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| Site created by Tim Montgomery on June 22, 1996 at 5:55 a.m. | |||||
Press Releases from 2000 to presentComputers Usage in Disney Films Info about the Disney Animators Disney Related Newsgroups Disney/Pixar Contact Information Mailing Lists about Disney Old Press Releases (After 2000) Old Press Releases (Pre 2000) |
Entertainment: Scores of jobs may be lost and salaries slashed amid declining profit. High labor and production costs are cited. By CLAUDIA ELLER, JAMES BATES, Times Staff Writers Faced with shrinking profit in one of its cornerstone businesses, Walt Disney Co. is planning to significantly scale back its feature animation operation, cutting scores of jobs and slashing salaries by 30% to 50%. In the last two weeks, Disney executives have held two key meetings with department heads, animation supervisors and directors at the Burbank animation facility, using dramatic charts and graphs to illustrate the unit's declining profit and hammer home the point that labor and production costs are too high. "It's a bad time at the mouse factory," said a top animation source at Disney who was present at the meetings. "It's very, very depressing, and there's a pall hanging over this department right now." Steve Hulett, business agent for Motion Picture Screen Cartoonists Local 839, said, "They're not fingering anybody at this point. But they're saying: 'Here it comes. The tsunami is coming.' " It's unclear how many jobs will be affected by the retrenchment, but Tom Sito, president of the local and a former Disney animator, estimated that as many as 300 positions out of more than 1,000 in Burbank could be lost. He cautioned that he has no specific information from Disney. Disney President Robert Iger said Monday that all Disney units, including animation, are being asked to come up with "efficiencies" to better manage profitability. Among the areas under review are staffing and compensation levels as well as marketing and production expenses. Iger denied that the animation division is retrenching, saying it has "a full slate of films planned through 2006." Iger wouldn't comment on pay cuts, but said the competition for animators that drove salaries a few years ago has dissipated. Animation is a business, Iger said, that "we remain committed to and excited about. The opportunities are growing." Disney already is cutting 4,000 jobs companywide, some of which are expected to be in animation, as it tries amid a softening economy to boost profit and appease Wall Street investors frustratedthat the company's stock price continues to lag. But the latest move strikes at the company's heart and soul. Walt Disney launched the studio with animation in 1923, and it was animation that led Disney's revival under Chief Executive Michael Eisner in the late 1980s and early 1990s, when the company released such hits as "Beauty and the Beast," "Aladdin" and its high-water mark, "The Lion King." Although Disney has enjoyed some success since then in animation, notably with "Tarzan," its traditional animated films have become much more expensive to make and have failed to spark the sales of videos, backpacks, figurines and other items that made the earlier films so lucrative. Disney animation chief Tom Schumacher, who declined to be interviewed, told his department heads that when current contracts expire, everybody will be required to take pay cuts of 30% to 50%, sources said. Union leader Sito said journeyman animators saw their salaries soar from $1,500 a week to nearly $3,000 as a result of the bidding war, with some making as much as $5,000 a week. A few superstar animators are in the $1-million-a-year range. By asking for the cuts, he said, Disney is asking animators to accept almost pre-boom pay levels. A Disney source who attended the meeting recalled that Schumacher said he personally is going to take a pay cut, though he didn't specify how much. The number of animation employees affected in Disney's main animation facility in Burbank is unclear. Disney executives declined to say how many people work in Burbank and at their facilities in Orlando, Fla., and Paris. Recently, the worldwide figure has hovered at about 2,000. Disney's retrenchment is a far cry from the industrywide animation boom the studio sparked with the success of "The Lion King" in 1994. That film, which has generated more than $1 billion in profit for the company, prompted other studios to launch major traditional animation units. Most of those efforts were unsuccessful. Demand for animators led to soaring salaries. Disney increasingly employed animators on a full-time basis to keep them from jumping ship, rather than employ them as independent contractors. Although giants such as Warner Bros. and 20th Century Fox entered the animation fray, Disney felt the most heat from DreamWorks SKG, where former Disney Studios chief Jeffrey Katzenberg aggressively courted Disney animators to join the studio he founded with Steven Spielberg and David Geffen in 1994. "After Jeffrey left and the animation market went crazy, we all got huge raises," said a top Disney animator. "We all reaped the benefits, and now we have to make cuts." The source suggested that instead of focusing on costs, Disney management and animators should be analyzing "why these films aren't loved by audiences anymore. What we have to do is make great films--that always pays off in the end." Disney lately has been favoring lower-cost animated films with the potential to generate bigger profits. In one meeting, executives pointed out that the studio's most profitable recent animated film has been "The Tigger Movie," a low-cost Winnie the Pooh feature. According to Paul Kagan Associates, the film cost $6.5 million to make, grossed $45.5 million domestically and $28.3 million internationally and has generated $78.8 million in video revenue. Disney already has told its 300 or so animation artists in its Orlandothat their salaries will be slashed by 30%, union officials said. No layoffs are expected there. But in Burbank, Disney's 71 animators were told last week that only 38 of them would survive the cutbacks after the completion of the studio's production of "Treasure Planet"--a Space Age version of the classic "Treasure Island." In addition, dozens of support staff artists and personnel are expected to lose their jobs by year's end. Business agent Hulett said was told by Disney animators that cuts will be 15% to 20% in some departments to as much as 60% in others. Hulett said that in addition to the 33 animators being cut, more than 30 of the 127 workers who clean up animation will be cut, along with 23 of the 41 layout artists who draw background environments in animation scenes. The retrenchment reflects a major slowdown in animation work at the studio, which recently completed its summer release, "Atlantis," debuting nationwide June 15. After "Treasure Planet" wraps in early winter, Disney plans to return to producing one traditional, hand-drawn animated feature at a time. It will, however, continue to release at least two or more animated movies a year, thanks to computer-generated features from Pixar Animation Studios, the Northern California-based company behind the hit "Toy Story" films and "A Bug's Life," and Disney's own 3-D animation unit near the Burbank Airport. A small percentage of the animation crew working on "Treasure Planet" will be eligible to work on Disney's next traditional animated production, "Sweating Bullets." And some may be assigned to the studio's planned live-action feature "Enchanted," which requires about 10 minutes of animation, if that movie is given the green light, sources said. Disney says that because of rising costs, it can't make a profit from movies grossing $100 million at the box office. In one of the meetings with animators, it was pointed out that the last traditional Disney movie to really strike it rich both at the box office and in all the ancillary markets, including videocassette sales and merchandising, was the studio's 1995 release "Pocahontas." Although "Tarzan" was successful, it cost more than $150 million--more than "Pocahontas." Disney may be trying to hold down production costs, but sources say "Treasure Planet" and "Sweating Bullets" will each cost more than $100 million. From: LA TIMES
Wednesday April 11 01:54 AM EDT LOS ANGELES (The Hollywood Reporter) --- Susan Sarandon is in negotiations to star in the Walt Disney Co.'s live-action/animated feature "Enchanted" for studio-based director Jon Turteltaub ("Disney's The Kid"). David Hyde Pierce ("Frasier") also is in talks to co-star in "Enchanted," which is scheduled to go into production after the threatened actors strike. Written by Bill Kelly with a rewrite by Rita Hsiao ("Mulan," "Toy Story 2"), "Enchanted" is a fairy tale about a young woman who falls in love with a prince and is banished to the real world of New York by an evil queen (Sarandon). Once there, she is followed by the prince and queen and must decide whether to return home. Pierce, who provided the voice of Slim the Walking Stick in Disney's "A Bug's Life," would portray Nathaniel, the queen's valet. Barry Sonnenfeld and Barry Josephson will produce. Turteltaub and Christina Steinberg also will produce through their Junction Entertainment. The project would reteam Sarandon with Disney. She begins production on the studio's "Baby's in Black" next week for director Brad Silberling. Alan Menken, who won several Academy Awards (news - web sites) for music on Disney's "Beauty and the Beast," "Pocahontas," "Aladdin" and "The Little Mermaid," is composing the music for "Enchanted." Buena Vista Motion Picture Group president Nina Jacobson and director of production Doug Short are overseeing the project on behalf of the studio. Sarandon, repped by ICM, won a best actress Oscar for "Dead Man Walking" in 1996. She next voices Warner Bros.' animated/live-action feature "Cats & Dogs." Pierce, repped by Silver, Massetti & Szatmary, next stars in the indie feature "Wet Hot American Summer" and voices Warner Bros.' animated feature "Osmosis Jones."
Monday April 9, 6:19 pm Eastern Time SOURCE: Walt Disney Pictures Giant-Screen Version of Walt Disney Pictures' 'Beauty and the Beast' To Be Released Worldwide on January 1st, 2002 BURBANK, Calif., April 9 /PRNewswire/ -- The worldwide release date for the giant-screen version of Walt Disney Pictures' Academy Award®-winning ``Beauty and the Beast'' has been set for January 1st, 2002, it was announced today (4/9) by Dick Cook, chairman of the Walt Disney Motion Pictures Group. Marking the film's 10th anniversary, this special giant-screen release of ``Beauty and the Beast'' includes a newly-animated song sequence and enhanced imagery. The film's New Year's Day debut follows Walt Disney Pictures' smash hit, ``Fantasia/2000 - the IMAX® Experience,'' which opened January 1st, 2000, to record-breaking success, taking in 2.8 million dollars in its first two days, more than $10 million in two weeks, and more than $64.4 million worldwide in only 75 theaters by the end of its limited four-month IMAX engagement. Commenting on the announcement, Cook said, ``Clearly, New Year's Day has been a lucky date for us, and we are continuing that tradition with 'Beauty and the Beast.' Directors Kirk Wise and Gary Trousdale and producer Don Hahn took this 'tale as old as time' and created a special film, one that has quickly become an audience favorite and the highlight of our Studio's animation renaissance. It looks great on the giant screen and we can't wait to share it with audiences around the world.'' To make ``Beauty and the Beast'' a must-see event, Walt Disney Feature Animation has spent a year in production on the film, enhancing the image and refining character faces, backgrounds, and special effects, in order to let the film shine brightly on the giant screen. In addition, the filmmakers have added an extraordinary, never-before-seen musical sequence, featuring the song ``Human Again'' by the Academy Award®-winning team of Howard Ashman and Alan Menken. Written for the original 1991 release, the song was storyboarded but never animated, until now. Featured in the hit Broadway musical ``Beauty and the Beast,'' ``Human Again'' is an upbeat, festive sequence in which the enchanted characters dream about what they'll do when they change back into their original forms. This marks the first time that Disney has ever animated a new sequence for a previously-released feature. Still the only animated film ever to be nominated for the Best Picture Oscar®, ``Beauty and the Beast'' was nominated for 6 total Academy Awards, and won for Best Original Score and Best Song. The film also proved popular with audiences, taking in more than $350,000,000 at the box office worldwide. For further information, please contact Heidi Trotta, Senior Vice President, Publicity, 818-560-7280, or Teri Meyer, Senior Vice President, International Publicity, 818-558-2291, both for Walt Disney Pictures.
Wednesday March 7 12:38 AM ET HOLLYWOOD (Variety) - ``The Lady and the Tramp II: Scamp's Adventure,'' Disney's first sequel to one of its pre-1980s animated classics, has trampled its way past ``The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea,'' generating $50 million in consumer spending in its opening week. More than 3 million of the 7 million videocassette and DVD copies shipped to retailers were purchased in the first six days of release, according to industry estimates, pushing the title well past the 2.4 million units sold in the first week of release last fall of "The Little Mermaid II," which went on to generate more than $120 million in consumer spending, according to Daily Variety sister publication Video Business. Disney's 1998 video premiere title "The Lion King II: Simba's Pride'' holds the all-time unit sales record with about 13 million copies sold to consumers -- 3.5 million in the first three days. The first video premiere sequel to "Aladdin," "The Return of Jafar,'' sold about 9 million copies. More than 6 million copies of "The Little Mermaid II'' have been sold so far. Reuters/Variety REUTERS
Wednesday March 7 12:37 AM ET HOLLYWOOD (Variety) - Disney's returning to an animated Neverland -- not in video stores, but on the big screen. Studio execs are so pleased with the sequel to the 1953 classic "Peter Pan,'' now 95% complete, that they're planning to release the movie theatrically in spring 2002. The project, shelved a couple of years ago after animators had been hired to do preliminary work, was revived last year as a potential video premiere. Over the last couple of years, "Toy Story 2'' and "The Tigger Movie'' have also been bumped up for theatrical release after development as video premieres. Disney is also producing an animated sequel to the 1961 animated classic "One Hundred and One Dalmatians,'' which is scheduled for a video premiere next year. The picture will be teased on next month's video release of the live-action "102 Dalmatians.''
The studio is also working on video premiere sequels to
"Tarzan'' and "Mulan,'' and the first animated movie
sequel to 1967's animated theatrical release "The Jungle
Book.'' "The Hunchback of Notre Dame II'' is slated for
release on video this fall, and a second sequel to "The Lion
King'' is being written.
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