John Musker: Disney Animation Needs A ‘Course Correction’

Like many other filmmakers who have been disenchanted by Hollywood, Musker is now exploring the indie space as a second act. He is currently on the festival circuit promoting his new short I’m Hip, a film that he completed last year and which he animated entirely himself.Musker told the outlet:
He did, however, criticize the recent remake of his earlier film The Little Mermaid, saying, “They didn’t play up the father-daughter story, and that was the heart of the movie, in a way. And the crab — you could look at live animals in a zoo and they have more expression, like with The Lion King. That’s one of the basic things about Disney, is the appeal. That’s what animation does best.”most-streamed movie in the United States was Moana, seven years after it was originally released to theaters.

Now that he has been retired from Walt Disney Animation Studios for six years, directing legend John Musker is speaking openly about his experiences at the studio and his views on contemporary Disney animation.
In a new interview with Spanish newspaper El País, Musker spoke about the need for a “course correction” at Walt Disney Animation Studios and the need to put entertainment and storytelling ahead of messaging.
Musker spoke of his interest in adapting Terry Pratchett’s Discworld entry Mort, though he acknowledges that in today’s “risk-averse” environment, the film would be a tough sell to any studio.
Another topic addressed in the piece is that of the controversial “live-action” remakes. Before this current remake era, Musker said that Disney management had proposed that they remake all of their films in cg animation. “I told them I’d commit harikari first,” he told them. Of course, Disney continues to remake many of their most popular animated features, including an upcoming remake of Moana. “I hope that they do it well,” Musker said, “but we have nothing to do with it.”