I think it’s pretty safe to say that when Disney announced that they would be closing the books on their classic Princess films you could literally hear the sounds of small sections of people’s hears snapping off. Well fairytale lovers, don’t weep just yet! Though our princesses are not quite back, 2D animation just might be. Only this time, our heroine isn’t even “beauty” at all. In fact, she is actually a beast.
This past week, Disney released the first image stills of it’s newest hand drawn animated short, The Ballad of Nessie. Directed by Stevie Wermes-Skelton and Kevin Deters, the geniuses behind Disney’s highly successful 2009 Christmas short, Prep and Landing, Nessie has all the promise of bringing back the classic Disney short film magic that we have come to know and love. If that picture of the adorable creature isn’t enough to make you want to smile, how about it’s plot?
“Set in the bonny blue highlands of Scotland, The Ballad of Nessie is a whimsical and colorful tall tale about the friendly Loch Ness Monster, Nessie, and how she and her best friend MacQuack the rubber duck came to live in the moor they now call home. Setting the adventure into motion is a greedy land developer named MacFroogle, who decided to build a mini-golf empire on top of Nessie’s home.”
Slated to be released on July 15th, The Ballad of Nessie is intended to be “evocative of the Disney shorts from the 1940s and 50s”. Much like the stylings of the wonderful Mary Blair, who was the amazing art director behind some of Disney’s greatest animated short successes as well as some famous Disney “landmarks”. For those who haven’t heard of Mary Blair, take a gander at some of her art work. Looks a little like the art direction used in Nessie, eh?
It's a small world after all. Mary Blair's designs for Walt's famous attraction.
A still from Disney's animated short, "Johnny Appleseed" featuring the artwork of Mary Blair
While this is no Princess movie, I think that Nessie is going to be a step in the right direction for getting Disney 2D animation back on track. Disney has been known for it’s incredible short films, and while it’s largest successes have been attributed to it’s feature length animations, they really did get their start in shorts like Steamboat Willie. I don’t know about you, but looking at these stunning images of Nessie has got me considering paying actual money to see Winnie the Pooh in July just to see what this freakishly adorable monster has to bring to the table.
What do you think? Is creating 2D animated shorts a step in the right direction for Disney as they continue to face the increasing market for 3D animated films? Or is Nessie just a way to keep the animation department’s heads above water for the time being?
Taking Art to the Next Level 
I think its great that Disney is continuing its 2D hand drawn animation. Im not going to pay $10 to go see it in the theaters but there is a certain charm that comes with the classic Disney tales. I think the younger generation will still be somewhat attracted to the classically draw stories of Disney but I dont see any of much money in it for Disney Corporation in the long run.