The 40th Anniversary of the Walt Disney Archives: Having My Cake and Name Dropping Too

"Just walk up and say hello," my friend Dana said.

"No, he's busy," I said. "I don't want to bother him."

"Come on, you know you want your picture taken with him."

"Yes I do, but not now."

"You're just being shy."

I was not.  Shy would've been getting the nerve to ask Robert Iger out on a date.  Since the president and CEO of the Walt Disney Company isn't really my type, that wasn't an issue.  Saying hello is a fairly simple process.  I could see, however, that he was busy talking business to some people outside the Walt Disney Studios Theater, just minutes away from introducing chief archivist Dave Smith to an audience ready to celebrate 40 years of the Walt Disney Archives.  Now was not the time.  I was sure I'd be able to see him at the reception after the event.  I'm very polite when I stalk well-known people.

Dave Smith has been running the show at the Archives for its entire existence.  In the late 1960s, when he was a reference librarian at UCLA, he completed an extensive bibliography on Walt Disney and was later asked by the studio to help devise a system of organizing and archiving Walt's many letters, awards and memorabilia.  So, Dave took a hiatus from his university work...and never returned.  Forty years later, he's made the Walt Disney Archives the gold standard for animation and pop culture preservation.

Although the event last Friday wasn't meant to be a farewell party--Dave isn't retiring until October--it certainly felt like one, especially when Archives manager Becky Cline fought back tears as she paid tribute to Dave and his incredible legacy at Disney.  Becky will succeed Dave as chief archivist, and it's a well-deserved promotion.  She's spent more than twenty years with Disney, most of them at the Archives.  As a child, she grew up near Burbank and was a regular visitor to Disneyland.  "Mary Poppins" was the first movie she ever saw.  By her own admission, she has the best job in the world.  She can stay.  She's one of us.

Other VIP's in attendance included film critic and historian Leonard Maltin, who did a Q&A with Dave (I have to name drop here.  I found out a few weeks ago that Mr. Maltin follows me on Twitter.  As an admirer of his work--his book "The Disney Films" is one of the reasons I've been a lifelong Disney fan--I'm genuinely flattered).  Also showing up was Karen Dotrice (little Jane Banks in "Mary Poppins") who donated her jacket from the "I Love to Laugh" scene to the Archives.  A parade of Disney execs also we're on hand to donate items.  Before the evening was over, the Archives added to its collection the Red Queen's scepter from Tim Burton's "Alice in Wonderland," the Dead Man's Chest from "POTC 2 & 3," John Locke's knife and an Oceanic boarding pass from "Lost,"  Nicolas Cage's dragon ring from this summer's "Sorcerer's Apprentice," a lighted disc from the upcoming "Tron Legacy," a wand from "The Wizards of Waverly Place" and a jacket worn by Joe Jonas.  Consider for a moment the range of items represented here.  Now add memorabilia from 11 theme parks and a wealth of animation and film items accumulated during Walt's lifetime, and you have just a small idea of the breadth of the Archives collections.  It's truly staggering.

After the presentation, we were treated to cake and champagne outside the theater.  It was also time to troll the crowd for some more Disney celebs.

When you're a Disney geek, your idea of celebrity is different from normal people.  Others may go gaga for, well, Lady Gaga or Angelina Jolie or Brad Pitt.  More conventional Disney fans may be impressed with Miley Cyrus or the JoBros.  I'm gobsmacked by the likes of Tony Baxter, X Atencio and Bob Gurr (and if I have to explain to you who these people are, be gone with you).  It was with great satisfaction, then, that I spotted next to the champagne table none other than Disney composer (and legend) Richard Sherman.  With his brother Robert, Richard Sherman composed his fair share of the Great American Songbook while at Disney.  The Sherman Brothers wrote the music for "Mary Poppins," "The Happiest Millionaire," "The Jungle Book," "The Aristocats" and "Bedknobs and Broomsticks," among many others.  I had seen Richard perform a few songs at a screening of the documentary "The Boys: The Sherman Brothers" at the D23 Expo last year, but it was a treat to finally meet him in person.

The evening was ultimately about Dave Smith, though, and in anticipation of the many well-wishers at the event, a table was set up at the end of the sidewalk for a meet-and-greet with the man himself.  Dave chatted with the steady stream of attendees, posing for pictures and signing autographs.  I'm sure by the end of the evening, he was tired of hearing all the praise being heaped on him, but he accepted it humbly and with class.  

And what about Bob Iger?

Ummm, well, he left early.  I didn't see him at the reception.

Next time, I'll be more rude.

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'Toy Story 3' is an Emotional and Visual Treat . . . in 2D

OK, let's get the gripes out of the way.

First, "Toy Story 3" is not as good as "Toy Story" or "Toy Story 2."  But, then again, Michelangelo's David wasn't as good as the Sistine Chapel ceiling.

Second, seeing "Toy Story 3" in 3D is totally unnecessary.  The effect is subtle and adds absolutely nothing to the viewing experience.  I grow less and less a fan of 3D with each new movie that uses it.  The last 3D film I saw that was meaningful was "It's Tough to be a Bug" at Disney's California Adventure.  Its silly, in-your-face insect gags are what 3D was meant for--and rightfully housed within an amusement park.

3D is a gimmick, not a medium unto itself.  You don't need forced visual depth to appreciate the joy, warmth and emotion of "Toy Story 3," this rare sequel to a sequel that holds its own against its predecessors and brings a satisfying conclusion to the secret lives of toys.

"Toy Story 3" begins as Andy, the long-time owner of Woody (Tom Hanks), Buzz (Tim Allen) and their fellow toys, has grown up and is heading off to college.  Still residing in Andy's old toy box, the gang anxiously awaits their fate.  Will Andy take them to college with him? Are they destined to be boxed up in the attic or tossed to the trash heap on the curb?  These are serious existential questions for toys.  And while most of the toys resign themselves to a dismal future, Woody steadfastly believes that Andy will always take care of them.

Through a series of mishaps, the toys get carted off to Sunnyside, a daycare center that offers them a toy's dream:  the opportunity to be played with always and forever.  Sunnyside's toy world is overseen by Lotso (voiced with oily homespun charm by Ned Beatty), a seemingly kind and benevolent plush bear that harbors a dark secret.  Among his top assistants is Ken (pitch-perfect Michael Keaton), a vain, shallow clotheshorse of a doll who can't come to grips with the fact that he's just a fashion accessory for Barbie.  When this deceptively idyllic existence turns horribly wrong, it's up to Andy's toys to engineer an escape from daycare hell and find their way back to the only real home they've ever known, regardless of what might await them there.

As with the best Pixar films (just about all of them, when you come to think of it), story is king, and story guys John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton and Lee Unkrich (who also directed) have crafted a tale that builds logically on the previous two movies rather than rehashes the old material (see: the "Shrek" sequels).  The story inspires a screenplay by Michael Arndt that moves along at a brisk pace from fun to danger to sadness to satisfaction.  If there's any criticism, it's that these characters have become too familiar, so there are no real surprises anymore, no joy of discovery that came when Woody and Buzz were fresh out of the box.  They behave exactly like we expect them to, but we enjoy their company so much that we don't really mind.

The themes of abandonment and moving on with your life are prevalent to "Toy Story 3," so it's a much darker and sadder experience than the earlier films.  The emotion is never belabored, though, and the movie keeps plenty of funny and light moments peppered throughout (Buzz's involuntary turn as a swashbuckling Spanish Lothario is a gem).  But, keep the Kleenex handy.  As decisions are made and goodbyes are said, the last half-hour will get to you.

With "Toy Story 3," Pixar does it again.  Do these guys even know how to make a bad movie?

Just save your money and see it in 2D, ok?

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What Makes the 'Toy Story' Movies So Good?

Here are a few hints:

"The focus was to get great characters and a great story--that was the first and foremost thing.  And we wanted really strong acting."  John Lasseter, director, "Toy Story" 

"This film is driven by characters and story first.  And even though it is the first ever computer-animated film, the technique we're using is secondary to the story that we want to tell."  Ralph Guggenheim, producer, "Toy Story" 

"(After 'Toy Story') there was talk of a sequel almost immediately.  The characters were so strong and well developed, we thought of them more like friends or family or fellow employees than we did creations."  John Lasseter, director, "Toy Story 2" 

"We're audience members first and film makers second."  Andrew Stanton, co-writer, "Toy Story 2" 

"At Pixar, we always felt that the only reason to do a sequel to "Toy Story" is if we could come up with the story that was as good as the first, but was different.  And we really worked hard in the emotional side of the story because, you know, the humor and the staging and the action and the great visuals we knew would come.  But, it's that emotion that was so important to us because what we value is a story in which characters change, characters grow."  Lasseter, "Toy Story 2"

"It was, of course, our goal to make a movie worthy of the first two 'Toy Story' films.  In the history of cinema, there are only a few sequels that are as good as the first, and we really couldn't think of any excellent third movies.  The only one that came to mind was 'The Return of the King,' but that was really more like the third part of one giant story.  That's when I had an epiphany.  We needed the three 'Toy Story' movies to feel like part of one grand story.  That notion became the driving force for us in creating 'Toy Story 3.'"  Lee Unkrich, director, "Toy Story 3" 

"It is our intention to make classic films that will last through the ages."  Darla Anderson, producer, "Toy Story 3"


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