Holiday Greetings

This little (actually tiny) sketch is an outtake from a musical montage sequence in the film where we see Sarah and Mushka bond. This was sketch A, sketch B showed the tiger pushing Sarah into a deep snow bank in revenge.

The situation didn't make the cut, but I am happy to say that the sequence is completely animated to a stunning Sherman tune.

Bernard Garbutt Bird Sketches

Disney animal expert Bernard Garbutt has a sensational sense for observation. There isn't a creature he couldn't draw well. Here are pages from his sketchbook showing a variety of birds, sketched at a country fair in the early 1940s. This stuff is soo good!

More on Garbutt here:

http://andreasdeja.blogspot.com/2012/02/bernard-garbutt.html

Moore/Gauguin

Heritage Auctions continues to offer absolutely stunning, rare animation art, and I look forward to each new selection of artwork. I wished I would have made a bid on the piece pictured above. At first glance it looks like one of many Fred Moore girl sketches. When I took a closer look, I couldn't help but be reminded of a painting by French painter Paul Gauguin. Call me crazy to make this connection, but Moore's fully bodied proportions as well as his choice of color just might have been inspired by this Gauguin painting depicting two Tahitian women.
I understand that Fred was not interested in art history or attending art classes at Disney for that matter. But look at the girl's expression. Her mood is serious and reflective like the woman on the right in Gauguin's painting. The color palette is very similar to the woman on the left.
Fred just might have seen this Gauguin painting in an art book.

Sword in the Stone Art

Toward the end of the year, here is another post featuring artwork from Disney's The Sword in the Stone. I love this beautifully crafted book which was created for the beginning of the film, as its opening pages begin to introduce the film's story.

The following story sketches by Bill Peet show again how closely the final production followed Peet's lead. Simple and so effective.

A couple of cel set ups from the film. The first one is an Ollie Johnston scene, the second one is by John Lounsbery.

Bill Peet's concepts of Wart in his oversized royal outfit.

A couple of great Milt Kahl rough drawings depicting the same scenario on a color model cel.

Here are links to a couple of previous posts about this film:

http://andreasdeja.blogspot.com/2011/11/wart-future-king-of-england.html

http://andreasdeja.blogspot.com/2011/12/sword-in-stone-christmas.html

...From Walt Disney and Staff

Walt Disney Productions' Christmas cards were often very beautiful. The artwork was produced by the studio's animators, designers and background artists. Usually the main illustration showed what production played in movie theaters that season, or what could be expected in the following year.
The card above with a great Small World image on the inside was sent out in 1966, Walt had just passed away.

A few favorites covering one decade.

More Bambi Art

Bambi is one of those films that might have ended up mediocre if it wasn't for the fact that everybody involved in this production was a top notch artist. All that realism Walt Disney called for could have resulted in a boring, stilted movie. Yet it turned out to be one of Disney's most elegant, poetic and best animated films.
Just look at Mar Davis' quick sketches of real deer! That anatomical knowledge enabled him to produce story sketches with the right degree of caricature and personality.

A beautiful study, possibly by Tyrus Wong. Image Heritage Auctions.

Layout and background artists became experts in staging and lighting scenes.

A publicity sketch, possibly by Frank Thomas.

Just like in Jungle Book decades later, the film's story is extremely simple. That meant that art direction and the personality animation needed to be extraordinary to keep audiences involved and spellbound.

The Disney Style

It is interesting to see how the visual approach in Walt Disney's animated films changed over the years. From Snow White's romantic realism to graphic sophistication in Sword in the Stone.
As you might know, Disney himself preferred the soft, rounded representation of his characters. But he also knew that his artists wanted to experiment, so he "tolerated" short films like Toot, Whistle, Plunk and Boom. Marc Davis told me once that he believes Walt didn't care much for experimental films like Pigs is Pigs or Paul Bunyan, but he knew his artists needed to get this modern stuff out of their system.
As far as character styling, Milt Kahl said, he believes there WAS NO Disney style. "We drew eyes and hands a certain way that was the most effective, that got the best results." At the same time Milt would also state that he WAS the Disney style, as it changed over the years. "I had more to do with that than anybody at the studio." Art directors like Eyvind Earle, Ken Anderson and Walt Peregoy backed up Milt's drive for graphic change.
Personally, I am fond of both styles. And I think that my film Mushka is influenced by one and the other.

Images, Heritage Auctions

Dalmatians Mix

 

Here is a small selection of various art from 101 Dalmatians. This was Disney's first animated feature set in a modern, contemporary setting, and you can see a sense of excitement and experimentation in the artists' work. The image above from the film's opening sequence shows what animation does best,
a terrific personality idea presented in clear, fresh graphic form.

Ken Anderson came up with these character two doodles.

A few examples of Bill Peet's extraordinary story sketches, beautifully staged and full of personality.

These illustrations appeared in a children's book that was published around the film's release.
I love the restricted two-tone approach to the paintings.

Some of Frank Thomas' early studies which show his attempt at giving human emotions to a Dalmatian.

The official studio stationary which announced the arrival of a whole new (and different) Disney animated film. One of the best motion pictures ever made, in my opinion.