(Source: www.awn.com)
Sharon Morrill, the executive responsible for developing many of Disney's directo-to-video animated titles, resigned her position last Tuesday. As head of DisneyToon Studios, Morrill had reportedly made billions of dollars for the Walt Disney Company by developing and marketing direct-to-video sequels such as Bambi II, Brother Bear 2, The Lion King 2: Simba's Pride, Lady and the Tramp 2, Pooh's Grand Adventure and The Lion King 1-1/2.
"DisneyToon Studios has gone through a lot of transitions in the last couple of years. We have had some time to assess our business now that John and Ed are on board and we have all agreed that I will step aside from my role as President of DisneyToon Studios," wrote Morrill in an e-mail sent around to Disney employees.
"I enjoyed 15 wonderful years working for the Walt Disney Company. And I've had the privilege of working with so many talented people such as you. Thank you."
Morrill's position as head of DisneyToon Studios was in jeopardy the day that John Lasseter returned to the Walt Disney Company in May of 2006. As someone who revered Disney's animated classics, Lasseter despised the many "dreck-to-video" sequels the Mouse House had cranked out through DisneyToon. Lasseter felt that these cheaply-made videos and DVD's had tarnished Disney's reputation as an animation leader, and hurt the studio's full-blown feature films.
What made Morrill's position worse was that Lasseter had the support of Iger and Disney chairman Dick Cook, who had charged Lasseter with restoring Walt Disney Feature Animation's lost lustre.
Lasseter immediately shut down as many DisneyToon titles as he could, including The Aristocats 2, Chicken Little 2: The Ugly Duckling Story, and Meet the Robinsons 2: The First Date, the proposed sequel for a movie that hadn't even hit theatres yet. Lasseter also shut down Disney's Dwarfs, yet another merchandising line to join Disney Princesses and the upcoming Disney Fairies.
But the fecal matter truly hit the rotary impeller when it came to DisneyToon's Tinker Bell Movie. As I previously mentioned here and here, spiralling costs turned this flick into an all-out range war between Morrill and Lasseter, with billions of potential revenue on the line. The Tinker Bell Movie (subtitled Tinker Bell and the Ring of Belief) was going to support the Disney Fairies product line
Morrill had screened a rough draft of the first Tinker Bell Movie for Lasseter and other senior executives. Lasseter declared the movie to be an unwatchable mess, and said the release date would have to be pushed back if this flick was going to be any good. He also offered copious suggestions, and also offered his assistance in the production. Dick Cook and Robert Iger, seeing that DisneyToon animators were siding with Lasseter, agreed with him and told Morrill to take Lasseter's advice.
However, Morrill made what proved to be a fatal mistake. She made two Tinker Bell movies: one to delude Lasseter that she was listening to his advice, the other the way she felt it should be made. This sent costs through the roof, since animators were essentially making two movies at the same time. When Lasseter realized what she was doing, he exploded with rage and told Iger and Cook he could no longer work with Sharon Morrill. The entire project had to be taken back to the drawing board, and $30 million of animation had to be scrapped.
“I was surprised,” said a former associate. “That’s not what the Sharon I knew would do. She’s very smart and got to where she is today by siding with the most successful people at the company."
In the current climate at the Mouse House, that meant she needed to side with Lasseter, whose star was definitely on the rise. However, Morrill was a holdover from the previous Eisner administration. Michael Eisner's distrust of (and difficulties working with) creative individuals was well-known, and he had specifically designed DisneyToon Studios to cut animators, directors and writers out of the decision-making loop. As Eisner's handpicked chief at DisneyToon, Morrill was likely cut from the same cloth.
Unfortunately for her, her inability to assess the changing situation, and appreciate that Lasseter (as the director of such hit movies as Toy Story and Cars) knew more about making movies than she did, cost Morrill her job.
After The Little Mermaid 3 and the four Tinker Bell movies are completed, DisneyToons will shift to making DVD's to support the Playhouse Disney franchise. Walt Disney Studios president Alan Bergman will take over at DisneyToon, with significant assistance from Lasseter and WDFA president Ed Catmull. As for Morrill, she will, as a Disney insider said, "take on new duties at Walt Disney Studios."
Dominic von Riedemann - Dominic is the Animated Film Feature Writer, and winner of 11 Suite 101 Editors' Choice Awards.
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