It's easily the most in-depth and well-made look at how the studio is run, leaving in both the good and the bad. Sting's roller coaster of emotions as the contracted help is a great emotional anchor, even if he comes off a bit self-righteous. Banning this was a mistake; if anything, I just have more respect for how Disney makes its animated features.
4 Reviews
The Documentary Disney Refused to Let us See
elicopperman17 September 2022
While many know The Emperor's New Groove as a cult classic in the Disney lineup, it was originally a completely different film called Kingdom of the Sun. Almost all of the evidence was documented by singer Sting and his wife Trudi Styler in The Sweatbox.
In the mid 1990s, Disney had contacted Sting to write songs for an Incan Prince & the Pauper story. Throughout the documentary, the key thing Styler and co-director John-Paul Davidson focus on is how Sting and the animation crew are affected by the drastic changes to the film brought on by the Disney executives, including former president Thomas Schumacher. The film's title derives itself from the Disney animation screening rooms, famous for their lack of air conditioning causing the animators to sweat while their work got critiqued. While the documentary might lead a bit more into Sting than the actual production process of Kingdom to Emperor, it nonetheless emphasizes how much of a task it was for the Disney crew just to please the executives in the short and long run.
Despite the troublesome production the film went through, the documentary blissfully paints both the artists and the executives in the same light. Throughout the film, we get interviews from the Kingdom crew and the Emperor crew later on, all of whom detail their processes in putting the work together based on both the material they're given and the constant changes from the higher ups. Anyone working in animation can understand just how mind numbing this process can be, let alone at a major Hollywood animation studio. As for Sting, he only made two songs for Emperor, and the difference in quality between both productions is jarring to say the least.
Despite the film barely getting screened outside of mini festival runs, The Sweatbox details one of many true stories behind the making of what seemed like a goofilly cartoony buddy comedy from the getco.
In the mid 1990s, Disney had contacted Sting to write songs for an Incan Prince & the Pauper story. Throughout the documentary, the key thing Styler and co-director John-Paul Davidson focus on is how Sting and the animation crew are affected by the drastic changes to the film brought on by the Disney executives, including former president Thomas Schumacher. The film's title derives itself from the Disney animation screening rooms, famous for their lack of air conditioning causing the animators to sweat while their work got critiqued. While the documentary might lead a bit more into Sting than the actual production process of Kingdom to Emperor, it nonetheless emphasizes how much of a task it was for the Disney crew just to please the executives in the short and long run.
Despite the troublesome production the film went through, the documentary blissfully paints both the artists and the executives in the same light. Throughout the film, we get interviews from the Kingdom crew and the Emperor crew later on, all of whom detail their processes in putting the work together based on both the material they're given and the constant changes from the higher ups. Anyone working in animation can understand just how mind numbing this process can be, let alone at a major Hollywood animation studio. As for Sting, he only made two songs for Emperor, and the difference in quality between both productions is jarring to say the least.
Despite the film barely getting screened outside of mini festival runs, The Sweatbox details one of many true stories behind the making of what seemed like a goofilly cartoony buddy comedy from the getco.
A missed opportunity
filmfluxtube15 February 2022
The Sweatbox is a fascinating look into life cycle of a Disney production. I knew that Disney was extremely focused on story, but I didn't know that they were so focused that they would throw out an entire score, twice, and completely rewrite a story that had been in production for over a year.
The basis of this makes a good foundation for a documentary. You get to see a world you don't normally see, and there are continuous conflicts.
I make film essays on YouTube, which means I sometimes make mini documentaries. Deep into the research process, you often have all these threads and tangents that need to be sewn together. You need an overarching narrative. And it helps if that overarching narrative has some kind of emotion tied to it because that emotion creates an attachment in an otherwise purely informative piece. You could create this emotion from the interviews with your subjects, or you could decide on your own, and guide the narrative of the film there.
The Sweatbox doesn't pick a particular emotion. Its narrative is that we're going to watch where the production started and where it ended. There's this really interesting emotional thread where the first director of the film gets his initial vision destroyed. And then he leaves the production, presumably. This is the strongest emotional thread in the film. How did he feel about the film that was finished without him? How did his life change after that? This is the emotional story behind a troubled, completely overhauled film production.
Instead we get footage of responsible adults who accept their jobs are sometimes to create things that change or die. They reflect in logical, unemotional ways. And we march to the end of the film in an orderly fashion.
The basis of this makes a good foundation for a documentary. You get to see a world you don't normally see, and there are continuous conflicts.
I make film essays on YouTube, which means I sometimes make mini documentaries. Deep into the research process, you often have all these threads and tangents that need to be sewn together. You need an overarching narrative. And it helps if that overarching narrative has some kind of emotion tied to it because that emotion creates an attachment in an otherwise purely informative piece. You could create this emotion from the interviews with your subjects, or you could decide on your own, and guide the narrative of the film there.
The Sweatbox doesn't pick a particular emotion. Its narrative is that we're going to watch where the production started and where it ended. There's this really interesting emotional thread where the first director of the film gets his initial vision destroyed. And then he leaves the production, presumably. This is the strongest emotional thread in the film. How did he feel about the film that was finished without him? How did his life change after that? This is the emotional story behind a troubled, completely overhauled film production.
Instead we get footage of responsible adults who accept their jobs are sometimes to create things that change or die. They reflect in logical, unemotional ways. And we march to the end of the film in an orderly fashion.
Finding the Groove: From "Kingdom of the Sun" to "The Emperor's New Groove"
Cristianos19 September 2013
Warning: Spoilers
In 1997, Grammy Award-winning singer Sting was asked by the Walt Disney Company to compose the songs for their upcoming feature film, "Kingdom of the Sun". He agreed on one condition that his filmmaker wife, Trudie Styler, be given unlimited access to produce a documentary about the making of the film. Disney agreed, and Sting signed on to the project with collaborator David Hartley at his side. However, Sting complained he didn't have much to work with since there wasn't a finalized storyline given to him which sets the problem of the documentary as he and the filmmakers went through the "sweatbox", which refers to the early days of Disney animation when there was no air conditioning, causing the animators to sweat while their rough work was being critiqued. And this is what Styler and co-director John-Paul Davidson unpredictably set out to capture throughout the extensive process.
The storyline of "Kingdom of the Sun" is about a young, selfish Incan emperor named Kuzco (to be voiced by David Spade) who has grown bored of his palace life, and finds a twin in a humble peasant farmer named Pacha (to be voiced by Owen Wilson). The two switch places, though the emperor's adviser Yzma (to be voiced by Eartha Kitt) notices no "mark of the sun" on Pacha. She blackmails the impostor emperor, and has Kuzco transformed to a non-talking llama that later teams up with a female llama herder. Because of this, she can finally use Supai, the demon of darkness, to engulf the empire in eternal darkness giving her eternal youth not given by the sun.
The initial director for this project was Roger Allers, coming off his success from "The Lion King", who eagerly shows his passion in this project. He was later joined by Mark Dindal, the director of the underrated "Cats Don't Dance", and Randy Fullmer serving as the producer. The first forty minutes greatly documents the work on "Kingdom" with never-before-seen animation footage of Yzma from lead animator Andreas Deja topped with research trips to South America where the production team studied llamas and the local scenery and well-drawn storyboard sketches.
Another highlight were the songs Sting and Hartley had managed to compose. One was the show-stopping villain tune "Snuff Out the Light" which explains Yzma's lust for eternal youth. Kitt's vocals easily flows the mood of the song, and is successfully backed with a haunting chorus with lyrical images of demonic beasts and themes of light and darkness are greatly contrasted. The love song, "One Day She'll Love Me", was to be used for a subplot between "Emperor" Pacha and Kuzco's betrothal Nina (to be voiced by Carla Gugino) who notices a change in the new emperor that effectively attracts her. The vocals of Sting and Shawn Colvin stir up intensive chemistry, and the theme makes for an exquisite throwback to "Aladdin" with a peasant protagonist pretending to be of royalty. Other songs were the groovy "Walk the Llama Llama" and a song for Harvey Feirstein's talking talisman named Hucua inspired by "Why Can't the English" from "My Fair Lady" supposedly titled "Why Can't a Human Be More Like a Rock".
The common ingredients for a successful Disney animated feature were there until it takes a turn for the worst with the poorly received test screenings supervised by the animation studio chiefs Thomas Schumacher and Peter Schneider whom complain about the uninvolving storyline and the heavy seriousness of "Kingdom". One of my favorite scenes following this was the Disney "Brain Trust" meetings where directors Gary Trousdale, Kirk Wise, Ron Clements, and John Musker and Disney/Pixar story artist/director Joe Ranft advise Allers on how to improve his film. It was amazing to see these talented people captured on film together in one room.
Unfortunately, Allers relinquishes the director's chair unable to finish his animated epic in time for its scheduled summer 2000 release date, and Dindal and Fullmer are left to pick up the pieces of the puzzle. Even though we know the end result midway through the picture, it's still amazing how the re-titled film known as "The Emperor's New Groove" proved to be a chaotic production with its break-neck struggle to meet its deadline. Even as with "Kingdom", Schumacher and Schneider are the condescending voice of criticism urging for a tighter storyline and more well-developed relationships with the characters. Even though they are only doing their jobs, this aspect is one of the reasons why Disney won't release the documentary to the public. It was also delightful how the animators showcase their craft of animating these characters serving as a treat for animation fans and those already knowledgeable about the business.
By December 2000, "The Emperor's New Groove" received positive critical reception, and had modest box office business. Towards the end of the documentary, one can't help but feel what Roger Allers's vision would have turned out had his film been completed in spite of its flaws. The lasting effect the documentary had that felt very prophetic was when Schumacher stated he hoped the unused story ideas of "Kingdom of the Sun" will have "their fair time in court". Amazingly, ten years later, Disney's "Tangled" recycled the evil scheme of obtaining eternal youth for the villain Mother Gothel, and Rapunzel's kingdom is symbolized as the sun.
Above and beyond, "The Sweatbox" is an engaging inside look at how a film goes through the torturous process of development hell. Although it's highly unlikely "Sweatbox" will see the light of day in terms of home video, Styler and Davidson's work is a worthy addition to Hollywood's catalog of film production documentaries.
The storyline of "Kingdom of the Sun" is about a young, selfish Incan emperor named Kuzco (to be voiced by David Spade) who has grown bored of his palace life, and finds a twin in a humble peasant farmer named Pacha (to be voiced by Owen Wilson). The two switch places, though the emperor's adviser Yzma (to be voiced by Eartha Kitt) notices no "mark of the sun" on Pacha. She blackmails the impostor emperor, and has Kuzco transformed to a non-talking llama that later teams up with a female llama herder. Because of this, she can finally use Supai, the demon of darkness, to engulf the empire in eternal darkness giving her eternal youth not given by the sun.
The initial director for this project was Roger Allers, coming off his success from "The Lion King", who eagerly shows his passion in this project. He was later joined by Mark Dindal, the director of the underrated "Cats Don't Dance", and Randy Fullmer serving as the producer. The first forty minutes greatly documents the work on "Kingdom" with never-before-seen animation footage of Yzma from lead animator Andreas Deja topped with research trips to South America where the production team studied llamas and the local scenery and well-drawn storyboard sketches.
Another highlight were the songs Sting and Hartley had managed to compose. One was the show-stopping villain tune "Snuff Out the Light" which explains Yzma's lust for eternal youth. Kitt's vocals easily flows the mood of the song, and is successfully backed with a haunting chorus with lyrical images of demonic beasts and themes of light and darkness are greatly contrasted. The love song, "One Day She'll Love Me", was to be used for a subplot between "Emperor" Pacha and Kuzco's betrothal Nina (to be voiced by Carla Gugino) who notices a change in the new emperor that effectively attracts her. The vocals of Sting and Shawn Colvin stir up intensive chemistry, and the theme makes for an exquisite throwback to "Aladdin" with a peasant protagonist pretending to be of royalty. Other songs were the groovy "Walk the Llama Llama" and a song for Harvey Feirstein's talking talisman named Hucua inspired by "Why Can't the English" from "My Fair Lady" supposedly titled "Why Can't a Human Be More Like a Rock".
The common ingredients for a successful Disney animated feature were there until it takes a turn for the worst with the poorly received test screenings supervised by the animation studio chiefs Thomas Schumacher and Peter Schneider whom complain about the uninvolving storyline and the heavy seriousness of "Kingdom". One of my favorite scenes following this was the Disney "Brain Trust" meetings where directors Gary Trousdale, Kirk Wise, Ron Clements, and John Musker and Disney/Pixar story artist/director Joe Ranft advise Allers on how to improve his film. It was amazing to see these talented people captured on film together in one room.
Unfortunately, Allers relinquishes the director's chair unable to finish his animated epic in time for its scheduled summer 2000 release date, and Dindal and Fullmer are left to pick up the pieces of the puzzle. Even though we know the end result midway through the picture, it's still amazing how the re-titled film known as "The Emperor's New Groove" proved to be a chaotic production with its break-neck struggle to meet its deadline. Even as with "Kingdom", Schumacher and Schneider are the condescending voice of criticism urging for a tighter storyline and more well-developed relationships with the characters. Even though they are only doing their jobs, this aspect is one of the reasons why Disney won't release the documentary to the public. It was also delightful how the animators showcase their craft of animating these characters serving as a treat for animation fans and those already knowledgeable about the business.
By December 2000, "The Emperor's New Groove" received positive critical reception, and had modest box office business. Towards the end of the documentary, one can't help but feel what Roger Allers's vision would have turned out had his film been completed in spite of its flaws. The lasting effect the documentary had that felt very prophetic was when Schumacher stated he hoped the unused story ideas of "Kingdom of the Sun" will have "their fair time in court". Amazingly, ten years later, Disney's "Tangled" recycled the evil scheme of obtaining eternal youth for the villain Mother Gothel, and Rapunzel's kingdom is symbolized as the sun.
Above and beyond, "The Sweatbox" is an engaging inside look at how a film goes through the torturous process of development hell. Although it's highly unlikely "Sweatbox" will see the light of day in terms of home video, Styler and Davidson's work is a worthy addition to Hollywood's catalog of film production documentaries.
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