Yesterday was the birthday of the incomparable June Foray. Cartoon Brew posted a photo of Ms. Foray at work along with a clip from an interview she did about being cast on some show about a moose and a squirrel. I’m posting another clip from the same interview where she does a bit of Rocky and Natasha in rapid succession. The world of animation is lucky to have this amazing woman as both an actress and an advocate for the art form.
Posts Tagged ‘behind the scenes’
Monday Movie – Happy Birthday, Dear June!
Monday, September 19th, 2011
Why I Love Animation: Beauty and the Beast – Part Five
Wednesday, August 31st, 2011This article is part of the series Why I Love Animation: Beauty and the Beast. To jump to any other article in the series, please use the following links.
Part One – Part Two – Part Three – Chip Interlude – Part Four – Part Five
Part One – Part Two – Part Three – Chip Interlude – Part Four – Part Five
The story structure of Beuaty and the Beast is all about balance: balancing drama and comedy, major and minor characters, and Belle and Beast. A serious Beast scene has just ended, so now it’s time to get back to Belle and to lighten the mood a bit. Even the backgrounds tell us that this scene is going to be far more cheery than the one preceding it. We go from a dimly lit castle at night to the countryside near Belle’s home on a beautiful sunlit day. The bright scenery, cheery music, and a few physical gags at Lefou’s expense are just what’s needed to break the tension caused by Beast imprisoning Maurice.
Gaston may have been “making plans to woo and marry Belle,” but now he’s decided to dispense with the wooing and cut straight to the marriage. Despite Belle’s obvious disinterest in him during their previous encounter, Gaston remains convinced that any woman would be thrilled to be asked to marry him, so much so that he has already set up the wedding before he’s actually asked Belle to be his bride. To him and to the rest of the townspeople, the proposal is almost a joke because the outcome is such a foregone conclusion.
Friday Fun Link – Deja View
Friday, August 26th, 2011Did you ever want to learn about hand-drawn animation from one of the modern masters of the medium? If you have a few free hours, here’s the opportunity to do just that. Deja View is the blog of former Disney animator Andreas Deja, who was supervising animator on such characters as King Triton from The Little Mermaid, Gaston from Beauty and the Beast, and Lilo from Lilo & Sitich. Deja shares not only his own artwork, but sketches and pencil tests by other Disney animators and inspirational artwork from artists outside the field of animation, all accompanied by his own insightful commentary.
Why I Love Animation: Beauty and the Beast – Part Four
Wednesday, August 24th, 2011This article is part of the series Why I Love Animation: Beauty and the Beast. To jump to any other article in the series, please use the following links.
Part One – Part Two – Part Three – Chip Interlude – Part Four – Part Five
Part One – Part Two – Part Three – Chip Interlude – Part Four – Part Five
Maurice heads off to the fair, passing through breathtaking countryside straight out of Romantic landscape painting. But come nightfall, the lush, colorful landscapes give way to an eerie, mist shrouded forest. Even without the change in the score from a happy hopeful tune to more forbidding, creepy music and Maurice’s dialogue indicating his confusion, the nearly leafless, faintly visible trees against a dull brown sky communicate that Maurice is not on the right path.
Why I Love Animation: Beauty and the Beast – A Chip Interlude
Wednesday, August 17th, 2011This article is part of the series Why I Love Animation: Beauty and the Beast. To jump to any other article in the series, please use the following links.
Part One – Part Two – Part Three – Chip Interlude – Part Four – Part Five
Part One – Part Two – Part Three – Chip Interlude – Part Four – Part Five
Part Four of Why I Love Animation: Beauty and the Beast is taking longer than I expected. The introduction of at least four new characters, the first full appearance of the Beast, Gaston’s proposal, and Belle’s first encounter with the Beast all in one article makes for a lot of writing. So to tide you over until it’s done (hopefully next week), here’s the story of how Chip, the little boy turned teacup went from the back of the cupboard to head of the table and who he stole the spotlight from.
Voice Acting is for Voice Actors
Wednesday, August 10th, 2011
I receive Google alerts on animation to help me keep up with the latest animation news. Lately, I’ve been getting daily reminders that Fox’s Animation Domination block (a.k.a. “The Simpsons and three Seth MacFarlane shows”) is going to be rolling out the celebrity guest stars In the coming season. Some are just press releases, while others contain a little more editorial. To me, Fox’s big push to promote the upcoming celebrity voices in their animated shows is just another reminder of the disturbing number of voice acting jobs going to “face” actors.
Friday Fun Link – Chris Sanders’ “Big Bear Aircraft Company”
Friday, July 29th, 2011Today’s Friday Fun Link is a fascinating piece of animation history: an illustrated story by story artist and director Chris Sanders. Created as part of a handout for a Disney offsite retreat, The Big Bear Aircraft Company is a barely veiled metaphor for Disney Feature Animation, foretelling a dim future of bland, unoriginal films that will someday be overshadowed by another studio’s productions if management and writer continue to marginalize the artists. Sanders also offers ideas that could lead to a better outcome: small groups of artists and writers working together to develop projects with minimal management interference.
Cartoon Brew posted a link to the story and Sanders himself responded, providing some additional background on the story, why he chose this particular format to air his concerns, and what the response was.
The fact that this story appears to have been written back in 1989 (Sanders doesn’t provide a more specific date) makes it all the more prescient in hindsight. Disney did have trouble evolving beyond what had worked in the past and was eventually overtaken by other studios – particularly Sanders’ current employer Dreamworks.
Why I Love Animation: Beauty and the Beast – Part Three
Wednesday, July 27th, 2011This article is part of the series Why I Love Animation: Beauty and the Beast. To jump to any other article in the series, please use the following links.
Part One – Part Two – Part Three – Chip Interlude – Part Four – Part Five
Part One – Part Two – Part Three – Chip Interlude – Part Four – Part Five
The prologue left us with the question “Who could ever learn to love a beast?”. Who is the very next character we see? Belle. What is the title of the next song we hear, which is both the first song in the movie and the first song written for the movie? “Belle.” So if you don’t have some idea of who could learn to love a beast, you aren’t paying attention.
Why I Love Animation: Beauty and the Beast – Part Two
Wednesday, July 13th, 2011This article is part of the series Why I Love Animation: Beauty and the Beast. To jump to any other article in the series, please use the following links.
Part One – Part Two – Part Three – Chip Interlude – Part Four – Part Five
Part One – Part Two – Part Three – Chip Interlude – Part Four – Part Five
Now that you know the history that lead up to the making of Beauty and the Beast (assuming that you’ve read Part One), let’s dive right into the movie. I’ll be sharing more behind the scenes information as we go.
Friday Fun Link – Mr. Fun
Friday, March 4th, 2011What could be a more appropriate Friday Fun Link than a site called Mr. Fun? And when Mr. Fun is animator and story artist Floyd Norman, you know you’re in for some juicy stories about the history of animation from someone who was there to see it happen. Floyd Norman has worked at the Disney studios on and off for decades. He was there when Walt Disney and the Nine Old Men were still part of the studio. He has worked on TV shows and specials from Hey, Hey, Hey, It’s Fat Albert to Smurfs to Beverly Hills Teens. He also co-founded the AfroKids animation studio. More recently, he’s been back at Disney and Pixar, storyboarding on a variety of films.
When Floyd Norman writes about animation, it’s well worth reading. He doesn’t sugarcoat the realities of what goes into making animation. His firsthand accounts of life at Disney when the original legends of the studio walked the halls are fascinating. The site is divided into short blog posts, longer stories, and gag drawings poking fun at the animation industry. No matter what kind of take on animation you’re in the mood for, Mr. Fun has something to keep you entertained.
