A mix of Bill Peet and Vance Gerry sketches that show personality and environment exploration for The Sword in the Stone. I love Peet's sketch above of Merlin as he takes a nap in a Kem Weber studio chair...wearing tennis shoes. An early indication that Peet's approach and interpretation of T. H. White's book would be irreverent.
It's interesting to note that Peet stated he based his designs of Merlin on Walt Disney. Milt Kahl, who came up with Merlin's final design, denies referencing his boss in his work.
A great Peet sketch of Wart, which served as inspiration for Milt's more stylized design.
The liberties you can take in animation! Archimedes, the owl, could never sit on Merlin's hat like this because of his weight, but who cares? It looks believable in the film.
The following four sketches are the work of Vance Gerry, who could draw and develop just about anything for a Disney film.
http://andreasdeja.blogspot.com/2016/12/more-on-milts-merlin.html
Thanks again, Andreas!
ReplyDeleteI love this movie and feel it's a bit under-appreciated ...
I love Bill Peet's work here. I would like to point out that Merlin wearing tennis shoes is completely in spirit with The Once and Future King books. Merlin experiences his centuries-long life backwards, allowing for the entire book series to be replete with (often humorous) anachronisms. As far as tone goes, few would be as perfect a match for TH White's material than Peet. The Disney adaptation of course lacks the original's political and philosophical ruminations, with its heavy WWII subtext, but I still love the film. I kind of wish the series would get another 2D animated adaptation that explored those heavier themes as well as the lighter ones – not unlike what Miyazaki does with his movies.
ReplyDeleteI cannot for the life of me decide whose Merlin I like better, Peet or Kahl's.
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ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing these wonderful visual development sketches from The Sword in the Stone. It’s always fascinating to see the creative process behind classic animated films and how early concept artwork contributes to the final look and feel of a production. The sketches showcase remarkable attention to detail, expressive character design, and imaginative storytelling that continue to inspire artists today. I especially enjoy seeing how different ideas evolve during development, giving readers a deeper appreciation for the amount of work involved in animation. Posts like this provide valuable insight into artistic techniques, visual exploration, and the history of animation. They are a great resource for anyone interested in drawing, design, or creative storytelling. It’s also interesting how passionate communities gather around shared interests, exchanging ideas and inspiration in much the same way people connect through platforms like 99 exch Thank you for preserving and sharing these behind-the-scenes materials, as they offer a unique glimpse into the creative journey that helped bring such memorable characters and stories to life.
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ReplyDeleteThis post provides a fascinating glimpse into the visual development process behind animation. Seeing concept work and creative exploration helps readers understand the effort that goes into bringing animated stories to life. The artistic details and design choices showcased here are both educational and inspiring. Creative professionals and animation fans can learn a great deal from behind-the-scenes content like this. Artistic communities often appreciate opportunities to study the development process, and platforms like vlbook help connect people with similar interests. Overall, this is an insightful and inspiring look at animation artistry.
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