Pure Joy!

 

Here are a few items that ease my anxiety and frustration during covid lockdown.

They seemed heaven sent as we all need inspiration these days to get us out of our funk. The two Tex Avery Blu-ray volumes contain fantastic transfers of Avery's best cartoons. Very few animated films make me laugh out loud, these do constantly, no matter how many times I watch them.

My all time favorites: Bad Luck Blackie and King Size-Canary. 

The Sullivant book is finally here!! And is is magnificent...and big. 400 pages that show this master illustrator's work in chronological order. Also included are short essays by a few top cartoonists and scholars. You just have to get this book...end of sentence!

The 6 part book series by Didier Ghez titled They Drew as they Pleased is now complete. Disney's visual development artists finally get their due in these incredibly well researched volumes. Insightful information about their art as well as their lives. Needless to say the illustrations are breathtaking, most of them never been published before.

"Duchess...wherever have you been?"

This is an interesting animation drawing by Milt Kahl of the butler Edgar from The Aristocats. This scene was cut from the movie. It is my guess that Edgar is "welcoming" Duchess and her kittens back home after their long absence. This pose, as a full figure, also appears on the Edgar model sheet. This means that at least two of Milt's scenes were cut.

What ended up in the final film version is this scene. Edgar has just let the cats back inside the house, and in this close up he fakes a sense of relief to see them again. Milt has him overact on purpose, because Edgar is giving a performance here toward the cats.

Great perspective drawings, and that typical, subtle head shake between #45 and #51 (on ones). 

Duchess

DUchess

DucheSS

Wherever

whErever

whereEver

whereVer

wherevEr

hAve

yOU

Been

bEEn

beeN

 

The Tam O'Shanter

Here is another restaurant that was popular with Walt Disney and his artists, the Tam O'Shanter in Los Feliz, a short drive from the Disney Studios. The restaurant opened in the early 1920 and still operates today. These days only for food delivery and pick up until indoor dining will be possible again.

I love the sketch above showing Kimball and Disney dining at the Tam. Probably drawn by Walt Kelly.

Over the years I've had many terrific dinners there with Marc and Alice Davis (who's residence is very close by), Frank and Ollie, members of the Disney family and others. It is a very special place. 

 

2021