Prod. CM8 - The Picnic
 |  |  |  |
Released 10/23/30, this FINAL draft dated 9/13/30.
Animation by Dave Hand, Jack King, Charlie Byrne, Norm Ferguson, Dick Lundy, Johnny Cannon, Les Clark, Ben Sharpsteen, Tom Palmer, Wilfred Jackson, Jack Cutting and Frenchy de Trémaudan.
Found on the Treasures DVD Mickey Mouse in Black and White, Vol. 2 Disk 1 or on YouTube, though in very low quality here.
A cute little film, this is actually a landmark in animation history. "Can I bring Rover?" Little Rover is, of course, none other than Pluto! Fergy's scene 27 is often "quoted" when discussing the origins of this the most famous of cartoon canines.
It is very interesting to see the difference in drawing styles. Fergy tries to draw a dog and mostly does a very nice job. Compare this with e.g. Palmer's attempt in the final scene. It is a "funny cartoon balloon animal," a much more simplistic and symbolic way of drawing. Palmer, Cannon and Lundy seem not to be quite up to the standards that Walt was striving for during this period. Maybe this went for most anybody. Then again, with Ub Iwerks gone only some seven months before this film was animated, everything was up for grabs, in this for the studio so incredibly important yet oft forgotten period - and Fergy led the way.
Dave Hand starts off with some very clear simple statements in the very first scene (until it gets a little weird), but he also gets quite a bit of technical animation in this film, with cycles upon cycles. And don't you just love the sound effects during the rain pour? "Blubblubblub..."
We have seen the background to Jaxon's scenes 20 & 26 before, on Emil Flohri's desk in the first Hyperion Ave. studio in 1931!
Hans,
ReplyDeleteI've scoured your blog and the internet and still could not find the answer to this:
When did Disney stop using these standard classical style drafts?
(I assume they did so in the process of converting things over to the computer)
Follow up questions:
What do the studios use now and do they ever publicly publish them?
Thanks and my apologies for posting this here.
Hi Rodney - why apologize? I am just glad to hear from someone, as comments seem few and far between...
ReplyDeleteI do have some drafts for Oliver & Co. These were made in computer, and the format looks like the "standard classical style" Form M-92 or Form P-100 D (R-3) drafts, except the scenes use only as much space as needed, which makes them look more jumbled in a way. Some full pages have 15 scenes, others maybe only eight.
I believe that the original format was still used on the film before Oliver & Co., The Great Mouse Detective. I know for a fact that the person who sold me the feature drafts had that one. He sold it before I found him.
I did not get to see it, though: I asked the buyer when that was still possible, but he answered "I collect Sherlock Holmes, not Disney. I do not make copies. I do not expect to hear from you again." Nice person, eh?
Luckily this is one of only two times I have communicated with a person as charming as that - the other time was with an associate producer of a major US hand-drawn animated movie. (Yes, you know who you are! Shame on you!)
Anyway, I do not know if drafts were kept for any productions after Oliver & Co. I would think so, but I have never seen any. I would love to see them, though! Hope that answers your question!
I have actually found draft pages in that style for the opening 'Circle of Life' number from The Lion King.
ReplyDeleteNot only that I found a draft of a Disney feature from the 90s, but they also still used the term 'Music Room'.w
Yo voiceman91! Interesting! Any chance one could have a peek?
ReplyDelete