It’s been a tough ride through the rumor mill for Pixar’s Newt.
Originally announced in April of 2008, Gary Rydtsrom’s directorial debut went from a Summer 2011 release to an indefinite abyss in the digital world after it was removed from company archivist Dave Smith’s Disney A to Z supplement.
Suspicions arose in late ’08 after Cars 2 was pushed forward to a mid-2011 release. At that point, fans speculated that Newt had simply been moved back, which most definitely could have been the case. Then came Floyd Norman’s infamous comment on The Animation Guild blog earlier this year.
"Oh, and "Newt" is dead." Five simple words rocked the animation community. Regardless, fans still held hope. Two months later, rumors began to heat up again when Monsters, Inc. 2 was announced for 2012 (the same year as Brave), debunking the previous assumption that Newt had migrated forward.
Now it seems The Pixar Blog has gotten confirmation of Newt’s "cancellation". But all of the above begs the question: Why is Newt dead?
The first thing that comes to mind is story problems. Many people like to point out that Newt’s story, about the last two newts on Earth, may be a bit controversial. Honestly, I don’t believe that’s the case. But I’m sure there were some major problems along the way story wise.
Here’s where it gets controversial. It’s not just that the plot wasn’t coming together, but that the film may not have been worth making in the long run. I hear you gasp, readers, but I’m with you in that Newt’s concept was exciting.
While reading, keep this in mind: "What happens when the last remaining male and female blue-footed newts on the planet are forced together by science to save the species, and they can’t stand each other?" As you know, that’s Newt’s official synopsis.
Gary Rydstrom’s follow up to his short film, Academy Award nominated Lifted, sounds like the kind of movie I’d love Pixar to make, and originally, I was looking forward to it more than anything on the calendar. But what if I told you that the intelligent concept was in jeopardy all this time?
Read on: "—- is a rare species of —-… who believes he is the last of his kind. When he learns that another —- was spotted in —-, and that she is female, he leaves —- and travels to —- to find her." That’s the plot synopsis of Blue Sky’s upcoming film, Rio, starring Macaws in Brazil.
Sound familiar? That’s because it’s almost the exact same idea behind Newt — with different creatures in a modified setting, of course. Coincidence? I think not, it’s even set for 2011. Nothing against the studio, but lately, I haven’t been feeling them.
I’m only speculating, but when I see things like this: "Kate and Humphrey are forced to work together to get back home. Along the way, they fall in love." It makes me wonder where some animation studios get their ideas. That’s from the plot of Alpha and Omega, another upcoming CGI animated film.
Pixar’s decision to walk away from this story may have been the best thing to do. Who knows, Newt’s characters may debut in the future in an even better idea. Only time will tell.
In fact, Bob Iger assured us today that Pixar is continuing development of original features and that all of the sequels that have been green lit to this day have not been by request of the corporation. I presume that in the future, the company won’t be announcing projects like these so far in advance.
Remember, Pixar’s ideas never seem to die. So, let’s hope Newt is resurrected, and this time, the studio’s lips will stay sealed for sure. I wish Gary Rydstrom the best; Lifted is one of my favorites.
Like they say at Pixar, story is king. Your thoughts?
Last modified: May 12, 2010
Don’t forget Princess and the Frog. Again, two characters from two different worlds thrust together and those two were even amphibians, not too far off from reptiles.
It’s nice to hear some reassurance that Monsters, Inc. 2 was not commissioned by Disney (I still have some doubts though), but I’m still not convinced it’s a good idea. Hopefully Pixar know’s what they’re doing.
Ideas come from anything and anywhere
sounds a bit WALL-E to
who believes he is the last of his kind. When he learns that another —- was spotted in —-, and that she is female, he leaves —- and travels to —- to find he
The point is that they all surround(ed) a similar release date and take on two main themes: either they’re the last two of some animal species and/or a love/hate relationship ensues because of their differences or similarities. I’m getting as specific as possible. If we generalize we can say that Newt (or any movie) is similar to this or that.
Fantastic blog. Keep on rockin, Radu Prisacaru – UK Internet Marketer & Web Developer http://www.raduprisacaru.com
Newt is dead because Newt was going to suck.
I saw plenty of Newt’s development and call tell you that the movie looked AWFUL. Tapping Gary Rydstrom as a director was a reckless move. “Lifted” didnt demonstrate a budding new director aching to be recognized- it showed a competent team player who’s work was no more groundbreaking than your standard student film.
Newt was breaking apart at the seams and we should all be grateful that it was canned.
Princess & The Frog was likely the final straw- that movie showed that a animated romantic comedy about two sassy amphibians who can’t stand each other might not be the most engaging thing to an audience in 2010. Its a testament to Pixar’s strengths that they ultimately recognized their mistake and corrected it.
I’m happy to hear a more detailed explination to “Newt”. I too was very excited for this film, maybe more so than any other films in production at Pixar. I did not know, however, about these other two films in production at other studios with a similar plot.Perhaps it is a good thing that “Newt” may have been put on hold; people would start thinking Pixar is no longr original, and we can’t have that.
To the last anonymous, I’m just wondering how you have seen some developement from “Newt”. Do you work at Pixar? I may not have as much knowledge about animation as you, but I think that “Lifted” demonstrated excellent work, superior to almost all student films. I agree though that it was not groundbreaking. It does seem to be one of the most popular Pixar short films on the forums though, and that is saying something about Mr. Rydstrom. I’m not really sure if agree about your comment on “The Princess and the Frog”… I feel like “Newt” has so much more weight behind; the two amphibians in this case are the last of their species, which greatly raises the satkes. As any theater goer might know, it is all about the stakes, and I think that this idea applies to film as well. Though “P and F” and “Newt” are similar, I think there differences really place the films in two entirely different places.
I would have loved Newt, Newt would have been one of my fav films of all time!!!!