Roy E. Disney and Don Hahn present rare Disney Animation

If you’re planning on attending this year’s Newport Beach Film Festival starting this week, you’ll get to enjoy twenty-seven different animation programs. One of these is Roy E. Disney and Don Hahn with some rarely seen Disney animation and experimental films.

Leslie Iwerks will also be showing her documentary, The Pixar Story.

The full press release is below the cut:

Noted Filmmakers and Oscar Nominees Roy E. Disney and Don Hahn Present Rarely Seen Disney Animation and Experimental Films at 2008 Newport Beach Film Festival
Special Evening of Disney Animation Represents First-Ever Festival Collaboration with The Walt Disney Studios

NEWPORT BEACH, Ca. (April 9, 2008) – On Wednesday, April 30, audiences at the 2008 Newport Beach Film Festival will get a “Behind-The-Ears” peek at the art of Disney animation as noted filmmakers and Academy Award nominees Roy E. Disney and Don Hahn present an evening of rarely seen Disney animated shorts and experimental films. Screening at 7:30pm at the art deco Lido Theater in Newport Beach, Disney and Hahn will share with the audience a collection of short animated films that had limited theatrical presentations, many of which are not available for viewing on DVD.

Among the films to be presented include “How to Hook-Up Your Home Theater” (2007) starring Goofy, the Oscar® nominated films “The Little Match Girl” (2006), “Lorenzo” (2005), “Destino” (2003, a collaboration between Walt Disney and Salvador Dali more than 50 years in the making) and “Redux Riding Hood” (1998), plus the experimental film “Oilspot & Lipstick” (1987, Disney’s first foray into computer animation), among others. Disney and Hahn will give the stories behind each film in addition to presenting a classic Mickey Mouse short in salute to Mickey’s 80th anniversary in show business.

“This special evening represents the first collaboration between the festival and The Walt Disney Studios and we couldn’t be more thrilled,” said Gregg Schwenk, executive director of the Newport Beach Film Festival. “We are delighted to welcome Roy Disney and Don Hahn and we thank them for sharing these extraordinary films with our audience.”

Roy Edward Disney is the son of Roy O. Disney and nephew of Walt Disney, founders of The Walt Disney Company. Born in Los Angeles, Roy practically grew up at The Walt Disney Studio, where his father managed business affairs, while his uncle inspired artists to create magical animated worlds for movie screens. He joined the studio in 1954, working as an assistant editor on the successful True-Life Adventure films, two of which won Academy Awards®. Disney left the Studio in 1977 but returned in 1984 to serve as the Company’s vice chairman and head of the animation department. During his tenure, Disney animation produced some of its greatest box office successes, including “The Little Mermaid,” “Beauty and the Beast” and “The Lion King.” He was executive producer of the film “Fantasia/2000” and was nominated for an Oscar® as executive producer of the animated short “Destino.”

Roy Disney currently serves as a consultant for The Walt Disney Company and Director Emeritus for the Board of Directors. His most current project is as executive producer (along with co-producer Leslie DeMeuse-Disney) of the new film “Morning Light,” to be released later this year, which chronicles one of the youngest crews ever to compete in the Transpacific Yacht Race to Hawaii.

Don Hahn is a noted film producer who has produced some of the most successful Disney animated films of the past 20 years. He began his career in animation working for legendary Disney animator Wolfgang Reitherman as an assistant director. He later became production manager of “The Black Cauldron” (1985) before moving on as an associate producer of “Who Framed Roger Rabbit” (1988).

In 1988, he became producer of the benchmark animated feature “Beauty and the Beast,” released in 1991, which made him the only producer in Hollywood history to be nominated for a Best Picture Academy Award® for an animated film. His next production, 1994’s “The Lion King,” set worldwide box office records for an animated film and quickly became the highest grossing traditionally animated film in history. Other producing credits include “The Hunchback of Notre Dame,” “The Emperor’s New Groove,” and “Atlantis: The Lost Empire.” He also produced the Oscar®-nominated animated shorts “The Little Match Girl” and “Lorenzo.”

Joining Disney and Hahn will be David Bossert who has been with The Walt Disney Company for more than 23 years and currently serves as Creative Director at Walt Disney Animation Studios Special Projects. He has worked on such films as “The Little Mermaid,” “Beauty and the Beast,” “Aladdin,” “The Lion King,” “Pocahontas,” “Who Framed Roger Rabbit,” “Tim Burton’s Nightmare Before Christmas,” “Hercules,” the Academy Award-nominated animated short “Runaway Brain,” and “Fantasia 2000” for which he served as Artistic Coordinator and Visual Effects Supervisor. Dave served as Associate Producer on the award winning and Oscar®-nominated Disney/Dali short “Destino.” He also served as the Artistic Coordinator and Visual Effects Supervisor on the award winning and Academy Award-nominated short “Lorenzo.”

Bossert was the producer on “Walt Disney on the Front Lines,” a DVD compilation of films produced by The Walt Disney Studios during World War II. The DVD, released in 2004, won numerous awards including a Special Achievement Award from ASIFA-Hollywood. He produced a four-volume DVD collection of Walt Disney’s award winning “True Life Adventure” nature films. Bossert is also the Artistic Supervisor for the Disney Restoration Team and has overseen restoration on many of the Disney animated shorts and the recently restored features such as “Bambi,” “Cinderella,” “Lady and the Tramp,” The Little Mermaid,” and the upcoming Blu-Ray DVD release of “Sleeping Beauty.”