The Mouse Castle Lounge 10-16-2015 - Disney Historian Didier Ghez, 'They Drew as They Pleased'

By Tim Callaway

They Drew as They Pleased

This is becoming a habit--and I’m totally cool with it. Historian Didier Ghez is once again paying a visit to the Lounge—this will be his fourth time. He just can’t get enough of us.

It’s always a pleasure to have Didier on the show and today he’s here to talk about his latest project, They Drew as They Pleased, a book series celebrating the great concept and story artists of Disney’s past.

Before an animator begins to work magic with a character, he or she draws inspiration from the sketches and designs of concept artists. The Disney Studios set the standard for this artistic collaboration beginning in the 1930s, bringing aboard major talents such as Albert Hurter, Ferdinand Horvath, Gustaf Tenggren and Bianca Majolie. Didier’s first volume shines the spotlight on these artists, whose influences can be seen in numerous Mickey Mouse and Silly Symphony short cartoons of the era as well as feature films like Snow White and Seven Dwarfs, Pinocchio, and Fantasia.

Didier Ghez

Much of the art Didier has compiled comes from rarely seen private collections or from deep inside the vaults of the Disney Animation Research Library. It’s a genuine treat to be able to see them publicly for the first time. Just as fascinating are the book’s biographical notes, which give a compelling look not only at the talent and temperament of the artists profiled, but also insight into what it was like to work for Walt Disney at the beginning of the studio’s first golden age. I cannot recommend They Drew as They Pleased enough and I cannot wait to see what the future volumes hold.

Here today to talk as he pleases is Didier Ghez, my guest in The Mouse Castle Lounge.

Enjoy!

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The Mouse Castle Lounge 07-10-2015 - Ron Diamond and the Animation Show of Shows

By Tim Callaway

Ron Diamond

Ron Diamond is passionate about animation. He’s executive producer of Acme Filmworks, a commercial animation studio that utilizes the talents of gifted filmmakers and animators from both the U.S. and abroad. Ron’s pet project, though, is the Animation Show of Shows. For over 16 years, Ron and his show have had one purpose: to bring the best animated short films from around the world to the attention of major animation studios like Disney, Pixar and DreamWorks. It’s an opportunity for independent filmmakers, with otherwise limited reach, to have their work seen by respected and influential artists and industry leaders. The Animation Show of Shows has largely been a private enterprise over the years, limited to animation professionals and mostly unseen or heard of by the general public. That’s about to change.

Earlier this month, Ron completed a successful Kickstarter campaign, raising over $100,000 to fund the Animation Show of Shows and help it reach an even larger audience. The Animation Show of Shows is now a registered non-profit organization with the long-term goal of being seen by audiences around the world while still honoring its mission to showcase the best work of animators everywhere. Ron Diamond is my guest today in The Mouse Castle Lounge.

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The Mouse Castle Lounge 03-12-2015 - Disney Legend Floyd Norman, Part One

By Tim Callaway

Floyd Norman

Growing up, Floyd Norman fell in love with Disney animated films. He familiarized himself not only with the name “Walt Disney,” but also with the names of the many talented artists and directors who created the films. Floyd was determined that one day he would become an artist at the Walt Disney Studios.

As is the case with many a Disney success story, it took a combination of talent, perseverance and luck to make that dream a reality. Floyd joined Disney in 1956 and was, in fact, the first African American artist ever hired by the studio. It was the beginning of a long career as an artist, animator, cartoonist, story writer and film maker both in and outside of Disney.

Floyd contributed his talents to animated features that include Sleeping Beauty, The Sword in the Stone, The Jungle Book and Robin Hood. His career spanned into the CG era where he created storyboards for Toy Story 2 and Monsters, Inc., making him one of the rare individuals to work for both Walt Disney and John Lasseter. Today, at age 79, Floyd still consults for Disney and recently oversaw the production of “The Further Adventures of Thunderbolt,” a bonus feature on the recent 101 Dalmatians Blu-ray release that answers the gnawing questions, “What happened to the Wonder Dog after he fell over the cliff with Dirty Dawson?” You know you've been dying to know.

Floyd Norman is my guest today for part one of our two-part conversation in The Mouse Castle Lounge. Enjoy!

Related: The Mouse Castle Lounge 03-19-2015 - Disney Legend Floyd Norman, Part Two

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The Mouse Castle Lounge 03-05-2015 - Disney Animator James Lopez, Part Two

By Tim Callaway

James Lopez

Last week I totally nerded out over animator James Lopez’s passion for the Don Bluth video game Dragon’s Lair. This week, I’m loving his home studio because it’s decorated in Haunted Mansion stuff. He’s got Haunted Mansion wallpaper and artwork—even a replica of one of the busts that watches you as you creep towards your Doom Buggy. Of course, I also get a kick out of James’ contributions to Disney animated films like The Lion King, Pocahontas and Hercules.

Last week, we talked about his early career and his time spent at Disney as well as with Don Bluth. Today, in part two of our conversation, we talk about James’ work on the delightful The Emperor’s New Groove and how it began as the much more serious-minded Kingdom of the Sun.

We also talk about James’ current passion project, Hullabaloo. It’s a project that brings together two of James’ favorite things: hand-drawn 2D animation and steampunk. Last fall, James had a ridiculously successful crowd-funding campaign on Indiegogo that ended up financing at least 4 Hullaballo short films--with who knows what else on the horizon.

Please enjoy part two of my conversation with James Lopez in The Mouse Castle Lounge.

Related: The Mouse Castle Lounge 02-26-2015 - Disney Animator James Lopez, Part One

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Interview with Animation Historian and Author John Canemaker in 'The Mouse Castle Lounge'

John Canemaker

John Canemaker is a tall, soft-spoken gentleman with a passion for animation. His easy-going demeanor belies a rough, post-WWII childhood he spent in the shadow of an abusive father, a relationship John explored with great emotion and pathos in his 2005 Oscar-winning animated short The Moon and the Son: an Imagined Conversation. In the film, John tries to make peace with his late father, an angry and bitter man who ran with the Mob and served time in prison, but who also was a decorated war hero who helped his son acquire his first art supplies. Press John for details about his father now and he's more inclined to let the film speak for itself. For the most part, he said what he needed to say and has moved on.

He's much more comfortable talking about animation, a conversation he has kept going for most of his adult life. For over thirty years, John has taught animation at New York University, where he is a fully-tenured professor. All the while, he's continued to produce animated films and write books about animation history. He has researched all of the greats of the industry: Walt Disney and the Nine Old Men, Winsor McKay, Tex Avery, Mary Blair, Joe Grant and Joe Ranft, and many more. He has regularly appeared in the bonus features of Disney home video releases, offering his commentary and insight on such classics as Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Fantasia, Dumbo and Peter Pan.

I spoke to John last month at the Walt Disney Family Museum, where he is curator of the current exhibition, Magic, Color, Flair: The World of Mary Blair. Our time was limited then, so I asked John if he would like to revisit the Lounge to share his fascinating life and career with me in greater detail. He agreed. In our conversation today, John talks about his love of animation, the artists and animators who have inspired him, and yes, the relationship with his father that he says made him who he is today. It's a revealing look at a brilliant and dedicated artist and educator. Enjoy!

John Canemaker and producer Peggy Stern accept
the 2005 Oscar for Best Animated Short Film.

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Related Story: Exploring the World of Mary Blair at the Walt Disney Family Museum

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Remembering a Legend: Ollie Johnston

Disney Legend Ollie Johnston was born today in 1912.

A master of personality animation, Johnston grew up in Northern California, studied art at Stanford and later attended the Chouinard Art Institute in Los Angeles. In those early days, animation interested him, but he was never truly inspired by its potential until he saw Disney's 1934 Pluto cartoon Playful Pluto.

The flypaper sequence in Playful Pluto is an animation landmark for being the best earliest example of a cartoon character demonstrating a thought process. It was drawn by Norm Ferguson, a gifted Disney artist who went on to be a supervising animator on Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and Pinocchio. He was also an animation director on such films as Cinderella, Alice in Wonderland and Peter Pan. Johnston joined Disney in 1935 and had a career at the studio that spanned over 40 years. He was one of Walt's "Nine Old Men," the core group of animators who created virtually all of Disney's animated feature films from the 1930s to the 1970s. Among Johnston's most notable characters were Thumper (Bambi), Alice (Alice in Wonderland), Mr. Smee (Peter Pan), Baloo (The Jungle Book), Prince John (Robin Hood) and Sir Hiss (Robin Hood).

Johnston forged a lifelong friendship with fellow animator Frank Thomas. Together they wrote several books, including what is considered to be the bible of modern animation, The Illusion of Life: Disney Animation.

Johnston passed away on April 14, 2008 at the age of 95. He was Disney's last surviving "Old Man."

Video clips are from the 1995 documentary Frank and Ollie, © Disney. 

 

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