More artwork from 101 Dalmatians, particularly from story man Bill Peet. I still find it astounding that he singlehandedly storyboarded the entire film. Not only did he develop a perfect screenplay based on the book by Dodie Smith, but he also took care of cutting continuity, camera angles, character acting and posing and more. This film is perfection!
By the way, author Dodie Smith thought that the Disney version much improved her book. And that's a remarkable compliment from the original creator of those characters and their story.
101 Dalmatians was Marc Davis' favorite movie of all time (live action or animated.) Obviously he had the time of his life animating Cruella De Vil.
This is also the film that got Hans Bacher, art director and production designer extraordinaire, hooked on animation, when he saw it on its first release as a kid.
Not only was the author very happy with the movie, I remember reading that she had always hoped Walt Disney would make her book into a film.
ReplyDeleteAnd Bill Peet's work is truly remarkable. This movie is a gem.
Is it me or do I consider Dodie Smith the anti-P.L. Travers?
ReplyDeleteWell, I can't agree with Dodie Smith about the Walt Disney animated feature version being better than her original novel; all the elements present in the film are to be found within her endearing, and superbly well written story and then some. Bill Peet mostly simplified her tale to fit the feature film format. Having said this, I adore the film, and, just like Hans Bacher, it inspired me to work for Disney.
ReplyDeleteIf no one is collecting this material into a book, Andreas, please consider writing it yourself. I've been reading, and sometimes rereading, your previous books on animation, and they're astounding works of scholarship.
ReplyDeletePierre Lambert, if you're reading this, we need a 101 Dalmatians book!
ReplyDeleteSuch a gorgeous film! Loved how seamless the animated characters and backgrounds felt.
ReplyDeleteIt really is a beautiful film. But at the risk of sounding too critical, theres one thing that does bother me a little about Cruellas animation, as gorgeous as it is. Its her cheekbones...does anyone feel like they could have been placed better on her face? A lot of times they look very off to the side, almost where her ears would be, and it kind of flattens her face. In the pic above of her in bed, the storyboard has them placed a little more where youd expect them to be versus the animation drawing. I hate to question Marc Davis's drawings, but its something Ive noticed over the years and am a little confused by...anyone ever feel the same way or am I the one whos off?
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