8. Disney Announces New Animated Film, Moana
Following the success of their latest film Frozen, Disney
has announced a new animated film in development, from directors John Musker and Rom Clement (Aladdin, The Little Mermaid, The Princess and the Frog). The movie is called Moana, and is slated for release in 2018. The story is described as "a mythic adventure set around 2000 years ago and across a series of islands in the South Pacific." The studio is stepping away from familiar fairytale territory, and claim that the main character "will be Moana Waialiki, a sea voyaging enthusiast, and the only daughter of a chief in a long line of navigators. When her family needs her help, she sets off on an epic journey. The film will also include demi-gods and spirits taken from real mythology."
Bleeding Cool previously talked about some of Disney's upcoming projects, and described the visual style of this film as something unique and "being developed in a new style of CG that's somewhat like but certainly not identical to the techniques used on Paperman." Paperman was a beautifully animated short, and worth seeking out if you missed it when it debuted last year. Moana sounds like an interesting project, and hopefully will continue the good streak the studio seems to be enjoying lately (when it comes to their animated feature films, at least).