Check the Category Labels in the side-bar on the right! There you can find animator drafts for sixteen complete Disney features and eighty-five shorts, as well as Action Analysis Classes and many other vintage animation documents!
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Five years old today...
It had gone past me, though I meant to mark it: I have been blogging for five years, starting May 22nd, 2006!
(Thus the "today" in the title is somewhat misleading: I am actually posting this two days too late. Oh, well...)
Directed by Ham Luske, laid out by Charles Philippi. Assistant director Larry Lansburgh, secretary Ruth Wright. This final draft dated 9/22/49.
We continue George Rowley's bells from yesterday. Then Dan MacManus'clock striking twelve. Cindy and Prince by Les Clark. King and Duke by Norm Ferguson. Birds by Don Lusk.
That concludes the draft for Cinderella. With an eye on my usual disclaimer, we can say that the film does keep to a rather strict form for character casting, with few exceptions and few surprises. Still, i am glad to have been able to bring these to light here!
What's next? I really do not know. I am quite busy with the stop-motion movie i am directing. It may take a bit of time before I can get another large item up here. But I WILL be back soon, believe you me!
We start off this second installment of this sequence with Cindy by Les Clark, Lucifer most likely by Norm Ferguson (!) and mice by Woolie Reitherman and Marvin Woodward. Then a grouping of scenes with Lucifer, Gus and Jaq by Ward Kimball and Cliff Nordberg, interspersed with birds by Don Lusk, while Bruno and the Horse are animated by John Lounsbery.
Dissolve over 32 frames to Stepsisters by Ollie Johnston, Stepmother by Harvey Toombs, the Duke by Hal King with close-ups of the slipper by Ed Aardal. Milt Kahl takes over on the Duke, Ollie Johnston takes the lackey again, Norm Ferguson animates Bruno and the horse. Stepmother by Frank Thomas, and more mice by Woolie Reitherman and one more scene with them by Marvin Woodward. Slipper dissolves into George Rowley's wedding bells...
For those of you who wondered how we knew of Woolie's involvement in the mice's part in this finale, we remember that Frank and Ollie have this sequence on a double page spread in The Illusion of Life.
As to the horse - a few years ago I sang the song "Horse Sense" that was written for him and Bruno but not used in the movie. If that interests you, check out the books on Disney's Lost Chords written by the eminent Russell Schroeder!
[For early readers: excuse my forgetting page 128!]
Directed by Gerry Geronimi, laid out by Tom Codrick and Don Griffith. Assistant director Ted Sebern, secretary Marie Dasnoit. This final draft dated 11/3/49.
First part of this sequence. I need to spread it out a bit... Duke: Hal King, Harvey Toombs, Milt Kahl Mice: Marvin Woodward, Woolie Reitherman Stepmother: Frank Thomas, Harvey Toombs (Hand: George Rowley) Stepsisters & Lackey: Ollie Johnston Effects: Ed Aardal
The film seems to be in two parts: a Jackson/Luske beginning, and a Geronimi ending...
Directed by Gerry Geronimi, laid out by Tom Codrick and Don Griffith. Assistant director Ted Sebern, secretary Marie Dasnoit. This final draft dated 11/2/49.
Cindy: Les Clark Stepmother: Harvey Toombs, Frank Thomas Stepsisters: Ollie Johnston Mice: Marvin Woodward
At last we find that Ollie Johnston has something more substantial to sink his teeth into, sharing scenes with Frank Thomas. The first appearance in this draft of Marvin Woodward!
Prod. 2063 - Cinderella (XVI) - Seq. 4.2 - Duke Awakens the King
Directed by Gerry Geronimi, laid out by Don DaGradi, Tom Codrick and Don Griffith. Assistant director Ted Sebern, secretary Marie Dasnoit. A whole new production crew takes over. This final draft dated 11/1/49.
Duke by Frank Thomas, Norm Ferguson, Woolie Reitherman, Milt Kahl King by Woolie Reitherman, Norm Ferguson. Town square crowd by Josh Meador
A very enjoyable Duke by Frank. He must have enjoyed animating the caricatured Duke, as a contrast to his very realistic stepmother...
The auction has ended! Some thing didn't sell, some were cheap, some VERY expensive. Walt's note to Clair Weeks: $11,210. Sleeping Beauty cell & BG: $94,400!! Walt's letter to Ub Iwerks: $247,800...
That ends an amazing auction of great animation stuff. See the results on iCollector.com!
Directed by Ham Luske, laid out by Lance Nolley and Ken O'Connor. Assistant director Larry Lansburgh, secretary Ruth Wright. This final draft dated 11/25/49.
Cindy: Eric Larson, Marc Davis, Hugh Fraser Prince: Eric Larson, Marc Davis Duke: Frank Thomas, Hal King Footman: Judge Whitaker Mice: Phil Duncan, George Nicholas Horse & Bruno the Dog: Hugh Fraser Effects: George Rowley, Josh Meador
Interestingly, Frank and Ollie in their Illusion of Life show the model that layout man Ken O'Connor had made of the coach, which served as model for the animators. Certainly worth having a look at again.
Prod. 2063 - Cinderella (XIV) - Seq. 04.0 - King & Duke at Ball
Directed by Ham Luske, laid out by Charles Philippi and Lance Nolley. Assistant director Larry Lansburgh, secretary Ruth Wright. This final draft dated 11/22/49.
King and Duke by Milt Kahl, partly reissued to Hal Ambro (One scene of Duke by Frank Thomas) Cindy by Marc Davis Prince by Eric Larson and Les Clark Stepmother by Harvey Toombs Stepsisters by Judge Whitaker "Girls" by Les Clark Court Announcer by Fred Moore Crowd by Luske (Don Lusk again?) Curtain by George Rowley
Description: "Prince & Cinderella fall in love." Sort of says it all. Eric Larson's prince is well-drawn but rather stiff. Somewhere in between the prince in Snow White and Milt's Prince Philip in Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella's prince has very little business. A song and a dance - and a bit of yawning. Milt's King and Duke are, of course, excellent!
Yesterday's post disappeared for over a day as Blogger had severe maintenance problems. I am sorry about that, I couldn't help it. Anyway, I restored it, so happy reading!
Directed by Ham Luske, laid out by Ken O'Connor and Charles Philippi. Assistant director Larry Lansburgh, secretary Ruth Wright. This revised final draft dated 1/20/50.
After Cindy's total abjection, we prepare for her evil stepmother's comeuppance with great relish and a classic musical number, this time directed by Ham Luske and animated by: Cinderella: Marc Davis Fairy Godmother: Milt Kahl, Hal Ambro ("will co-animate") Mice: Fred Moore and (transfigurating) Don Lusk Reanimated pumpkin: George Rowley Horse & Dog: Hugh Fraser, John Lounsbery, Fred Moore, Jerry Hathcock - and incl. Birds: Luske. I guess this is Don Lusk. (Luske or Lusk - throughout Frank & Ollie's book "Too Funny For Words" they credit Don Lusk as Don Luske...)
Great, controlled animation by Milt Kahl and Marc Davis, based on stats, but knowing them, only for reference. George Rowley's pumpkin animation is a classic piece of effects animation. But for the actual credits on the transfiguration of the characters, there is nothing better than just looking at above pages - otherwise, however I try to write them, it still seems confusing to me.
Remember to check out Michael Sporn's great postings on Cinderella!
Again, if you can't find your DVD, I found this on YouTube:
Interested in animation since 1975, worked in Holland with Danish animator Børge Ring for four years (incl. on the Oscar-winning 'Anna & Bella'), then moved to Denmark in 1984.
Co-founder and co-owner since 1988 of A. Film, Europe's foremost animation studio, in business for ca. 30 years. We are the studio behind 'The Flight before Christmas', 'Help! I'm a Fish', 'Terkel in Trouble', 'Asterix and the Vikings', 'The Ugly Duckling and Me' and many more...
Currently the President and CEO of A. Film L.A., Inc. in Los Angeles, and director of "Miffy the Movie."
Though we are very involved in new techniques, I share a deep passion for Great Classical Animation with everyone at the studio; Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston's "Illusion of Life" is our bible.
