The grapevine is abuzz with word that Disney has scrapped plans to produce Gnomeo and Juliet, an animated feature that was to be produced by legendary recording artist Elton John. The house that Walt built is also reportedly doing some major renovations on the planned 2007 release, Meet The Robinsons, at the request of new toon bosses John Lasseter and Ed Catmull of Pixar.
Gnomeo and Juliet, a tale of English garden gnomes in love, was shelved once before but was put back on the blotter when Sir Elton agreed to make his entire song catalog available for the soundtrack. Now the production appears to be another casualty of the Pixar merger, which recently shut down Circle 7, the 3D toon unit former Disney CEO Michael Eisner set up to produce Pixar sequels sans Pixar.
Lasseter’s and Catmull’s response to the nearly completed Meet the Robinsons was reportedly less than glowing as well, imploring the creative team to begin reworking the entire second act, according to Jim Hill Media. Rumor has it that first-time director Stephen Anderson has been resistant to Lasseter’s suggestions for the film, which is based on William Joyce’s book, A Day with Wilbur Robinson.
Meet the Robinsons tells the story of Lewis, a 12 year-old genius inventor who meets a mysterious boy from the future named Wilbur Robinson. The two travel forward in time and spend a day with Wilbur’s eccentric family, a day that will change Lewis’ life forever.
Disney is now promoting its latest CG-animated feature, The Wild, which narrowly escaped the scrutiny of the Pixar elite. The comedy about New York zoo animals who tear up the town before being crated to the wilds of Africa is reminiscent of DreamWorks’ Madagascar and It has many questioning its relevance and box office potential. Mouse House execs seem to be among them, since promotional efforts seem a bit lackluster compared to the media blitz for Chicken Little. The Wild opens in North America on April 14.
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