An Animated History

Early years

• Walter Elias Disney (1901-1966)• Born in Chicago, moved to

Marceline, Missouri at 5, livedthere until 11 (often seen asDisney’s basis for “main street,USA at Disney theme parks)

• Father was raised as Christianfundamentalist - known to oftenbeat his kids. Later in life, Disneywould refer to this as hismotivation for not insisting on anysingle religious path for his kids.

• Father also socialist - pro-worker,anti-establishment - influencedDisney’s ideas of work, class, andwealth.

Early years• Patriotic - tries to join army at

16 (WWI), rejected for beingtoo young, so lies about age tojoin Red Cross and serves inFrance for a year asambulance attendant.

• Starts art school upon hisreturn - 1917 (meets Ub Iwerksthere) - does own animationinitially, later turns art job overto Iwerks and others, keeping“overseer” position

• Starts own animation companyin Hollywood with brother Roy1923 - starts producing ownanimated shorts immediately.

Early animation - themes toconsider

• Who were the early animated shorts made for (whowas the intended audience?)

• What were Disney’s (apparent) attitudes towards:violence; sex & gender; nature; work?

• What was the basis of Disney’s comedy?

Alice in Wonderland (1924-’27)

• Alice in the Wooly West (1926) To distinguish his animation fromothers, Disney proposed the idea to combine live action with animation- a technique he would use again in “Mary Poppins,” and later Disneyartists would use elaborately in “Who Framed Roger Rabbit.”

• Combining live action and animation blurs the boundaries between“fantasy” and “reality” - laying the groundwork for more ideologically-oriented works.

• What is the basis of the humour here?

Oswald the Lucky Rabbit (1927-’28)

• Innovative play with the animated subject - rules of nature suspendedin favor of a good gag.

• Idealized and emulated by other animation studios.• But - Oswald copyright not held by Disney - when Charles Minz, owner

of distribution company, took it away from him, Disney had to start overwith a new character…

• This incident credited with instigating Disney’s fervor (to put it mildly) tocontrol use of his characters/films/licensing)

Mickey Mouse (1928 - )

• 1st animated Mickey Mouse cartoon - “Plane Crazy” (1928)created in 2 weeks following loss of Oswald.

• Animated by Ub Iwerks - looks/acts pretty identical to Oswald.• Humour based on standard formula - physical gags, body

humor, no real plot, characterization, etc.

Steamboat Willie (1928)

• First ever sound cartoon - synchronized soundtrack, with actions ofcartoon characters integrally related to the music.

• Groundbreaking, exciting - huge response.• “The tiny Disney crew… had discovered the miracle of talking

pictures.”

Silly Symphonies (1929 -1939)

• Skeleton dance (1929) - “a mood piece” - 1. No familiarcharacters; 2) no story slapstick comedy; 3) designed from theground up to match the musical composition.

• Result? “it remains one of the best short cartoons ever made.”• Preoccupation with darkness and death?

Silly Symphonies

• “Flowers and Trees” (1932) - first full colorfilm.

• Wins academy award - best short subject.• Animism?

Silly Symphonies

• The Three Little Pigs (1933) Introduction of characterization - differentiation ofeach pig - Up until this point, “silly animals” were pretty much interchangeable.

• Afterwards, Disney cartoon characters (and, consequently, other animationstudios such as Warner brothers) had their own identifiable temperaments.

• Music and color used to help define character• Disney’s first hit song “Who’s afraid of the big bad wolf” - setting the trend for

today’s emphasis on music tie-ins.• What is the moral of this film?

Feature animation

• Depth/realism - Disney’s “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs”(1937) first ever animated feature-length film.

• First animated film to use “multi-plane camera” - invented byDisney Studios.

• Introduction of 3 dimensions - leading to (or as a result of)emphasis on realism.

• Wins best animated film (new category created to honor SnowWhite)

Disney’s “art” piece

• Fantasia (1940) Disney wanted to show the power of combininganimation with music - to get away from gag-based humour, toshow the potential of animation as art.

• Fantasia NOT a commercial success.• Credited with causing Disney to choose “safe” (ie, sentimental)

topics for films from then on - the “dumbing down” of Disney?

Realism extraordinaire

• Bambi (1942) - called Disney’s “original Circle of Life,” - attempt toportray realism in animation.

• No sight gags, no playing with fluidity of form - animation studiesbemoans Disney’s turning to “the dark side.”

• Does Bambi represent a betrayal of animation as an art form? Or doesit represent something else - an attempt to communicate, asrealistically as possible, an ideological message?

• What might that message be?

Disney the Propagandist?

• “Der Fuehrer's Face” (1943) (‘Donald’s adventures in Nutzi land’) - winner ofthe 1943 Oscar for best animated short film.

• Song “Der Fuehrer’s Face” spent 16 weeks on top 40 music charts, toppingout at #3; free copy of song on 45 disk for anyone who invested $50 in warbonds earned gov’t $60,000 in two days (equivalent to almost $800,000 today).

• Popular urban legend that Disney was anti-semitic may find its roots here,from those who misinterpreted the film to mean Disney supported the Nazis

• What “sacred” themes are violated here by the nazis?

Disney in Televisionland• “One Hour in Wonderland” (1950) -

Disney does 1st television special -garners 90% of television viewingaudience.

• First Hollywood producer to crossboundary between theatricalproductions and television

• 1954 - strikes deal with ABC to do aseries - “Disneyland” - paid $50,000per episode (unheard of $$) -Disney’s condition: ABC mustcontribute funding to plannedDisneyland theme park.

• @ thirty-four seasons, it became thelongest-running prime time networkseries in history

• Intro’d “Davy Crockett: King of theWild Frontier” - earned $300,000,000in merchandising revenues

Live Theatrical Releases• Treasure Island (1950) - 1st

completely live action Disneyfilm

• Diversification of Disneytheatrical portfolio

• Resulting from England’spost-war restrictions onforeign profits - all moneyearned in England must bespent in England

• To be followed by string ofadventure films (ie 20,000Leagues under the Sea(1954), etc.)

Disneyland • Disneyland(1955)• "To all who come to this

happy place - welcome.Disneyland is your land.Here age relives fondmemories of the past andhere youth may savor thechallenge and promise ofthe future. Disneyland isdedicated to the ideals, thedreams, and the hard factsthat have created America... with the hope that it willbe a source of joy andinspiration to all the world."

• —Walter E. Disney, July 17,1955