Recently, Disney seems to have lost that special magic that once made them a titan of the entertainment industry. They no longer write the romances and love stories that once was their bread and butter. Luckily, there are people out there who are able and willing to give people the stories they want to see.
PinkieMachine Studios is an independent animation studio on YouTube run by sisters Rhapsody and Bloodrayne. The two grew up watching Behind-the-Scene features on Disney and Pixar DVDs, which cultivated their desire to break into the animation industry. They loved watching the talent and camaraderie between everyone who worked on those animated movies. Once adoring Disney animated movies, they’ve become greatly disappointed with the company, especially with their release of the studios 100th year anniversary film, Wish.
It’s no secret that Disney’s Wish was a box-office bomb when it was released back in 2023. And once the concept art for the movie was made public, the internet became even angrier. The movie was supposed to give us Disney’s first villain couple and the first love story the studio has released in the last 10 years, all replaced by the most by-the-numbers film I‘ve seen in a while. Fortunately, Rhapsody and Bloodrayne thought the same thing, and rewrote the film into something that would make the late Walt Disney proud.
To avoid getting sued by the mouse, the sisters took a long time changing the film, making it into their own project. They turned the film from a simple remake into Alicia and the Kingdom of Starlight. With their new plot, original voice acting, and exciting new characters, fans can see that it was inspired by Wish without being at risk of a lawsuit. It isn’t just the sisters working on the film either. They have help from all around the world, including Japan and Canada. Not only does this allow the sisters’ childhood dream of working with the most talented people come true, but it also allows them to split their time up in more productive ways.
Before they gathered their team, both sisters had a hand in all corners of the project. However, after the addition of the music director and multiple storyboard artists, Bloodrayne was able to put more time in the editing and post production of the film, and Rhapsody was able to take on more of a director role.
Every big animation project has its own challenges, and Alicia is no different. There’s the tight deadlines, communication, and the stress of working with a large number of people for such a large project. Fortunately, it will all be worth it once Alicia is complete and posted for the public to see.
Once Alicia and the Kingdom of Starlight is completed, the sisters hope to use the film to gain a larger following, allowing them to properly open their own Indie Animation studio, so that they can animate one of the many cartoon ideas that they have. And I have full confidence that they can fulfill these desires and remind Disney the true meaning of Disney magic.