Down (film)

Down would be a 2028 American animated fantasy adventure musical film directed by Byron Howard from a script by Howard and Victoria Strouse, and produced by Clark Spencer. Produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios, the film would star the voices of Glenn Close, Lauren Potter, and J.K. Simmons. The film's score would be composed by Danny Elfman, who would also co-write songs for the film alongside Cormac Neeson.

Development on the film would begin in mid- 2025, with Howard set to write and direct a film centered on a character with Down syndrome. Strousse would join the film as a co-screenwriter in late-2025. Close, Potter, and Simmons would join the film's cast in early 2026. Howard and Strousse would consult with several therapysts and psychologists in order to depict an accurate depiction of Down syndrome in the film, as well as to study how families live with people with Down syndrome.

Down would be released in November 22, 2018, and would become a critical and commercial success, with critics praising the film's depiction of people with Down syndrome, writing, direction, voice acting (particularly Close and Potter's), themes, emotional weight, heart, songs, score, visuals, and animation. The film would earn 1.3 billion dollars at the worldwide box office over a budget of 130 million dollars, becoming the third hightest-grossing animated film of all time. The film would earn three Academy Awards for Best Animated Feature, Best Original Score, and Best Original Song, as well as a Golden Golbe nomination for Best Film.

Synopsis
In a distant future, where the most advanced technology and the medieval era are combined, there's a queen named Helen, who became the mother of a beautiful princess named Elizabeth. While initially caring for Elizabeth, Helen's relationship with her, as well as her faith in her abilities as a queen, falter with the years, as it turns out Elizabeth has Down syndrome, and thus, has a very childlike behavior. Hoping to "cure" Elizabeth of her syndrome, Helen chooses to take bothe her and herself in a journey to find a mysterious sphere that can grant one wish. While traveling and fighting a warlord named Rage, Helen slowly begins to understand how Elizabeth sees the world, and begins to reconsider whether what she wants to do is right.

Voice cast

 * Glenn Close as Queen Helen, the queen of a futuristic land who, seeing her daughter's Down syndrome as a "sickness", tries to find an sphere in order to "cure" her of that syndrome. According to director Byron Howard, Close would be cast due to her work as Kala in Disney's Tarzan (1999), which proved that "she can deliver a heartfelt mother", througth she would also "put a more strict and not-understanding spuin to that performance, that slowly evolves".
 * Lauren Potter as Prncess Elizabeth, a princess with Down syndrome, who helps her mother find a wish-granting sphere, unaware of what her mother plans to do with it. According to Howard, Potter would be cast in the role due to her actually having Down sydrome, which he would say "not only prevents controversy, but allows the actress to understand completly the character because she already sees the world the way her character does". In additon to voicing the character, Potter would serve as a consultant on the character's potrayal"
 * J.K. Simmons as Rage, a power-hungry warlord who wants to use the sphere to become unstopabble. Simmons would describe him as "a guy who attacks on two fronts: the body and the heart".

Music
Danny Elfman would compose the film's score. Elfman would describe the score as "something purerly emotional". Elfman would compose a theme for Queen Helen that requires both a vocal chorus and only a few instruments in order to "potray both her close-minded and caring sides". Elfman would compose a "playful" theme for Princess Elizabeth in order to "catch her child-like personality". Elfamn would also write "very threatening" theme for Rage.

Elfman and Cornac Neeson would write several songs for the film, which would be performed by the film's cast.