Well well well...you have solved a mystery (to me) of many long years.
Many years ago, in first year animation at Sheridan, Bill Matthews gave us a some handouts. I kept them all this time, because they had some of the best info ever on layout. No other books showed some of these things. I always wondered where they came from. (Should have asked Bill, i've had enough opportunity over the years) I always thought they were from The Art of Walt Disney by Feild, but no. I refer to the plates, I haven't seen the typewritten pages before, or heard of the book by Haas. Nice to know you can learn something even at this stage in the career. Thanks, hans, I owe you a drink some day.
Mickey Cuts Up was directed by Burt Gillett and released 11/30/1931. It is found on Disney Treasures DVD: Mickey Mouse in Black & White Volume 1 disc 1. You may still find it here on YouTube. Have a look, if you need a clearer understanding of the following documents! Gillett left some documents pertaining Mickey Cuts Up behind, and I would like here to show a few of these that I recently lucked into. It is interesting to speculate in which order these were written - they seem to all be in Gillett's own handwriting and would probably date to late August or early September 1931. First we have two pages, numbered 1 & 2, with ideas linked to names, Otto and Webb, which to me seems to mean that the ideas were originally thought out by either Otto Englander or Webb Smith. There are interesting ideas that did not make the film - they are crossed out: "mower bumps up and down on hedge - trick cuts." Some were not crossed out and made it in the film: "Cuts down tre...
This just in from Børge Ring. It is not a Disney item, but fun, nonetheless: William Littlejohn animated Lucy and Snoopy for Melendez on the PEANUTS series and recounted: "At one time Charles Schultz (the author of the comic strip) complained: "You guys make a mistake when you animate Charlie Brown. You change the placement of his nose when his head turns from profile to front view!" "No Charlie...the change is YOURS!" "Ah...come on fellers, I know my own characters!" They invited him down to the studio, set him up in the attic at a lightbox and said: "Draw a Charlie Brown in profile and one where he looks into the camera. Then draw three stages in between the two where his head turns." At 7 o'clock that evening, when everybody was having beers and playing pool, a tired Schulz came down the stairs, jacket slung over the shoulder. He stopped briefly to say: "OK, you guys. You win..."
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 h...
Hans,
ReplyDeleteWell well well...you have solved a mystery (to me) of many long years.
Many years ago, in first year animation at Sheridan, Bill Matthews gave us a some handouts. I kept them all this time, because they had some of the best info ever on layout. No other books showed some of these things. I always wondered where they came from. (Should have asked Bill, i've had enough opportunity over the years) I always thought they were from The Art of Walt Disney by Feild, but no.
I refer to the plates, I haven't seen the typewritten pages before, or heard of the book by Haas. Nice to know you can learn something even at this stage in the career. Thanks, hans, I owe you a drink some day.