Here are two magnificent key animation drawings ( xeroxed copies) of King Louie from The Jungle Book by Milt Kahl. They represent the character's early version with small, beady eyes. Walt Disney eventually did ask Milt to enlarge the eyes...so he could see them better.
According to studio notes Walt liked and approved the early pencil animation Milt had produced. He thought the character really came to life.
It is possible that Ken Anderson applied Magic Marker colors to Milt's Louie drawings as a suggestion for an early color model.
On your Facebook page, I'd mentioned that Milt Kahl is responsible for my favourite Jungle Book moments i.e. Kaa falling out of a tree and getting tangled, Baloo accidentally shouting "BAGHEERA" in the panther's face, the introduction of the vultures ("Gee, Flaps, what are we gonna do?"/"I don't know. Whacha wanna do?").
ReplyDeleteThis is another bit of Kahl's work I love. Love that whole silly dance King Louie does when introducing himself to Mowgli. The handstand is a nice touch.