Sony Animation

Be interesting to see how this film turns out

In another interview, Genndy Tartakovsky talks about Fixed again:

The genesis of “Fixed” actually goes back 12 years and was the project that got Tartakovsky into Sony. However, they weren’t swayed by the pitch, and so he recently approached New Line, who did want to make it, so that got Sony to greenlight the project. The biggest hurdle was getting it to be hand-drawn. Renegade is known for 2D, and the director put together a wish list of veteran freelance 2D artists that he wanted to work with.

“The animation gods blessed me with the premise,” he said. “In its own self, it’s a unicorn, this project. It’s got raunchy comedy, we’re doing all the layouts here so it’s very hand-crafted. It’s got heart, it’s got real character humor and not filled with one liners. And the dogs act like canines and not humans.”

Tartakovsky described the animation style as Tex Avery, though not as exaggerated in its expressions. “So it’s like we’re following the ‘One Hundred and One Dalmatians’ rules, but it’s got swearing and these R-rated things,” he added. “At the end of the day, once the initial shock is over after the first sequence, because we start pretty crazy, you’ll hopefully settle into the character story and you’ll fall in love with these dogs.”

Funnily enough, I think there actually can be more to be had in Fixed besides the inevitable sex humor.

Given that it's about a dog who's going to get neutered, there can be drama in the notion of suddenly not being able to do the nasty. Doing the nasty can also be interpreted as having a legacy. Something to show the world that you were here. A wise (if headstrong) man once described a legacy as planting seeds in a garden you never get to see.

So what happens if you suddenly don't get to even plant those seeds? That's kinda harrowing.

Point is, Tartakovsky is no idiot. I have 100% faith that he can pull this off. And side note, very surprising that this will be a 2D affair. Those are more rare than, say, a G-rated theatrical movie these days.

Edited by TargetmasterJoe on Jul 22nd 2022 at 6:30:34 AM

So, uh, the full movie animatic of Sony's Popeye is out in the wild now, according to Cartoon Brew. And I stress full movie, since it's an hour and 27 minutes.

Well, blow me down!

I gotta save this before this catches Sony's attention.

EDIT: Damn it, it's already gone!

EDIT 2: Never mind, crisis averted! I managed to make a download link earlier, then I emailed that link to myself and then saved it on my computer. Only watched the first 11 or so minutes for now, but I'm more hooked on it than a fish on an actual hook! Tom Kenny would've been a great Popeye!

Edited by TargetmasterJoe on Jul 26th 2022 at 8:36:37 AM

Sorry for bumping, but apparently something about Fixed that apparently slipped under all our noses.

The movie is being made by Sony Animation...but according to the man himself, it'll be distributed via New Line Cinema.

I'll also add that the film will be having a test screening on August 11. Don't be fooled by the poster's asset though; the film's production is still done by the 2D-centric Renegade Animation.

So, Fixed's test screening happened! While the details are under NDA, one of my Discord acquaintances apparently likes the film, and was "surprised they gave Genndy a theaterical budget" to pull the idea off.

casting calls

I wonder what sort of budget it is. It's obviously going to be more than what Sausage Party cost, since that movie notoriously cut corners to keep its budget low. But at the same time, Sony's budgets in general tend to be lower than those of rival studios— even Into The Spider-Verse cost "only" $90 million. Given that Fixed is hand-drawn, I can't see it costing more than $50 million at most.

As for how much of it might make, I'm not sure. On the one hand, it looks like it'll most likely do about as well as Sausage Party. But on the other hand, it also looks like it could potentially become a "memetic movie" on the internet, in which case who knows?

The Wrap's Drew Taylor has a new article about Sony Pictures Animation's past, current and future productions for theaters and television. They touch on the upcoming K-Pop movie, Chris Prynoski's animated Ghostbusters, and an untitled feature by Guillermo Martinez, Head of Story on The Mitchells. Nothing too specific but confirming that all these movies will experiment with different styles, and set to come out after Spiderverse 3 in 2024.

Regarding Fixed:

Regarding Agent King:

Regarding K-Pop Demon Hunters:

At long last, information about Genndy Tartakovsky's theatrical R-rated 2D-animated movie, Fixed!

• Made at Sony Pictures Animation, but distributed by New Line Cinema (which is technically Warner Bros., I guess to respect Tartakovsky's exclusivity with WBD?)
• The plot: Dog finds out he's getting neutered in 24 hours, resolves to make the most of his remaining time with his balls.
• Cast:
  • Adam DeVine as Bull (main character)
  • Kathryn Hahn as Honey (love interest)
  • Idris Elba as Rocco (best friend)
  • Fred Armisen as Fetch
  • Bobby Moynihan as Lucky
  • Beck Bennett as Sterling
  • Michelle Buteau as Molasses
  • River Gallo as Frankie

Horrid idea for a film.

We're getting a wide-release 2D animated R-rated film about a dog getting his balls chopped off... what kinda dirt did Genndy get on Sony execs in order to make this happen?

Worse ideas have been successful, I guess. Still, someone must have decided to go nuts and see what happens.

I think it's more like the execs were make South Park/Sausage Party R-rated film and you can make your Black Knight film.

No, this implies that Genndy being is pressured into doing a raunchy idea that execs think its trendy, in order to do an idea he likes.

According to Animation Magazine, Genndy has had the idea of Fixed since 2009. In a later interview with IndieWire, he revealed that Sony initially wasn't onboard with the pitch of a theaterical 2D animal-focused raunchy comedy (even if the film was always aimed to be a low-cost endeavor).

However, it was after Genndy successfully acquired New Line Cinema's attention to distribute the film, along with getting Renegade Animation to do the domestic animation, that Sony Pictures Animation turned around to help produce the film at a reasonable cost.

Edited by XMenMutant22 on Jun 13th 2023 at 2:38:46 PM

Just the fact that this is a 2D theatrical feature from an American studio makes it clear that this was something that Tartakovsky himself was pushing for. I don't think it's good to immediately assume that just because we don't like an idea or are on the fence about it means that the creatives behind it share that sentiment.

Edited by RacattackForce on Jun 13th 2023 at 2:33:20 PM