Disney (DIS) is really bending the rules in its newest offering a a fairy tale that is set in of all places Manhattan instead of an enchanted forest or land.
The new animated film "Enchanted," which is set for release on November 21, actually taunts the old way of doing things Disney is historically known for. Along with Manhattan as a setting, they'll include a divorce lawyer in place of the handsome prince, and in place of the fun forest animals we're used to seeing, they'll have pigeons and roaches.
"It's really difficult material," director Kevin Lima told Reuters following a news conference on Monday. "What it really took is ... someone who understood the heritage, who loved it. Someone who wasn't afraid of it."
The show will start off in the usual animated enchanted world of Andalasia, and there Princess Giselle, who is about to marry her handsome prince is pushed down a well where she ends up in the real world of Manhattan.
Kevin Lima, who is directing the project said "the only way this was going to work is if we can take the 'Mickey' out of ourselves, so to speak, so we can look back at who we are and be able to laugh."
On the other hand, I remember when Walt Disney himself said the company needs to remember that it all began with a mouse.
This sounds like a film being made for creatives rather than an audience. We've seen that before with "Who Framed Roger Rabbit."
Talk about this being a franchise is really premature to me, as some of the people at Disney are doing. Disney has been on a roll lately, why they are putting out something like this is odd.
Families made them pay in the past when they went away from their roots. I'm not sure this is a good idea for them. Not simply because there's the risk factor, but because it seems to be moving away from their core purpose. That type of risk isn't the type any company should engage in. I'd be surprised if this works for Disney.
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