Saludos Amigos and The Three Caballeros, the feature films that resulted from Walt Disney’s goodwill tour through Latin America don’t often come to mind when you think of classic Disney Feature Animation. And yet, these two films were both nominated for Academy Awards. Each film… Read More »The Classic Caballeros Collection: Saludos Amigos / The Three Caballeros
Disney has released one more photo from Annie Leibovitz’s “Disney Dream Portrait Series” that places celebrities in to the roles made famous by classic Disney animated films. This time it’s Actress Julianne Moore and World Champion swimmer Michael Phelps in a Disney ‘Fantasea’ inspired by Ariel from “The Little Mermaid”.
You can find a hi-resolution version of the photo here.
The full press release and some behind the scenes photos and video are below the cut.
Update: High-Resolution versions of all “Disney Dream Portrait Series” can be found in The Disney Blog Dream Photo Annex.
Previously:
Read More »Julianne Moore, Michael Phelps latest Annie Leibovitz dream photo subjects
(Editors note: I’m the process of writing the review for the recent re-release of “The Three Caballeros” and “Saludos Amigos” on DVD. That DVD has a wonderful extra that just skims the top of Walt’s famous 1941 trip to Latin America. It has always left me wanting to know more about that trip. Now “Walt & El Grupo” has answered that call. I hope they’re able to bring it out to Central Florida for a screening sometime soon.
I want to thank Leo Holzer for sending in this great article about what sounds like an exciting new documentary concerning a very critical moment in Walt’s career. “Walt & El Grupo” is premiering at the San Francisco International Film Festival on Saturday, April 26, 2008. – John)
By Leo N. Holzer
Special to The Disney Blog
The loss of Oswald the Lucky Rabbit and the birth of Mickey Mouse in 1928. The creation and release of “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” in 1937. The development of Disneyland and its opening in 1955.
All of these were important and challenging periods for Walt Disney and his company.
But there was another time when life as Walt Disney knew it would forever change, both personally and professionally. The year was 1941, months before Pearl Harbor, when Walt and his studio were embroiled in labor unrest with an animators’ strike and challenged by the shrinking international box office returns as the war in Europe expanded.
It’s this period of Walt Disney’s life — and the “godsend” he found with a U.S.-government-sponsored working trip to Central and South America — that documentary filmmaker Ted Thomas (“Frank and Ollie”) explores in his new film, “Walt & El Grupo.”
Read More »“Walt & El Grupo” documentary to premiere this Saturday in San Francisco
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:
Read More »Roy E. Disney and Don Hahn present rare Disney Animation
Michael J. Ruocco writes the excellent animation blog “For The Birds.” He recently finished a three-part series that provides visual proof on how Disney’s animators reused animation footage multiple times over the years. For instance, you may have thought that Bambi’s mother was killed early… Read More »Reduce, Reuse, Recycle: Disney Animator’s caught reusing footage
The Walt Disney Studios has issued a long tribute to Disney Legend Ollie Johnston’s life in the form of the traditional press obituary. It contains many deserved and heart felt tributes from luminaries in the very field Johnston helped define as well as details of Johnston’s richly lived life. Roy E. Disney, John Lasseter, Glen Keane, Andreas Deja and John Canemaker all have tributes.
The full press release is below the cut:
Previously: List of online tributes to Ollie Johnston, Legendary Disney Animator.
Read More »Walt Disney Studios honors Ollie Johnston 1912-2008
Some very sad news to impart tonight. Jenny Lerew and a host of other animation sites are paying tribute to Ollie Johnston, who died today at the age of 95 in Sequim, Washington. Our deepest condolences to his family and friends. Ollie was the last… Read More »Ollie Johnston, last of Walt’s Nine Old Men, Disney Animator dead at 95
The Imagineering Re-birth blog has posted the first in a collection of quotes from those in the animation community opposed to the changes coming to the Walt Disney classic attraction “it’s a small world.” Names like Pete Docter, Ralph Eggleston, and Mark Walsh mark some… Read More »Animation Community Speaks out against changes to “its a small world”