Spinoff

A short is said to be in production that will spin off a character from 2007’s Disney 3-D animated feature Meet the Robinsons. It is unknown what character will be featured, and whether the short would be a sequel or prequel to the film.

Features

Bolt
November 26th, 2008 - dir. Chris Williams
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The Princess and the Frog
Holiday 2009 - dir. Ron Clements & John Musker
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When Clements & Musker (The Little Mermaid) returned to Disney Animation in 2006, they began to work on this Jazz Age fairy tale with the aim of making it the studio’s first traditionally animated film since 2004. Featuring songs by Randy Newman, The Princess and the Frog will be a musical fairy tale with a twist. Set in the elegant New Orleans of the 1920s, the film features Disney’s first African-American “princess” - Tiana - as well as “a soulful singing crocodile, voodoo spells and Cajun charm at every turn.”

Directed by Ron Clements & John Musker. Produced by Peter Del Vecho. Written by Ron Clements, John Musker and Rob Edwards. Music by Randy Newman. Edited by Jeff Draheim. Craig Sost - Associate Producer. Monica Lago-Kaytis - Production Manager. Jen Rudin - Casting.

Featuring Anika Noni Rose as Tiana, Keith David as Dr. Facilier

Rapunzel
2010 - dir. Glen Keane & Dean Wellins