The Sweatbox

When a video called "The Sweatbox (2002) - BANNED DISNEY DOCUMENTARY" showed up in my recommended feed I initially thought it was a bad Creepypasta. Some research revealed that The Sweatbox (2002) is a real film that documents how the Disney feature Kingdom of the Sun was continually altered until eventually transforming into The Emperor's New Groove (2000). Getting a peak behind the creative process and troubles of an animated film did intrigue me so it became the fourth of one hundred films.

If anyone intends to watch this movie because it sounds like it will be a hit piece that showcases the evils of Disney then you will be disappointing. The Sweatbox is not an indictment of the corporation and despite what the flaunting of its "banned" status, its a fairly straightforward chronicling of the six-year production process of Kingdom of the Sun and the strain it put on those developing it. The first 30 minutes are spent showing Roger Allers, the project's lead, and his crew researching and creating a fantasy film whose scope was on par with Allers's previous hit, The Loin King (1994). Seeing most of that work get thrown out after its first screening to the heads of the animation department is devastating. When one of the heads said that the only thing he liked about the production was two songs you can feel all the crew's hearts breaking.

A living totem character was one of many elements from the original pitch that was cut.

This is when I started to have conflicting feelings about the film. On one hand seeing Aller's work get criticized and thrown away is sad especially as a fellow creator, but on the other hand I do not begrudge the department heads for their critiques. From everything shown it looked like Kingdom of the Sun was a fairly stock Prince and the Pauper-style story. Though the production seemed well-detailed and visually lavish, it seems to have been in service to tell a generic tale. While what the film eventually turned into, The Emperor's New Grove, is not Aller's vision it is arguably a more unique and interesting addition to the Disney pantheon then the initial pitch would have been.

Ultimately I am at impasse with this project since while parts of it are interesting, it showcases a production cycle that is fairly unremarkable when compared to other production disasters like Fantastic Four (2015) or Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018). If you are a Disneyphile or a fan of animation then this may be worth a watch but everyone else could safely skip it. While the sun may have set on Aller's original idea, it would rise again to reveal a quirky cult classic and a serviceable documentary.