The Little House

This is an unusual Disney short film from 1952. It brings to life the most rigid objects imaginable, buildings. I love the story and art direction, I’m not so sure how much fun it would be to animate a country house and city skyscrapers, call it a challenge. 

Les Clark, Marc Davis and Clair Weeks (who was also Marc’s Clean Up assistant) met that challenge, and by treating windows as eyes and the front door as nose and mouth they found a way to humanize architecture.

Mary Blair did a lot of beautiful color sketches, and the final art direction pretty much maintains Mary’s vision. 

The story about urban sprawl is based on the 1942 book with the same title, written and illustrated by Virginia Lee Burton.

It's interesting to compare the Blair sketch to the final background art.

Here is the youtube link to the film:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y881yjtFluy

Pesky Fauns

...could be the title of this illustration by Heinrich Kley. It's a little unsettling to see these Fauns treating the old Centaur so disrespectfully. Maybe the situation is part of a mythological story.
What is wonderful to observe is Kley's incredible knowledge of anatomy, and how he applies it to fantastical creatures. Half human-half horse or half human-half goat, his depictions always make us believe that if those things really existed, that's exactly what they would look like.
Most of Kley's fantasy drawings and paintings were  produced about one hundred years ago, but they sure don't look dated. Particularly for artists who draw animation, his body of work remains an important source of inspiration and influence.

Woolie, Tramp and the Rat

Woolie Reitherman was an expert in animating action sequences such as fights and chases.
In Lady & the Tramp he drew the street dogs as they threaten Lady before getting into a brawl with Tramp. But Woolie also animated the rat fight toward the end of the film.
I love what he once said in an interview about animating aggressive confrontations. He felt that among all the action involved there should be a moment or two of pause. The opponents freeze for a second to catch their breath or re-evaluate the tense situation.
I see this kind of stuff over and over again in wildlife films, where two lions battle furiously, then stop as they stare at each other. Then all of a sudden the altercation starts over again.
This is one of the reasons why good old Disney Animation feels so believable and engaging, the best footage is always based on observation of real life.
Now I sound like Eric Larson teaching us the philosophy of Disney Animation way back.

Woolie was a hell of an animator!

Drawings Disney/howardlowery.com

More Ollie

These photos were taken sometime during the early 1990s, when Ollie had invited friends and their families to ride on his model train. The tracks went around the house and beyond, and Ollie enjoyed sharing his hobby train regularly. Even Walt Disney stopped by sometime in the late 1950s for a test ride. I remember what a fun Saturday afternoon this was, riding the train and watching Ollie turn into a kid.

I am sitting at the end of the train, while Hans Bacher is trying to film the trip from a low camera angle.

A few key drawings from one of Ollie's last animation assignments. For Robin Hood he was mostly responsible for Prince John and Sir Hiss, but he animated other characters as well. Here Little John questions Robin Hood's philosophy: "You know something, Robin, I was just wondering. Are we good guys or bad guys? You know, I mean, our robbin' the rich to feed the poor."
Look at how light and delicate these drawings are. No animator's fight to achieve the right poses.
Pure intuition, that's why Ollie always had such an impressive output for footage. He got that from his mentor Fred Moore.

Happy Birthday, Ollie Johnston!

Photo by Mark Kirkland

This Halloween would have been Ollie's 102 birthday.
Even a few years before he died at age 95 he would say: "Gee, I never thought that I would get THAT old."
A young Ollie animated this scene of Brer Rabbit from Song of the South. Brer Baer shakes the rabbit's hand forcefully thinking they have come to a working agreement. Suddenly Brer Rabbit realizes that Brer Fox is approaching fast, and he knows he needs to get out of here.
Two seconds of animated gold! This scene hasn't been pencil-tested since the movie's production. Just imagine being Walt Disney, watching the rough animation and giving comments.
I just love Ollie's work, it's so intuitive and natural. He rocks my world.

Happy Halloween!

Images/ Disney and Heritage Auctions