This must have been during "Pioneer Days" in August:
In the 'Bach around 1970 or so there was a black fibreglass float of Monstro the Whale. I remember clmbing into Monstro's mouth, sitting in a wooden chair and watching film clips of the Good Prince slashing giant black thorns with his sword (talk about mixed messages!). The Walt Disney version of Sleeping Beauty became the only version of Sleeping Beauty, after that.
"Next up: Monstro's mouth!"
13 comments:
If there's one disney clip that you're going to have on repeat inside Monstro the Whale, this would be it. In 1970, this was still the most intense animated scene that the Disney company had produced
I think this was the same era as The Aristocats which wasn't nearly as intense. Was it even the same animation style?
Yes and no. Sleeping Beauty was the last Disney film to be done all by hand. After that they switched to a cheaper style.
I'd be lying if I claimed to know much about the technical details of film production. But you can definitely tell just by watching clips on Youtube that Aristocats is done in a cheaper way.
And probably that's why Disney didn't attempt another climax as intense as Sleeping Beauty until several decades later.
Huh. I knew The Aristocats was different, but that is QUITE different.
Wait a sec -- when did Disney release 101 Dalmatians? (I guess I could go to Wikipedia, but it is easier to ask you.) I remember going with my friend to see Aladdin in the theatres during its first run. Quite an intense climax as you say.
Anyway, the theatre played radio between shows and Mariah Carey came on and started singing, "And I will always love you-uu-uuu." This Phillipino lady behind us started singing along. My friend yodeled along to Mariah Carey. I knew my friend was a good singer but at that moment realized just how good.
1961, I think. (Double check that on Wikipedia--but definitely early 60s). It was the first movie to be made after the financial disaster of Sleeping Beauty, so the first film to be used using the Xerox technology instead of traditional hand-inking.
Again, I'd be lying if I said I understood any of the technical details about how these processes actually worked. But, again, you can definitely tell something is different if you watch a couple clips, and compare it to anything from the 1950s.
I just watched Lady and the Tramp (1955), and the difference in animation quality between that and 101 Dalmatians is really noticeable.
...although, I did read somewhere years ago (don't remember where) that at the same time, it was the new Xerox technology that enabled the animators to do an animated movie about Dalmatians, and keep track of where all the various spots were supposed to be in each shot.
It seems to me Disney made a big deal out of hand-painting the spots in 101 Dalmatians. And that was, I would argue, an exciting ending.
But nobody gets killed. And that is probably to your point.
Yes, I think Disney did make a big deal about all the spots in 101 Dalmatians. I think it did break ground at the time. But I also believe that they had some new technology aiding the process (I've heard the words "xerox" and rotoscope" mentioned, but I don't really know any of the technical details).
I think 101 Dalmatians was also largely hand drawn, but the inking process had changed. Compare the scenery in Lady and the Tramp (link) with the way the background looks in 101 Dalmatians in this scene (link).
That being said... you've got me thinking about the climaxes in Disney movies, and I rewatched the ending of 101 Dalmatians, and it is a decent climax. I think Sleeping Beauty is superior, but I admit it's a question of degree, and not of category. At any rate, it's watching that car chase in 101 Dalmatians, it's obvious that the lack of hand inked backgrounds was not holding the movie back at all in terms of showing off an exciting visual climax. So I was perhaps wrong to attribute that to a change in animation style.
Ah, I can see where my earlier comments were misleading. I think Sleeping Beauty was the last Disney movie to be hand-inked. But not the last Disney movie to be hand drawn.
...or something like that. Actually all I really know for sure is that they switched to a much cheaper style of animation post 1959. But don't ask me about any technical details.
I'll take any excuse to watch 101 Dalmatians again.
Actually The Adventures of Pinnochio is the animated Disney movie I love to watch. But now I'm just gassing on. Hey, it's my blog!
Indeed it is. But then, why stop there? How about re-visiting 101 Dalmatians and The Adventures of Pinnochio, and writing up some thoughts on your blog. I'd be interested in reading them at least.
You can find both movies on Youtube. (Not legally, of course, but you can find them.)
But... based on the reviews you've been posting over the past year or so, I'm fairly sure you have access to Disney Plus, yes?
We are indeed subscribing to Disney+, but so far have used it to watch things Star Wars -- which Disney always seems to be adding to. We shall see.
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