POPEYE MEETS SINBAD (continued)Fleischer Studios

Does this house look like Mary Blair?

The animation art is, of course, the rabbit's house from ALICE IN WONDERLAND, for which Mary Blair's color styling was a tour de force.

The photo is from Disneyland's 10th anniversary TV special. Walt was giving official Disneyland ambassador Julie Reems a tour of "things to come," which included Mary Blair designing the "Small World" pavillion.

(Note the quintessential Mary Blair color styling of her own outfit, two different hues from from the blue palette!)

"In" jokes have been part of the Disney animation department from the beginning.

So you tell me... Does this house look like Mary Blair?

:)

ALICE IN WONDERLAND

This recreated pan background is from the scene in which Alice sees (and follows) the White Rabbit. ("I'm Late!")

I particularly like the well-worn path, with its shaggy patches of grass dotted with daisies, and the beautifully rendered aquamarine water.

I especially love the brooding skies, equally stunning on both sides of the artwork, and yet rendered completely differently.

Gotta say it again... while the overall film may not have been Disney's most enchanting, it contains artwork that is among Disney's best.

THE SKELETON DANCE (1929) Pan Background

As we approach Halloween, I'll be posting some backgrounds from related "spooky" cartoons. I actually recreated this graveyard B/G from the classic Silly Symphony THE SKELETON DANCE some time ago. I've been saving it especially for now.

The process took what seemed an eternity. Imagine my chagrin, upon its completion, to realize the B/G was looped. THREE TIMES! (sigh...)

So, I have included here the pan B/G artwork, and also the entire length triple-looped version as seen on screen.

Just think... this was released in 1929, just eight short years before SNOW WHITE. Disney and his artists re-invented the animation art form several times in those eight years. Nonetheless, THE SKELETON DANCE has a primitive, clunky charm all its own.

My Other Blogs and Websites

Hello readers!

While I post almost every day on ANIMATION BACKGROUNDS, I have several other presences on the web, and I wanted to personally invite you to visit them and take a look.

NAME THIS TOON is my blog on which I post unidentified production cels from my collection. I am curious and diligent researching the history of each piece. Feature film artwork is generally pretty easy, even obscure characters. But Disney short subjects and TV animation is much more difficult. I'd really, truly appreciate your input via comments on this blog.

http://namethistoon.blogspot.com

I have just started a FITNESS blog. I went through an amazing transformation this year, losing 4 inches in my waist and actually getting six-pack abs again at 51! I am writing on all aspects of fitness, nutrition and well-being. It's for all ages and all levels of fitness. If you want to look better, feel better, and live healthier, please stop by.

http://abetterbody.blogspot.com

And finally, there's my (personal) entertainment career website:

http://www.robrichards.com

There's a whole section on animation, which contains images of several pieces from my collection:

http://www.robrichards.com/esoterica.cfm?sr=20

There's a huge section on Disney's El Capitan Theatre, its architecture and special events. It's been my home-away-from-home, with over four thousand performances since 1999!

http://www.robrichards.com/el_capitan.cfm?sr=1

Plus there's my performing schedule, a gallery of photographs (another of my artistic passions), MIDI files of music I've arranged, the story of my amazing "world's largest digital theatre organ" which I designed and commissioned, and much more. There's something for everyone here.

The web opened up infinite possibilities for communication. It's great sharing information this way. I hope you'll visit all my sites as your schedule permits.

The red carpet is waiting!

ALICE IN WONDERLAND: Tiger Lilies Love the Dandy-Lions

When I get into the mode of recreating backgrounds for a particular movie, it can border on obsession. Such was the case with this ALICE B/G. Why?

Well, it becomes a matter of getting at the background art, no matter how difficult. I'll bet no one at Disney ever envisioned a day when technology would allow dis-assembling the films one frame at a time.

But here we are.

I almost gave up on this one. The Tiger Lily and Dandy-lion sway all over the screen, making it a tremendous challenge to eliminate the animation and get to the background art.

But as I watched the "Golden Afternoon" sequence, I was struck by how reminiscent this particular B/G was of the background art in the "Waltz Of The Flowers" segment in FANTASIA. So I hammered away, one little section at a time. And by George, I succeeded!

So... here it is. There are several things I love about this piece. There's the extraordinary Mary Blair color styling, which is very subtle here but still a "wow." And I love the "dabs of color" that add such wonderful texture to the "background within a background."

All this could well go unnoticed in the mere 4-5 seconds it's on screen. It's obscured by the lively animation. And, it's over just as soon as it gets started!

But, now, here it is, re-created, and we can savor each and every lovely detail.

Enjoy!

ALICE IN WONDERLAND (1951)

The dazzling artwork of ALICE IN WONDERLAND was hugely influenced by the virtuoso color styling of Mary Blair. This re-created pan background which opens the "Golden Afternoon" musical sequence is truly stunning.