There are few things more pointless than grumbling about the movie industry, but... I've been disappointed by some of the latest unimaginative announcements.

Genndy Tartakovsky's won't be happening now. I was looking forward to a enthusiastic take on the character and world of Popeye by someone who really cares. Still Tartakovsky will be working on an idea of his own now so we can hopefully look forward to something original... Unlike Tim Burton's live action/CGI Dumbo. I know it's not like the original with cease to exist, but I really wish they'd leave this one alone. Alice in Wonderland, Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast etc. are all stories which will continually be adapted in various media, but Dumbo was pretty much just one unique film and perhaps my favourite film. It really is fine as is.

In other news Frozen 2 has been announced and the BBC are making a CGI Watership Down.

Wait a minute. The Popeye feature isn't a complete goner yet, not if I understood Jerry Beck on Stu's Show correctly. Yes, there was one executive at the company that was holding it up, but that person is no longer at the company and the Popeye team are trying again.

Your point on Dumbo stands, however.

I hope SPA will at least bring in a new creator for the Popeye film so they can already finish it. I really want WB to release those 40's and 50's Famous Studios Popeye cartoons on DVD and Blu Ray so bad.

Something tells me the "Dumbo" film might ended up shelved. I can imagine Burton's old Disney and CalArts colleagues will give him an extremely hard time with him so much, he'd might get a better film offer from another studio just to get out of it. Meanwhile, we should just ignore it.

I hope SPA will at least bring in a new creator for the Popeye film so they can already finish it. I really want WB to release those 40's and 50's Famous Studios Popeye cartoons on DVD and Blu Ray so bad.

Who doesn't!?

Still, sad news about Genndy leaving the project.

I hope that the live-action Dumbo is buried, just like the proposed DTV sequel was cancelled. Dumbo is one of the heights of Disney animation; why would Disney want to defecate on one of their greatest achievements just to make it "up-to-date"?

Great animation is timeless.

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I hope that the live-action Dumbo is buried, just like the proposed DTV sequel was cancelled. Dumbo is one of the heights of Disney animation; why would Disney want to defecate on one of their greatest achievements just to make it "up-to-date"?

Great animation is timeless.

I totally agree with you, Toadette.

Disney, do us all a favor and stop allowing marketers and executives come up with ideas for films. Leave that to the artists.

HOLD THE PHONE!!!!:
http://blogs.indiewire.c...lation-not-true-20150313 

HOLD THE PHONE!!!!:
http://blogs.indiewire.c...lation-not-true-20150313 

Good, I hope WB will get aware of this so they can release the Famous Studio Popeye cartoons on DVD and Blu Ray to promote the movie.

Well, glad to see the Popeye movie has NOT been cancelled!

Did WB transfer the Popeye cartoons they've already released (including the two-reelers) in HD like they did with the Looney Tunes beginning with the second Golden Collection? I'd like a Blu-ray of those as well!

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I can probably guess where a lot of these people got the idea that the Popeye film is cancelled and their initials are C.B.

To be fair, I over-simplified the title of my post. Cartoon Brew makes it clear that it's only Tartakovsky’s version of Popeye that won't be going ahead and a Popeye feature could happen.

In other news Frozen 2 has been announced and the BBC are making a CGI Watership Down.

Also, the novel that was the source material for The Secret of NIMH is going to be turned into a "franchise" by MGM.

Based on what I heard about Dumbo, I believe there will be a parallel plot. Maybe some outcast boy will befriend Dumbo (I guess to bypass the crow stereotypes) and maybe (ugh) ride him as he flies. I guess no talking animals then.

As for Popeye, I hope whoever will helm it now will do the sailor some good.

In other news Frozen 2 has been announced

Why is this turd so popular? I admit I haven't watched much of it at all and am probably being unfair, but from what I've seen the non-human character models are incredibly unappealing and it's just more run-of-the-mill Disney CG pap. Is it just the double dose of pretty princess schlock coupled with more stupid "magic"? And will I ever stop being surprised that this vapid stuff enjoys such grossly distorted sales?

In other news Frozen 2 has been announced

Why is this turd so popular? I admit I haven't watched much of it at all and am probably being unfair, but from what I've seen the non-human character models are incredibly unappealing and it's just more run-of-the-mill Disney CG pap. Is it just the double dose of pretty princess schlock coupled with more stupid "magic"? And will I ever stop being surprised that this vapid stuff enjoys such grossly distorted sales?

Well, it was the best American animated film that year. And I though the computer animation was fine. Also, why are you so cranky recently?

Well, it was the best American animated film that year.

That's just the awards Hollywood pats itself on the back with, although yes the box office response and subsequent tsunami of cash seem to support that.

And I though the computer animation was fine.

The animation was superb I'm sure, but that snowman looks like a tacky cheap Christmas tree ornament your 3 year old would have picked out but you hang on the back of the tree so nobody will see it.

Also, why are you so cranky recently?

Not enough GOOD cartoons being released. [sam]

Well, have you even paid attention to the line-up of 2013 of American Animated Films? There were almost all pretty much sub-par that year. It was a pretty bad bumper crop. "Frozen" at least helped closed the year on a good note. Granted, I was kind of hoping that nice little French animated film would win that year (even though I still haven't seen it yet), but at least Disney finally won an award for "Best Animated Feature" whether what some closed, bitter-minded people think.

Meh, I still think you take me too seriously. Not everybody likes everything, I don't think that's closed minded. But hey if open-minded is enthusiastically and indiscriminately slurping up every bit of slop Hollywood churns out with nary a critical word then by all means call me closed minded, I don't mind.

Not really talking about 2013 as a whole anyway, just this one mediocre film that took ages to come to fruition, had zero excitement or anticipation before it was revealed, and then flooded the company with money for some unfathomable reason, and suddenly they're falling all over themselves to chase the money with a sequel to what should be an over and done story (nothing surprising there). But doing anything with an actual classic property like Popeye takes an eternity and has only an even chance of ending up being well executed.

In other news Frozen 2 has been announced

Why is this turd so popular? I admit I haven't watched much of it at all . . .

I also expected it to be terrible until I actually watched it, but ended up really enjoying it. I came at it completely blind, so didn't even realise it was a full-on musical (as opposed to an ordinary film with a couple of songs uncomfortably shoehorned in) until it was in full flow, and was very pleasantly surprised on numerous occasions. The snowman you mention does indeed feel like a "we'd-better-put-him-in-for-the-kids" sort of character, but on the whole, the visuals are great and there are so many more un-clichéd elements to the film that outweigh that rather minor issue. It's absolutely not a straightforward princess-falls-in-love story.

Just my opinion, of course.