Disney News and Interviews From The Mouse Castle: Alice in Wonderland

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Sunday, February 27, 2011

Disney/Pixar Takes Four Awards on Oscar Night

Toy Story 3

On a night when The King's Speech reigned over the Academy Awards, Disney and Pixar performed royally, winning a total of four Oscars, two each for Toy Story 3 and Alice in Wonderland.

As expected, Toy Story 3 won for Best Animated Feature, beating out How to Train Your Dragon and The Illusionist. It also won Best Original Song for We Belong Together, written by Randy Newman. It was Newman's second win out of twenty nominations in his prolific career. His only previous win was for 2001's If I Didn't Have You from Monsters, Inc.

Alice in Wonderland

Alice in Wonderland took home the gold statuettes in two of the three categories it was nominated for, winning for Art Direction and Costume Design.

In his acceptance speech, Toy Story 3 director Lee Unkrich thanked the many creative people involved in the film, calling Pixar "the most awesome place on earth to make movies." Backstage, he acknowledged his fan base, sending "a shout out to all my followers on Twitter. It's been a blast sharing this journey with you." He continued by saying, "My friend and Pixar colleague, the late Joe Ranft, always said that making movies is like throwing a party and the whole world is invited. Well, I hope you enjoyed our party because we have had a blast."

Oscar winner Lee Unkrich

Toy Story 3 lost its Best Picture nod to The King's Speech, which won a total of four Oscars including Best Actor (Colin Firth), Best Director (Tom Hooper) and Best Original Screenplay. Equalling The King's Speech's Oscar haul was Inception, which landed four awards for Cinematography, Sound Mixing, Sound Editing and Visual Effects.

Best Actress went to Natalie Portman for her portrayal of the tortured ballerina in Black Swan. The Fighter scored wins in both Supporting categories for actor Christian Bale and actress Melissa Leo, who dropped an exuberant f-bomb during her acceptance speech that was bleeped during the broadcast.

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Thursday, February 3, 2011

'Alice in Wonderland': Still Brillig After All These Years

Of the movies released during Disney's second "golden age" of animation, Alice is Wonderland is my favorite. Lacking the warm, gooey center of Cinderella or One Hundred and One Dalmatians, Alice is the most non-Disney of Disney feature films, an episodic farce that piles gag upon gag in rapid succession. You don't invest any real emotion in the characters, unless you count silliness as an emotion. You just hang on and enjoy the ride. Critics have cited this as a problem with the film. I say this is what makes it stand out, especially with the classic animation and iconic characters that the Disney artists derived from Lewis Carroll's original stories.

The familiar tale of an English girl's trip down the rabbit hole, where she encounters singing flowers, a perpetual tea party and an evil queen with a penchant for croquet, is brought vividly to life through the color schemes of Mary Blair and the inventiveness of animation director Ward Kimball, who was responsible for the most memorable segments in the movie, the Mad Tea Party and the Cheshire Cat. In the tea party scene below, watch all the funny business Kimball crams into it, from a clever distribution of hats to the March Hare's twitchy gestures to the miraculous pouring of an entire cup of tea:

It was common practice for Disney to use the voice actors as models for their animated counterparts. Watch how the antics of real life comedians Ed Wynn (Mad Hatter) and Jerry Colonna (March Hare) translate to the screen:

For all its inspired lunacy, Kimball was still dissatisfied with the overall feel of Alice in Wonderland. For him, it was a problem of too many cooks spoiling the, uhhh, tea. As Kimball told film critic and historian Leonard Maltin in his book The Disney Films:

Here was a case of five directors each trying to top the other guy and make his sequences the biggest and craziest in the show. This had a self-cancelling effect on the final product.

The only real "mad" thing in the whole picture, in my opinion, turned out to be the Cheshire Cat! Why? Because compared to the constant, all-out, wild gyrations of the other characters, he played it real cool. His quiet, underplayed subtleties consequently stole the show!

It also didn't hurt that the Cheshire Cat was voiced by Sterling Holloway. Holloway's distinctive rasp made him a Disney voice over favorite for decades, beginning as the messenger stork in Dumbo and eventually leading to the roles of Winnie the Pooh and the sibilant snake Kaa in The Jungle Book.

With all apologies to Ward Kimball, Alice in Wonderland doesn't have the grandeur of Sleeping Beauty or the adventurousness of Peter Pan, but for sheer entertainment it remains my go-to Disney movie.

The 60th Anniversary edition of Alice in Wonderland is available now on Blu-ray.

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Tuesday, January 25, 2011

'Toy Story 3' Gets Five Oscar Nominations; Three for 'Alice in Wonderland'

Academy Award nominations were announced this morning and Toy Story 3 led the charge for Disney, getting five nominations including Best Picture and Best Animated Feature Film. Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland received three nominations for Art Direction, Costume Design and Visual Effects.

There were a few surprises for Disney, as Tangled failed to receive a nomination for Best Animated Feature Film. With only three slots available, the Rapunzel fairy tale was bumped by the French film The Illusionist. The remaining nomination went to Dreamworks' How to Train Your Dragon. Tangled's only nomination was for Original Song ("I See the Light").

Another surprise was Tron: Legacy only scoring a single nomination for Sound Editing and getting shut out of Visual Effects and Original Score.

Disney/Pixar was also honored in the Best Animated Short Film category for the very clever Day & Night.

Toy Story 3's other nominations were for Adapted Screenplay, Sound Editing and Song ("We Belong Together"). The song was written by Randy Newman, who received his 19th Oscar nomination. Newman's only previous win was for Best Song for "If I Didn't Have You" from Monsters, Inc.

Of Toy Story 3's five nominations, director Lee Unkrich's only comment on Twitter was "Speechless."

The Oscars will be presented in Hollywood on February 27.

This year's Best Picture nominees:
Black Swan
The Fighter
Inception
The Kids Are All Right
The King's Speech
127 Hours
The Social Network
Toy Story 3
True Grit
Winter's Bone

Complete nominations list: http://oscar.go.com/

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Sunday, March 7, 2010

'Alice' vs. 'Alice': A Wonderland Smackdown

I caught the midnight showing of "Alice in Wonderland" Thursday night and, like many Disney fans, immediately started comparing Tim Burton's somewhat dark vision of Lewis Carroll's classic tale with the 1951 animated film. There were some revisionist improvements that Burton hit upon (the coming-of-age, sword and sorcery storyline was not one of them), but mostly it reminded me how great the story and characters were in the Disney original. So here, in a totally arbitrary head-to-head character comparison where I decide what matters and what doesn't, I give you Burton Alice vs. Animated Alice. Let's see who wins.

WARNING: Spoilers ahead!

Alice - The Alices in both films are headstrong girls escaping their humdrum everyday lives. Animated Alice deals with the madness of Wonderland with peevish impatience--she just wants to go home and these mad people won't let her. Burton Alice is pursuing her destiny, whether she wants to or not, and ultimately faces her fears while wielding a mean vorpal blade. Animated Alice, on the other hand, wouldn't be caught dead in a suit of armor. Kathryn Beaumont charmingly voiced the more iconic Animated Alice, but Mia Wasikowska creates an Alice that overcomes more adversity, takes down the Red Queen and kicks Wonderland (oops, Underland) ass.
Winner: Burton Alice.

The Queen of Hearts - Make no mistake, Burton Alice may call her the Red Queen (from "Through the Looking Glass"), but she is unquestionably the Queen of Hearts from "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland." Both the Animated and Burton Queens subscribe to the "off with their heads" school of conflict management, with the Animated Queen coming across as a deliciously psychotic bully. But, Helena Bonham Carter takes the Burton Queen an extra step, turning her into a petulant child who sends a new head into the moat every time she has a tantrum. She even offed the King, crown and all. Let's see the Animated Queen try that one.
Winner: Burton Queen, by a head.

The Mad Hatter - "Why is a raven like a writing desk?" Neither Mad Hatter knows or tells, and that's where the similarities end in two distinctly different character interpretations. Ed Wynn voiced a broadly comic--and more entertaining--Animated Hatter much in the same manner as he portrayed the majority of his live action characters in radio, movies and TV (see Mary Poppins' Uncle Albert if you have any doubt). Johnny Depp plays an emotionally complex Hatter in Burton's version with mixed results. When he's manic, he absolutely shines. When he becomes thoughtful and fights the good fight, he doesn't ring true. No self-respecting Hatter would ever take sides in a conflict at the expense of an unbirthday present or a good cup of tea.
Winner: Don't let's be silly! Animated Hatter.

The March Hare - Now here's a character that appreciates a good cup of tea regardless of the movie. Jittery, over the top, and, well, just plain mad, the March Hare is delightfully frenetic in both movie versions. You just have to decide whether you prefer a Scottish brogue (Paul Whitehouse in Burton's version) or a touch of crazy Italian (Jerry Colonna's animated version).
Winner: Call it a draw . . . by a hare.

CLEAN CUP! CLEAN CUP! MOVE DOWN! MOVE DOWN!

The Dormouse - Lewis Carroll said he was just sleepy. I always thought he was a bit drunk in the animated version. Tim Burton made him a female--and pretty feisty at that. So, which movie Dormouse wins? Well, both can recite "Twinkle, twinkle, little bat" with great aplomb, but the Burton Dormouse gets the nod because of her can-do spirit and her nimble ability with a sewing needle--or was it a hatpin? Either way, OUCH!
Winner: Burton Dormouse, with an eyeball to spare.

The White Rabbit - What could a rabbit possibly be late for? In the animated version, it seems just about everything, but particularly the Queen's croquet match. For Burton, it's Alice who's late and the rabbit is just there to keep her on schedule for her Frabjous Day date with destiny. That's not nearly as interesting as the harried, put-upon, no-time-to-say-hello-goodbye-I'm-late cartoon rabbit (voiced to nervous perfection by Bill Thompson). Bonus points for having your house overrun by Gigantor Alice and nearly burned down. Mary Ann!!!
Winner: Animated Rabbit.

The Caterpillar - The Animated Caterpillar stays truer to Carroll's text: An impatient schoolmaster answering questions with questions and demanding absurd recitations. The Burton Caterpillar goes in a different direction and is the best revisionist take on any of the Alice characters. He's a prickly guru, a testy blue Yoda with the gravitas (courtesy of Alan Rickman) to ask, "Who are you?" and have it mean something. His gradual morphing into a butterfly serves as the perfect, albeit obvious, metaphor for Alice's own personal transformation. Still, the Animated Caterpillar does teach Alice how to properly consume a magic mushroom. How's THAT for a metaphor?
Winner: Animated Caterpillar, for every child of the 60s who listened to Jefferson Airplane.

The Cheshire Cat - Clever, devious and as cool as the other side of the pillow, the Cheshire Cat is my favorite Alice character. In Burton's hands, he ultimately becomes a hero, helping save the Hatter from the executioner's ax and returning the royal crown of Underland to its rightful owner. I like my grinning kitties more subversive, however, so props to the Animated Cat for always following his own agenda for his own amusement. Watching him mock the Queen and taunt Alice at the same time is an evil guilty pleasure, especially for those of us who aren't all there.
Winner: Animated Cat.

CAN YOU STAND ON YOUR HEAD?

Tweedledum and Tweedledee - Alice in Wonderland

Tweedledum and Tweedledee - The Tweedles in Burton's Wonderland are not terribly bright, but they are earnest, well-meaning and brave. They're kind of cute and cuddly, too. The Animated Tweedles are also not terribly bright, but they are...well...they're pretty annoying, actually. They do spin a good "Walrus and the Carpenter" tale, however. This time, though, cute and cuddly wins over annoying. That's manners.
Winner: Burton Tweedles.

The Talking Flowers - No contest here. The Animated Flowers talk, sing and banish Alice for being a common weed--and they do it all in a golden afternoon. By comparison, Burton's Flowers are given precious little to do, other than to question whether Alice is the real Alice they're looking for. A terrible waste of floral finery.
Winner: Animated Flowers, petals and stems above the rest.

While they each have their qualities, neither movie is perfect. Animated Alice suffers from trying too hard to be like Carroll's book, a deliberately episodic story that, for all its sublime silliness, has never translated well to film. Alice just wanders from mad character to mad character, waiting to wake up. Disney's original has plenty of inspired scenes, the mad tea party among them, but never a cohesive beginning, middle and end. Tim Burton and screenwriter Linda Woolverton tried to get around this by introducing an entirely new story, but sadly settled into a routine CG-heavy adventure fantasy right out of Hogwarts and Narnia that misses most of their charms and all of their originality.

Given the choice, I'll take Animated Alice anytime. 'Tis brillig!

Final Score: Animated Alice 5 1/2, Burton Alice 4 1/2.

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Wednesday, September 2, 2009

What to See at D23 - Day Two

Updating Day One, Disney has announced the honorees for this year's Disney Legends awards:

Robin Williams - Star of "Aladdin," "Flubber," "Good Morning, Vietnam" and "Dead Poets Society".
The Cast of "The Golden Girls" - Bea Arthur, Estelle Getty, Rue McClanahan and Betty White.
Leota Toombs Thomas - The WED Enterprises model builder Disney fans know best as the face of Madame Leota in the Haunted Mansion's seance room.
Tony Anselmo - The voice of Donald Duck since 1985.
Bill Farmer - The voice of Goofy since 1986
Harry Archinal - Former president of Buena Vista International, Disney's overseas film distributor.
Don Iwerks - Veteran film systems designer who did extensive work on "Mary Poppins" and Disney's "CircleVision 360" films. Don is the son of Ub Iwerks, Walt Disney's longtime friend and animator.

BTW, Disney has made very clear that cameras and recording devices will not be allowed during Bob Iger's opening keynote and the Disney Legends presentation. If you think they're kidding, just try them.

And now, the best of the D23 Expo's day two, which may have the strongest lineup of the four days. Lots of terrific sessions here, with more than a few scheduling conflicts to resolve. I believe Ursula put it best. "Life's full of tough choices, in'nit?"

Friday, 9/11/09

9:00 a.m. - Early Bird Books: 'Kingdom Keepers'/'Peter and the Starcatchers' with Authors Ridley Pearson and Dave Barry, Stage 23
I'll admit I haven't read "Peter and the Starcatchers" or any of the "Kingdom Keepers" books. But, I'll also admit I've been a big fan of Dave Barry from his many years as a nationally syndicated humor columnist with "The Miami Herald." The guy is flat-out funny, even if he'll only be at D23 via video feed. Pearson and Barry's new book "Peter and the Sword of Mercy" will be out in October.

11:00 a.m. - Disney Movie Magic: Inside the Walt Disney Studios, D23 Arena
Disney Studios honcho Dick Cook will screen clips from upcoming releases "Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time," "Alice in Wonderland," "A Christmas Carol" and "The Sorceror's Apprentice." In a perfect world, he'll also bring a few celebs with him. What say you Tim Burton? Johnny Depp? Helena Bonham Carter? Anne Hathaway? Jake Gyllenhaal? Jim Carrey? Robert Zemeckis? Nicolas Cage? Fans aren't coming to see suits. They'd like to see some star power. It could happen. Just sayin.'

12:30 p.m. - Author Jason Surrell Discusses the Haunted Mansion, Stage 23
Surrell has written two of the best theme park attraction histories with his "From the Magic Kingdom to the Movies" books on Pirates of the Caribbean and the Haunted Mansion. I'll remember him (and forever be grateful) for rescuing an abysmal MSN.com webcast on the red carpet at Disneyland for the 2006 premiere of "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest." MSN's entertainment reporter, Dish Diva, was in over her head and unprepared for the 2 1/2-hour live show, but Surrell, along with fellow Disney historian Tim O'Day, saved the day with their insightful comments about POTC. Surrell knows his stuff and it will be a pleasure to see him in person.

1:00 p.m. - Screening of 'The Nightmare Before Christmas' in Disney Digital 3D, Walt Disney Studios Theater
I saw it during its original theatrical run. I own two DVD versions of it, plus the soundtrack. However, I've never seen Tim Burton's "The Nightmare Before Christmas" during any of its seasonal 3D runs. So what better time to see it than in a convention center full of Disney geeks? Also, Burton's early shorts "Frankenweenie" and "Vincent" will be shown with it. It makes me wonder if Burton himself might put in an appearance. Again, just sayin'.

2:00 p.m. - The Making of 'World of Color,' Storytellers Theater
Visitors to Disney's California Adventure during the past year have seen a lot of construction activity in the drained Paradise Pier lagoon. Find out what it's all about when Imagineer Steven Davis gives you a sneak preview of "World of Color," DCA's "water-and-fire" spectacular debuting next year.

4:00 p.m. - 'Tron' Presentation, Walt Disney Studios Theater
I can't recall ever seeing so many fanboys get so worked up over a sequel to a movie that sucked so bad. Seriously. OK, the 1982-era special effects in the original "Tron" were kinda nifty and the light cycle race was totally cool--but the rest of the movie was Sominex dull. Still, Disney is getting major buzz for the CG-intense "Tron Legacy" coming out in 2010, and this early trailer hasn't exactly hurt its prospects. The presentation will include a screening of the digitally-restored original and a conversation with director Steven Lisberger.

5:30 p.m. - Disney Rarities, Stage 23
An opportunity to see some of Walt Disney's earliest animation efforts as well as other rarely seen short cartoons. Producer/author Don Hahn and Disney animator Dave Bossert host a session that I hope will include footage from Walt's Laugh-O-Gram work in Kansas City in the early 1920s.

7:30 p.m. - 'Walt & El Grupo' Panel and Screening, Walt Disney Studios Theater
This one is a tad misleading, since the screening will be of "Saludos Amigos" and not the new documentary about Walt Disney and his staff's 1941 goodwill trip to South America. "Walt & El Grupo" will actually be playing up the street at the AMC Theatre in Downtown Disney. Still, this promises to be a fascinating look at Walt and a select group of artists during uncertain times caused by financial problems at the studio, a debilitating animators strike and an American nation on the verge of World War II.

I'm only half way through the D23 Expo schedule and there are still plenty of goodies to look forward to. Make sure to check back soon for my look at days three and four. The Expo is just a week away!

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Thursday, August 27, 2009

Post-War Walt: More Goodies From the Walt Disney Family Museum

The Walt Disney Family Museum released a few more pics from their collection today, just a month away from September's preview weekend. They come from the museum's Gallery 7, which focuses on the studio's artistic and financial comeback in the 1940s and '50s in the wake of World War II.

"Cinderella" was Walt's return to the world of fairy tale princesses more than a dozen years after "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs." "Cinderella" lacked the artistic detail of "Snow White," but none of its heart, and was a huge hit for the studio:

"Alice in Wonderland" wasn't nearly as well received--by fans or critics--in its initial release and, consequently, remains one of Disney's most underrated animated films. Featuring lively animation and spot-on voice casting, it benefits greatly from the unmistakable visual style of Mary Blair, whose design sketches took a significant departure from the original John Tenniel illustrations:

After the war, Walt took on more live-action films. In this 1954 cover from Look Magazine, we see James Mason as Captain Nemo locked in a fierce battle with the giant squid in "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.":

Ever wonder why the famous squid sequence was staged in a heavy rainstorm? It wasn't just for aesthetic reasons. Early footage of the mechanized rubber sea beast looked so fake on calm waters that the scene had to be reshot on a darkened soundstage with waves crashing. It added intensity to the scene and covered up how bad the monster actually looked.

Gallery 7 will also include the camera used to film the underwater scenes in "20,000 Leagues" and items from Walt's personal collection of miniatures.

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Wednesday, March 18, 2009

D23: Disney for Grown-Ups

I dropped by my local Barnes & Noble last week, the day Disney launched their new, official fan community, D23. I was searching for the new "Disney twenty-three" magazine and expected to find it amongst the new arrivals at B&N. It was nowhere to be found, so I approached an information clerk, her computer at the ready, and asked about it.

"Do you have 'Disney twenty-three'?"

"'Disney twenty-three'?"

"Yes. It debuted today. Barnes & Noble is supposed to be carrying it."

Type type type. Click click. Type type. Click.

"I can't find it. Are you sure we carry it?"

"Ummm, yeah. Disney's press release said you did."

Click click. Type. Click.

"Is it a kids' magazine?"

"No. It's for fans and collectors."

Type. Click. Type type type. Click.

"We don't have it."

Point 1: This wasn't an auspicious introduction to the world of D23.

Point 2: I freaking hate it when muggles assume everything Disney is for kids. I have a limited edition scale replica of the first Monorail Red in my family room. My two-year old granddaughter is not allowed to touch it. Ever. Even after I'm dead. So there.

I digress.

A few days later, I returned to B&N and was pleased to discover that "Disney twenty-three" had found its way to the sales floor (and no, it wasn't in the kids' section). Sealed in clear plastic, it had a coffee table book look (without the weight) and a great cover photo of a young Walt Disney, wearing a newsboy cap and peering through a motion picture camera. Nice touch. Walt as the young entrepreneur, as far removed from the iconic (and more familiar) Uncle Walt television persona as you could get. Walt is a real person here, not a corporate symbol. Show me more.

Inside, stories range from a look inside the Walt Disney Archives with Dave Smith to photographer Annie Leibovitz's celebrity-strewn reinterpretation of classic Disney moments to a preview of Pixar's May release, "Up." None of the articles are particularly in-depth--no one spins and controls the release of information like Disney--but there are enough behind-the-scenes nuggets to make it worthwhile. It's also gloriously free of advertising. I know, I know. The magazine is one big ad for Disney. But considering the last issue of the now-defunct "Disney Magazine" had ads for Toyota, Kodak and Best Western, among others, it's a welcome relief.

"Disney twenty-three" does go heavy on the superlatives. Leibovitz isn't just a gifted photographer, she's an "American master" with a "singular career." Pixar isn't just a successful film studio, it tells a "stunning story of creative and technical prowess." Tim Burton? I like the guy, but I'm not ready to call him "one of contemporary cinema's greatest visionaries."

OK, maybe I do, but it's different coming from me than when it's coming from Disney to promote a new live-action version of "Alice in Wonderland" that Burton is directing.

A lifetime ago, I did some community theater and was once told by a director to never worry about whether an audience likes you. "They already do" he said. "That's why they're there." I think Disney would be smart to heed that advice. Disney says it's publishing the magazine and developing the D23 website (a phenomenal site, by the way) for fans. If that's the case, then back off on all the gushing. Absolutely, I expect you to be enthusiastic about your past and present output, but I like you already. That's why I'm here

But am I willing to shell out $75 a year for the privilege? Disney has taken a lot of grief in the blogosphere for what many consider a hefty price tag to become an official member of the D23 community. Supporters say it's only $11 more than what you'd pay for four of the quarterly magazines, and hey, you do get a "surprise collectible gift," plus a discount on tickets to September's D23 fan expo in Anaheim. Detractors say why pay for a magazine with old information you can get on the Internet for free and admission to an expo you may not go to anyway. I have to admit, after originally balking at the $75 membership fee, I'm becoming a supporter.

What am I saying? I sprang for the 75 bucks over the weekend.

There's a reason I'll never buy a Kindle from Amazon. As much stuff as you can store on the thing, it'll never replace the tactile joy of flipping pages in a book or magazine. My iPhone and I are joined at the hip, but I still subscribe to my local newspaper, "Entertainment Weekly," "Time," and "Golf Digest." As much information as I can gleen from the Internet, there's still nothing more satisfying than a good read on typeset pages. That's part of the pleasure of "Disney twenty-three" magazine. For all the marketing puffery, it's a well designed, beautifully laid out piece of Disney kitsch I can hold in my hands and revisit anywhere and anytime I like. Add in the extras--hey, I'm a sucker for framable certificates and memberships cards . . . not to mention mystery gifts--and I think it's worth the money.

And no, Ms. Barnes & Noble, it's not a magazine for kids, nor is the website specifically aimed at them either.

I'm happy to be a member of D23. So there.