Of all the characters in all of Disney history, the most impossible to draw accurately are Maleficent and Cinderella. Maleficent for her angular beauty, complex headdress, and delicately balanced facial structure. Push it too far and she looks masculine. Too far the other way and she looks too soft. Cinderella is almost exactly opposite to Maleficent, with no angles, no structure, just two blue marbles and two tiny nostrils swimming around in peach pudding. They're impossible to get right for very different reasons and both of them are such a flex for their respective designers.
I'm so thankful that these pencil tests exist these are my first time watching them and I must say that these make Jafar seem way more insane and overruling then what was shown in the finalized and finished version of the movie
I was just rewatching the first episode of TailSpin and was shocked to see that one shot of Baloo walking into his home was copied near-directly from Milt's Sheriff walk. 17 years later, they were still recycling this walk cycle :P
Scar always impressed me as a design because you can literally feel the “vibe” of Jeremy Irons’ line delivery in every scene he’s in. He practically crawls around his line-reads, and the poses reflect that so well. That kind of “impossible” negative space of his mouth shapes is so charmingly nasty, literally always talking out the side of his mouth. Being a nasty fella can be SO rubbery and expressive, these pencil tests PROVE that
Just realized how much Scar looks like Jafar. Then again, Disney does have very distinct animation eras, and one can usually tell if the same group of animators worked on a movie. Judging by Scar's "head swaggles", as I've heard them called, I'm guessing you may have done some training under Milt Kahl.
I loved doing all the interviews and directing the Disney Family Album series. Milt was one of my favorites. For one thing, he did very few interviews, so it was an honor to get to speak with him. And I'll never forget the expressions he made when he was doing that Pinocchio drawing. Fierce and focused, and very alive, like he was pouring his own life into the drawing. I could imagine him making those same faces while he was at his animation desk. I'll have a few stories about Milt that have never been told before in the book I'm writing, 'Me and the Mouse,' about my experiences over 20 years working with The Walt Disney Company. [Andreas Deja--would you like an advance copy? One of Milt's stories involves you. Naturally.]
I've been collecting vintage Disney documentary stuff on my rumble page including the Walt Disney Family Album. I wish that series had went on and we need a revival to capture all of the important real history of the 80's and 90's now...Was there a lot of interview material that didn't make it into these shows? Do you think that material still exists?
@@edmccray212 Yes, I'd guess we shot 3 or 4 times as much footage as as we used in each show, the exceptions being shows like Voices or Disneyland Designers, where we featured multiple people in an episode.
@@quantumstoryteller Does that unused footage still exist? What a treasure trove those shows are. Were there any planned episodes that didn't get finished or made? From what I've read, Eisner shut down anything Card Walker was involved with including this and a mini series about Walt. I wish this stuff would have been allowed to continue.
@@edmccray212 Yes, i wrote the mini-series with L.G. Weaver. Chris Vogler, who wrote The Screenwriter's Journey, was the story analyst that Eisner sent it to for coverage. Vogler called me to tell me that he was giving it the highest possible recommendation to Eisner. There will be a chapter in my book about what happened with the mini-series. It involves Eisner, Card Walker, and Diane and Ron Miller. The politics were crazy. At one point, when he was still at Disney, John Lasseter announced in a meeting that he wanted The Family Album series to continue, but nothing ever came of it.
@@edmccray212 Because Andreas was able to locate the unused Milt footage, I assume the outtakes from the other shows exists, too. I have no idea where it would be. Andreas would have a better guess than mine.
How did he get the background to stay the same? Was he using transparent tracing paper so the cat showed on top of the background ? This is pencil so it can’t be cellophane
So interesting to see how there were some shots, and also lines of dialogue, that were either reworked or scrapped completely in the final film. Also I'm surprised how rough these tests could be in their earliest stages. Some of these tests are barely legible scribbles. Just enough information to go on to get a basic idea of how the scene will play out.
You always hear the same thing from people who worked at the studio then -- about Walt Disney being a superb storyteller who was great at getting people motivated and excited about whatever project was being hashed out. It's a painful shame that none of these story sessions were ever captured on film.
