Cinema Cemetery
We Need to Talk About the Live Action Lisa Frank Movie
Disclaimer:
The following is my own opinion and not the opinion of any studios I have worked for in the past or will work for in the future. All specific information comes courtesy of publicly accessible articles, please see the bibliography for more information.
An utterance of the phrase “They’re making a Lisa Frank movie” will bring forth a wide variety of reactions. Many may respond with a carefully considered “why?”, some will reply with a reasonable “who?”, and approximately three people on the planet will bleed neon from their eyes in excitement. For the record, I count myself as a member of the last group. Before we get into the truly thrilling possibilities, let’s get everyone on the same page.
What is Lisa Frank?
“Lisa Frank Inc. is a private for-profit company formed in 1979, under its founder and CEO, Lisa Frank. The company is known for its colorful, psychedelic designs featured on a variety of media, such as school supplies and stickers.” (1)
If you were alive in the late 80s/early 90s, you’ll probably recognise some of these images as Lisa Frank was a cultural phenomenon. Completely overwhelming the bedrooms and lockers of kids the world over with bright, colorful, and fun imagery that would burn itself into our brains for the rest of our lives.
Who is Lisa Frank?
Lisa Frank is a colorful ghost, no seriously it’s ridiculously hard to find good information on her as a person. Given this lack of public information, I’m not going to presume to dig into her personal too deeply. Instead, I would rather let her represent herself and I’ll then provide some additional context from people who have worked for her.
To see rare footage of Lisa Frank being interviewed please watch this video (2) or this video (4)!
In the words of one of her former employees, Lisa Franks is
“a very passionate lady, although a little manic and not always all there. She kind of looks like one of her characters...Very over-the-top and very colorful [with] big hair and really big eyes." (3)
Yet not all who know her have such glowing words.
“...from the outside it's colorful—you've got the rainbow, the stars, the hearts on the building, the statue of the panda—but inside was like an abusive alcoholic home. I don't think (they had) a lot of business acumen,... I don't think they ever did. I think Lisa's parents [funded the start of] her company. She's an artist, not a business person." (3)
From another,
"I didn't know a single person who had not heard horror stories about the work environment there...Every person who ever worked there seemed to have a case of PTSD from it. 'Rainbow Gulag' is really an apt description." (3)
I don’t want this to turn into a takedown of the Lisa Frank company, but if you’re interested in reading more about the reportedly terrible working conditions, Lisa’s ex-husband who supposedly ran the company into the ground, and many tales of alleged micromanagement and verbal abuse, I recommend you read “Inside the Rainbow Gulag: The Technicolor Rise and Fall of Lisa Frank” by Tracie Egan Morrissey.
Ok, now that we’re all caught up,
What is the Lisa Frank Movie?
In January of 2017 it was announced that development had begun on
“a live-action and animation hybrid set in the world of Lisa Frank.” (5)
The project was set to be produced by Jon Shestack (6), known for his production work on Air Force One, Firewall, and Open Grave among other things.
For her part it sounded like Lisa was all in:
“I have always wanted to do a feature film that brings the world of Lisa Frank to life,” Frank said. “We have so much backstory on our characters and they have been alive in my imagination since the beginning.” (5)
“Jon Shestack clearly has the credentials and I am very excited about the vision he has shared with me. Our fans are going to love this.” (8)
And so was Jon:
“Lisa Frank’s world is cheerful, it’s optimistic, it’s hip, but it is without snark. It’s just sort of impossible to scowl when you’re smiling, and why would you want to? I’m so stoked to be part of this.” (7)
And that my friends is literally ALL WE KNOW. Since January 2017 nothing else has been released about this project. Is this still happening or has it stalled out? It was reported to be a live action and animation hybrid movie, why this choice over just going full animation? Lisa Frank mentioned a large amount of backstory she’s been storing up for her characters over the years but...most of her animal designs have very little personality and are super interchangeable...the allure of the brand was based on the in-your-face art style. There are just so many questions I have.
I fear, however, that none of these questions may ever be answered.
I fear, dear reader, that the untitled Lisa Frank movie may be in development hell.
Development hell?
Now we come back to our earlier explanations, since their fade off in popularity in the 2000s Lisa Frank has had somewhat of a renaissance. They had a brief tie in with Urban Outfitters as well as a continuing presence at Hot Topic, and they have started licensing smaller companies to do their manufacturing for them. But that resurgence seems to have lost a little steam, the whole 90s nostalgia craze is cooling off again. This may be putting a damper on the movie plans.
Adding to the pile, merchandise oriented films have had a rough time at the box office lately. For example, unlike the surprise success of The LEGO Movie each subsequent LEGO movie made less money than the one before it. The merchandise as movie trend just isn’t reliable, Uglydolls and Playmobil absolutely tanked at the box office but Detective Pikachu did pretty darn well for itself. In terms of public awareness, I would put Lisa Frank at around the Playmobil level but even more established brands like LEGO have seen diminishing returns on their feature film releases regardless of critical and audience reception. The volatility of this trend probably isn’t greasing any wheels for this movie to get made either. Heck, they’re still threatening to make a Funko Pop movie for some reason.
Cherry on top, based on what we’ve discussed regarding the personality of the artist...it may be difficult to get her to compromise when developing the story. Her brand seems deeply personal to her and she’s spent decades with characters that the general public knows nothing about and probably can’t even tell apart. Film-making is a difficult process, straining the mettle of even the most hardened veteran artists throughout the life cycle of most projects. I could see some personality differences and a potential lack of willingness to compromise as yet another reason the Lisa Frank movie may never see the light of day.
But...what if it DOES.
What if we DO get a Lisa Frank Movie?
What in the world would that look like!?!
Here’s what wouldn’t work.
Very little has been released about what the movie may entail, and what HAS been released is...well...concerning. Sure live action and animation hybrid films have brought us the glorious sequences in Mary Poppins and the jaw-dropping masterwork that is Who Framed Roger Rabbit but generally...that’s not how it goes.
When you announce a live action and animation hybrid movie, here’s the Vietnam flashback I have:
Cats and Dogs
Scooby Doo
Kangaroo Jack
Garfield: The Movie
Scooby Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed
Garfield 2: A tale of two kitties
Alvin and the Chipmunks
Scooby Doo: The Mystery Begins
Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel
Scooby Doo: Curse of the Lake Monster
Marmaduke
Yogi Bear
Cats and Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore
Hop
The Smurfs
Alvin and The Chipmunks 2: Chipwrecked
The Smurfs 2
Alvin and The Chipmunks: The Road Chip
Woody Woodpecker
Peter Rabbit
Show Dogs
Sonic The Hedgehog
Like...CAN YOU NOT.
The art style of Lisa Frank is WILD, it’s saccharine, it’s psychedelic, it is everything the real world ISN’T. SO WHY WOULD YOU FORCE THE REAL WORLD INTO THAT?
Also the whole, kid gets sucked into a magical land trope is so antiquated that you could just skip it and throw up a title card saying “kid gets sucked into magical world, you know the drill” and then cut to the rest of the movie. No emotional impact would be lost.
What could work
Ok, if I’m developing a Lisa Frank movie, I’m developing an animated film. This will let us get as wild and wonderful with the visuals without the limitations of reality intruding. Nothing would be branded as being “LISA FRANK” but it would all be based off her designs. The characters, conflict, and world would all have their own rules that don’t relate to our world or the Lisa Frank products at all. If they really wanted to push it I would allow a concession by giving a character some folders, stickers, and a notebook but the design on it would be a photograph of a middle age balding man in a button up shirt holding a coffee cup. The other characters make fun of the one with the folders because in this world overweight middle-aged men are adorable and cheesy.
Lisa seems 100% SOLD on her property not being cynical or edgy so perhaps the story-line would center around the idea that there is a virus going around that turns everything infected muted, grayer, and dull (both visually and emotionally). On the surface the story would be about a collection of cute characters going on an adventure to find the cure but the underlying message would be about finding ways to combat anxiety and depression without sacrificing your sense of joy and whimsy. Balanced carefully it could begrudgingly impress adults with the subtlety of its complex theme while still being bright, cheery, and colorful enough to wow the young ones.
This has been Cinema Cemetery, digging six feet deeper into film and culture!
-Josh Evans
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