Lilo & Stitch: Collected Stories From the Film's Creators
Page 3 of 3
(c) Disney
Among my personal favorites is Chris Sanders’ "Pitching Sitch," a recollection of how it all began including a touching and hysterically funny evocation of his pitching the story to Disney Feature Animation President Tom Schumacher over Sushi dinner at the Swan Hotel in Walt Disney World. Art Director Ric Sluiter’s "The Master’s Pebbles" is practically a love letter to the previous generation, and Layout Director Arden Chan’s "The Pictures on My Wall" will have every Disney collector who reads it weeping, laughing, sighing and reaching for their car keys to get to the flea-market before anyone else!
The quality of the printing is a great improvement over recent Disney Edition publications, and the layout never distracts from either the visual or written content of the book. Like walking alongside the film’s heroine through her island town, the deeper we get into the book the more keenly aware we become of the magical surroundings and the special and charming stories it evokes.
Above all else, Lilo & Stitch: Collected Stories from the Film’s Creators is a reflection on what makes it so critically important to remember that all of us, particularly those who are working in the animation industry, are standing on the shoulders of giants. Pupils can surpass the masters when tradition is honored and passion is mixed with humility. It remains to be seen how wider audiences will respond to the film, but if this book is any indication then I suspect "tradigital" (*wince*) animation is going to have a run for its money. Regardless, of this much I am certain: somewhere, just beyond that picture perfect cloud out there, Bill Peet is smiling.
* For further reading on Bill Peet and the contribution of story artists to the art of animation, I highly recommend "Paper Dreams: The Art and Artists of Disney Storyboards" by John Canemaker (Hyperion Press, 1999) and "Bill Peet: An Autobiography" by Bill Peet (Houghton Mifflin ,1994 paperback reissue).
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-- Rhett Wickham
Rhett Wickham is a writer, story editor and development professional living and working in Los Angeles. Prior to moving to LA, Rhett worked as an actor and stage director in New York City following graduate studies at Tisch School of the Arts. He is a directing fellow with the Drama League of New York, and nearly a decade ago he founded AnimActing ©®™ to teach and coach acting, character development and story analysis to animators, story artists and layout artists - work he continues both privately and through workshops in Los Angeles, New York and Orlando. He can be reached through [email protected].
The opinions expressed by our Rhett Wichham, and all of our columnists, do not necessarily represent the feelings of LaughingPlace.com or any of its employees or advertisers. All speculation and rumors about the future plans of the Walt Disney Company are just that - speculation and rumors - and should be treated as such.
-- Posted June 11, 2002