Shadow Begone!

Recently I posted a batch of B/G art from the 1946 Disney short CLOWN OF THE JUNGLE. There was a particular background in which I was able to remove the characters, but one shadow never went away.

Well, guess what?

I was delighted to receive by email that same background, with hand-painted retouching (I assume via Photoshop), shared by artist Peter Moehrle! He is a truly master at animation background art, with a dazzling style and a resume to match. Among his credits, he trained all the background artists on Disney Studio's LILO AND STITCH in the fine art of watercolor backgrounds. He also worked on MULAN. He is the real deal, a genuine animation background artist, with Disney studio credits (and others).

Here is a small version of what I was able to achieve, my "semi-original," coupled with Peter's beautifully retouched version.

Thank you Peter!

THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG (Disney, 2009)

I had the tremendous pleasure Thursday night of seeing a preview of Disney's new cartoon feature (and I use those words lovingly and respectfully).

"THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG" is PHENOMENAL!

It is everything Disney animation afficionados hoped for! The visuals are gorgeous and spectacular, the music is tremendous, and the storytelling is compelling - beautifully interplaying comedic, scary and heart-tugging elements with deft skill.

All the animation is brilliant, but in particular Eric Goldberg has outdone himself with his animation for "Louis," the trumpet-playing alligator!

I also loved "Ray," the cajun firefly.

Those of us who love traditional animation MUST support this effort with great enthusiasm. Plan a party, ask your friends to join you, and buy LOTS of tickets.

I am hoping this will get the box office sales it deserves - and become a blockbuster. It's definitely got the Disney magic... and might just become an instant classic!

CLOWN OF THE JUNGLE (Disney, 1946)

Walt Disney presents...

a cartoon starring Donald Duck!

CLOWN OF THE JUNGLE title card:

Credits, including layout by Yale Gracey and B/G art by Thelma Witner:

You can watch it on YouTube:

I couldn't figure out how to do the first, opening pan B/G because of the moving multiplane layers in the foreground.

But I managed to re-create the second pan B/G, and the nearly-infinite length of this pan B/G easily qualifies it as a contender for the longest piece I've ever digitally re-created...

Here's a closer look at the left side of the pan...

And the right side (birds are obviously cel overlays):

and more B/G art from this film:





I love the subtle and somewhat abstract design of this mid-tree leafy view:


Notice the brilliant angled horizon here:

I was able to digitally remove Donald and the Aracuan bird, but that shadow refused to budge!


This pan is a right-to-left shot, and as you can see the crazy Aracuan bird appears in very first frame (on the right)...

Here's a close-up view from another shot/segment:

and that's THE END!

yet more BEAUTY AND THE BEAST

3D BEAUTY AND THE BEAST - Coming in 2010!

Walt Disney Studios has announced that the only full-length animated feature film to ever be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture is being converted into Digital Disney 3D: The 1991 animated feature film Beauty and the Beast will be re-released in 2010.

Interested in reading more? Then just Google "3D BEAUTY AND THE BEAST" and you'll get a variety of fascinating articles about its re-invention. Disney is committed to delivery the original film in a new way. Very enthusiastic reviews after a Showest preview indicate it will be a phenomenal experience.

As the Peter Allen song says "everything old is new again!"

In keeping with this weekend's BEAUTY AND THE BEAST theme, the magnificent piece of background art above features the gated entrance to the Beast's estate.

The BEAST's Castle

Here's something we've never seen before (unless you worked on the film)- the complete vertical pan background of the Beast's castle from BEAUTY AND THE BEAST.

This magnificent background art was incredibly difficult to re-assemble. The artists used digital layer multiplane effects. Panning from the bottom up, the gargoyles and statuary in front moved, as did layers of the castle, and clouds in the stormy sky!

Using Photoshop, I cut, pasted, layered and matched, re-creating the stunning artwork you see here.

To be perfectly honest, it's really unfinished. Although essentially complete, there are a couple of very small areas I'll come back and finish one day. In the meantime, I think the results are so incredible I decided to share it with you as a "work in progress."

BTW, the severely angled elements near the left top are positioned exactly as created by the artist and shown in the film. Being a pan shot, this creates some additional visual tension and drama.

I hope you'll enjoy it "as is!"

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST

Representing the second "golden age" of animation at Disney Studios is this beautiful, classic background artwork from BEAUTY AND THE BEAST.

Here's a digitally recreated pan B/G - the chorus girls were so mesmerized by Gaston they couldn't move!

Here's a close up of the left side of the previous B/G. Gorgeous - especially the trees!

The grand foyer of the Beast's castle:


Wonderful (very theatrical) use of perspective here:




Bell's cottage: