Sunday, October 14, 2018

Xerox Color Models



These are not actual production cels. You might notice that most characters aren't depicted in their
established film colors. Disney used to have many color versions for an upcoming character painted on cels before making a final decision on what the final appearance should look like.

During the 1960s and 70s the color model department worked with rough xeroxed cels from drawings that showed early animation. Perhaps the first scene an animator had finished. Ink & Paint wanted to get a head start before the bulk of animated scenes hit their department. The chosen drawings weren't even cleaned up yet. A good full figure rough drawing by Milt Kahl was good enough to experiment with in terms of color.

For final production all rough drawings went through a process called "touch up". An assistant would erase construction and other loose lines so the character was presented in cleaner manner.
Of course some of us geeks prefer the looseness seen in the animators' first pass. Just look at the dynamic pose of King Leonidas from Bedknobs and Broomsticks!






These pre-production pieces cels are being offered at an upcoming Heritage auction.


8 comments:

  1. I love the vibrancy of the colors. They almost leap out of the paper!

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  2. I think that the yellow clothes in combination with the red cape emphasizes the dynamic pose of King Leonidas.

    The contrast between baby blue and pink of Marion dress was perhaps too much so the choice to clothe her in lilac and darker pink seems to be better.

    To turn the violet dress of medusa into a red one empasize her hair, her red lips and her hysterical and aggressive appearance.

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  3. Disney's Robin Hood will always be remembered for giving birth to the Furry Fandom

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    Replies
    1. Wait the Furry Fandom existing in the 1990same or 2010s ?.

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    2. Yes, the furry fandom existed since the 80s up to the present as we know it. A lot of furries credit Disney's Robin Hood for giving birth to the furry fandom.

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    3. Not to mention the underground/indie comics scene.

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  4. ooh! Lady Marian's dress is colored differently in the film

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