If you do not know about this blog/website - you should. The ASIFA Animation Archives has one of the largest online archives of hand draw animation I have seen. They just posted a bunch of amazing scans of drawings from MGM productions. I love Tom and jerry, but this is just a tiny peek into what they have there.
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That is all I can find at this time.
If you know of an event, let me know and I will add it to this posting.
The roles and representation of female characters in animation are topic I have become increasingly aware of, especially since my sister had a beautiful baby girl.
My niece - AvaChuck Jones, well-known Warner Brothers director said…
Question: Did you ever consider having any of your characters female?
Chuck: “This always comes up. I’m sorry. I didn't, no. And even in live action, you know, up until Dianne Keaton started working with Woody Allen, there were very few female comedians in live action. It’s a pity. I can only beat my breast and say that I should be nailed to the wall. But I didn’t. So I don’t know how to answer that except to say I’m sorry.”
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| CGI comes to Winnie the Pooh with My Friends Tigger & Pooh, a new series created for Disney's pre-school block, Playhouse Disney. Unless noted, all images © Disney Enterprises. All rights reserved. |
Pooh's latest venture, My Friends Tigger & Pooh is a CGI rendition created by Walt Disney Television Animation for Disney's pre-school block, Playhouse Disney. The person behind the series is Brian Hohlfeld, a fellow who has spent the last few years with Pooh in the Hundred Acre Woods. Hohlfeld began in the business writing live-action features like He Said, She Said. However, he found the writing business spotty, so he packed up his family and moved to St Louis.
Soon after, he heard from a friend that he had worked with writing material for The Mighty Ducks. It seemed Disney was looking for someone to write a Pooh holiday special. Hohlfeld quickly agreed. Though the eventual special got shelved, Hohlfeld was asked to write the script for Piglet's Big Movie (2003). The team of Hohlfeld and Pooh was born. Hohlfeld handled writing chores on the next few Pooh projects, including the theatrical, Pooh's Heffalump Movie (2005).
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| Floyd Norman's studio gag drawing shows Walt Disney debating how to imagine Pooh's hands. From Norman's FASTER! CHEAPER! published by Get Animated! Reproduced with permission. |
Each story involves a problem that ensures that the characters will call to the audience to help. "I think an educational series is almost organic to Pooh, who often has to 'think, think, think' in the stories," explained Hohlfeld.
The press sheet states, "Each endearing episode presents an intriguing mystery for Darby, Pooh and Tigger to unravel. To discover the answer, they don homemade superhero costumes to transform themselves into the Super Sleuths, a trio of dedicated problem solvers. Each member of the group brings their own unique perspective and talent to the perplexing puzzler, as they work together to analyze the situation. Along the way, the friends -- and viewers at home -- learn to apply 'reflective' thinking skills and learn important lessons about cooperation and responsibility"
As mentioned, Pooh has been able to adapt to every need. As a children's classic, the stories and best-known illustrations by E.H. Shepard were legend. Pooh might have been simply another children's book bear, had not Walt Disney stepped in and acquired the rights in 1961. Walt envisioned a feature starring the popular characters. He put some of his best creative talent on the project, including his new finds, the Sherman Brothers. But as production dragged on, Walt felt that Pooh was just "too soft" for an American audience.
