Someone uploaded the storyreel for the Disney Princess Cult Wedding version of Fantasia 2000's Pomp and Circumstance
Someone uploaded the storyreel for the Disney Princess Cult Wedding version of Fantasia 2000's Pomp and Circumstance
jimhillmedia.com
In honor of William & Kate’s wedding today, I thought that it might be fun to circle back on a royal-related story that I briefly mentioned on this site back in November of last year. As part of a Why For column that talked about a sequence that was originally considered for “Fantasia 2000” which was to have starred ALL of the Disney Princesses.
Over the past 15 years, I’ve talked with a number of folks who had been actively involved in this project, among them Disney Legends Marc Davis & Ward Kimball. But to get the definitive account of this abandoned “Fantasia 2000” sequence, I recently reached out to David A. Bossert. Who’s currently the Creative Director for Special Projects at Disney Animation. But back in the early 1990s, David was the artistic coordinator and special effects supervisor of what was then known as “Fantasia Continued.”
Now before we get to Bossert’s portion of today’s story … You first need a crucial piece of this puzzle. Which is that it was then-Disney CEO Michael Eisner who initially came up with the idea that Sir Edward Elgar‘s “Pomp and Circumstance” should be included in the Studio’s revamped version of “Fantasia.”
Why For? As animation historian John Culhane explains in his excellent making-of book, “Fantasia 2000 : Visions of Hope” (Disney Editions, January 2000), it was ..
… a college graduation ceremony (that inspired) the choice of music (for this sequence in the film). The Walt Disney Company Chairman Michael Eisner listened as graduates received their degrees. ” ‘Pomp and Circumstance’ probably has more pleasant associations in people’s minds than any other piece of music, because it is always being played when you or someone you love are achieving something,” reflects Eisner.
So obviously when Disney’s Big Cheese comes in and says “I think that you should consider using ‘Pomp and Circumstance’ as part of ‘Fantasia Continued,’ ‘ the people who were then working on this ambitious animated feature immediately gave Eisner’s suggestion some very serious thought. Because – as an employee of a massive multi-national corporation – it always pays to try & make the guy who signs your paycheck happy.
But that said … It was the second half of Eisner’s “Pomp and Circumstance” suggestion (i.e. that this number in “Fantasia Continued” be built around a stately procession of Disney Princesses and their princes) that gave this film’s production team pause.
“You have to understand that every other sequence that we were considering for ‘Fantasia Continued’ at that time was art for art’s sake. We were always looking to marry a great piece of music with stunning visuals to then create this memorable movie-going experience,” Bossert explained. “And what Michael was asking us to do with ‘Pomp and Circumstance’ was kind of out of step with the rest of this film. His Disney Princess procession idea was almost nakedly commercial.”
But – again — because it was their then-Boss who suggested this idea, the “Fantasia Continued” production team gave it the old college try. George Scribner (best known as the director of Disney’s 1988 animated feature, “Oliver and Company“) was assigned to develop a story of the Disney Princess version of “Pomp and Circumstance.” And from what David tells me, George did the very best that he could with this concept. Creating a pretty entertaining storyreel.
“As I recall, this sequence was set outside. And the Disney Princesses that were supposed to appear in ‘Pomp and Circumstance’ started with Snow White and then went all the way up to Princess Jasmine in ‘Aladdin (Disney Special Platinum Edition) ,’ ” Bossert continued. “And as they all marched along with their princes and their children, you’d then get these quick cameo appearances by other famous Disney characters.”
Which brings us to the other gimmick that was supposed to have been associated with this Disney Princess-based version of “Pomp and Circumstance.” In that this proposed sequence was going to be the part of “Fantasia Continued” which would have featured scenes that were animated by genuine Disney Legends.
To be specific, Disney wanted to recruit the surviving members of the Nine Old Men (which – at that time – were Marc Davis, Ollie Johnston, Ward Kimball and Frank Thomas) to come work on “Pomp and Circumstance.” With the idea that each of these legendary animators would animate one short scene which starred their signature Disney character.
“As I recall, Marc was going to animate a scene featuring Tinker Bell. Ward was supposed to animate a scene with Jiminy Cricket. They wanted Frank to do something with the Fairies from ‘Sleeping Beauty. And I don’t remember what Ollie was supposed to have done,” Dave continued.
Now these scenes that were to be animated by the surviving Nine Old Men were then supposed to be folded in with footage that had been created by the modern masters of Disney hand-drawn animation. We’re talking about super-talented people like Glen Keane and Andreas Deja, who’d create cameos for the most famous Disney characters that they’d ever worked on, like Ariel from “The Little Mermaid” and Scar from “The Lion King.”
When the folks at Walt Disney Animation Studios decided that they seriously wanted to pursue this idea of having the surviving Nine Old Men come in & work on “Fantasia Continued,” they then staged this elaborate pitch meeting. Where Marc, Ollie, Ward and Frank were all limoed onto the Disney Lot and then taken into this room that was loaded with concept art for the “Fantasia” follow-up.
And given that Michael Eisner had come up with the original Disney Princess / “Pomp and Circumstance” concept … Well, he made a point of sitting in on this particular pitch meeting as well.
Anyway … After everyone was served a light lunch, the formal pitch for this proposed “Fantasia Continued” sequence began. And at some point, the lights were turned down and the Disney Princess “Pomp and Circumstance” storyreel was shown. Afterwards, the room was deadly silent. Marc, Frank and Ollie shot each other sidelong glances, wondering what they should say.
But leave it to the always bombastic Ward Kimball to break the silence. Who reportedly said to the entire room: “That’s the stupidest f*cking idea I’ve ever heard.”
Needless to say, the idea of bringing the surviving Nine Old Men back on the Lot to work on this project died that afternoon. And shortly after this infamous story pitch, the “Fantasia Continued” production team began casting around for an entirely new story concept for this film’s “Pomp and Circumstance” sequence.
Also a canceled Rachminikoff segment found on the same tape.
youtube.com
could've had a sincere, beautiful, heartwarming crossover of the princesses getting married set to orchestra
not only that, but even having their signature animators come back and give them their characters' scenes during the montage
"this feels too commercial, we want to make sincere art, this doesn't feel sincere enough" / "that's the stupidest fucking idea ever"
when the princesses all do end up crossing over years later, it's just to call all their movies and everyone who ever liked them sexist, all in the name of chasing the clout of progressive trends, inside a bubble of the internet dedicated to showing how many IPs Disney owns/bought
this is the kind of shit that breaks my heart and makes me feel like anything i care about has no place in today's world
That was cute.
This is beautiful, it's a crying shame it was never made
And I don’t remember what Ollie was supposed to have done
Draw pretty sexy little girls
read the youtube comments
people saying they cut it because the girls were too young to have kids
This generation, I swear.
Everyone is like...
OMG THIS IS HORRID BECAUSE MUH UNDERAGE FICTIONAL CHARACTERS
Its all typical wokeoids including the ones who found this.
I hate projevction so fucking much.
They dont take anything serious cause they are Irony Poisoned on Millenial humor and Writing plus Post Modernism, hence they freak out when it comes to Male Gaze, old values of Consentnand relationships, telling fiction from reality, Damsels in Distress, etc.
That's because only a woman would view being depressed together as a sufficient replacement for authentic happiness
Also reminder that the biggest reason Spinster's lost power was their backing of Al Capone during the Prohibition and Great Depression, they considered hard drugs to be better for you than alcohol
I fucking hate Pomp and Circumstance
I can already see the seeds being planted with the concepts of things like Karens but it's obviously not enough. What's really needed in America is a staged attack of some kind with a Spinster motive
The kind of scenario that "Ruins" the "Good thing" Liberal Spinster media has going
This was cute, but seems a bit too self-indulgent (even by Disney standards) for a Fantasia segment. I still would have enjoyed seeing it made, but mainly just as its own standalone cartoon short.
I wonder if it would have been better received in a post-9/11 environment
Gorgeous
turns out it’s more about Donald fucking up being a ring bearer and the princesses are just window dressing
So this concept got recycled and became Tangled Eve After.
Do we even have any confirmation of their ages? Everyone always says something different about how old they are.
Based Ward
Nppe
Nah, any suggestion from a suit should be met with hesitance, if not outright scorn.
Yeah, this is better than what we ended up getting, sadly
Firebird Suite>Rhapsody In Blue>Pomp and Circumstance>Pines of Rome>Symphony No. 5>Carnival of the Animals>Piano Concerto No. 2, Allegro Opus 105
Would it have been more soulful than most of what we’ve gotten in the past, iunno, fuck, I guess it’s been more than a decade now? Yes. But it was the very attitude of questioning and criticizing it that is the reason why this era’s trash is our treasure. Letting stuff like this slide then just woulda kicked off the slippery slope that got us here a little sooner.
It's Opus 102 you fucking P L E B E A I N
As much as I would love to see all the princesses dancing in a line wearing their wedding gowns, I still gotta admit Donald Duck Noah’s Ark is a less creepy concept.
They do look like they’re doing a ritual in a weird cult.
True, I meant in comparison to the Ralph Breaks the Internet princess scene though
This was a starter draft. I feel like if the main concern was it looking like a cult then they could've just touched up the idea some more in how the layout went.
Oh nice.
I'm hoping for the uncut Black Caldron to be found.
Maybe. But for a while now I’ve seen many examples of Disney saying “No! We can make this concept work! Just gimme one more draft” over and over again only to shit out a half baked work when they run out of time. That it’s become refreshing to see a draft that just plain got canned before it turned into a mess.
Also, they did rework the usable parts here. Fantasia 2’s Pomp and Circumstance still stars Donald Duck doing a slapstick routine while a series of couples march in a line, and they kept the “ring bearer late to the wedding” concept and put it in Tangled Ever After. They had to discard the princess dance sequence because that was the thing they couldn’t make work. And (though it’s not as pretty) they did finally get around to doing “disney princesses in the same room together” in Wreck it Ralph 2.
Ariel says she's 16 in The Little Mermaid, can't recall any other confirmation
was this somewhere in the leaks months ago? how did they come find this?
cool
Cute
Im gettin Once Upon a Studio vibes from it too.
C•u•cked Ward
Fixed for ya
yes yes anon, everyone is a cuck. keep using that word and maybe one day you won't look like a complete bitchboy faggot.
less creepy
Eat a load of fuck, seriously, these are fantasy old time tale characters, not even real.
Its no different then the lefties bashing animu and spergin out "loli = pedo".
Seriously!
Also woudlt have them aged up?
I never for a fucking second had the idea of "cult-like" pass trough my head, and it still doesnt! Why do you have to see everything from a shit (postmodernist/cynical) point of view!?
Oh my god you are so fucking pathethic on how apologetic you are!
Also, how long before everyone on shittube $0¥s out clickbait thumbnails of CREEPY PEDO WRONG deleted scene for rage-farm?
!yrroS !namoW a eb reven lliw uoY
Anyway … After everyone was served a light lunch, the formal pitch for this proposed “Fantasia Continued” sequence began. And at some point, the lights were turned down and the Disney Princess “Pomp and Circumstance” storyreel was shown. Afterwards, the room was deadly silent. Marc, Frank and Ollie shot each other sidelong glances, wondering what they should say.
But leave it to the always bombastic Ward Kimball to break the silence. Who reportedly said to the entire room: “That’s the stupidest f*cking idea I’ve ever heard.”
They were right, and the whole piece did seem weirdly... melodramatic? Sentimental in an overboard bad way. As if they tried to make something less interesting for kids and families than for "Disney Adults" who grew up watching these movies over and over. The Noah's Ark segment we got instead was the better choice.
As if they tried to make something less interesting for kids and families than for "Disney Adults" who grew up watching these movies over and over.
Based
The Noah's Ark segment we got instead was the better choice.
Debatable
Reminder that women biologically peak at 15
It's not "cult-like" or "objectifying" which is unfortunate because if it was cult-like and objectifying it would at least be interesting. It's something much worse, which is sappy. It feels like that sort of fake mush you get from Thomas Kinkade paintings or those schmaltzy glittery holiday cards they sell for $8 a pop at the grocery store, and it's no surprise that the people who saw the test footage got that vibe from it.