It was a night of firsts at the Oscars, at least in the animated shorts category.
As predicted, Pixar Animation Studio's Inside Out won the Oscar statuette for Best Animated Feature, beating out Starburns Industries’ Anomalisa, directed by Charlie Kaufman and Duke Johnson and produced by Rosa Tran; Brazilian independent feature Boy and the World, directed by Alê Abreu; Aardman’s Shaun the Sheep Movie, directed by Mark Burton and Richard Starzak; and Studio Ghibli’s When Marnie Was There, directed by Hiromasa Yonebayashi and produced by Yoshiaki Nishimura.
Director Pete Docter and producer Jonas Riveras accepted the award with inspiring words to all kids out who feel conflicted by their inner thoughts. It marks the eighth time in nine years that a Walt Disney Company film has won the animated feature Academy Award. Toy Story's Sheriff Woody and Buzz Lightyear made the announcement.
Gabriel Osorio and Pato Escala’s CG film Bear Story topped the short animation category, which also included Prologue by Richard Williams and Imogen Sutton, Sanjay’s Super Team by Sanjay Patel and Nicole Grindle, We Can’t Live without Cosmos by Konstantin Bronzit, and World of Tomorrow by Don Hertzfeldt.
Director Gabriel Osorio, accepted the Oscar from... The Minions (!?). The film claims a number of firsts, including the first-ever win for a Chilean film at the Academy Awards, as well as the first time a film from Latin America has won the animated short category.
Bear Story’s tale of a bear separated from his wife and son is a political allegory about the way that families were torn apart under Chile’s notorious dictator Augusto Pinochet. Osorio acknowledged the film’s subtext during his acceptance speech when he dedicated the film to his grandfather and “all the people like him who had suffered in exile. We really hope that this must never happen again.”
On the visual effects side, Ex Machina took home Oscar gold, beating out the VFX teams from Mad Max: Fury Road, The Martian, The Revenant and box office juggernaut Star Wars: The Force Awakens. The Academy Award for visual effects was shared by Andrew Whitehurst, Paul Norris, Mark Ardington, and Sara Bennett. Bennettt is a co-founder of Milk VFX, which provided the film’s vfx along with Double Negative, Utopia, and Web FX. She is only the third woman ever nominated in the category, and the second woman to win the Oscar for visual effects in the 86-year-history of the category, which was earlier labelled the special effects category.
The last woman who was nominated in the visual effects category was Pamela Easley for her work on the 1993 movie Cliffhanger.
Congratulations to all the winners!
The full list of nominees and winners is shown below:
Performance by an actor in a leading role
Bryan Cranston in Trumbo
Matt Damon in The Martian
Leonardo DiCaprio in The Revenant -- WINNER
Michael Fassbender in Steve Jobs
Eddie Redmayne in The Danish Girl
Performance by an actor in a supporting role
Christian Bale in The Big Short
Tom Hardy in The Revenant
Mark Ruffalo in Spotlight
Mark Rylance in Bridge of Spies -- WINNER
Sylvester Stallone in Creed
Performance by an actress in a leading role
Cate Blanchett in Carol
Brie Larson in Room -- WINNER
Jennifer Lawrence in Joy
Charlotte Rampling in 45 Years
Saoirse Ronan in Brooklyn
Performance by an actress in a supporting role
Jennifer Jason Leigh in The Hateful Eight
Rooney Mara in Carol
Rachel McAdams in Spotlight
Alicia Vikander in The Danish Girl -- WINNER
Kate Winslet in Steve Jobs
Best animated feature film of the year
Anomalisa -- Charlie Kaufman, Duke Johnson and Rosa Tran
Boy and the World -- Alê Abreu
Inside Out -- Pete Docter and Jonas Rivera -- WINNER
Shaun the Sheep Movie -- Mark Burton and Richard Starzak
When Marnie Was There -- Hiromasa Yonebayashi and Yoshiaki Nishimur
Achievement in cinematography
Carol -- Ed Lachman
The Hateful Eight -- Robert Richardson
Mad Max: Fury Road -- John Seale
The Revenant -- Emmanuel Lubezki -- WINNER
Sicario -- Roger Deakins
Achievement in costume design
Carol -- Sandy Powell
Cinderella -- Sandy Powell
The Danish Girl -- Paco Delgado
Mad Max: Fury Road -- Jenny Beavan -- WINNER
The Revenant -- Jacqueline West
Achievement in directing
The Big Short -- Adam McKay
Mad Max: Fury Road -- George Miller
The Revenant -- Alejandro G. Iñárritu -- WINNER
Room -- Lenny Abrahamson
Spotlight -- Tom McCarthy
Best documentary feature
Amy -- Asif Kapadia and James Gay-Rees -- WINNER
Cartel Land -- Matthew Heineman and Tom Yellin
The Look of Silence -- Joshua Oppenheimer and Signe Byrge Sørensen
What Happened, Miss Simone? -- Liz Garbus, Amy Hobby and Justin Wilkes
Winter on Fire: Ukraine’s Fight for Freedom -- Evgeny Afineevsky and Den Tolmor
Best documentary short subject
Body Team 12 -- David Darg and Bryn Mooser
Chau, beyond the Lines -- Courtney Marsh and Jerry Franck
Claude Lanzmann: Spectres of the Shoah -- Adam Benzine
A Girl in the River: The Price of Forgiveness -- Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy -- WINNER
Last Day of Freedom -- Dee Hibbert-Jones and Nomi Talisman
Achievement in film editing
The Big Short -- Hank Corwin
Mad Max: Fury Road -- Margaret Sixel -- WINNER
The Revenant -- Stephen Mirrione
Spotlight -- Tom McArdle
Star Wars: The Force Awakens -- Maryann Brandon and Mary Jo Markey
Best foreign language film of the year
Embrace of the Serpent -- Colombia
Mustang -- France
Son of Saul -- Hungary -- WINNER
Theeb -- Jordan
A War -- Denmark
Achievement in makeup and hairstyling
Mad Max: Fury Road -- Lesley Vanderwalt, Elka Wardega and Damian Martin -- WINNER
The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed out the Window and Disappeared -- Love Larson and Eva von Bahr
The Revenant -- Siân Grigg, Duncan Jarman and Robert Pandini
Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original score)
Bridge of Spies -- Thomas Newman
Carol -- Carter Burwell
The Hateful Eight -- Ennio Morricone -- WINNER
Sicario -- Jóhann Jóhannsson
Star Wars: The Force Awakens -- John Williams
Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original song)
“Earned It” from Fifty Shades of Grey
Music and Lyric by Abel Tesfaye, Ahmad Balshe, Jason Daheala Quenneville and Stephan Moccio
“Manta Ray” from Racing Extinction
Music by J. Ralph and Lyric by Antony Hegarty
“Simple Song #3” from Youth
Music and Lyric by David Lang
“Til It Happens to You” from The Hunting Ground
Music and Lyric by Diane Warren and Lady Gaga
“Writing’s On the Wall” from Spectre
Music and Lyric by Jimmy Napes and Sam Smith
Best motion picture of the year
The Big Short -- Brad Pitt, Dede Gardner and Jeremy Kleiner, Producers
Bridge of Spies -- Steven Spielberg, Marc Platt and Kristie Macosko Krieger, Producers
Brooklyn -- Finola Dwyer and Amanda Posey, Producers
Mad Max: Fury Road -- Doug Mitchell and George Miller, Producers
The Martian -- Simon Kinberg, Ridley Scott, Michael Schaefer and Mark Huffam, Producers
The Revenant -- Arnon Milchan, Steve Golin, Alejandro G. Iñárritu, Mary Parent and Keith Redmon, Producers
Room -- Ed Guiney, Producer
Spotlight -- Michael Sugar, Steve Golin, Nicole Rocklin and Blye Pagon Faust, Producers -- WINNER
Achievement in production design
Bridge of Spies -- Production Design: Adam Stockhausen; Set Decoration: Rena DeAngelo and Bernhard Henrich
The Danish Girl -- Production Design: Eve Stewart; Set Decoration: Michael Standish
Mad Max: Fury Road -- Production Design: Colin Gibson; Set Decoration: Lisa Thompson -- WINNER
The Martian -- Production Design: Arthur Max; Set Decoration: Celia Bobak
The Revenant -- Production Design: Jack Fisk; Set Decoration: Hamish Purdy
Best animated short film
Bear Story -- Gabriel Osorio and Pato Escala -- WINNER
Prologue -- Richard Williams and Imogen Sutton
Sanjay’s Super Team -- Sanjay Patel and Nicole Grindle
We Can’t Live without Cosmos -- Konstantin Bronzit
World of Tomorrow -- Don Hertzfeldt
Best live action short film
Ave Maria -- Basil Khalil and Eric Dupont
Day One -- Henry Hughes
Everything Will Be Okay (Alles Wird Gut) -- Patrick Vollrath
Shok -- Jamie Donoughue
Stutterer -- Benjamin Cleary and Serena Armitage -- WINNER
Achievement in sound editing
Mad Max: Fury Road -- Mark Mangini and David White -- WINNER
The Martian -- Oliver Tarney
The Revenant -- Martin Hernandez and Lon Bender
Sicario -- Alan Robert Murray
Star Wars: The Force Awakens -- Matthew Wood and David Acord
Achievement in sound mixing
Bridge of Spies -- Andy Nelson, Gary Rydstrom and Drew Kunin
Mad Max: Fury Road -- Chris Jenkins, Gregg Rudloff and Ben Osmo -- WINNER
The Martian -- Paul Massey, Mark Taylor and Mac Ruth
The Revenant -- Jon Taylor, Frank A. Montaño, Randy Thom and Chris Duesterdiek
Star Wars: The Force Awakens -- Andy Nelson, Christopher Scarabosio and Stuart Wilson
Achievement in visual effects
Ex Machina -- Andrew Whitehurst, Paul Norris, Mark Ardington and Sara Bennett -- WINNER
Mad Max: Fury Road -- Andrew Jackson, Tom Wood, Dan Oliver and Andy Williams
The Martian -- Richard Stammers, Anders Langlands, Chris Lawrence and Steven Warner
The Revenant -- Rich McBride, Matthew Shumway, Jason Smith and Cameron Waldbauer
Star Wars: The Force Awakens -- Roger Guyett, Patrick Tubach, Neal Scanlan and Chris Corbould
Adapted screenplay
The Big Short -- Screenplay by Charles Randolph and Adam McKay -- WINNER
Brooklyn -- Screenplay by Nick Hornby
Carol -- Screenplay by Phyllis Nagy
The Martian -- Screenplay by Drew Goddard
Room -- Screenplay by Emma Donoghue
Original screenplay
Bridge of Spies -- Written by Matt Charman and Ethan Coen & Joel Coen
Ex Machina -- Written by Alex Garland
Inside Out -- Screenplay by Pete Docter, Meg LeFauve, Josh Cooley; Original story by Pete Docter, Ronnie del Carmen
Spotlight -- Written by Josh Singer & Tom McCarthy -- WINNER
Straight Outta Compton -- Screenplay by Jonathan Herman and Andrea Berloff; Story by S. Leigh Savidge & Alan Wenkus and Andrea Berloff
The Emmy Award-winning quirky, popular Disney XD animated series Gravity Falls will reach its final showdown with a highly anticipated one-hour series finale episode that will air Monday February 15th (7:00 p.m., EST/PT).
Gravity Falls is coming to an end — a decision made by the show’s creator, Alex Hirsch.
“There’s no easy way to say it so I’m just going to say it: Gravity Falls is coming to an end,” Hirsch wrote on his Tumblr.
“Gravity Falls” creator Alex Hirsch. (Photo by Greg De Stefano.)
“The first thing to know is that the show isn't being cancelled [in any way],” the frequently-flanneled series creator Alex Hirsch wrote on his Tumblr. “It’s being finished. This is 100% my choice, and it[’]s something I decided on a very long time ago. I always designed Gravity Falls to be a finite series about one epic summer- a series with a beginning, middle, and end. There are so many shows that go on endlessly until they lose their original spark, or mysteries that are cancelled before they ever get a chance to payoff.”
Hirsch has promised fans that these last episodes are leading to a finale that will answer some, but not all, questions about the show’s mysteries.
“I wanted Gravity Falls to have a mystery that had a real answer, an adventure that had a real climax, and an ending that had a real conclusion for the characters I care so much about,” the 30-year-old CalArts graduate wrote. “This is very unusual in television and a pretty big experiment, and Disney for their part has been enormously supportive. I know that hits are rare in this business, and its hard to let one of them go, so I’m so grateful that this company has had the vision to let me start (and end) the show the way I always wanted to.”
Disney XD released its own statement confirming the show’s end saying:
“Alex Hirsch had a masterful plan for the stories and characters of Gravity Falls and, through 40 episodes and 17 shorts, he and a team of outstanding writers, artists and actors consistently delivered an inspired and unique story. Alex made the decision to conclude the story at this time, and while we’re disappointed we all won’t have the opportunity to explore more of the Gravity Falls world, we respect his creative vision.”
Hirsch has left the door open for future Gravity Falls revivals, writing, “[J]ust because I’ve finished the story I wanted to tell doesn’t necessarily mean we will never see Dipper, Mabel, & Stan again. It means that this chapter is closed, and that I, at least for now, am personally done telling their story.”
He has not announced a new project, but encourages his fans to follow him on Twitter for future news.
Gravity Falls ‘Weirdmageddon 3: Take Back The Falls’
In the episode titled "Weirdmageddon 3: Take Back The Falls," Ford discovers Bill's true motives and then a final confrontation with Bill leads to the family's ultimate fate and greatest sacrifice. Starring Jason Ritter ("Parenthood") as Dipper and Kristen Schaal ("The Last Man on Earth") as Mabel, the animated adventure-comedy series was created and is executive-produced by Alex Hirsch. The series will continue to be presented daily on Disney XD and Disney Channels around the world.
Disney Publishing will release the official Gravity Falls: Journal 3 that appears within the TV series and is an integral part of the "Gravity Falls" story, in July 2016.
Additionally, celebrating the series finale, a half-hour program introducing exclusive facts about the series, featuring special commentary from Hirsch and hosted by "Gravity Falls" character Time Baby, will air Monday February 8th (8:00 p.m., EST/PT) on Disney XD.
And finally, Disney XD will present a 68-hour marathon of Gravity Falls episodes beginning Friday February 12th (11:00 p.m., ET/PT). The new interactive game Gravity Falls: Take Back The Falls, allowing players to help Dipper and Mabel save the world, will launch on WATCH Disney XD in mid-February.
Since its premiere in June 2012, Gravity Falls has captivated millions of kids and families with its comedic storytelling, unique mysteries and beloved characters. In the U.S., it is the #1 series in Disney XD's history in total viewers and all target kid and boy demographics, and accounts for the network's Top 10 regular animated-series telecasts of all time in Kids 6-11 and the Top 6 in Boys 6-11. In addition to two Emmy Awards, the series won this year's Children's British Academy of Film and Television Award (BAFTA) and has garnered two Annie Awards.
Inspired by Hirsch's real-life adventures with his twin sister, Gravity Falls follows twin brother and sister Dipper and Mabel Pines on an adventure of a lifetime when they spend the summer with their great uncle, Grunkle Stan, in the mysterious town of Gravity Falls, Oregon.
In addition to Ritter and Schaal, Gravity Falls stars Hirsch as Grunkle Stan and Soos, and Linda Cardellini as Wendy. The recurring cast includes J.K. Simmons as Ford, Will Forte as Tyler the Cute Biker, Jennifer Coolidge as Lazy Susan, Stephen Root as Bud Gleeful, T.J. Miller as Robbie, Gregg Turkington as Toby Determined, Kevin Michael Richardson as Sheriff Blubs, Keith Ferguson as Deputy Durland and Thurop Van Orman as Li'l Gideon Gleeful. Renowned guest stars throughout the series' two seasons have included Neil deGrasse Tyson, Nick Offerman, Larry King, Nathan Fillion, Alfred Molina, Patton Oswalt, Lance Bass, Coolio and John Oliver. Gravity Falls is produced by Disney Television Animation, and carries a TV-Y7 parental guideline.
I can't believe I'm saying this, as a fan of Gravity Falls, but I like this idea. A show like Gravity Falls, one with an ongoing storyline building toward a designated finale, isn't meant to go on and on forever. In fact, I think Western animation needs more of this-- more limited-format series that tell in-depth stories. I hate it when a good cartoon goes on until it inevitably sucks hard enough to get cancelled for low ratings. I hate how that's the usual intent for shows in this country. I love Hirsch for fighting the system. I figured it would end now, considering the events in recent episodes. While I'm sad to see it go, I admire Hirsch's decision to stop the show while it's still in it's prime and not drag it out.
I love Gravity Falls. Alex Hirsch ran with the opportunity given to him to make one of the best animated series we've seen on Disney. And he did it his way. I would like to thank Alex Hirsch and everyone else involved for making such a great and phenomenal series. It will be missed. Whether he comes back with the Pine family, or another project with a whole set of new characters, I know it will be awesome. It's been a wild ride, and I'm looking forward to his return after a nice deserved break and what's next for Hirsch's team. Godspeed Alex!
The concept Ollie Johnston (1912-2008) had for Pinocchio's personality was that of a well-meaning, naive little boy:
"All he wanted to do is please his father Geppetto, but his lack of life experiences got him into trouble. After all, he had just been born." The sequence in the film when Pinocchio comes to life was animated by Ollie, but Fred Moore still lent a hand when appeal and drawing needed to be strengthened.
A young Ollie animated this scene of Brer Rabbit from Song of the South. Brer Bear 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.
Ollie got the chance to show his talent for comedic timing in the Sleepy Hollow section of The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad. Here are two animation roughs of Ichabod.
Layout and compositional study by Ollie.
Working on the title character of the film Alice in Wonderland meant a shift for Ollie Johnston from broad animated types like Susie the Little Blue Coupe to a more finessed and realistic style of animation. Live-action reference was filmed to provide a basis for the animators' work. Ollie found this method somewhat restrictive because the main acting choices were made by actress Kathryn Beaumont. But there were scenes that did call for the animator's imagination.
The dog characters in Lady and the Tramp required the kind of realistic approach in terms of their movements not seen since Bambi. These canines needed to walk and run with real weight. Lady and the Tramp is a sincere love story, making simple cartoony designs out of place.
Ollie did scenes with mostly Trusty, the old bloodhound. Ollie sympathized with this warm, grandfatherly type, who had lost his sense of smell. Trusty's very loose skin gave the animators the opportunity to show these folds in overlapping actions, particularly in dialogue scenes. Ollie applied strong squash and stretch to Trusty's face which not only adds age, but it is simply fun to watch.
In "Sleeping Beauty" when it came time to create a wedding dress for Aurora, it was Flora who insisted on taking on this challenge. She only needed Merryweather as a model.
We all know how well that turned out. I love the dialogue between the two.
Merryweather: "It looks awful!" Flora: "That's because it's on you, dear."
The pencil test shows two scenes from "Sleeping Beauty" in continuity.
The first scene was animated by Ollie, the second by Frank.
Acting and drawing are so utterly convincing, completely alive!
Ollie stages his scene very clearly, three characters interacting, but the focus is on Flora's finger. And Frank's close up of Merryweather shows a mood change with stunning subtleties.
The way her head anticipates ever so slightly the word "frost".
This is the kind of stuff that still brings me to my knees....
By the time he gets into animation for the movie The Aristocats, his drawings of the geese Amelia and Abigail Gabble become more solid, and the acting is terrific.
This lovely sketch by Ollie Johnston shows scene continuity and staging for the introduction of Prince John and Sir Hiss in the film "Robin Hood". It is based on original storyboards, which were done by artists like Ken Anderson, Vance Gerry and Dave Michener among others.
But before Don Griffith and his layout team would start working on the the background scenery, Ollie took a last look at the story sketches, intending to improve and refine the continuity and bring out the characters' personality. He would always use his pencil very lightly, but draw fast.
Disney's next generation of animators got involved in this stage of production as a group.
They had long meetings in which storyboards were scrutinized. Present were the directors, key layout and story people and the supervising animators. Everybody was encouraged to come up with ideas that would plus what we saw in the storyboards. After all changes and improvements were made, so called "Work Books" were printed out as a final guide to the animators, layout and background artists.
If you compare Ollie's sketch to the final film, you'll find out that he pretty much stuck with what he had planned out in his "Work Book" pages.
Most of the personality scenes with the albatross Orville from the film The Rescuers were animated by Ollie Johnston. This is an interesting character, he is pilot and airplane all in one. Jim Jordan’s voice brought a confidence to the character despite his questionable flying maneuvers.
For Orville’s take offs and landings Ollie used some live action footage as reference for his animation.
The Disney 1952 documentary Water Birds included scenes of an albatross’s awkward attempts to get airborne as well as his crash landings.
Ollie Johnston animated this scene with Penny and Rufus, the old cat.
Penny is staged back view, and we don't see her face, but her body language signals resigned sadness very clearly. Rufus approaches her from screen right and tries to offer some comfort.
One character in need of affection, the other one intending to help emotionally.
In this clip of Disney Family Albums, Ollie Johnston talks about Walt Disney and The Jungle Book.
I love the staging in these roughs of Willie the Giant.
He looks scary and funny at the same time.
More of John Lounsbery (1911-1976), this work is undisputedly brilliant.
The crocodile in Peter Pan is for the most part a comedic villain, even it he ate one of Captain Hook's hands. Lounsbery animated the introductory scenes, as the croc approaches the ship in hopes to get the rest of Hook.
Here is the tied down pencil test of the Mr Darling scene.
Tony is anticipating a big gesture by raising his head and his arms. Upshots like this one are tricky. Is the nose tilted up enough to show nostrils? Or are you going to cheat a little and stay with just the shape of the nose?
Everything looks pretty broad here, but Lounsbery didn't forget subtleties.
I like the definition of the "U" mouth, the lower lip is partly covering the open mouth, which adds dimension.
Most of you are familiar with the Genie from the movie Aladdin, superbly animated by Eric Goldberg.
You might not know that there is another Genie, who came before, also superbly animated, this time by John Lounsbery. In 1957 Walt Disney introduced an educational TV show called "Our Friend The Atom", which described the benefits of nuclear power - with a cautious but optimistic look toward the future.
Below is a key drawing (clean up over the rough) from a scene where the Genie threatens the fisherman.
John Lounsbery animated most of the important scenes involving the Goons, including their pig like leader.
John Lounsbery animated the "Friday Mickey segments" for The Mickey Mouse Club. He has a terrific handle on the character, who wears a very involved Cowboy outfit with lots of detail.
You can tell that Lounsbery enjoyed animating Mickey, every drawing is loaded with charm. He took the classic Fred Moore model and made it his own, a Mickey for the 1950s.
The drawing in which Mickey pulls his hat down is one of the most appealing Disney drawings I have ever seen!
The wolf in "Sword in the Stone" was designed by Milt Kahl, but beautifully animated by Louns.
Jasper from 101 Dalmatians threatens to kill the puppies. Beautiful definition of fabric in his jacket, and great feeling of stretched skin on his face.
Following The Sword in the Stone was The Jungle Book, which turned out to be the last animated film Walt Disney supervised. By that time the group of directing animators had shrunk to only four: Milt Kahl, Ollie Johnston, Frank Thomas, and John Lounsbery. Other animators had either left the studio or they functioned in non-supervisory roles. Nevertheless the movie became one of the studio's major hits, particularly in Europe. John got the assignment of animating Colonel Hathi and his herd of elephants. Every character in this film is beautifully developed as a character, and Hathi is no exception. He is a member of Her Majesty's Fifth Pachyderm Brigade, and therefore demands respect and military readiness. Lounsbery was in his element bringing this oversized personality to life. Just the way he walks during the march as well as during inspection has so much character. He is an old-school military type, and even though he is past his prime, military drill still runs through his veins. John made great use of his loose skin around his neck during dialogue scenes. Even his tusks are involved when he talks, and are part of the overall facial squash and stretch. (In theory this goes against rules of anatomy, since an elephant's tusks are locked and connected firmly to his skull, not his flexible jaw. John threw away the rule and we still believe they're elephants.)
Marc Davis (1913-2000) was hired by Disney studios in 1935, and his application portfolio showed already that he was an expert at drawing animals.
As an art student Marc would visit the local zoos early in the morning before opening time. He had made a deal with zoo management, in return for this special treatment Marc would leave an occasional sketch for the animal keepers.
He told:" It is during the early morning hours when the animals are most active. They are being fed and move around, and this makes for interesting study of motion and behavior."
In the afternoons Marc went to libraries and studied animal anatomy from books.
You can see clearly how the bodies are functioning mechanically, and of course there is also a feeling for the essence of the animal.
It is ironic that Marc didn't get to animate many animals during his career, but that's because he had a terrific knack for drawing humans as well.
Below are scans of a few of Marc's animal drawings and model sheets.
Most of you know about Marc's enormous contributions to the art of character animation.
Early on when Walt Disney saw his design work for Bambi, he asked Milt Kahl and Frank Thomas to make an animator out of Marc, because he wanted to see his drawings on the screen.
Marc Davis studied graceful realistic movement, before adding human expressions while storyboarding particular sequences for the film.
A "doodle sheet" that shows Marc exploring Cinderella's face as a sculpture in three dimensions.
Marc Davis served as an animator for Toot, Whistle, Plunk and Boom, which won the Academy Award. Looking at this 1953 Disney short reminds us just how great the need had become for graphic change at the studio.
Here is a rough Tinker Bell doodle sheet by Marc Davis.
To me Tinker Bell is perfection. Her character arc in the story is very strong. Because of her affection for Peter Pan she is jealous of Wendy, which gets her into trouble. But toward the end of the film she saves Peter's life as well as the other kids.
Her animation throughout is flawless. Occasionally based on live action reference, Marc animated her beautifully. She always feels like a small figure, but the acting has great range and subtlety.
Marc said he really enjoyed the challenge of a mute character, where pantomime is the name of the game.
Below is a scan of an animation key. Maleficent is about to leave the prince alone in the dungeon. The raven became a nice "prop" and gave her large hands something to do with.
The rough animation drawing by Marc portrays Aurora being distraught after being told by the Three Fairies that she has royal duties as a princess. She would never see "that young man" again whom she had met in the forest. Loosely based on live action reference there is great clarity in the staging of this scene. The character styling of this film pronounces vertical and horizontal lines. I think Marc worked on designing some of the film's background characters as well.
This early drawing still shows an influence by the "101 Dalmatians" book illustrations. This was done by Janet and Anne Grahame Johnstone.
Character actress Mary Wickes provided live action reference for Cruella.
Cruella is facing off with Nanny, who is holding her own in this confrontation. An incredible composition for these two characters, full of personality in this one frame alone.
This is a key drawing from a production scene, where Cruella throws a bottle with booze into a fireplace in an effort to scare Jasper and Horace. As it turns out she scares herself quite a bit, too. Look at how graphic and gutsy Marc draws her in this scene.
After the completion of Disney's "101 Dalmatians" there were two different projects in pre-production as possible follow ups.
One was titled "The Sword in the Stone" which was developed by Bill Peet, the other one was "Chanticleer".
Walt picked "The Sword in the Stone" to move forward.
Marc added: "I think that I did some of my best drawings at the studio for Chanticleer".
A selection of Marc Davis' incredible work for the project, ranging from color images to rough character studies.
After "101 Dalmatians," he later transferred to Walt Disney's Imagineering, designing character concept art for Disneyland attractions. Marc Davis was a man of many artistic talents who continued to experiment throughout his life as a fine artist as well as an animator.
Here is a clip from an early 80ies UK TV show.
Marc is in his home studio, where he explains how he achieved human child facial expressions on a realistic fawn.
Frank Thomas told once that the animators couldn't have come up with the same results if it wasn't for Marc's thorough and extremely useful research.
Characters like the ones in Bambi could easily look overly sweet and kitschy, but when you have artists involved with Marc's caliber, that's not going to happen. Instead the film's cast is portrayed with unparalleled elegance and beauty.
Of all of my visits to the Disney Family Museum, this one is probably my favorite. I was walking into the auditorium, already excited that I'm getting to meet Andreas Deja. As I sat in my seat, a row behind me on my left, I saw Pete Docter, director of Up and Inside Out. I was even more ecstatic that I couldn't help looking at both him and Andreas Deja. I occasionally turned my head to see what was Pete doing and thinking and then go back to Andreas Deja. The whole time I was jotting notes and wondering what was Pete writing on his notepad. After the end of the lecture, I gathered up the courage to talk to him. I told Pete how much I loved his films (I cried watching them) and can't wait to see The Good Dinosaur. He signed my sketchbook and took pictures with me. Before the curator calls down each row to get in line to meet the guest speaker, it's amazing to converse with the people who attended. You never know who you're going to meet.
Andreas Deja, supervising animator on The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, The Lion King, Hercules, Lilo and Stitch, The Princess and the Frog and Winnie the Pooh, was grateful to answer a lot of my questions and sign my book. I told him there was never a character he drew that I didn't like. He talked about how grateful he has been getting to work with such talented artists in the business such as Mark Henn, Glen Keane and Dick Williams. He hopes to screen his upcoming short film Mushka in San Francisco. The one piece of advice he would give to aspiring animators is to keep practicing your artwork everyday. I assured him that his book would be great and told him how much he inspired me. What really made my day was when he said, "I noticed you were laughing a lot. I like you. You're my kind of audience." I smiled so big.
I also ran into renowned animation historian and author Charles Solomon who wrote many books, critiqued films, contributed to several articles and publications, and lectured at numerous universities. I teaches a UCLA course Disney: Then and Now, which I took last year during the summer. I ended my visit with a BBQ pork sandwich from the museum cafe. I love the Disney Family Museum, the place where you can love animation and don't feel like a freak. Where Disney nerds congregate.
