2719 HYPERION

America on Parade

2009-07-04T00:04:00.000-04:00

Editor's Note: To celebrate Independence Day, we thought we'd revisit this patriotic-themed post from the 2719 Hyperion Archives, originally published in July of 2007.

America on Parade was the centerpiece of the Bicentennial celebrations at both Disneyland and Walt Disney World in 1976. Disney World was still relatively new and the elaborate parade represented the most extensive entertainment offering the resort had brought forth up until that point.

The parade, which premiered in June of 1975 and ran until September of 1976, combined traditional Disney characters with an entirely new cast of stylized creations called the “People of America.” Numbering over 300, the “People of America” were akin to the doll-like figures of It’s a Small World, but grown up, enlarged and much more elaborate in both costume and setting. Floats were themed to a wide range of subjects, encompassing everything from the first Thanksgiving to women’s suffrage. Perhaps the most famous and notable of the floats was the large oversize rocking chair featuring Betsy Ross sewing an equally oversize American flag.

The endeavor was two years in the making and the creative talents behind it were challenged to present something that was happy and whimsical, yet did not diminish the historical significance of the Bicentennial celebration. A souvenir book on the parade described some of that early concept brainstorming:

Because of Disney's vast experience and expertise in producing entertainments on a grand scale, it was very fitting, as America came to its 200th anniversary, that Walt Disney's company take a leading role in using Disneyland and Walt Disney World as a showcase for the best that America has been and has to offer.

Thus, the long task of collecting reference material on which to create this new and exciting event began. From the outset, the project's goal was not to glorify the famous wars of America, as others had done in the past. Instead, the purpose is to present the lighter, more beautiful aspects of America, those things which have helped make it a great nation. Research on America's history, people, achievements and life-styles was conducted for nearly a year. Thousands of man-hours went into producing the basic concept for a parade... for more than a parade.

As the concept unfolded, it was decided that the parade would be far more than a historical look at our country. The moving pageantry would also recreate memorable moments, such as the first Thanksgiving, Sunday in the park, school days, and many other events. Important American creations and contributions, such as transportation achievements, and inventions like the light bulb, electric iron, and the phonograph, would also be featured. Our beloved pastimes and ways of life including sporting events, popcorn, hot dogs, ice cream, television, movies, and the circus would also become highlights of America on Parade.

The production process was equally extensive in both time and scope as this excerpt illustrates:

When both blueprints and models of the America On Parade stages and settings were completed, the Disney team brought together all the top set design manufacturers in the United States and presented them with the parade plans. These professional theatrical builders, with broad experience in building everything from elaborate floats for the New Year's Day "Tournament of Roses" Parade to grandiose sets for motion pictures and Las Vegas shows, expressed great excitement about America on Parade. After construction contracts were awarded to several firms, work began from coast-to-coast—from Pacoima, California to New York City. Other stages and settings were built in Las Vegas, Nevada and cities in Florida... Orlando, Deland, and Grant.

Because two of everything had to be built for the double production in California and Florida close coordination of all shipping activities was necessary to avoid delays and mix-ups.

Before reaching their final destination, some of the stages had to travel over 3,000 miles.

One of the most interesting aspects of America on Parade was the soundtrack that was created using a restored 1890 band organ. The “Sadie Mae” was discovered in Sikeston, Missouri, and after over 1400 hours of restoration work, it was sent to a Nashville studio where the parade music was recorded. The musical arrangements for America on Parade were done by Don Dorsey, who would go on to produce the music for such theme park spectaculars as the Main Street Electrical Parade and Illuminations: Reflections of Earth. Dorsey’s contributions were especially significant, as they ultimately led to the creation of the Mickey Track computer system that synchronized the parade’s audio between floats and parade zones throughout the park.

In addition, Disney musical veterans the Sherman Brothers wrote and composed a new song, “The Glorious Fourth,” to be the musical centerpiece of the pageant.

Much in the way that attractions like Small World and Pirates of the Caribbean were unique for presenting non-Disney character related entertainment, so was the People of America portion of America on Parade distinct and notable. With its highly stylized designs and nostalgic musical accompaniments, it remains a memorable presentation from Walt Disney World's first decade.

Windows to the Past: Saludos Amigos!

2009-07-02T22:39:00.000-04:00

A great shot from Shorpy dated March 1943 of a rainy Times Square in New York City.

Notice the advertisement above the Globe Theatre on the right?

Below is a copy of the theatrical poster that is hanging above the marquee.

Explore the 2719 Hyperion Archives:

Daveland@Disneyland A-Z: Astro Jets and more!

2009-06-23T22:26:00.003-04:00

Manufactured by the Klaus Company Bavaria, the Astro Jets “flew” in a 50' circle reaching heights upwards of 36'. The attraction stood next to Flight to the Moon/Moonliner. In 1964, United Airlines (a new sponsor for “The Enchanted Tiki Room”) thought that the name “Astro Jets” was free advertising for American Airlines’ coast-to-coast jet-airline service, so the name was changed to Tomorrowland Jets. The attraction closed in September of 1966 to make room for the new Tomorrowland.

In this 1956 publicity photo, actor Fess Parker (best known as “Davy Crockett’) is shown with costar Kathleen Crowley of “Westward Ho, The Wagons,” riding the Astro Jets.

This motion shot was for Treasure Tone slides, a commercial slide that guests could purchase as a souvenir of their trip to the park.

In August 1967, this attraction was renamed again as The Rocket Jets. This version was located on top of the new PeopleMover platform and was accessible from ground level via an elevator. The focal point was its replica Saturn V/NASA-themed rocket in the center. Rocket Jets lifted guests 70' above ground. This version remained open until 1997, when it closed for renovations with the rest of Tomorrowland. If you had a fear of heights, this attraction would not be recommended for you!

The revised attraction opened one year later as The Astro Orbitor. The Astro Orbitor was planned to be placed where the Rocket Jets were, but weighed too much for the current building. Instead, it was moved to the Tomorrowland entrance and placed on groundlevel, thus making the ride the new focal point as guests step from the main plaza of Disneyland into Tomorrowland. The top Rocket Jets mechanism was dismantled and a kinetic satellite-themed sculpture known as Observatron was built out of the ride’s skeletal structure. The coloration and design came from a futuristic Jules Verne theme that was part of the most recent Tomorrowland remodeling. Although still a fun attraction, its location at the Tomorrowland entrance created both a physical and visual barrier, causing frequent bottlenecks in guest traffic.

Just recently, the Astro Orbiter underwent a facelift, but for once, not a name change. The color scheme was changed to cooler metallic colors from its previous Jules Verne incarnation. The rumor mill has also been churning, stating that the eventual goal is to put the Astro Orbiter atop the former PeopleMover station once again. That’s one rumor that I hope comes to fruition.

Next up: Pancakes with Aunt Jemima! See more vintage & current Astro Jets/Rocket Jets/Astro Orbiter photos at my regular website.

Firehouse Five Fun Facts

2009-06-18T10:54:00.004-04:00

Special to 2719 Hyperion by Jim Korkis

In the mid-1940s, a group of Walt Disney animators, artists, writers and musicians who loved jazz and collected records would gather around a phonograph at the studio during lunch breaks and play along with the records. “Then one day the phonograph broke down right in the middle of ‘Royal Garden Blues.’ Undaunted, we kept right on playing and found to our amazement that we sounded pretty good all by ourselves!” remembered band chief Ward Kimball.

Originally, the band was called the “Huggageedy 8”. Kimball explained: “That was the sound of my old Model-T Ford. Huggageddy-huggageddy-huggageddy.” Then it was called the “San Gabriel Valley Blue Blowers.” Laughed Kimball, “San Gabriel is a little town near Pasadena where I live. So if it didn’t turn out, the boys figured they’d let them come after me! But it went okay and pretty soon we began to feel like musicians.” The final name was a result of Kimball getting a 1914 American La France fire truck that took six months to clean and fix. In addition he got some red fireman shirts, white suspenders and authentic leather fire helmets for a trip with the band down to San Diego as part of an event of the California Horseless Carriage Club in 1948.

Why were they called “Firehouse Five Plus Two”? Kimball often gave coy answers but he did tell me in an interview at the Disney Institute: “Fivehouse Five was the original name and we thought it was great but in order to let people know they were going to get a seven piece band instead of five, we’d say ‘plus two!’ “

Over the course of a little over two decades, nineteen different men were members of the Firehouse Five Plus Two band at various times:

Danny Alguire (cornet)
Ralph Ball (tuba)
George Bruns (tuba)
K.O. Eckland (piano)
Eddie Forest (drums)
Harper Goff (banjo)
Jerry Hamm (drums)
Ward Kimball (trombone)
Don Kinch (trumpet/tuba)
Johnny Lucas (trumpet)
Jim MacDonald (drums)
Clarke Mallery (clarinet)
Monte Mountjoy (drums)
Bill Newman (banjo)
Ed Penner (sax/tuba)
George Probert (sax)
Dick Roberts (banjo)
Tom Sharpsteen (clarinet)
Frank Thomas (piano)

“Walt always liked music and he was very proud of us. He couldn’t get over the fact that some of the guys who worked for him as animators and artists were all of a sudden the toast of the music world. He didn’t get mad if we took some time off once in awhile but we made it a rule not to take advantage of the situation,” remarked Kimball.

The band played for Bing Crosby at his annual Pebble Beach Golf Tournament which led to four appearances on his radio show.

Television also welcomed the firemen and they appeared on the Ed Wynn Show, the Milton Berle Show, the Make Believe Ballroom and the very first Disney television special, One Hour in Wonderland in 1950. They also appeared in two feature films, Hit Parade of 1951, a B musical from Republic and Grounds for Marriage, an MGM comedy, where Van Johnson and Kathryn Grayson go to the Firehouse Club to hear the band play “Tiger Rag”.

In 1950 the band made a series of Snader Telecriptions (fillers for TV when shows ended early). These films show the band in a firehouse setting and feature Kimball and Harper Goff. They did The Lawrence Welk Show and made a memorable appearance on Bobby Troup's Stars of Jazz show in 1958.

On opening day of Disneyland on July 17, 1955, the band appeared at the firehouse on Main Street for the ceremonies. “Walt told us to wander around the park and play wherever there was a crowd. We were the first mobile band at Disneyland,” remembered Kimball in a 1984 interview.

In 1956 the band appeared on the original Mickey Mouse Club where the band joined the Mouseketeers for “I Want To Be a Fireman” and “Tiger Rag” with Mousketeer Cubby O'Brien sitting in on drums.

An animated version of the band appeared in the 1953 Goofy short How To Dance.

“Firehouse Five Plus Two At Disneyland”, recorded on July 27 and 28 of 1962 was recorded at the Golden Horseshoe in Frontierland, a regular venue for the band in the summertime. Besides the music are samples of Kimball’s announcements like: “We're going to take a 15 minute break. So you have time to go on all the Rides!” The band also took part in many of the Dixieland at Disneyland festivals, sharing the bill with the likes of greats like Louis Armstrong.

Although the band’s last official gig was an auto show at the Anaheim Convention Center in 1971, few people realize that the band did get together nine years later to make one more final appearance in the 1980 Tournament of Roses Parade where they had performed thirty years before as the first jazz band ever to be in the parade.

Book Review: The Art of UP!

2009-06-14T23:10:00.002-04:00

The Art of Up by Tim Hauser. 2009, 160 pages.

Chronicle books is well-known for beautiful and lavish books concerning the art behind many of today's modern animated films.

The Art of Up is no exception.

Author Tim Hauser is a graduate of the CalArts Character Animation Program and has been a writer, creative executive and producer. He also wrote The Art of Wall-E. The Pixar blog has a great interview with Tim about the experience of writing the book.

When I saw Up in 3D, I left the theater a little perplexed. I knew it was a great film, but, personally, I felt like the high points were the talking dogs; it was beautiful, engrossing and the comedy was top-notch. To me, though, I was missing a connection. After ruminating on the movie for a few days, I took The Art of Up from the shelves to review it. As I read the book, I saw the intent of the filmmakers to tell the story of a man's journey--not just through him, but through everyone and everything in his life.

As expected, the book is a visual delight. Each page is filled with glorious images from the pre-production of the film. Storyboards, concept art, sketches and digital paintings help to define the look and feel of the story. Hauser was able to capture the filmmakers' journey in bringing the project to fruition. One of the surprises for me lay in the area of character development. The artists coined the term simplexity to describe the process of designing the characters:

"...the art of simplifying an image down to its essence. But the complexity you layer on top of it--in texture, design, or detail--is masked by how simple the form is. 'Simplexity' is about selective detail." (Ricky Nierva, p. 18)

Most of the major characters follow a fairly simple shape format (Carl is a square, Ellie is a circle) which helps convey the internal makeup of the character. The insights proffered lead the reader into a deeper understanding of the growth of the film, from a concept vehicle into a major motion picture.

In terms of the design of the world, the filmmakers took great care in developing Carl's house. Not only did it symbolize everything tying Carl to his life (and Eleanor) but it was a character in the film, as well. The house was created in miniature, modeled in computer space and decorated according to Carl and Eleanor. The filmmakers realized that they needed to create the interiors with simplexity in mind. Especially with so many shots of the inside during flight and fight sequences.

As beautiful as the artwork is, the text written by Tim shares equal weight. He was able to interview almost everyone associated with the production process about the important challenges that were needed to be overcome. Tim brings us along during the trip to South America to see the vistas that inspired the production. Another world opens before our eyes and we read the thoughts and feelings of the artists as they travel through Carl's world. Peppered liberally throughout the text are quotes pertaining to the subject--some are from the filmmakers and some are from famous names in history.

Any Pixar or modern animation fan will love this title. If you are a fan of Up, then you need to add this book to your collection--it is an essential and seminal work. I applaud Tim and Chronicle books for creating such a lavish work. Up fans will treasure this book for many years to come. The hardcover (under the jacket) has "My Adventure Journal" pressed into it, just like the movie. My youngest son has now claimed the book and loves looking at the pictures. Together.

A 25-Year Dream...

2009-06-08T23:49:00.001-04:00

Dedicated to the spirit

and memory of our dear friend

BRUCE GORDON

April 18, 1951 – November 6, 2007

His devotion, passion, intelligence

and humor informed and delighted

millions of Disney fans the world over.

Those words ring true to the presentation of the newly released 5-CD box set Walt Disney and the 1964 World’s Fair. You might question the need or the relevance of 45-year old audio from an almost disastrous World’s Fair—but you need to remember a few things about a pre-Walt Disney World world. Prior to 1964, animatronics dinosaurs never roamed; the world was not as small; there was not a great, big, beautiful tomorrow; and a long gone president had been silent for 100 years. There was also discussion within Walt Disney Productions of creating a possible East Coast Disneyland; would people visit Disney-style attractions on the East Coast?

This box set was a 25-year dream for Disney Imagineers Bruce Gordon and Dave Mumford. I was fortunate to interview Randy Thornton and Stacia Martin about their involvement with the project. Randy is a Senior Producer with Walt Disney Records and most Disney enthusiasts are familiar with his work—since 1989 he has worked on most audio projects for the parks, including the Disneyland box set and all of the official albums since 2000. Stacia Martin is a Disney Artist and Historian. She spends a lot of her time traveling, talking Disney trivia, creating unique art, writing and sharing her knowledge of Disneyland. Both Randy and Stacie were very eager, open and enthusiastic about the project.

Stacia remembers the twenty-year retrospective about the World’s Fair that Bruce and Dave did in 1984. It was for Disney castmembers and Stacia still has one of the programs for it. She said that Bruce was very passionate about the importance of the Fair and wanted to release the audio. It was fifteen years later before Stacia would hear of the project again.

Randy started at the Disney Company as a clerk in the Disney Music Division. One of his first jobs was to “do something” with the boxes of tape left behind by the previous clerk. He listened to several of them and discovered a demo by the Sherman brothers for Mary Poppins that was thought to have been lost. The first project he worked on was the 1989 release of the soundtrack for Mary Poppins. Since then, he has worked on many film- and park-related projects. Randy spent five years working on the Disneyland box set; Bruce did the layout for the set. In 2001, Randy was asked to be part of the World’s Fair project.

On June 27, 1999, Stacia was involved in a kickoff meeting about the Disney Pavilions where suggestions were made about material and people for the project. Bruce and Tony had just put together the Disneyland Forever kiosks in 1998 and they wanted to release the Fair audio with a pre-printed book. Their hopes were to pay royalties to the musicians and recording staff. According to Randy, one of the hardest and most time-consuming areas is tracking down rights and royalties. With the Disneyland Forever kiosks, there was not an easy way to track down the rights for the Magic Skyways Pavilion. Since the rights couldn’t be paid at the time of purchase and many of the musicians weren’t even known, the project faltered and could not be brought to fruition.

Randy and Stacia both worked on various projects through the intervening years. Randy handles the masters of most recording and pursues the clearances and rights of recordings. He also retrieves clips and prepares them for use—he provides recordings for all of the divisions. As an official historian, Stacia has traveled all over the country talking Disney history and animation. She worked with Randy and Bruce on the Disneyland 50th Anniversary album and book, the Sounds of Disneyland.

Stacia was asked to create the booklet for the World’s Fair set by Bruce, who had set forth a design. She looked into her personal library and the W.E.D. research notes. She wanted to capture the intent of the Fair and the excitement that had been felt within the Company during the creation and implementation of the pavilions. Stacia finished the writing in March of 2001; all that was missing were the track listings. At one point, Stacia remembers that a handheld recording made at the Fair was used to help identify audio cues during the ride for the Magic Skyway. Randy was called into the project in 2001 by Bruce. Together, they put together the audio recordings and tried to find ways of keeping the costs down.

In 2005, Bruce left Walt Disney Imagineering and began working with Diane Disney Miller and the Walt Disney Family Foundation on the Walt Disney Family Museum in San Francisco. At that point, Randy lost touch with the project and hoped to work with Bruce again to get the Fair material released. Bruce passed away on November 7, 2007. Randy mentioned that he thought the project would be over at that time. A few months later, an executive questioned Randy about the CD set and told him to keep the project going. He had promised Bruce that he would produce the project as Bruce had laid it out. One of the problems Randy saw concerned the amount of Progressland material and the lack of the It’s a Small World ride-through. After discussing the issues with Imagineering and the manufacturer, they created a compartment in the set for a fifth disc held underneath the fourth disc. This way, Randy could include the original Carousel of Progress and the Alternate Universe edition.

Author Jeff Kurtti wrote the dedication that appears at the top of this article. It sums up, quite nicely, how Randy, Stacia and many others connected with the World’s Fair project felt about Bruce. Randy and Stacia are very proud of their affiliation and their friendships with Bruce. They both are thrilled and pleased that the project has been released and that that the 25-year long dream of Bruce Gordon and Dave Mumford is available for all of us to share.

You can read my review of the CD Set here.

A special thanks to Randy, Stacia and Jeff Kurtti for all of their recollections and time.

Daveland@Disneyland A-Z: Ariel’s Grotto

2009-06-03T22:56:00.001-04:00

After the Monsanto House of the Future vacated Disneyland in 1967, this nebulous patch of Fantasyland/Tomorrowland square footage that once housed the plastic home was converted into the Alpine Gardens. The signage in photo #1 is the only shot I have specifically related to the gardens. The next two shots show the general area of the Alpine Gardens.

In 1995, 6 years after the 1989 release of “The Little Mermaid,” Ariel got her own piece of Anaheim real estate by taking over the Alpine Gardens. Basically a meet-and-greet area, young guests could line up to meet the famous Mermaid herself, sitting on a huge seashell in her grotto.

Sculptures of Ariel & her father, King Triton, were located nearby.

But time marches on, and eventually Ariel was replaced by Tinker Bell & Pixie Hollow. Yup...gonna’ make you wait awhile for that one. You won’t have to miss Ariel for very long; she’ll have her very own dark ride at Disney’s California Adventure in just a few years. If you can‘t wait until 2012, then you’ll just have to seek her out in the next Holiday Parade.

Next up: Astro Jets! For those interested in the Art Corner/Art of Animation, it would be difficult for me to add much to the fantastic post previously published here. See more vintage Ariel’s Grotto photos at my regular website.

Don Hahn Book Signing and Talk!

2009-05-27T07:12:00.000-04:00

Academy Award-Nominated Producer Don Hahn will be at the Glendale Americana Barnes & Noble on Thursday, May 28 at 7:00 P.M.

Don will be discussing the recently published Drawn To Life two-volume set--a collection of Walt Stanchfiled's lectures and notes from over 20 years of teaching animation at the Walt Disney Studios.

Every copy sold benefits Walt Stanchfield's widow, Dee.

Read my review of Volume One and The Alchemy of Animation.

For more information about Don Hahn, visit his website.

Thursday, May 28 at 7:00 P.M.
Barnes & Noble
Glendale Americana
210 Americana Way
Glendale, CA
818-545-9146

If anyone makes it out there, we would love to see pictures of the event and hear about the experience.

Freeze Frame: Toby Tortoise Returns

2009-05-25T23:38:00.000-04:00

Disney animators frequently pay homage to other animators in the Disney animated shorts. Sometimes, major films stars of the day are caricatured or they will use characters from other Disney films. Whether it is strictly for fun or for practice, we might not ever know for sure.

Jeff has a great look at the cameos in Mickey's Polo Team.

The 1936 Silly Symphony Toby Tortoise Returns features several cameos by other Silly Symphony characters.

In the following scene, we see a veritable who's who of the Silly Symphony world: the Big Bad Wolf, Dirty Bill, Jenny Wren, Donald Duck and a very Goofy-like character.

In the next shot, Practical Pig is the time keeper.

We see the return of the Three Bunny Sisters from the Tortoise and the Hare.

Cuckoo, Fifer Pig, Fiddler Pig, Tillie Tiger and Elmer Elephant are part of the audience.

Special thanks to the Encyclopedia of Disney Shorts for help in identifying Dirty Bill, Cuckoo and Jenny Wren!

Disney Animation Collection 4: Tortoise & The Hare May 12, 2009. The fourth volume of the Disney Animation Collection contains the following six animated short films:

The Tortoise and the Hare
Babes in the Woods
The Goddess of Spring
Toby Tortoise Returns
Paul Bunyan
The Saga of Windwagon Smith

What we see in this collection, is a series of Silly Symphonies and two additional films that celebrate folklore and folktales. The first four shorts are based on European tales. Babes in the Woods is a take on Hansel and Gretel and retains most of the storyline. There are a few places where the story diverges, but it still has a very pre-Snow White feel. The Goddess of Spring is the story of Persephone and Hades--the familiar Greek tale of how she becomes the queen of the underworld and why we have spring and fall. There is also a hip jazz number with a modern version of Hades.

Paul Bunyan and The Saga of Windwagon Smith are classic Disney re-tellings of American folklore. The animation is different, since they were produced 20 years later but both are charming and demonstrate how far Disney animation and storytelling has come.

This is a great disc set if you are looking for one of the shorts or you are in the mood for a Disney look at fairy tales and fables. This is a great addition to your collection!

Book Review: The Art of Walt Disney World

2009-05-22T22:00:00.000-04:00

This isn't going to be a very standard review, partially because the recent, glossy, expensive volume The Art of Walt Disney World by Jeff Kurtti and Bruce Gordon, has already been so extensively covered online. I don't need to tell you that it's a great book. It has already received glowing coverage on several sites and may be the best reviewed product relating to Walt Disney World so far this year. What I do hope to do here is provide some perspective from a (I guess pseudo professional) Walt Disney World historian and perhaps increase the enjoyment of the book for those of you who already have it.

An appropriate review of such a volume would begin, I suppose, with the book it is ostensibly a followup to, The Art of Disneyland, published in 1955. That book was released in the midst of the excitement surrounding the 50th anniversary of Disneyland, and it was, along with the wonderful A Musical History of Disneyland CD set, one of the big ticket items made generally available for that event. I fondly remember haunting the various shops in the Marketplace hoping to find either of these items over the course of a week; in the end my vigilance paid off - although I guess Disney was really the big winner in the end. No matter, my policy is to reward Disney with my money when they do something I like and I still have no regrets as to buying The Art of Disneyland.

That volume had some problems. primarily the $75 price tag. That price was quickly reduced in a second printing-leading some of us early buyers to feel as though our excitement about the park's 50th had been exploited. And, much of The Art of Disneyland featured material we'd all seen before. It was literally the best of what we had been seeing for the past fifty years, but now in astonishing size, clarity and quality. It was all of the basic, famous canon concept art for Disneyland and its famous classic attractions. Still, the high asking price of the first run resulted in many forlorn unsold copies resting in the Disney Gallery and elsewhere, showing that perhaps not all buyers were as impressed as I.

I am happy to report that The Art of Walt Disney World addresses all of my problems with the first volume, and indeed makes The Art of Disneyland seem even better - like a first volume that covers all the stuff it's expected to, and a second volume that really gets into the more advanced topics. The pictures are more varied in style and topic, with nearly every resort getting some kind of representation, and material on the theme parks often specifically relating to forgotten or unrealized elements. Page after page, I was presented either with art which reshaped my opinion of the final project's realization, confirmed long standing suspicions, or presented huge beautiful reproductions of things I had been forced to merely squint at in pre-opening material from 40 years ago. The book manages to put more art into more pages than did its Disneyland cousin and is also a much better deal at $50. The text this time around is fantastic and authoritative, usually right on point and it actually even corrected the Jason Surrell Pirates of the Caribbean book which erroneously listed a Collin Campbell piece for Treasure Island as a Marc Davis piece for the queue of Pirates of the Caribbean! As the painting was obviously not in Davis' style this particular point was very confusing and the resulting correction was very satisfying to see.

Speaking of Marc Davis, pages 31-34 may contain most of the work he did on the Florida Pirates, material which is rarely seen but which was faithfully carried out in the original version of that attraction. Included is an alternate staging for Dead Man's Cove which was rejected because the art is frankly, fairly uninspired and somewhat indicative of the general atmosphere of haste and compromise that project was riddled with. These are important aids, however, in assessing the work which was done in 1972 and 1973, a period in the history of the company which is not very well documented in the public sphere.

Walt Disney World in general is not very often afforded the respect and sense of history that Disneyland often receives, a perception which may be changing within the company. This book is not the only symptom of this change, but it may be the most significant acknowledgment so far on the part of Disney that things like Treasure/Discovery Island once existed and had some pretty cool concepts behind them. Now, for the first time, we know that Dorthea Redmond's hand in Adventureland is what lends that area her sensual color and mystery, and we can finally examine Herb Ryman's painting of Liberty Square to see just how closely they were, in fact, reproduced. Marc Davis, we learn, designed most of the scenes along the Florida river, something I've long secretly believed, which makes the entire West Side of the Magic Kingdom "Marc Davis Kingdom", especially had his Western River Expedition actually moved forward.

Beautiful Mary Blair art both for Western River Expedition and her similarly themed mural in the Contemporary Resort is present, and some astonishing pieces which make Paul Hartley and Sam McKim my new best friends. What isn't included in too much detail is art for the portions of EPCOT Center which were actually realized, nor much from Animal Kingdom, which each have their own separate volumes which cover their beautiful art extensively. So perfectly balanced is the book, and so revelatory even to somebody who thinks she's seen it all such as myself, that not recommending it to both lay Disney World enthusiasts and the dedicated obsessives seems ungenerous. Matched with the Richard Beard EPCOT Center book from 1982, and you've got a Walt Disney World concept art resource that anyone outside of WDI would find desirable.

Media Review: Disney Animation Collection, Volumes 1-3

2009-05-17T23:33:00.002-04:00

Disney Animation Collection Volumes 1 -3. Released April 7, 2009.

I was very excited to receive the first three volumes of the newly-released Disney Animation Collection. The first three discs were released on April 7, 2009. Volumes 3-6 were released on May 12, 2009.

It is obvious from the contents that this collection is aimed squarely at people looking for an introduction to classic Disney animation or for fans looking for specific shorts that don't want to purchase every Disney Treasures collection. Each disc contains 5-7 short films based around a theme or character.

Disney Animation Collection 1: Mickey & Beanstalk contains five shorts:

Mickey and the Beanstalk
The Brave Little Tailor
Gulliver Mickey
Thru The Mirror
Mr. Mouse Takes A Trip

Disney Animation Collection 2: Three Little Pigs has seven shorts:

Three Little Pigs
The Big Bad Wolf
Three Little Wolves
Lambert The Sheepish Lion
Chicken Little
Three Blind Mouseketeers
Elmer elephant

Disney Animation Collection 3: Prince & The Pauper has five shorts:

The Prince And The Pauper
The Pied Piper
Old King Cole
A Knight For A Day
Ye Olden Days

The DVDs looked great on the upscale DVD player and hi-def tv. The sound was a little uneven in spots, but consistent overall.

What I enjoyed most about the different sets was the opportunity to share the classic animation with my family. The shorts presented are enjoyable and entertaining--we laughed in all of the right places--even for shorts that were over 80 years old. Having the specific films presented by the overall theme is another reason the sets are meant for the casual fan. The intended audience is going to be looking for a few Mickey shorts for some enjoyable entertainment, not a scene-by-scene analysis. Being able to pop in a disc and introduce your young ones to classic animated films will help them develop a love for Disney animation and history. I guarantee that these discs will be played often in your household (or in your car DVD player).

From a historical perspective, it is an easy way to see some of the early Mickeys and Silly Symphonies without a large financial investment. Even on the same disc, you can glimpse the changes in animation over the years. Most animation fans will be familiar with the older shorts and will want to view them on the aforementioned Treasures collections in the correct historical context. But the Disney Animation Collection DVDs are still a great way to see how Disney animation has grown through individual characters and series for those just starting their journey into Disney animation.

I enjoyed the ability to see Mickey And The Beanstalk (although I do own it on two other discs); this is the 1963 re-release that features Ludwig V0n Drake as the narrator instead of Edgar Bergen. The story still holds up well. The discs are full of fun animated shorts that the whole family will love and enjoy. And for many, they will be enjoyed over and over and over again!

Johnny, Billy and Mickey . . . and the Beanstalk

2009-05-15T23:33:00.005-04:00

It was an unexpected but welcome moment of happy serendipity. A vintage children's record adapted from the Mickey and the Beanstalk segment of the film Fun and Fancy Free.

Let me explain . . .

Over the course of the last decade or so, my musical tastes have drifted significantly back in time. More specifically, I've become enamored with pre-rock era popular music, most especially that which filled the airwaves during the 1940s and 1950s. Bing Crosby, Rosemary Clooney, the Andrews Sisters, Louie Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald are just among many of the era's standout recording artists who have become staples on my iPod playlists.

Bing and Rosie are especially endearing to me. I grew up on annual holiday viewings of White Christmas, the 1954 film in which the two initiated their romantic musical chemistry. It would become a partnership that would extend to recordings, concert tours and even a daily CBS radio show, throughout the late 1950s and early 1960s. Though history and popular culture will forever best associate the duo with White Christmas, the pair's crowning achievement, at least in my opinion, was their 1958 collaborative LP Fancy Meeting You Here.

I discovered Fancy Meeting You Here while browsing the Pop Standards category in a music store shortly after it was re-released in 2001. It was a revelation; a pop-jazz concept album that thematically traveled around the world, with Bing and Rosie vocalizing such songs as "On a Slow Boat to China," "It Happened in Monterey" and "Brazil." I have since discovered numerous other artists and music of that era, but Fancy Meeting You Here has become my personal favorite.

In my search for similar endeavors, I was introduced to the talents and musical productions of Billy May. One of the premiere individuals of the big band-era and beyond, May was a musician, composer and bandleader, but more relevant to this discussion, was the arranger for Bing and Rosie on Fancy Meeting You Here. He produced similar LPs featuring celebrity pairings. In 1960 he took Crosby and Louie Armstrong to New Orleans on the record Bing & Satchmo. My most recent Billy May discovery involved the 1961 teaming of Bobby Darin and Johnny Mercer on the LP Two of a Kind.

Taking all this into account, you will then understand why I was positively joyful when I performed my weekly visit to the wonderful web site Kiddie Records Weekly. As the site's introductory page explains:

"Kiddie Records Weekly began in 2005 as a one year project devoted to the golden age of children's records. This period spanned from the mid forties through the early fifties and produced a wealth of all-time classics. Many of these recordings were extravagant Hollywood productions on major record labels and featured big time celebrities and composers. Over the years, these forgotten treasures slipped off the radar and it became our mission to give them a new lease on life by sharing them with today's generation of online listeners."

The selection this past week? Walt Disney's Mickey and the Beanstalk. But more importantly, Walt Disney's Mickey and the Beanstalk--as told by Johnny Mercer, with the original cast, and music by Billy May. Wow!

Certainly this "kiddie record" is by no means a musical masterpiece. But for me personally it was a fun moment of serendipity that I had not expected, and illustrated another connection between Walt Disney and the popular music scene during the 1940s. Similar connections abound more obviously in Disney's 1940s' package films Make Mine Music, Melody Time, Ichabod and Mr. Toad and Fun and Fancy Free, of which Beanstalk was a part. Bing Crosby and the Andrews Sisters were among the many recording artists who participated in those films. One of my other favorites, Louie Armstrong, recorded his own LP of Disney standards on Disney Songs the Satchmo Way, originally released in 1968.

If you haven't yet visited Kiddie Records Weekly, you are indeed in for a treat. Among its Disney-related offerings--The Story of Robin Hood, Tales of Uncle Remus, Pecos Bill, Saludos Amigos, Three Cabelleros, Bongo, Rob Roy, Mr. Toad, The Flying Mouse, So Dear to My Heart, Elmer Elephant, Melody, Your Trip to Disneyland, Dumbo, Cinderella and The Sorcerer's Apprentice.

A Conversation With Joe Ranft

2009-05-13T21:51:00.005-04:00

This interview with Pixar legend Joe Ranft will appear in a future volume of the “Walt’s People” book series that features interviews with people who worked at Disney. Disney historian Jim Korkis has been gracious enough to give us this advance peek at one of his shorter interviews as a way of reminding readers of 2719 Hyperion to check out this fantastic book series as well as the website of the editor of the series, Didier Ghez.

Special to 2719 Hyperion by Jim Korkis

Born in Pasadena, California (but raised in Whittier, California) on March 13, 1960, Joseph Henry “Joe” Ranft was an animator, storyboard artist and voice actor who worked for Disney and Pixar.

He studied character animation at California Institute of the Arts. His student film caught the attention of Disney where he worked starting in 1980 for the next years on a variety of television projects that never got made. He received additional training from Disney Legend Eric Larson as well as getting some improvisational theater training from a local Los Angeles group called the Groundlings. He did some story work on The Lion King and Beauty and the Beast.

Ranft had known John Lasseter at California Institute of the Arts in the 1970s and ended up joining Pixar in 1992. His first work included pitching and storyboarding the Green Army Men sequence for Toy Story. He worked on story development for all the Pixar feature films including some work on Cars.

Because of his performing background, he provided voices for some of the characters in the Pixar films: Lenny the Binoculars (Toy Story), Heimlich the Caterpillar (A Bug’s Life), Wheezy the Penguin (Toy Story 2), various incidental voices (Monsters, Inc.), Jacques the Shrimp (Finding Nemo), various incidental voices (The Incredibles) and Red and a Peterbilt (Cars).

He also contributed to many other films including The Brave Little Toaster, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Monkeybone, and Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride.

On August 16,2005, Ranft was killed tragically when his car crashed through a guard rail and plunged into the Pacific Ocean in Mendocino County, California. He died during the production of Cars which he co-directed.

On April 23, 1999, Joe was out on vacation with his family to Florida and had never been to Walt Disney World when he did a presentation for Disney Feature Animation Florida. He also dropped by the Disney Institute later that day and spent some time with the Animation Team. Jim Korkis was an Animation Instructor at the Disney Institute at the time and got to spend a little time with Joe.

One of Jim’s biggest thrills was introducing himself to Joe and Joe’s face lighting up as he shouted, “You write stuff!” He was familiar with the books on animation that Jim had co-written with John Cawley and Joe was gracious enough not only to autograph Jim’s copy of a book adapting A Bug’s Life but also sketched a drawing of Hemlich the caterpillar, the character he provide the voice for in the film in Jim’s book. Wearing a Hawaiian shirt, like John Lasseter, Joe very graciously answered some of Jim’s questions as they talked casually before his presentation and it was very apparent Joe had a childlike enthusiasm for telling stories.

Jim Korkis: What are some hints you can share with us about storyboarding?

Joe Ranft: Storyboarding is really re-boarding. Your first idea is never good enough and you have to keep changing. In the two and half years we worked on A Bug’s Life we ended up with over 27,500 storyboard drawings we eventually used but tossed out tons of others.

JK: How can you tell whether you need to toss away a storyboard drawing?

JR: A good storyboard panel tells just one thing and is staged to tell just that one thing. How can you check? You put it on the board and walk away from it with your back towards it and then spin around quickly and look at it and see if it clearly tells what you want it to tell. And if you feel that you are lying to yourself, you bring someone else to look at it.

JK: What qualities make a good storyboard artist?

JR: A good storyman has to juggle so many things like acting, staging, and composition…all in one panel!

JK: How is it pitching a storyboard to John Lasseter?

JR: When you pitch, you might get John’s attention for maybe twenty minutes before he is reeling off suggestions like “let’s make that wider”, “do that from a different angle” and we are scrambling to take these quick notes on post-it notes and put it on the board.

JK: So is John pretty casual at these pitches?

JR: We have a storyboard reel with a caricature of John Lasseter wearing a purple sweatshirt instead of his Hawaiian shirt. That is the truth. For story meetings, John will wear a purple sweatshirt. And early in the morning, his hair isn’t quite combed. (laughs)

JK: You seem to use John Ratzenberg a lot.

JR: John Ratzenberg who did the voice of P.T. Flea is so wonderful that you can just send him a script and a tape and he could send you back a terrific performance. In the booth, after he did the lines as they were in the script, he’d say, “Let me give you it this way” and did some marvelous things. In the flea circus scene where he goes right to camera and says “in just fifteen seconds” was something he added and we went back and adjusted our boards. And his line where he introduces himself was his improv and he said it came from an old radio show.

JK: You’re pretty modest but you’ve done some great voice work as well like Hemlich in A Bug’s Life.

JR: I think I got Hemlich because of John Lasseter’s wife. She laughed when I did the lines but didn’t when they brought in this professional actor to do them. My son, Joe, did a kid ant voice in A Bug’s Life. Doing all these voices, I had to join the Screen Actor’s Guild.

JK: I know you sometimes do “incidental voices” as well. Did you do any on A Bug’s Life?

JR: I did some incidental voices like the flies that say “Burn him again” and “I’ve only got twenty-four hours to live and I’m not spending it here.”

JK: Do you do those voices for your kids as well?

JR: I read stories to my kids and I do the funny voices and sometimes they tell me to stop doing the voices and just read the story.

JK: Do you script the outtakes that appear at the end of the film for the voice actors?

JR: The outtakes are done on the last day of voice recording for each actor if time permitted. They were not boarded but quick sketch suggestions were done of some of them. Some of them obviously were for adults so we purposely tried to include some slapstick bits for the kids. Those are my favorites.

JK: I understand the story began in a different direction for “A Bug’s Life”.

JR: Originally, the story of A Bug’s Life was supposed to be about a red ant named “Red” who ran the circus instead of P.T. Flea but they hit a stonewall in terms of developing the story.

JK: The final story seems similar to The Magnificent Seven.

JR: We get asked if the film was influenced by The Magnificient Seven and all I can say is that all the guys at Pixar are big film buffs and I also see some elements from The Three Amigos but that story falls apart for me when they are discovered not to be gunfighters. We solved that problem by coming up with the bird device storyline after the revelation. Of course, the original inspiration was the story of The Grasshopper and the Ants.

JK: Anything you remember getting cut from the film after it was in production?

JR: On the original boards, the circus bugs were doing all sorts of things offstage that eventually got cut because the scene was so long. For instance, the spider is practicing weaving the safety web within fifteen seconds while Dim times her and it is a terrible mess. “Are you sure it was fifteen seconds?” “Let me check.” “You have to check whether it was fifteen seconds?”

The praying mantis was much harsher in ignoring his wife, Gypsy. “Haven’t you forgotten half your act?” she asks extending her hand to be kissed. He replies, “You are right” and he comes back and grabs his turban to put on his head.

In the arena, when Hemlich sees the kid flies with the candy corn and offers to help them finish it, the line on the storyboard was “Get out of here, Fatso” which was cut from the film.

JK: Joe, thanks for spending time with us today. This is great.

JR: It’s been my pleasure. Thanks.

Daveland@Disneyland A-Z: America The Beautiful

2009-05-11T06:00:00.002-04:00

Sorry to disappoint on this entry, but I have very few images of this attraction. In June 1960, the Tomorrowland attraction known as Circarama became “America the Beautiful” and the sponsor became The Bell System (previously it had been American Motors). Guest stood in the center of a room that had a movie screen that enveloped them, 360 degrees. The filmed travelogue was shot using eleven 16mm film cameras mounted on the roof of a car. The effect was amazing!

On June 25, 1967, the film process changed, coinciding with the opening of the New Tomorrowland, this time using a 35mm print that was enlarged from the film of nine 16mm cameras instead of eleven. A few Bicentennial scenes were added in 1975 and ran until January 3, 1984. The film was changed again on July 4, 1984, this time to “Wonders of China” (shown in the morning) and “American Journeys” (shown in the afternoon & evening), lasting until July 7, 1996. The attraction closed down for good in 1997, with "America the Beautiful” (the 1975 version) returning for the final year (July 11, 1996–September 7, 1997).

These guests from July 1963 look extremely retro, don’t they?

As you can see in this May 1964 photo, the name Circarama was still around and was used as the designation for the theater itself.

The Matterhorn Band makes an appearance in Tomorrowland outside the theater in this February 1965 photo:

In this 1976 shot, the New Tomorrowland has been around for 9 years and there is no trace of Circarama:

Today this building houses the Buzz Lightyear Astroblasters attraction.

Next up: Ariel’s Grotto. See more vintage Circarama/America The Beautiful photos at my regular website.

Walt In Hollywoodland

2009-05-08T16:00:00.000-04:00

Fifty-five years before the Disney-MGM Studios welcomed its first visitors in 1989, Walt Disney and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer had previously come together in an interesting, but now extremely obscure moment during Hollywood’s golden age.

You see, Mickey Mouse had star billing in an MGM movie. And he shared the credits with the likes of Jimmy Durante, Laurel and Hardy, and the Three Stooges.

MGM commissioned Disney to create an animated sequence for its 1934 film Hollywood Party. Disney had animated short sequences for two Fox films in the same time period--a dream sequence in the 1934 film Servant’s Entrance, and a futuristic vignette in 1933’s My Lips Betray. What made Hollywood Party different was the use of then uber-star Mickey, and a cartoon story that was essentially a transplanted Silly Symphony. It was Disney entertainment, just not in a Disney Studio-produced movie.

As to the context of Disney producing material for other studios, author Michael Barrier noted in his book Hollywood Cartoons:

"In the early thirties, Disney ventured briefly into making animated inserts for two live-action features, Servants' Entrance and Hollywood Party, both released in 1934. He evidently saw such work as a way to ease into the making of his own features, but the inserts turned out to be more a source of irritation than of profit of any kind. Such sponsored films were inherently problematic, in Disney's scheme of things, because they were not under his control in the way that his shorts and features were. Once the feature inserts were behind him, Disney shunned most sponsored films."

Hollywood Party is a “revue” movie, a type that was popular during the 1930s. It was essentially a series of song and dance and comedy vignettes, strung together by a very, very loose, and at times non-existent plot. At the center is comedian Jimmy Durante who is hosting a lavish party with a star-studded guest list. While names like Jack Pearl, Polly Moran or June Clyde don’t ring many bells these days, the faces of Durante, Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy, and Larry, Moe and Curly are still instantly recognizable.

Mickey quickly takes center stage when party guests start screaming “A mouse! A mouse!” Durante quickly comes to the rescue and suddenly finds himself at odds with the famous character, who is actually in “mouse scale” with the surrounding humans. Mickey is distinctly in his feisty, early 1930s personality, taking a swing at Durante and then mocking the star’s trademark oversized nose. He wins over the surrounding party guests who demand more entertainment from the little guy. Mickey then introduces a sequence very much akin to a Silly Symphony. The movie shifts from black and white to brilliant Technicolor to present The Hot Choc-Late Soldiers.

The Hot Choc-Late Soldiers is a bit bizarre in its story of candy-themed characters marching off and ultimately fighting a war. The action involves a Trojan War-themed combat with the Gingerbread Men of Pastryland. It is especially wacky when the injured soldiers return home, with battlefield injuries dressed in candy stylings (a missing leg is replaced with a candy cane stump for instance).

It is not far removed from the studio’s own Silly Symphony Cookie Carnival produced in 1935. But while Cookie Carnival had the typical Disney happy ending, Soldiers ends on a note of humorous morbidity when the sun comes out and melts the celebrating victors.

Walt would quickly cease in producing material for other studios, and focus instead on his own plans for feature length films. And likely because the endeavors were owned by Fox and MGM, who had little interest in preserving Disney content, they have all but faded into obscurity. Hollywood Party had a brief VHS release in 1992.

The sequence from Servant's Entrance miraculously surfaced last year courtesy of Didier Ghez, who writes the always informative and wonderful Disney History blog. Didier secured a copy and has generously made it available via YouTube and his site. The animation features kitchen utensils, led by a Humpty Dumpty-style egg character in a musical vignette that quite deftly for its time mixed live action and animation.

According to the IMDB, only an incomplete print of My Lips Betray survives in the UCLA Film and Television Archives.

The Art of Claude Coats

2009-05-05T17:00:00.000-04:00

Last year when Disney Editions released Jeff Kurtti's otherwise very enjoyable Walt Disney's Legends of Imagineering book, my chief objection - besides the puzzling exclusion of some pretty big names (saving them for a second installment, hopefully), was the lack of a complete "Imagineerography" for each person profiled, a hugely important task which I'm not sure even anyone at Disney has successfully completed. Although the book was not as hardcore authoritative as I would've liked, it is a good start for those perhaps just starting to dip their toes into the sticky world of theme park designers, and thankfully is not another Picture Book. I still highly recommend it.

One of my top designers from the Mouse factory is Claude Coats, whose evocative backgrounds created such extraordinary depth and interest in Disney product through the 1960's, and who, along with Ken Anderson, was perhaps most instrumental in inventing the mode of the "false space" which Disneyland attractions convey so richly. However, like many skilled artists at Disney, his work outside the "mouse house" has been difficult to see. Until now.

Coats' mastery of atmosphere: the ghoulish house, the lonely figure, the windswept trees... naturalism and a haunted atmosphere in one.

Coats' estate has put up a very exciting website which includes not only a full filmography and, thank god, Imagineerography, but for the first time some of Coats' non-Disney art available for viewing or purchase. Like Marc Davis' remarkable Indonesian paintings or figure studies, Coats' fine art pieces show a side of a vibrant artist which is very excitingly new but very much part of his creative vision. Coats' theme park works obsessively repeat a mastery of line and shape especially as relating to perspective, in his remarkable If You Had Wings, where forced perspective buildings were slanted every which way, or in his concepts for the Haunted Mansion, with endless halls and black voids.

"Kara Mon Gate", at left, strikes me as an especially striking enunciation of his interests in perspective, here where a wide shot of an architectural feature is painted to look graphically flat, and the road leading there is so dismissed of perspective that it becomes more of a bold shape than a feature of a naturally realized landscape. Strikingly different is "Ole", below, which has rich depth but which is strikingly pushed to the very margins of the piece. The focus is here on the wall posters and my mind immediatley goes to Coats' mastery of the significant detail to make the scene in Pirates of the Caribbean. His more abstract side may be seen in the strikingly forceful graphic expression of "Night / Day", at the top of the article.

Coats strikes me as one of the most significant of the WED pioneers and it's great to have a resource available online about his work overall rather than just relating to Disney. Stop by and take a look around; it's a rare opportunity to become more acquainted with one of the more remarkable talents who was working at Mr. Disney's studio.

http://claudecoats.com/

Mickey Mousing

2009-05-03T23:00:00.002-04:00

The Mouse Machine, by J.P. Telotte, discusses Mickey Mousing, a technology that the Disney Company has used, since its inception, to differentiate its art and attract people to its product. In the following quote, Telotte looks at how sound changed cartoons forever--and our relationship to cartoons.

Supposedly coined by David O. Selznick, the term [mickey mousing] describes "the close synchronization of music to action", such that the action is continually punctuated by a specific musical tempo or motif. Sometimes seen as an unfortunate influence of the exaggerations found in the early Mickey cartoons, the term is typically used pejoratively, to suggest overscoring and a pointedly manipulative or intrusive use of the soundtrack that violates the reality illusion. However, that effect most commonly works in conjunction with realistic sound effects--and, in fact, it largely gained that negative implication because of this conjunction and the rather difficult narrative negotiation it imposes on the audience. It is, consequently, also in some ways the essence, perhaps even the glory of the early Mickey Mouse and Silly Symphony cartoons, because of the way it suggests the very spirit that moves in them. For "mickey mousing" shows us how the world of these films adapts itself to sound, moves to the beat of the new sound environment, finds its full aural/musical potential, thanks to the energetic intervention of the mouse or some other figure or force.
--p. 29, The Mouse Machine: Disney and Technology

Looking at cartoons across the years, mickey mousing has taken hold and is one of the ways that we relate to the characters and one way the artists create their own reality.

In Hollywood Cartoons(p. 57), Michael Barrier discusses a more sagacious rationale for such a heavy use of music as opposed to sound effects. Walt realized that the sound effects created for Steamboat Willie helped to create more believable characters and story, but it was more important to keep his fledgling company afloat. It took two recording sessions to successfully sync the orchestra and the animation. There were also three additional men hired just for sound effects. Walt wrote that he thought there was a need to integrate the sound effects within the musical score itself. The musicians would create the accompanying sounds on the screen and therefore save time and money during the recording session.

Looking at both sources does make me think about mickey mousing evolving into an art form out of economic necessity. Its appeal is obvious--most animation studios followed Disney's lead for many different reasons, but mickey mousing has become a staple in the animation standard playbook. Make sure to keep your ears open the next time you get the chance to see an animated short from the 1930's through the 1950's.

Book Review: Drawn to Life by Walt Stanchfield

2009-04-29T20:29:00.000-04:00

Drawn to Life: 20 Golden Years of Disney Master Classes, Volume 1: The Walt Stanchfield Lectures edited by Don Hahn, 448p, 2009.

When I received my review copies in the mail (it is a two-volume set), I was very excited to get a closer look at them. I reviewed Don Hahn's previous work, The Alchemy of Animation, and thoroughly enjoyed it. With Don's history of award-winning animation, it is very obvious that he has a passion for animation and for mentoring new animators.

Walt Stanchfield (1919-2000) spent the bulk of his professional career at the Walt Disney Studios. Before working at Disney, he spent time at the Charles Mintz Studio and the Walter Lantz Studio. At Disney, he had a hand in every animated feature from The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toadto The Great Mouse Detective. In the 1970s, Stanchfield and Eric Larson started a training program for new animators, such as: Bird, Bluth, Clements, Dejas, Keane, Lasseter, Musker and many more of Disney's best modern animators. Stanchfield began compiling his notes from the weekly classes in the 1980s, these handwritten notes were passed among the animators that created the Disney films of the second Golden Age (The Little Mermaid - The Lion King). Don and his talented team (including Dee Stanchfield) transcribed over a thousand pages of notes. Included is illustrative artwork from Stanchfield and renowned Disney artists from the past 80 years.

I am not an animator. If left to my own devices, I can muster a passing face or a simple drawing of a still life--a very still life. My review of this book is based on my love of animated films and the Walt Disney Company. At a cursory glance, this work is a must for any serious animation student. Once you delve deeper into the individual sections, you realize that you are learning about the process of animation and the details of bringing lines and drawings to life. You are also discovering an artist as he shares a lifetime of experiences with students and artistic disciples.

The images of the pages I have posted are how the book is represented. Sketches and drawings permeate the text and bring the words to life. You can see the techniques jump from the page and a true sense is related on how animation works--and why Disney animation has always worked so well. The section headings are representative of the animation process: Basics, Gesture, Seeing, Analysis, Creativity and Thinking. Not only will you gain invaluable artistic skill from following Stanchfield's lessons, but you will learn the intricacies of emotion and life in the animated form. Spending any time with this book will give you a deeper appreciation of animation as an art form.

In the foreword, Don sums up the work perfectly:

Drawn To Life is one of the strongest primers on animation ever written. The material spares no detail on the craft of animation, but also digs deep into the artistic roots of the medium.

I reiterate--this book is a must for animators of any caliber.

This book reminds me of the Tao of Jeet Kune Doby Bruce Lee. It is an incredible work for martial art students to study and learn new techniques to deepen their skills. It is also a valuable work for fans of Bruce Lee and readers interested in broadening their understanding of the human body and what can be attained.

Drawn To Life is a master work on animation. Imagine sitting at the feet of a master as he pours forth on animation, life and philosophy. That Hahn has presented Stanchfield's work to us--and that we can hold it in our hands--is amazing. This is a two-volume set that should be on every animator's shelf, dog-eared, thumbed-through and within reach for serious study and joyful glimpses of life.

Freeze Frame! - Blasting Off with Donna Reed

2009-04-28T20:09:00.007-04:00

As we have discussed here at 2719 Hyperion a number of times, Walt Disney's various forays into futurism during the late 1950s tend to be little remembered here in the 21st century. But they did in fact have a dramatic impact on the popular culture of the post-war baby boomer era.

Case in point: the Werner Von Braun-inspired lunar rocket, featured in the Disneyland series episode "Man in Space," made a cameo appearance in a 1958 episode of television show The Donna Reed Show. The popular program chronicled the life of the Stone family, parents Donna and Alex and children Mary and Jeff, portrayed respectively by Reed, Carl Betz, Shelley Fabares and Paul Peterson. In the episode entitled "The Football Uniform," Jeff decides to donate his recently acquired rocket to the annual charity auction. He tells his parents, " . . . it wasn't as much fun as I figured it would be. Besides, all the kids are playing football." His father's response: "Well, there went two bucks into outer space!"

An interesting footnote: Peterson was a Mouseketeer, albeit briefly in 1955. Various misbehaviors, including punching a casting director in the stomach, led to his early dismissal.

Explore the 2719 Hyperion Archives:

Man in Space: March 9, 1955

The Third Wonder of the World

2009-04-27T17:26:00.002-04:00

Has it really been twenty years?

This teaser ad appeared in a number of high circulation weekly magazines released in early April of 1989.

The Violent Mayhem of Hockey Homicide

2009-04-24T06:00:00.000-04:00

In our current era of too-frequent overbearing political correctness, the 1945 Goofy cartoon Hockey Homicide stands as a shining example of a creative process not held hostage by studio executives overly concerned with pleasing soccer-mom demographics. The genius of this short is rooted in its parody of the sport’s reputation for excessive violence and the subsequent frenzy that that violence inspires in the game’s spectators. Rather than ignore or disavow this darker side of competition, it embraces it and celebrates it with an irreverent and sardonic glee. In the fifty-plus years since its release, Hockey Homicide has lost neither its humor nor its relevance. It is a hyper-paced, hilarious eight minutes of unbridled mayhem that also casts a satirical eye to sports fandom’s often unquenchable thirst for blood and brawling.

The cartoon is very much in the spirit of the classic quip of “attending a boxing match only to have a hockey game break out.” Beating and pummeling are the strategies of play with occasional hockey maneuvers peppered throughout. The short’s most memorable and now classic gag is the ongoing rivalry between star players Ice Box Bertino and Fearless Ferguson. When the two begin brawling even prior to the opening faceoff, it sets off a cycle of fighting and penalty suffering that extends almost the length of the cartoon. It is highlighted by the announcer’s oft repeated “Here come Bertino and Ferguson out of the penalty box . . . and there go Bertino and Ferguson back into the penalty box.”

The frenzy of the game builds and builds until it spills into the stands and ignites the spectators. The crowd storms the ice and chaos ensues, leading to an eye-popping montage of violence that incorporates scenes not only from other Goofy sports cartoons but from the studio’s features Victory Through Air Power and Pinocchio as well.

A couple of particularly funny gags: the two rival fans featured throughout the short are seated appropriately in Section 8; and when the ice is cleaned between periods, among the debris shoveled up are cowboy boots and spurs, cups and saucers, a bottle of Heinz 57, boxing gloves, an umbrella, a hair brush, a croquet mallet and even an extended hand clutching a cigar.

Especially notable in Hockey Homicide are the references by name to Disney employees. The aforementioned Bertino and Ferguson refer to animators Al Bertino and Norm Ferguson, while referee “Clean Game” Kinney pays homage to the short’s director Jack Kinney (and possibly also to storyman Dick Kinney). When a scorecard is examined early in the short, the teams’ rosters are a veritable who’s who of the Disney Studio in 1945. It’s a great screenshot, worthy of Freeze Frame status, and it is very likely the most extensive “in-joke” ever incorporated into a piece of Disney animation.

Hockey Homicide stands as one of the best Goofy cartoons produced and also easily qualifies as one of the studio’s funniest. Goofy in name, but certainly more sophisticated in content and humor, the short takes a not-so-subtle shot-on-goal at a professional sport and the antics of its passionate fans.

Daveland@Disneyland A–Z: America Sings

2009-04-22T19:00:00.000-04:00

The Carousel of Progress was a Disneyland favorite; beginning at the New York World’s Fair and then moving to Anaheim in 1967, this Tomorrowland attraction was sponsored by General Electric. By 1973, GE felt that the well was dry and that it was time for a fresh set of eyes to be mesmerized by this attraction, and Disney agreed to move the Carousel to Orlando. The last Anaheim show was on September 9, 1973.

Since an empty building was out of the question, the Imagineers had to come up with a replacement show. With the upcoming Bicentennial as an inspiration, Marc Davis whipped up a spectacular musical revue, complete with 114 singing animals that represented the forefront of audio-animatronic technology. Davis used characters from an unfinished movie that was to be called “Chanticleer.” The use of costumed animals instead of people helped hide any limitations in movement that might have occurred. Del Monte stepped in as the new sponsor.

The first three photos here show some of the models for America Sings, which were recently on display at the Opera House in Town Square. In the photo below, the hosts of the show can be seen; Sam the eagle (voiced by Burl Ives) & Ollie the owl (Sam Edwards) sang “Yankee Doodle Dandy” each time the carousel rotated to introduce a new musical act.

Next up are five Disney publicity shots taken from the testing and early introduction of the attraction. Imagineer Wathel Rogers is on the left in the photo below.

Do some of these figures look familiar? Of course they do, but we’ll discuss that a little bit later on. Next up are some shots taken by guests between the years of 1974–1980. The show moved guests on a history of America by using more than 40 musical numbers, including songs from the Old South sung by the Swamp Boys, the Old West, the Gay Nineties, and even “today” (which seemed more like yesterday!). Here Sam & Ollie introduce the show:

First up is The Deep South:

“Down by the Riverside,” the finale to this act.

The Old West, with the Geese Quartet singing “I’ve Been Working On The Railroad.”

The Gay 90’s, featuring the vocals of Golden Horseshoe favorite Betty Taylor.

This photo is from the modern number, where the mop-topped hippie birds would sing, “Joy To the World.”

It didn’t take very long after the Bicentennial for this attraction to become a little “dated.” Many referred to it as “America Sang.” Still, it had a fairly long run and didn’t close until April 10, 1988. I have heard that Marc Davis was extremely disappointed when it closed, especially after all the work and creativity he pumped into this show to get it ready in time for a very short deadline.

For those of you who want to know what happened to all of the figures from this attraction when it closed, you’ll have to be patient until we get the right part of the alphabet for the answers to that question. See more vintage & current America Sings photos at my regular website. Next time, Daveland will cover America The Beautiful.

Media Review: Walt Disney and the 1964 World's Fair 5-CD Set

2009-04-20T23:33:00.002-04:00

Walt Disney and the 1964 World's Fair 5-CD Box Set, 2009.

It's a Small World, The Carousel of Progress and Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln are household names to most Disney enthusiasts. Those names are inexorably tied to the 1964/1965 New York World's Fair and represent a watershed for W.E.D. Enterprises and the art of the theme park attraction. No less well-known (but not in any recent complete incarnation) is the Magic Skyway. The Magic Skyway pavilion was not sent back to Disneyland in its entirety; you can experience part of it in the Primeval World section of the Grand Canyon Diorama during the Disneyland Railroad. It's a Small World exists in each Magic Kingdom-style park. Born as Progressland, the Carousel of Progress now resides at the Magic Kingdom after a few years at Disneyland. Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln premiered at Disneyland after the first season of the Fair and is scheduled to re-appear at the Opera House in late 2009.

Almost 45 years after the opening of the 1964 New York World's Fair, Walt Disney Records has released a 5-CD box set of the recordings from the four Disney-created attractions at the Fair.

So, why is this important?

Ever since the popularity of Disneyland consumed most of the surrounding area in Anaheim, Disney had been searching for another place to build a larger project and practice some of his burgeoning ideas on planning and urbanism. When Disney was approached by the Fair to create pavilions for General Electric, Ford, Illinois and Pepsi, he saw his opportunity to try out Disneyland-style attractions on the East Coast and have other people pay for the development of the new attractions.

The 5-CD box set is an aural history of the pavilions with original source audio and never-before-heard demo tracks, alternate takes and attraction music. During my first listen, I found myself at the computer looking for images and videos of the attractions from the Fair. I could only imagine how exciting the Disney attractions must have been to a population that had largely experienced true Disney magic only on television and in theaters. Needless to say, this CD set offers hours of enjoyment for the Disney enthusiast. With four attractions featured, you might be pondering the reasons for a fifth disc. The bonus disc contains the 27-minute Alternate Universe Version of the Carousel of Progress--it is a great look at what might have been. Some of my other favorites, include: the Sherman Brothers and Disney singing There's a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow; Royal Dano's recording session for Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln; the Disneyland Paris versions of It's a Small World; and Disney's narration for the Magic Skyway and his dialog recording session with Marty Sklar.

The 24-page full color booklet that accompanies the set is a beautiful introduction to Disney and the World's Fair. Filled with rare photographs, intriguing text and track descriptions; you will find yourself dreaming of a visit to the Fair to experience it firsthand. I am not implying that the booklet offers nothing for the enthusiast, Stacia Martin, the author, has included enough nerdy tidbits to make all of us happy.

The audio quality is superb and runs roughshod over the bootlegged versions that have been floating around. Randy Thornton and Jeff Sheridan have done an incredible job mastering and compiling the tracks.

A review of the set would not be complete without a mention of the late Bruce Gordon. What we hold in our hands is an evolution of a dream shared by Bruce and Tony Baxter from more than twenty years ago. Bruce worked tirelessly to keep the project moving and involved a very talented group of Disney castmembers. When I interviewed Randy Thornton and Stacia Martin about their thoughts on the project, they both expressed how the project would never have been without Bruce Gordon. Randy and Stacia were fervent in their statements that Bruce's vision continued to lead the project after his passing.

This is an amazing CD set that needs to be in your collection.

The Mickey Mouse Theater of the Air

2009-04-19T16:00:00.001-04:00

Special to 2719 Hyperion by Jim Korkis

Old time radio shows are a delight, but just like shows on television today, some were great and not to be missed, some were mediocre, and others just did not capture the potential of their concept. Unfortunately, the Disney Studios attempt at a radio show fell into the last category.

In the 1930s, radio was king and people would often change their entire lives around so that they could hear the latest episode of their favorite show. Many popular comic strip and animated characters had already made the transition to the airwaves and there were shows like “Betty Boop Fables” and “Popeye the Sailor” that entertained young audiences. Advertisers desperately wanted to sponsor a show with the Walt Disney characters and both Lever Brothers (makers of Lifebuoy among other products) and Lucky Strike cigarettes had almost convinced Walt Disney to take a chance. However, it was Pepsodent toothpaste and their commitment to a weekly budget of $10,000 to $12,000 that finally brought the Disney characters to the air in more than just occasional guest appearances on other programs.

“The Mickey Mouse Theater of the Air” premiered on radio on January 2, 1938 in the NBC Sunday afternoon slot previously reserved for the antics of “Amos and Andy”. That show changed sponsors from Peposdent to Campbell Soup as well as time slots, and Pepsodent desperately wanted something as popular as those famous comedians to take up the slack.

During the half hour show, Mickey and the gang would travel through time and space thanks to the Magic Mirror from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs to have adventures with everyone from Robin Hood to Cinderella to Old MacDonald. The half hour was also filled by music not just from the Felix Mills Orchestra but from Donald Duck’s Webfoot Sextet, that like the later Spike Jones Band, played a variety of odd instruments from cowbells to bottles to an auto horn for comic effect.

Here is the list of all twenty episodes of “The Mickey Mouse Theater of the Air”:

January 2, 1938: Robin Hood
January 9, 1938: Snow White Day
January 16, 1938: Donald Duck’s Band
January 23, 1938: The River Boat
January 30, 1938: Ali Baba
February 6, 1938: South of the Border
February 13, 1938: Mother Goose and Old King Cole
February 20, 1938: The Gypsy Band
February 27, 1938: Cinderella
March 6, 1938: King Neptune
March 13, 1938: The Pied Piper
March 20, 1938: Sleeping Beauty
March 27, 1938: Ancient China (with a guest appearance by Snow White!)
April 3, 1938: Mother Goose and the Old Woman in a Shoe
April 10, 1938: Long John Silver
April 17, 1938: King Arthur
April 24, 1938: Who Killed Cock Robin?
May 1, 1938: Cowboy Show
May 8, 1938: William Tell
May 15, 1938: Old MacDonald

You can listen to seven of these shows at this link.

Walt himself was busy with the promotion of the just released Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and in fact, supposedly only agreed to letting his characters on the air so that it could help promote that animated feature. The reason Walt hadn’t explored radio earlier was that he felt that his characters would not translate well to the medium, that audiences needed to see as well as hear the animated stars.. Unfortunately, Walt was only able to supply the voice of Mickey Mouse for the first three episodes. From the fourth show on, the voice of Mickey was comedian Joe Twerp (yes, that was his real name) whose comedy relied on being an excitable, stuttering person who confused words. He had been considered for the role of Doc, a similar personality, from Snow White, but Roy Atwell was chosen to supply that voice instead.

In fact, Walt got so busy that he couldn’t attend some of the recordings and that when the script called for Walt himself to make an appearance, he was sometimes impersonated by the announcer for the show, John Hiestand!

Minnie Mouse was performed by Thelma Boardman who would later supply Minnie’s voice in the some of the Disney cartoons of the 1940s. Pinto Colvig had left the Disney Studio by the time the show started so the role of Goofy was performed by Stuart Buchanan, who was the official “casting director” at the Disney Studios and had supplied the voice of the huntsman in Snow White. Donald Duck, of course, was voiced by the one and only Clarence Nash and Clara Cluck was Florence Gill. Both of them had performed the same roles in the Disney cartoons.

There were other voices on the show as well supplied by popular performers including Billy Bletcher (the voice of Pete in the cartoons who popped up as Old King Cole in the show), Hans Conreid (still many years from voicing Captain Hook who did a comical turn as the Pied Piper), Bea Benaderet (portraying Miriam the Mermaid in the kingdom of King Neptune), Cliff Arquette (“Charley Weaver” who voiced Old MacDonald), Walter Tetley, and many others including Mel Blanc. In fact, Blanc was a regular on the show but never voiced any of the Disney characters. He did do a character in several shows that got so excited that he couldn’t stop hiccuping whenever he talked. Perhaps this performance inspired Walt to use Blanc as Gideon the cat in the upcoming production of Pinocchio. The famous story that Blanc told over the years was that he recorded a voice for the cat but Walt cut everything but a hiccup from the final performance.

The show was not memorable and suffered from the fact that Walt could not give it his full attention so it quietly disappeared after only twenty episodes but it is still an interesting footnote in Disney history. Thankfully, the estate of the musical director of the “Mickey Mouse Theater of the Air,” Felix Mills, donated all his original transcription discs of the show to the Pacific Pioneer Broadcasters in California.

Freeze Frame: Library Card

2009-04-16T23:33:00.001-04:00

We continue t0 celebrate National Library Week at 2719 Hyperion with a Freeze Frame from the Mickey Mouse cartoon Runaway Brain. The 1995 animated short is featured in Walt Disney Treasures - Mickey Mouse in Living Color, Volume Two.

In the following scene, the evil experiment has taken place! Mickey needs to explain to his new nemesis who Mickey Mouse is by having him look at Mickey's wallet. Of course, I paused it step-by-step to see what the cards were.

The third card in the fold-out section was a library card!

Guillard County Library
Mickey Mouse
2495 21095

Any thoughts?

Jeff covered other aspects of the animated short on a previous 2719 Hyperion post: Runaway Brain, August 11, 1995.

Don't forget to stop by your local library and tell them how much you appreciate them!