VOTD: ‘Redux Riding Hood,’ The Oscar-Nominated Short Film Disney Shelved In 1998
The beauty of animation is that is a medium where anything can happen. Anything, that is, so long as all the creative and business impulses that make a project happen align in the proper way. Sadly, that translates to “anything can happen, but it often doesn’t.”
TakeRedux Riding Hood, a short produced by Disney’s television division in 1997.Steve Moorewas offered the chance to create an animated short with no limitations, and he went nuts with it. The film turned out well, and scored an Oscar nomination, but then Disney put it on the shelf in 1998, and it has remained there ever since. Now the film is online, and it is very much worth a look.
Moore used a script byDan O’Shannon(Modern Family) that told how the wolf from Little Red Riding Hood spent years plagued by self-doubt after he failed to eat Red. The resulting short is truly bizarre: a little bit Disney, a little bit Terry Gilliam, and a little sci-fi. (A time machine is involved) If you think there’s a bit ofSeinfeldspirit, that’s becauseMichael Richardsvoices the wolf; other characters are voiced byMia Farrow,June Foray, andAdam West, withGarrison Keillornarrating. Oh, and the woodsman hero who saves the girl, the one who seems like a cross between Arnold Schwarzenegger and Fabio? Well, he’s actually voiced byFabio. Finally, for those who’ve seen and lovedTimeCrimes, this will have a great extra level of appeal.
Check outRedux Riding Hoodbelow.
On his blog(viaCartoonBrew) Moore provides a thorough breakdown of how the film got made. It’s too much to reproduce here, so definitely head that way to read his recap if you like the film. I love his talk about the score — it’s really a great music track, and adds a lot to the film.
