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.
This is an impressive glimpse into the creative process behind visual development. The artwork, concepts, and design insights reveal the dedication required to bring animated worlds to life. I especially enjoyed seeing how ideas evolve from early concepts into memorable visuals. Content like this is inspiring for artists, designers, and animation enthusiasts alike. Even when taking breaks on platforms such as laser247, discovering creative posts like this is always rewarding and educational.
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