John Carter of Mars/A Princess of Mars long history with Disney...
1930's:
ERBZine.com wrote:In 1931, animation legend Robert Clampett approached Burroughs himself with the idea of making the book into an animated film, to which Burroughs was enthusiastic. The author's son, John Coleman Burroughs, helped Clampett create an extensive array of sketches, sculptures and production notes while the rights to the project were picked up by MGM. However, Clampett and the two Burroughs soon clashed with the studio over the direction to take the film - the creators wanting to make a serious sci-fi drama, the studio wanting a slapstick comedy with a swashbuckling hero. Eventually, the studio pulled the plug on the entire project. Originally planned for a 1932 release, it would have been the first feature-length animated film (the honour of which is held by Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)). When Clampett toured and lectured at universities in the 1970s, he would often screen some of the uncompleted animation footage for enthusiastic audiences.
1980's/90's:
ERBZine.com wrote:During the 1980s, Disney optioned the rights with Mario Kassar and Andrew Vajna (Carolco) brought on as producers. John McTiernan (I), fresh off the sucess of Die Hard (1988), had been hired to direct a screenplay by Terry Rossio and Ted Elliott with William Stout hired as production designer. Tom Cruise had been rumored to be in talks for the role of John Carter. However, the sheer scale of the project, coupled with what McTiernan saw the "limitations" of special effects at the time, kept the project from being fully realized. The pre-production financing alone contributed to the eventual bankrupture of Carolco. After numerous attempt to reinvigorate the project in the 1990s, Disney finally pulled the plug and attempted to sell the rights to the film. After several years, they were finally acquired by Paramount.
20??:
IGN wrote:John Carter Gets Animated
What happens now that Pixar's in charge of Mars?
June 25, 2007 - A film version of John Carter of Mars had been in the planning stages for about two years before Paramount Pictures gave up on it, deciding that the new Star Trek would be their main sci-fi focus for now. The property came up for grabs, and Disney decided to bite.
Now, it seems that Pixar, the incredibly successful CG animation studio recently purchased by the Mouse House, may be put in charge of John Carter of Mars. So, it'll be a computer-animated adventure? Not exactly.
A Pixar rep has reportedly spoken with the IESB.net Web site and states that the movie will be both live-action and animation. What that means, exactly, is hard to say for now. The project is still in the early stages, with no director or cast attached. Nevertheless, Pixar's involvement is a dream come true for fans.
John Carter of Mars is based on a series of pulp adventure novels written by Edgar Rice Burroughs almost one hundred years ago. The story follows a Civil War cavalry captain who is transported to Mars amidst a war over dwindling Martian resources. Carter, with his swordsmanship and fighting skills, becomes a hero in his new world, altering the course of Mars's history.
... I 'm just used to seeing films from Disney like Aladdin and Lion King etc. and feel that they lost there way for a while. I believe (respectfully) that there was a time when disney made great films and for one reason or another made some mediocre efforts for a while, and the emporers new groove was one of these... in my opinion...
