Wednesday, October 26, 2022
Celebrating Angela Lansbury
Sunday, October 23, 2022
Happy Anniversary Dumbo!
Dumbo
Released: October 23, 1941
Happy 81st Anniversary!
Tuesday, October 18, 2022
Happy Birthday Jungle Book!
The Jungle Book
Released: October 18, 1967
Happy 55th Birthday!
This day is also special in another way as it is the birthday of my very first nephew Cameron. So to commemorate both, I thought I would share a piece of concept art that is one my favorites in the collection. I don't know a great deal about the piece and would love to learn more if anyone has something to share. It is a great little painting of Mowgli and Bagheera at the edge of the jungle with wonderful bright colors. I had previously posted this piece on my blog about 8 years ago, but thought it would be fun to share again. Also, if you follow Andreas Deja blog, you can find a reference to the concept piece in his blog as well. Concept art from the Jungle Book is very rare to find outside of the Disney Archives.
Happy Birthday to the Jungle Book!
Happy Birthday Cameron!Wednesday, October 5, 2022
Mr. Toad's Big Day!
The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad
Released: October 5, 1949
Sunday, October 2, 2022
Bagheeeeera!!!!
Released: October 18, 1967
This past week I was excited to learn about a scene with Bagheera and Baloo from Disney's The Jungle Book. If you are not aware, Andreas Deja, Disney Legend and master animator, also publishes a regular blog on animation and related topics. On September 20, 2022 he posted a story about the scene where Bagheera comes to the aid of Baloo after King Louis's monkey friends kidnap Mowgli. I was excited to see the animation drawing images he shared as they were drafted by another Disney Legend and one of Disney's Nine Old Men, Milt Kahl. He posted a series of 30 sequential rough drawings of Bagheera from this scene. I love seeing sequential animation drawings and learning who and how they are created.
So, up for this week's post is a Bagheera drawing numbered 27 from this same sequence, but 10 frames before his first pictured drawing numbered 37. It is always exciting to learn new things about art in your collection. I have had this drawing in the collection for a number of years and particularly love this piece. Milt Kahl beautifully drew one of my favorite animals, cats. Check out Andreas Deja's post here to learn more about this scene as well.
If you get a chance to visit the Walt Disney Family Museum exhibit on the Jungle Book this summer, you will discover a great section on Milt Kahl and his ability to draw cats and in particular Bagheera.
Saturday, September 24, 2022
Fall has arrived!
Autumn Leaves & Fantasia Fairy
Well it is official .....Fall has arrived according to the calendar with the passing of the Autumnal Equinox this past Thursday at 5:03 pm. However, Fall has been arriving in our northern latitude of Alaska for the last couple of weeks now. I love this time of year up north. The Birch, Aspen, Mountain Ash and Cottonwood trees are at their color changing peak now. It is wonderful sight and magical time with the leaves changing in my front yard of my Anchorage home.
So, this morning I thought I would share a wonderful production piece of the Autumn Fairy working her magic on a leaf from one of my favorite films, Fantasia. This courvoisier setup consists of three cel levels set against a watercolor background as prepared at the Disney studio back in the 1940's. I love the detail that was painted on the cel of the leaf and the delicate transparent painting of the fairy's wings. The Nutcracker sequence from Fantasia is one my favorite segments in Fantasia and with Disney animation in general. The artistry that was employed and work that went into this segment is truly amazing. Happy Autumn!
Original Courvoisier Cel Setup, gouache on trimmed acetate, watercolor on paper
Artist: Various Studio, unknown
Acquired: September 14, 2007
Friday, September 16, 2022
More on Bambi
Bambi - A Voice from the Golden Age
Released: August 9, 1942
As a follow on to recognizing Bambi's 80th anniversary release last month, I found this wonderful posting by the BBC who had interviewed Donnie Dunagon, the voice of Bambi. This was previously shared by Andreas Deja on his blog and I really enjoyed hearing this story. Donnie Dunagon shares his unique story about how he got the role in Hollywood and what came of him afterwards. A fun story!
So to commemorate, I am sharing a wonderful production drawing of Bambi from my collection. A very large and expressive image of Bambi that also served as a color model drawing. If you hadn't noticed, drawings of Bambi are quite rare to find. It is far easier to find a cel than a production drawing.
Original Production Drawing, graphite & colored pencil on trimmed animation paperAcquired: August 11, 2017Artist: Studio, Unknown