Munir's Disney Retrospective - Animated Classic #50: Tangled (2010)

Last Week’s: Munir’s Disney Retrospective - Animated Classic #49: The Princess and the Frog (2009).

After The Princess and the Frog marked a glorious return to hand-drawn animation, I was disappointed that Tangled was made in CG. Don't get me wrong, I love CG animation, especially Pixar films, but because Tangled was a fairy tale, I expected a similar approach to Princess & Frog. Also, what didn't sit well with me was the title change. Because The Princess and the Frog "underperformed", Disney thought that, in order to appeal to boys, the name Rapunzel was not appropriate. So they changed it to Tangled, a very generic title that doesn't say anything about the film. Fortunately, despite this, Tangled was another triumph for Disney Animation, and their first genuine box office success in a very long time.

Munir's Disney Retrospective -- Animated Classic #28: The Little Mermaid (1989)

Make Sure You've Read: Munir's Disney Retrospective -- The Renaissance, Part 1 (1989-1994) Introduction

The Little Mermaid represents a very important cornerstone in the studio's history. Not only did it mark the return to the fairy tale genre (something they hadn't done in 30 years, since the release of Sleeping Beauty) but it also marked the return of a better studio, a stronger and more confident one that wasn't afraid of new challenges and experimenting with new techniques in order to tell a story. Initially rejected because the company was afraid it drew comparisons to their recent live-action film Splash, the film was given a second chance by studio head Jeffrey Katzenberg; assembling a talented group of animators (including Glen Keane, Andreas Deja, Ruben Aquino, Mark Henn and more) and pairing them up with brilliant musical duo Alan Menken and Howard Ashman, and directors Ron Clements and John Musker, created a unique fairy tale which is not only brimming with fun, but also has spectacular characters with memorable personalities. It's also important to note how prevalent the influence of the late Howard Ashman was in the film; he completely envisioned the Broadway-esque style, where the music complements the story and advances it instead of just being a diversion (something the studio would use in nearly every picture of this era). With clever lyrics and a wonderful score by Menken, this film has some of the most inventive and catchy songs in all of the Disney canon; songs like "Part of Your World", "Under the Sea" and "Kiss the Girl" are now part of the public's consciousness and are beloved everywhere. Ashman also influenced some of the characters' personalities, making them more complex and layered.  It's astounding to compare their previous effort, Oliver and Company, - with its unpolished and sometimes bland, cheap animation - with this one, which has amazing character animation and lots of special effects that make you feel as though you're watching something made with care and love - something worth watching. Strong box office receipts and two Academy Award wins were just the icing on the cake for a film whose reputation had already been cemented as one of Disney's best and most appealing classics. Rating: 5/5.

Next Week -- Animated Classic #29 Review: The Rescuers Down Under (1990)

Munir's Disney Retrospective -- Animated Classic #26: The Great Mouse Detective (1986)

Last Week's: Munir's Disney Retrospective -- Animated Classic #25: The Black Cauldron (1985)

After the disastrous premiere of The Black Cauldron the previous year, the new Disney management, with Jeffrey Katzenberg and Roy E. Disney at the helm, took it upon themselves to rehabilitate the ailing animation studio. Instead of aiming for a big, ambitious and costly endeavour, they set their goal on a smaller but still entertaining film. Mice have always been a staple for the Disney Studio, so it's not a surprise that this film would feature another one of the studio's most famous animal. Based on the children's book series "Basil of Baker Street" by Eve Titus, the film tells the story of Basil (a mouse version of Sherlock Holmes) a very clever and astute mouse who solves the most difficult and puzzling mysteries. When a toymaker is mysteriously kidnapped, Basil sets his sights on his arch-nemesis Professor Ratigan (a rat version of Professor Moriarty) and, with the help of a veteran mouse, Major Dawson (Watson), they start unravelling a crime which could put the whole British Empire in jeopardy. The Great Mouse Detective may not be a particularly remarkable film, but it features an excellent cast of characters. The film boasts excellent character animation and top-notch vocal performers (Vincent Price is particularly stellar as the villainous Ratigan) and is also an early showcase of the talent of some of the young animators who would become legends in later years by creating some of the most famous Disney films in recent memory. A particular stand-out is Glen Keane's animation of Ratigan which makes him such an interesting personality. This is also the first film directed by the legendary duo of Ron Clements and John Musker who later created iconic films like The Little Mermaid and Aladdin. All in all, The Great Mouse Detective may not be a cherished Disney classic (and the fact that is sandwiched between two disappointing films may be one of the reasons for that) but it offers clever entertainment and wonderfully animated characters; it's a showcase of early talent from some of the studio's top animators. Rating: 3.5/5.

Next Week: Animated Classic #27 Review: Oliver and Company (1988)

After 37 Years, Glen Keane Leaves Disney

After almost 4 decades in the employ of Walt Disney Animation Studios, Glen Keane, arguably the famed studio's most well known and respected animator and artist, has retired from Disney.

Keane, who began working for Disney in September, 1974 has been responsible for bringing to life some of Disney's most loved characters, including animating Beast in Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin in Aladdin, and having heavy creative influence over Rapunzel in Tangled.

Cartoon Brew have the text of the letter detailing his resignation to friends at the studio, in which he said:

Over these four decades I have seen so many changes, but the one thing that remains the same is that we all do this because we love it.

I am humbled and deeply honored to have worked side by side so many artists, producers and directors during my career here at Disney, and I am tremendously proud of the films which together we have created. I will deeply miss working with you.

With my most sincere and heartfelt good wishes for your and Disney’s continued artistic growth and success, 

Glen

One thing's for sure, Glen Keane will be sorely missed at Disney, but will remain a true icon and legend of animation, who will surely continue to excel at whatever he tries his hand at next.

Dice Tsutsumi Autographs - Sketchtravel

A few months ago, I had the chance to talk to Daisuke "Dice" Tsutsumi, the Colour and Lighting Art Director on Toy Story 3, via e-mail. Dice is a fantastic artist, responsible  for a large portion of the artwork - namely the colour scripts - in the Art of Toy Story 3 book, and was kind enough to agree to autograph a few of his drawings for me.

Not only was it a pleasure to talk to Dice, but he was kind enough to take some time out of his very hectic and busy schedule to sign them for me and I am insanely grateful!

Dice, who runs Simplestroke.com, is also co-running the very noble and extremely interesting, Sketchtravel project. Sketchtravel is a project where 71 illustrators and artists, including Glen Keane and Hayao Miyazaki, have contributed brilliant and stunning art to a sketch book. The original book will be auctioned on October 17 in Brussels, with proceeds of the book, and royalties from its subsequent publication, going to Room to Read, an international, non-profit, literacy organisation.

Needless to say, this is a fantastic cause and I am fully behind Dice, and the other co-founder, Gerald Guerlais, and encourage you to support them as much as possible and share the facebook page and website, and just help however you can!