The Fabulous Disney Babe
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Leonard Maltin

I mentioned a few weeks ago that I attended the wonderful Marc Davis Lecture Series lecture that honored Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston.  I'd like to let you read the notes I took that evening, but caveat emptor: they were done in flourescent glitter pen in the dark!

Leonard Maltin started the program by showing a clip from an 80's fame show where celebrities had to try to guess Frank and Ollie's occupation.  The closest they got was "dressers at the Folies Bergere".  Most people have never heard of Frank and Ollie, but, as Leonard put it, it was easy to take them for granted, because they were so accessible.  You have to take a giant step back; if they were to be compared to their peers in live action films, the people who made Citizen Kane and Birth of a Nation (Fab's note: While the subject of BoaN is unsavory, its technical and artistic advances shaped modern film as few other films have throughout the years) Frank and Ollie were master builders, they laid the foundation for all animated films.  Their work is still not finished - they give talks, they advise, they have imbued another generation with the same spirit and principles that they created and followed.
Diane Disney Miller chimed in with praise for these two wonderful animators and men via a letter, saying that these two men with their "beautiful talent" enriched the lives of generations.  "As long as my father's name is known, theirs will be too."  a class act, that Diane.

Leonard went on to say comment that we were getting a real treat tonight, to see some of their work as it was meant to be seen - on the big screen, in one of the best theatres on earth.  He also said that video was wonderful for their work, as it made it more easily accessible, because not all can attend and see it the way it was meant to be seen.  Tonight, we would be treated to films in their original 35mm - and not clips - the projectionists would segue right into the film using the whole film reels.  There would also be a rarer treat - some of their Disney shorts as well as some video.
He thanked those who had put together the evening's program, including Howard Green and Charles Solomon.

He continued: Unlike the panel on that game show, we know what Frank and Ollie did.  When they were starting out, there were no teachers of animation; you did have art teachers, however, and animation was rudimentary - the principles were just being developed.  Frank and Ollie were among the pioneers of the form.  They invented animation.  But their work was not created to be hung in a museum - though some do, now - a single frame drawing is not what they did.  Each drawing is a component in service of the film. 

Jeffrey Katzenberg then took to the podium, and described how he and his family went to Hawaii for Christmas every year, staying at the same bungalow (about two blocks away from my old house).  Every year, his wife would read a different bestseller.  Every year, he would read Frank and Ollie's book "Disney Animation: The Illusion of Life".  He even showed a vacation photo from a few years back, and he's laying on a chaise longue reading the book.  "It is, simply," Jeffrey said, "the bible of animation."  He compared their work to Impressionism in the movement it revealed. He spoke of the timelessness of their creations: "Time does not quantify the impact of these films.  They are a work for the ages". 

Neither Michael Eisner nor Roy O. Disney were able to make it that night, so it was nice to see one of their former bosses sing their praises so eloquently.

Leonard returned, and talked about how they went to work for Disney, and how they met.  At this point, he showed clips from Bambi (the ice skating scene), My favorite old-time Mickey short The Brave Little Tailor, the hilarious Reason and Emotion, Mickey's Elephant and The Pointer, in which Walt Disney unknowingly reveals the actual size of Mickey Mouse.  When he says, "I'm Mickey Mouse! You know, Mickey Mouse?" at this point, Walt held up his hand about two and a half feet off the ground, showing Mickey's size - they kept it in the film.  Watch how Mickey gestures when he delivers this line.  It's pure Walt.

Leonard continued: "Bear in mind how fresh, how different it was."  When Walt suggested a full-length animated film, the naysayers proclaimed that only kids would like the film, and furthermore, it would hurt people's eyes to see all that color on the screen for more than a few minutes.

Next: The panel of disciples or Brad Bird takes walks off with the show...

Fab

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