THE JUNGLE BOOK Opening Pan B/G

THE JUNGLE BOOK Part Six

In honor of opening the 40th anniversary presentation of THE JUNGLE BOOK at the El Capitan theatre in Hollywood, here are more B/Gs from this wonderful film. If you are in the Southern California area, don't miss this opportunity to see newly restored JUNGLE BOOK, complete with a half hour Mighty Wurlitzer concert of classic Disney melodies, and sing-a-long stage show with Baloo. Plus: a small but wonderful exhibition of production artwork. See you there!

SLEEPING BEAUTY: Jeweled Treasures

Art is very subjective. But of all the gorgeous artwork in SLEEPING BEAUTY, this particular B/G is one of my very favorites. I love every lovely detail; the backdrop, the jeweled treasures, and the look of the jewels themselves (the play of light on them). I especially like the design of the spoon. Here is the re-ceated B/G with a close-up of the jeweled utinsel. Spoonful of sugar, anyone? (Oops, that's another movie altogether!)

Goofy's HOW TO FISH (1942)

Our friend Jeff Pepper (http://2719hyperion.blogspot.com) has done it again: re-created a classic Disney background and then been kind enough to share it with us! It's a great one, from Goofy's HOW TO FISH (1942). Thanks, Jeff, this is terrific!

SLEEPING BEAUTY (1959) Part Three

How did you spend your holiday? I got "on a roll" with SLEEPING BEAUTY and archived over sixty backgrounds. Re-creating these pan B/Gs are have given me a new appreciation for the artful cinematography., with zooms, fades, etc. Of course these make re-creating the B/Gs more challenging. But it's worth every minute (hour? day? days?). What magnificent artwork! Here are three... take your time and savor the details. Magnificent!

On the second pan B/G, if you look closely you'll see Briar Rose on the far right, and a lone bird flying away. This B/G was a challenge, as the perspective changed as the multiplane camera panned left to right. It's not always possible to completely clear the "landscape." This was one of those cases, but I think it still gives a lovely presentation of the artwork.

SLEEPING BEAUTY (1959) Part Two

Two very different backgrounds here; an expansive re-created exterior pan background, and a gorgeous table filled with all sorts of lovely treasures. I had a rare weekend day off, due to teh Holiday weekend, which afforded me the time to re-create over 30 "new" SLEEPING BEAUTY backgrounds. I think there's a strong argument that the SLEEPING BEAUTY B/Gs are Disney's finest. I hope you'll enjoy these... more will follow!

SLEEPING BEAUTY (1959)

Here are four re-created SLEEPING BEAUTY master pan backgrounds. The great Eyvind Earle created an immortal spot in animation history with his designs for this picture.