Philip K. Dick was one of the best science fiction authors in Hollywood. The writer is responsible for some of the biggest and most influential sci-fi stories in the genre, with several of his works making it into TV and film adaptations.
While most of his work usually gets swept up, one has remained in production limbo for over a decade. So what happened to Dick’s Disney adaptation, The King of the Elves?
What is ‘The King of the Elves’ about?
The King of the Elves is a short story written by Dick that was first published in 1953. The story follows an old man named Shadrach who owns a gas station in the fictional Derryville, Colorado. While Shadrach doesn’t make a lot of money running the gas station, he makes enough to sustain his humble lifestyle.
One day, he spots a couple of sickly elves standing in the...
While most of his work usually gets swept up, one has remained in production limbo for over a decade. So what happened to Dick’s Disney adaptation, The King of the Elves?
What is ‘The King of the Elves’ about?
The King of the Elves is a short story written by Dick that was first published in 1953. The story follows an old man named Shadrach who owns a gas station in the fictional Derryville, Colorado. While Shadrach doesn’t make a lot of money running the gas station, he makes enough to sustain his humble lifestyle.
One day, he spots a couple of sickly elves standing in the...
- 2/27/2023
- by Produced by Digital Editors
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
A man who was behind the creation of one of the most famous lions of all time has created an incredible tribute to another important lion in the spotlight. Aaron Blaise, who has worked as an animator on The Lion King, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin and many other Disney films, was so moved by the tragic killing of Cecil the Lion that he felt compelled to create a breathtaking work of art for the fallen animal. "Like many people around the world, I was extremely moved by the recent tragedy surrounding the hunting and killing of the beloved lion know as Cecil," he wrote on his website. "As you may be able to tell I am a Huge animal lover and it drives me crazy when I see these beautiful creatures destroyed...
- 8/5/2015
- E! Online
Cecil the lion, whose recent death at the hands of a hunter sparked global outrage, has received a moving tribute from an Oscar-nominated animator who worked on The Lion King.
Aaron Blaise, who has worked on Disney classics such as Beauty and the Beast and Aladdin, posted an Instagram picture of his drawing of Cecil.
My homage to Cecil the lion. #cecil #cecilthelion #Thelionking
A photo posted by Aaron Blaise (@aaronblaiseart) on Jul 30, 2015 at 10:21am Pdt
Alongside this was a time lapse video of how he drew the lion, which resembles Mufasa, Simba's father in The Lion King.
Blaise also includes a quote from Mufasa: "Look at the stars. The great kings of the past look down upon us from those stars."
Cecil, who was being studied by Oxford University, was killed in the Zimbabwe national park in July by American dentist and hunting enthusiast Walter Palmer. Since then,...
Aaron Blaise, who has worked on Disney classics such as Beauty and the Beast and Aladdin, posted an Instagram picture of his drawing of Cecil.
My homage to Cecil the lion. #cecil #cecilthelion #Thelionking
A photo posted by Aaron Blaise (@aaronblaiseart) on Jul 30, 2015 at 10:21am Pdt
Alongside this was a time lapse video of how he drew the lion, which resembles Mufasa, Simba's father in The Lion King.
Blaise also includes a quote from Mufasa: "Look at the stars. The great kings of the past look down upon us from those stars."
Cecil, who was being studied by Oxford University, was killed in the Zimbabwe national park in July by American dentist and hunting enthusiast Walter Palmer. Since then,...
- 8/5/2015
- Digital Spy
Here are a bunch of little bites to satisfy your hunger for movie culture: Movies Takedown of the Day: In honor of the new Fantastic Four reboot, Honest Trailers clobbers the previous the 2005 version plus its sequel, Fantastic 4: Rise of the Silver Surfer: Supercut of the Day: With a new comic book movie out this Friday, check out this new supercut of all the 2015 and 2016 superhero movies -- that we have trailers for, that is (via Live for Films): Mockumentary of the Day: Here's a fake documentary treating the Battle of New York from The Avengers like it's a real moment in history (via Geek Tyrant): Movie-Themed Memorial of the Day: Disney's Aaron Blaise, who was a supervising animator on The Lion King before...
Read More...
Read More...
- 8/5/2015
- by Christopher Campbell
- Movies.com
Cecil the Lion may have been tragically murdered, but his memory lives on in the hearts of animal lovers around the world.
One of those is Aaron Blaise, an animator who worked on "Lion King," "Aladdin," and "Beauty and the Beast." He rendered a stunning tribute image of Cecil, which he posted to his website.
"Like many people around the world, I was extremely moved by the recent tragedy surrounding the hunting and killing of the beloved lion know as Cecil," he wrote.
In the image, Cecil appears as a cloud in the sky above three young lions. It's accompanied by a quote from "The Lion King": "Look at the stars. The great kings from the past look down upon us from those stars."
Blaise also posted this time-lapse video showing how he created the tribute:
Though Blaise said his work was "not much," he hoped "it will make people think.
One of those is Aaron Blaise, an animator who worked on "Lion King," "Aladdin," and "Beauty and the Beast." He rendered a stunning tribute image of Cecil, which he posted to his website.
"Like many people around the world, I was extremely moved by the recent tragedy surrounding the hunting and killing of the beloved lion know as Cecil," he wrote.
In the image, Cecil appears as a cloud in the sky above three young lions. It's accompanied by a quote from "The Lion King": "Look at the stars. The great kings from the past look down upon us from those stars."
Blaise also posted this time-lapse video showing how he created the tribute:
Though Blaise said his work was "not much," he hoped "it will make people think.
- 8/4/2015
- by Kelly Woo
- Moviefone
Disney Animation veterans Aaron Blaise and Chuck Williams have been working outside the studio system for three years, but are turning to Kickstarter to get back in with "Art Story," an animated feature that sends a young boy and his grandfather on the adventure of lifetime when they get stuck in famous paintings. "The thing about studios like DreamWorks and Disney/Pixar, especially, is they tend to grow their directors from within -- and once you leave the big studio world and you step out of that circle, to get back in...
- 7/23/2013
- by Greg Gilman
- The Wrap
Mike Markowitz made it big on the writing front last year with the ridiculously funny Horrible Bosses and after a long career of writing various TV shows, Markowitz is joining the animated realm of cinema, as Deadline reports he has been hired to write the second animated feature for Tradition Studios.
Brad Lewis (Cars 2), the former Pixar Pdi/Dreamworks filmmaker-producer-actor, has been set to direct the feature, which is being kept under wraps while being in development at the studio’s San Francisco facility. However, we do know that this project will be the follow-up to the company’s first animated feature, The Legend of Tembo, which was directed by Aaron Blaise and Chuck Williams and penned by William Schneider.
Lewis most recently directed the underwhelming Cars 2, and he also produced Pixar’s Ratatouille and Dreamworks’ Antz. With their past work taken into account, I think that Markowitz...
Brad Lewis (Cars 2), the former Pixar Pdi/Dreamworks filmmaker-producer-actor, has been set to direct the feature, which is being kept under wraps while being in development at the studio’s San Francisco facility. However, we do know that this project will be the follow-up to the company’s first animated feature, The Legend of Tembo, which was directed by Aaron Blaise and Chuck Williams and penned by William Schneider.
Lewis most recently directed the underwhelming Cars 2, and he also produced Pixar’s Ratatouille and Dreamworks’ Antz. With their past work taken into account, I think that Markowitz...
- 3/9/2012
- by jpraup@gmail.com (thefilmstage.com)
- The Film Stage
Originally announced all the way back in 2008, one of Disney’s most talked about projects is their still-gestating project entitled King Of The Elves. With the director’s chair in flux, Bolt helmer Chris Williams had taken over for Aaron Blaise and Robert Walker, the film’s future was put into question almost as fast as it was announced.
Read more on Disney reviving King Of The Elves and prepping The Hill...
Read more on Disney reviving King Of The Elves and prepping The Hill...
- 6/30/2011
- by Joshua Brunsting
- GordonandtheWhale
Walt Disney Animation Studios has breathed new life into King of the Elves and has hired Michael Markowitz (Horrible Bosses) to pen the newest version of the script. The film is an adaptation of a Philip K. Dick short story about "a band of elves and one dwarf living in the Mississippi Delta who tap a human as their king after he saves them from an evil troll." The project is being overseen by Chris Williams, co-director and writer of Bolt.
Elves was initially set for a 2012 release with Brother Bear's Aaron Blaise and Robert Walker, but when Pixar's John Lasseter took over animation in 2006 it went back into development. This project has been around since 2008, and was even unveiled alongside Wall-e as an upcoming film on the Disney schedule. This should be the next big film on the horizon for 2013 after Monsters University opens next summer.
Markowitz has also written for TV,...
Elves was initially set for a 2012 release with Brother Bear's Aaron Blaise and Robert Walker, but when Pixar's John Lasseter took over animation in 2006 it went back into development. This project has been around since 2008, and was even unveiled alongside Wall-e as an upcoming film on the Disney schedule. This should be the next big film on the horizon for 2013 after Monsters University opens next summer.
Markowitz has also written for TV,...
- 6/30/2011
- by Tiberius
- GeekTyrant
Some movies are born easily: they represent a whole bunch of factors like script, talent and money that happen to be in the same place at the same time. Others aren't born so easily, and lurch towards screens in fits and starts. Case in point: Disney's animated adaptation of a Philip K. Dick short story, King of the Elves, and Sony's attempt to make a new movie out of the '80s toy line and cartoon Masters of the Universe. Both films might be picking up steam again, however, after falling off the radar for a while. First up is King of the Elves, which was originally announced in 2008. A year ago it was looking like it might be bobbing dead in the water alongside Pixar's Newt, but then we got word [1] that Chris Williams (Bolt) might've taken over directing duties from original co-directors Aaron Blaise and Robert Walker (Brother Bear...
- 6/30/2011
- by Russ Fischer
- Slash Film
Back when Pixar chief John Lasseter swept into Hawaiian-shirted power at Walt Disney Animation Studios in 2006, a variety of animation projects, including Tangled and what would end up as Bolt were shoved back into development and re-worked before release. Another project in a similar situation is King of the Elves, which has been dragged out, dusted off and aimed at a late 2013 release.Elves adapts a Philip K Dick short story about a group of elves (obviously) and one dwarf living in the Mississippi Delta. They’re constantly at war with a nasty bunch of trolls, but when a down-on-his-luck human helps them one night, they crown him their king.Originally, the Brother Bear team of Aaron Blaise and Robert Walker were working on the concept, with the Mouse House looking to get it out by 2012. But Lasseter decided it needed more work, and had it briefly shelved.Now Horrible Bosses...
- 6/30/2011
- EmpireOnline
Back in April of 2008, Disney revealed their line-up of animated movies through 2012. One of them listed for release at Christmas in 2012 (three full years from now) was a project called King of the Elves based on Philip K. Dick's short story. Disney hired Brother Bear co-directors Aaron Blaise and Robert Walker to direct this and we thought it was moving along smoothly. However, SlashFilm is reporting that Disney has "permanently shelved" King of the Elves, meaning we'll never see it. In fact, word from inside Disney is that no one's sure when we'll see another CG animated movie (which this would've been) instead of hand-drawn. King of the Elves is a fantasy story about an average man living in the Mississippi Delta, whose reluctant actions to help a desperate band of elves leads them to name him their new king. Joining the innocent and endangered elves as they ...
- 12/24/2009
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
There's absolutely no official confirmation of this yet, but several rumours and a clear change to an official website suggest that Disney have ditched their long in the works adaptation of Philip K. Dick's short story, King of the Elves. The film was being directed by Aaron Blaise and Robert Walker. When I was out at the animation studios in Burbank earlier this month there was a lot of great-looking Elves artwork dotted about the place. What looked like CG tests for the elf characters showed a great deal of detail and texture, more akin to something like Avatar than a more stylised Pixar picture. As the only images I saw of human characters were sketches or hand drawn concept art I'm not sure what the ultimate aesthetic plan actually added up to. Interesting note: you can see from the storyboard sketch above that this would have been another...
- 12/24/2009
- by Brendon Connelly
- Slash Film
Opens
October 24
Brother Bear will be the last 2-D or cel animated feature cartoon to come out of Disney for a long time. Whether Disney, enthralled with the creative (and boxoffice) potential of 3-D computer animation, will ever return to traditional animation is an open question. But at least Disney bids farewell to 2-D in fine style. For Brother Bear is a playful movie that celebrates nature and the spirit world with striking imagery and a smooth blend of drama and comedy. The film should attract solid family business at the boxoffice.
Directors Aaron Blaise and Robert Walker along with producer Chuck Williams also have fun with the layout and design: The film starts off in an earthen color palette and the standard 1.85:1 format. Then, at the moment the movie's central character, a native American youth named Kenai, is transformed into a grizzly bear, the screen shifts to more saturated colors and Cinemascope or a 2.35:1 format, thus opening up the rich vistas of the Pacific Northwest of 10,000 years ago to our startled eyes. It's a grand moment.
The movie begins as an old man relates a story to a group of young people in a cave, a story about himself and his two brothers. Years before, Tanana (Joan Copeland), the village shaman, gave the youngest brother, Kenai (Joaquin Phoenix), a totem to guide him through life. The totem, a carved bear, the symbol of love, disappoints him. This red-blooded brave would have preferred an eagle, such as the one given to his eldest brother, Sitka (D.B. Sweeny), or even the wolf that belongs to his brother Denahi (Jason Raize).
Later that day, when he discovers a bear has made off with his basket of fish, he hunts the grizzly down only to become trapped in the confrontation. His older brothers race to the rescue, with Sitka sacrificing his life to save Kenai. Heartbroken, Kenai vows revenge against the grizzly. Despite warnings from Denahi and Tanana, Kenai tracks the grizzly down and kills the animal. At that moment, the Great Spirits in the sky transform Kenai into a bear himself. So when Denahi comes upon the scene, he assumes this bear has now killed a second brother and moves to attack the bear, forcing Kenai to flee.
Tanana appears to the young man in a bear's body to explain that he was transformed by Sitka and that Kenai can find Sitka on the "mountain where the light touches the earth." While pondering this, Kenai encounters two dumber-than-dirt Canadian-accented moose (Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas hilariously reprising their MacKenzie brothers routine as dimwitted moose). Neither Rutt nor Tuke has any idea where to find this mountain, but they do reappear occasionally for comic relief.
Becoming ensnared in a hunter's trap, Kenai is rescued by a chatterbox bear cub named Koda (Jeremy Suarez) who not only frees him but claims to know where the mountain is. Reluctantly, Kenai takes on the cub as his companion for an adventurous trek through lively forests, glacial caverns and a volcanic field, all the while being tracked by revenge-minded Denahi.
The relationship between the put-upon Kenai and the gabby Koda is more than a little reminiscent of other recent cartoon "road" movies, say, the laconic mammoth Manfred and Sid the chattering sloth in Ice Age or even the loquacious donkey and the cranky ogre in Shrek. But this odd-couple pairing does lead to solid laughs, fueled in no small part by the wonderful comic patter of Suarez as Koda.
All the voice actors in fact are terrific, especially Moranis and Thomas and later Michael Clarke Duncan as Tug, a jovial bear who welcomes fellow bears at the annual salmon run. The mix of 2-D and 3-D effects gives this post-Ice Age wilderness startling, painterly beauty. Disney animators fill the landscapes with spectacular water effects, billowing clouds, drifting snow, volcanic mud pots and the brilliant hues of the Northern Lights aurora. The Cinemascope format gives a vastness to the scenery as if this wilderness goes on forever. The film also benefits from melodic songs written by Phil Collins in his second Disney cartoon outing and his first collaboration (with Mark Mancina) on a film score.
BROTHER BEAR
Buena Vista Pictures
Walt Disney Pictures
Credits:
Directors: Aaron Blaise, Robert Walker
Producer: Chuck Williams
Screenwriters: Tab Murphy, Lorne Cameron, David Hoselton, Steve Bencich, Ron J. Friedman
Songs: Phil Collins
Music: Mark Mancina, Phil Collins
Associate producer: Igor Khait
Editor: Tim Mertens
Art director: Robh Ruppel
Background stylist: Xiangyuan Jie
Voices:
Kenai/Bear: Joaquin Phoenix
Koda: Jeremy Suarez
Rutt: Rick Moranis
Tuke: Dave Thomas
Sitka: D.B. Sweeny
Denahi: Jason Raize
Tug: Michael Clarke Duncan
Tanana: Joan Copeland
Mabel: Estelle Harris
Running time -- 81 minutes
MPAA rating: G...
October 24
Brother Bear will be the last 2-D or cel animated feature cartoon to come out of Disney for a long time. Whether Disney, enthralled with the creative (and boxoffice) potential of 3-D computer animation, will ever return to traditional animation is an open question. But at least Disney bids farewell to 2-D in fine style. For Brother Bear is a playful movie that celebrates nature and the spirit world with striking imagery and a smooth blend of drama and comedy. The film should attract solid family business at the boxoffice.
Directors Aaron Blaise and Robert Walker along with producer Chuck Williams also have fun with the layout and design: The film starts off in an earthen color palette and the standard 1.85:1 format. Then, at the moment the movie's central character, a native American youth named Kenai, is transformed into a grizzly bear, the screen shifts to more saturated colors and Cinemascope or a 2.35:1 format, thus opening up the rich vistas of the Pacific Northwest of 10,000 years ago to our startled eyes. It's a grand moment.
The movie begins as an old man relates a story to a group of young people in a cave, a story about himself and his two brothers. Years before, Tanana (Joan Copeland), the village shaman, gave the youngest brother, Kenai (Joaquin Phoenix), a totem to guide him through life. The totem, a carved bear, the symbol of love, disappoints him. This red-blooded brave would have preferred an eagle, such as the one given to his eldest brother, Sitka (D.B. Sweeny), or even the wolf that belongs to his brother Denahi (Jason Raize).
Later that day, when he discovers a bear has made off with his basket of fish, he hunts the grizzly down only to become trapped in the confrontation. His older brothers race to the rescue, with Sitka sacrificing his life to save Kenai. Heartbroken, Kenai vows revenge against the grizzly. Despite warnings from Denahi and Tanana, Kenai tracks the grizzly down and kills the animal. At that moment, the Great Spirits in the sky transform Kenai into a bear himself. So when Denahi comes upon the scene, he assumes this bear has now killed a second brother and moves to attack the bear, forcing Kenai to flee.
Tanana appears to the young man in a bear's body to explain that he was transformed by Sitka and that Kenai can find Sitka on the "mountain where the light touches the earth." While pondering this, Kenai encounters two dumber-than-dirt Canadian-accented moose (Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas hilariously reprising their MacKenzie brothers routine as dimwitted moose). Neither Rutt nor Tuke has any idea where to find this mountain, but they do reappear occasionally for comic relief.
Becoming ensnared in a hunter's trap, Kenai is rescued by a chatterbox bear cub named Koda (Jeremy Suarez) who not only frees him but claims to know where the mountain is. Reluctantly, Kenai takes on the cub as his companion for an adventurous trek through lively forests, glacial caverns and a volcanic field, all the while being tracked by revenge-minded Denahi.
The relationship between the put-upon Kenai and the gabby Koda is more than a little reminiscent of other recent cartoon "road" movies, say, the laconic mammoth Manfred and Sid the chattering sloth in Ice Age or even the loquacious donkey and the cranky ogre in Shrek. But this odd-couple pairing does lead to solid laughs, fueled in no small part by the wonderful comic patter of Suarez as Koda.
All the voice actors in fact are terrific, especially Moranis and Thomas and later Michael Clarke Duncan as Tug, a jovial bear who welcomes fellow bears at the annual salmon run. The mix of 2-D and 3-D effects gives this post-Ice Age wilderness startling, painterly beauty. Disney animators fill the landscapes with spectacular water effects, billowing clouds, drifting snow, volcanic mud pots and the brilliant hues of the Northern Lights aurora. The Cinemascope format gives a vastness to the scenery as if this wilderness goes on forever. The film also benefits from melodic songs written by Phil Collins in his second Disney cartoon outing and his first collaboration (with Mark Mancina) on a film score.
BROTHER BEAR
Buena Vista Pictures
Walt Disney Pictures
Credits:
Directors: Aaron Blaise, Robert Walker
Producer: Chuck Williams
Screenwriters: Tab Murphy, Lorne Cameron, David Hoselton, Steve Bencich, Ron J. Friedman
Songs: Phil Collins
Music: Mark Mancina, Phil Collins
Associate producer: Igor Khait
Editor: Tim Mertens
Art director: Robh Ruppel
Background stylist: Xiangyuan Jie
Voices:
Kenai/Bear: Joaquin Phoenix
Koda: Jeremy Suarez
Rutt: Rick Moranis
Tuke: Dave Thomas
Sitka: D.B. Sweeny
Denahi: Jason Raize
Tug: Michael Clarke Duncan
Tanana: Joan Copeland
Mabel: Estelle Harris
Running time -- 81 minutes
MPAA rating: G...
- 11/10/2003
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Fresh off the release of animated feature Brother Bear, the Walt Disney Co. has signed an exclusive deal with the creative team behind the film to partner on their next animated film. Bear directors Aaron Blaise and Robert Walker, along with producer Chuck Williams, signed the deal assuring that their next project -- which has yet to be determined -- will roll out under the Disney banner. "Chuck, Aaron and Bob have done a remarkable job with Brother Bear and have created an exceptional and richly rewarding motion picture experience for moviegoers of all ages," Walt Disney Motion Pictures Group chairman Richard Cook said. "With their combined knowledge and experience in animation, they have brought a unique vision and perspective to the art and storytelling process. Brother Bear has a spirit and excitement that reflects the sensibilities of these three talented filmmakers. We are looking forward to working with them on their next film." While Brother Bear marks the directorial debut for Blaise and Walker and the producing bow for Williams, all three have been key contributors to Walt Disney Feature Animation Florida since its first day of operation in 1989. Blaise has worked as a supervising animator on characters in such films as Aladdin, The Lion King and Mulan, while Walker supervised the layout department on Mulan and Lilo & Stitch. Williams previously worked in Disney's Feature Animation Special Projects unit and in 1998 took on the role of developing feature projects for Disney's Florida Animation studio.
- 11/3/2003
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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