Bob Welbaum
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Congratulations to the NFFC for hosting another memorable national convention, July 9-13 at the Crowne Plaza Resort in Garden Grove, CA.
Congratulations also to Renie Bardeau, Orlando Ferrante, and Andreas Deja for being named NFFC Disney Legends.
Renie Bardeau worked at Disneyland as a photographer for 39 years and nine months, retiring in 1998. He snapped many memorable Disneyland photos, including the classic of a casual Walt walking beneath the arch of Sleeping Beauty Castle. He received his own Main Street window – above the photography store -- in March, 1999. I really enjoyed his stories during the induction luncheon, and greatly appreciated his photography tips!
Orlando Ferrante was an imagineer who had a 40-year career that spanned three continents, the 1964 World’s Fair, two generations of theme parks, and the Disney Cruise Line. Highlights include serving as vice president of show/ride engineering, production and installation at EuroDisney (now Disneyland Paris), helping to launch the Disney Wonder cruise ship, and heading show/ride engineering, design, and production at Tokyo DisneySea before retiring in 2002.
I’m guessing most people recognize the name Andreas Deja. As an animator he has compiled an impressive record, beginning with The Black Cauldron. Andreas is perhaps most famous for being supervising animator for three of the most memorable villains in Disney history: Gaston, Jafar, and Scar. I loved hearing his stories about his animation experiences.
But I had heard Andreas speak before, and he did not repeat my favorite story. So I scrambled through my video collection until I located it. If he won’t repeat it, I will! And if this is still a sensitive subject, I’m taking the advise of the gargoyle Victor in The Hunchback of Notre Dame: “Better to beg forgiveness than ask permission,�? because this is one story worth retelling.
Andreas had appeared at the Second Official Disneyana Convention, held at the Disneyland Hotel, September 16-19, 1993. He was discussing the evolution and design of his character Jafar, and had a set of drawings displayed on an easel. Then, in his own words:
A story that I should share with you that you might have heard, very bizarre story. We went to New York sometime toward the end of last year, to give a presentation on Aladdin, before it came to the theaters, for the press in New York. There were key people and journalists, and Eric Goldberg was there to talk about the Genie and the directors were showing clips, and these are kind of fun things because you show people what’s coming up next from Disney and they’re generally very enthusiastic.
So John Musker, one of the Co-Directors, talked about the line-up of characters. And we had been told up front “Guys, you’ve got to be funny.�? I think Jeffrey Katzenberg told us. “Be funny when you explain the character. Don’t just talk about dry stuff, entertain people.�?
So John Musker thought about that very hard, and then he was talking about the clips and the characters, and he got off on this weird thing where all the Aladdin characters are based on politicians!
I’m standing on the side because I was next, listening to this, and he said “Well, of course, the Sultan is based on Ronald Reagan. I think we all know that, because he … plays with his toys and rules the kingdom. And of course his vizier is based on Nancy Reagan, and here to tell you more about that is Andreas.�?
And I’m going out front, and I’m going like “What is he talking about?�? I was totally trapped.
So what do I do? I go along with it. And I say “I’d like to show you how I draw Jafar.�? And I had an easel like this, and I said “Look at those Nancy Reagan eyes, and those high cheekbones, and isn’t that Nancy Reagan?�? And it was just a big joke.
But a couple of days later it was in the press, it was in the papers! In New York, and in San Francisco: “FUTURE DISNEY VILLAIN BASED ON FIRST LADY!�?
And I’m telling you I was petrified! I thought “I’m gonna get mail from the White House, I’m gonna lose my green card.�? [Andreas was originally from Germany.] I don’t know. I was petrified. So I kept running around the studio saying “It was just a joke!�?
But these things happen and sometimes it gets out of hand.
So much for the press.
If that story gets me into trouble, maybe this one will get me out! Andreas also appeared at the 1993 NFFC Convention with fellow supervising animators David Pruiksma and Will Finn. In response to the question “Do you ever go and sit in a theater audience and watch the audience reaction to your work?�?, Andreas had this reply:
Sure we do. There’s a funny story that I can tell you. We had a preview screening of Beauty and the Beast and they rented a theater in Westwood with family audiences, teenagers, all kinds of age groups. And I sat in the middle of the theater. And the sequence came on where Gaston charges into Belle’s house, and takes his shoes off, and he’s a little obnoxious and chauvinistic and all that. Real awful. … There were two teenage girls sitting in front of me, and one turned to the other and said “God! I dated him last year.�?
That kind of made me feel good because I knew the type was coming through.
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-- Bob Welbaum
Bob Welbaum is a longtime NFFC member who attended his eighteenth straight NFFC Convention in July.
-- August 12, 2005