Walt Disney Animation

DISNEY ANIMATION ART BROUGHT BACK TO LIFE

Who ever thought you’d be able to flip original Disney animation art—just as the master animators drew it, in pencil form—or purchase high-quality replicas of the first Disney artwork ever sold to the public? Both options are now available to one and all.

Wreck-It Ralph

I’m always rooting for a new Disney animated feature, and 'Wreck-It Ralph' gave me a lot to cheer for: a fresh concept and clever execution to match it. Animation veteran (but studio newcomer) Rich Moore has directed this feature with a sharp eye, but winning over both hearts and minds is a tall ord...

Brave—movie review

If you have kids, you’ll want to take them to 'Brave', and they’ll almost certainly have a good time. If you’re an animation buff, you may have quibbles with the film, which looks great but isn’t up to Pixar’s high standards in terms of story. That’s the problem with creating so many innovative and ...

Animated Jazz—And More

Gordon Goodwin is a talented musician, composer, arranger—and animation buff. Years ago he got to score a pencil-test scene called “The Bedroom Argument” that was cut from 'Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs' and unearthed for a laserdisc release of the film; you can see (and hear) it now on YouTube. H...

Animation Marvels—In Print And On DVD

A spectacular new book about Ray Harryhausen is cause for celebration—but more about that later. The estimable Mr. H was inspired to pursue his art, and craft, by the films he saw as a boy, especially The Lost World (1925) and King Kong (1933). But the man who created the stunning animation in those films, Willis O’Brien, wasn’t the only person experimenting with the wonders of stop-motion. Steve Stanchfield, Stewart McKissick and Ken Priebe at Thunderbean Animation have compiled a dizzying DVD collection of rare short subjects appropriately titled Stop-Motion Marvels! and it’s a must for anyone interested in this f...

A Disney Artist Comes Into Her Own

Drawn to Life: 20 Golden Years of Disney Master Classes

by Walt Stanchfield; edited by Don Hahn