Having officially left the studio following Brave's release this June, Chapman is now working as a consultant on an unannounced project at Lucasfilm, which she joined after getting a call from Lucasfilm's new co-chair, veteran producer Kathleen Kennedy.
In a recent email conversation, I asked Brenda about her start in the animation industry, working on Beauty and the Beast (a favourite of mine), and how she feels about Pixar today. This is what she had to say:
"I got in to animation in 1985, after my first year at CalArts. I worked on syndicated TV shows for DIC [Entertainment]—Hulk Hogan's Rockin' Wrestlin' was my first gig. I always knew I wanted to have a job where I could draw. I've drawn since I could hold a crayon. It was when I realized that people actually created the animated films I loved as a kid—my senior year in high school—duh!—that I knew what I specifically wanted to do.
"[Beauty and the Beast] was my favorite to work on as a story artist! It was the first film that I was invited to give my creative voice to the film as a whole. The directors and head of story invited me into meetings to kick around ideas with them. It was wonderful.
"We went to Fishkill, NY early on in the story process to work with the late Howard Ashman, who wrote the lyrics to the songs and had a big hand in the storytelling. We didn't realize that he was sick from AIDS at the time. He was so passionate about the storytelling process on that film. I feel very privileged to have gotten to work with such a talented and creatively passionate man.
"I was also fortunate enough to work with Roger Allers, who was head of story, and share and office with him. I have learned so much from Roger over the years, but those two years were and intense training time for me. Mentors are such an important component of my career. He taught me so much, so that when my time came to be head of story on The Lion King, I was ready for the challenge.
"The late, great Joe Ranft called me and asked me to come to Pixar to help him with "a woman's point of view" on Cars. Joe was one of the best story guys I've ever worked with, as well as being one of the most generous and nice people I have ever known. It was a great lost to our industry and our hearts to lose him. So I am so happy that I said "yes" and was able to work with him for two years before his untimely death.
"I left Pixar because I was ready to move on. I had planned on leaving after Brave was finished anyway. I wanted to work on my own personal work for a while and do more part-time consulting (to pay the bills), and spend time with my family in the meantime.
"Pixar makes entertaining movies—I thought that before and I still think it now. Working in the field you want to be in is a good start, period. You learn that way—what works for you and what doesn't. Experience is a good thing."
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6 comments:
Funny how she didn't say that getting replaced was a 'devastating experience' as she did in the NY Times.
Her most remarkable phrase is the last one: "Pixar makes entertaining movies", is like accusing them.
I will always wonder how the film would have be if she had finished it.
"I will always wonder how the film would have be if she had finished it."
And I doubt that we will ever find out. If I have to guess, it would be much darker and more eccentric than what we saw. It was too left-field even for Pixar, that's why Andrews was brought in to neutralize it a little bit. For better or for worse.
Or maybe it would be super messy!
from what I have read, the issue with the film, was that too many side characters, played too big a role.
Probably because the story was so personal to her, that killing her darlings was impossible.
I really like what Brave ended being, and the balance that each of the characters had, was perfect. We didn't see too much of the parents but not too little either, for instance.
I don't think her version would have been better, but that is just a guess, like yours :)
It could have be anything, but for sure, it would have been her vision and her story.
I am interested in reading where it says the problem were too many side characters. Do you have the link?It could have be anything, but for sure, it would had be her vision and her story.
Bernabe, if I remember correctly, it was in one of Andrews' interviews (maybe a podcast) where he talked about the first thing he did when he was brought to the director's chair was to reshape the story - and how it was the hardest thing in the world. He compared his process to Brad Bird's rewrite of Ratatouille, where Bird had to cut down tons of other characters' arcs, and just focus on Remy's and Linguini's stories. Same with Brave, he had to cut down all the extra things that are not additive to Merida's adventure, and made the story as lean as possible, just Merida-centric.
Google is your friend if you need to look up something like this :)
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