A. Film L.A. test

Based on my posting of the draft of Prod. UM45, Donald and Pluto, Jeff Watson has made a mosaic, " Mark Mayerson Style," of this film, and here it is! Thanks, Jeff! Jeff noted that there seemed to be some extra scenes in the beginning. Since these are all using the same background, it is my opinion that these are camera-cuts: within this (20 second) scene, there would be indications on the exposure sheets to move the camera abruptly to a new location, thereby giving the sense of a cut to a new scene. The animation just continues, the camera looking at a different spot... Note: I may not be able to do any posting before April 4th or so! Check back - who knows!

I notice that if one presses a Category Label, only a certain number of postings show up. So if you press "drafts," you'll see no further than the Pinocchio pages! So far, I have posted 46 shorts drafts and nine bits from features (single page to whole segments), so if you are interested in these, please check the Archives links on the right! Another note: after tomorrow I may not be able to post anything until April 3rd or 4th, by the way, as I'll be on a little trip. Tomorrow's posting will be pretty cool, though!

Two and a half months after the premiere of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, on March 11, 1938, Producer/Supervising Director Dave Hand issued this memo called DEADLINES. Of course, everybody in the animation business has gotten memos called this, but here is an insight into just how much was produced by the (now) famous animators at Disney's in the Golden Age. Fred Moore stands out as missing on this memo, but otherwise it is quite a list of top talent. (Bernard Garbutt animated?) Now, I do not remember when Disney changed to a 5-day work week, but let's say it was before this time: in this case Norm Ferguson had a weekly average of 35 feet, or 23 seconds 8 frames! Pretty high up we also find Fred Spencer, Frank Thomas and Bill Tytla, with 30 feet, or 20 seconds each. On the other end of the scale is Larry Clemmons with 10 feet or 6 seconds and 16 frames, followed by Ollie Johnston and Don Lusk with 12.5 feet or 8 seconds 8 frames each... Since the second page was a bit ha...

The Final Story Meeting on The Reluctant Dragon of 7/31/1940 gives us some insights that clear up some things, like the naming of Sir Giles. After this meeting, the film went in full production. Note also that the music was by Frank Churchill and Larry Morey (I believe Charles Wolcott also had a hand in the theme song), and not by Leigh Harline, though they wanted to get him to do it "if he is available." Børge Ring mentioned to me that the opening of our Anna & Bella basically was the same as the opening of The Reluctant Dragon, and that he only realized this recently. We read here that it was Kimball who actually scored this one, following a pass by Walt...

Here is the second part of the transcription of the 7/24/1940 story meeting on The Reluctant Dragon. Note throughout these pages how Walt's remarks show his understanding of, what the characters are thinking. He is quick to grab an idea out of the air thrown up by another fellow, even if the idea wasn't very precise, and making it work, making it fit the continuity. This is where "Walt was his own best story man," as we have heard so often...

As an example of the driving force that was Walt Disney, here is the first part of the notes to the 7/24/1940 story meeting on The Reluctant Dragon, from T. Hee's onion-skin originals. The following week would see the last meeting before animation was cast and animation began. So... Kaj Nielsen did concepts for the dragon's cave... I'd like to see those!

The first film to feature Donald Duck in a starring role, we find him as a plumber, with Pluto getting into scrapes with a magnet. Animated by Al Eugster, Shamus Culhane, Bill Roberts, Fred Spencer and Norm Ferguson, this short was directed by Ben Sharpsteen. Released 09/12/1936... Folks, I will do my best to find more quality stuff to put up here, please bear with me if I lapse a day once in a while...