Prep and Landing - Full Movie

Jim Hill did today an interesting article about the new Prep and Landing short animated to be aired December 7th. He also talks about the upcoming sequel to the first part which will be released in 2011. And this reminded me that i've never watched the first Prep and Landing as it has not been released yet on dvd or aired on European TV channels. May be it was on the European Disney Channel but as i don't spend my time watching it i missed it anyway.

Considering that the first Prep and Landing was released one year ago i thought that it should be possible to find it on internet and i was right. As i won't be surprised if some of you living outside the U.S have never watched, just like me, this animated jewel who won an Emmy Award here it is below. And then, don't forget to have a look at Jim Hill's article to learn more about the upcoming sequels.




Video: copyright Disney

New Winnie the Pooh Movie - First Trailer

Disney released the first trailer for the new Winnie the Pooh movie which will be released in July 2011. I'm among the one who LOVED the first Winnie the Pooh movie. I remember being amazed by the "childhood purity" - and of course the beautiful animation - of the first movie and from what i can see in this new trailer the new Winnie the Pooh movie should succeed to keep this charming childhood spirit.



Directed by Stephen Anderson and Don Hall and under the close supervision of John Lasseter who just like me loved the original movie this new "Winnie the pooh" inspired by five stories from A.A. Milne’s books is realised in Disney's classic hand-drawn 2D animation, just like in the good old days. All Winnie's friends Tigger, Rabbit, Piglet, Kanga, Roo and Eeyore, who has lost his tail, are back and of course in their original design. Okay, it's time to have a look at this first trailer, isn't it?




Pictures and videos: copyrght Disney

First Tangled "Rapunzel" Teaser

Disney released two days ago a first Tangled "Rapunzel" teaser, and the least we can say is that it's really a "teaser", i.e it don't shows a lot of the movie and you won't see any characters. I remind you that Disney changed recently the movie title, now called Tangled, instead of Rapunzel.




But if we want to watch a few seconds of animation of the Rapunzel character we have to go on the WorstPreviews web site which have this very short clip which may have been done quite a while ago.




Always on the WorstPreviews web site but much more interesting this work in progress of the trailer - and don't ask me how they've got it...




Tangled is supposed to be released in the U.S in November 2010.

Picture and videos: copyright Walt Disney Animations.

The Princess and the Frog Review

I finally had a chance to see last night Princess and the Frog and here is my review. The movie was released in France last week only and unfortunately the press screenings happened when i was on holiday last month and i've missed all of them, so this is the reason why i couldn't write before this review.

So, i saw Princess and the Frog in perfect condition yesterday evening and i liked it a lot! I think it's a wonderful Disney animated movie and i strongly encourage each of you to go out as soon as you can and see it!

First, the animation is first class animation, just like in the old time of Disney animated movies, and Disney animators did a fantastic job, really. The characters are perfect - everything is perfectly done, in fact - and some of them are really funny like the crocodile or the rich daughter character. Backgrounds are sumptuous and Randy Newman's music is as great as you can expect from such a talented composer.

Though, it took Princess and the Frog more than six weeks to make $100 M at the U.S box-office and the movie is not as successful as the latest Pixar movies. So, where is the problem - if there is one? If we except the huge success of Avatar who took a lot of spectators, some may say that if Princess and the Frog was not extremely successful it's because it's a 2D animated movie. Let's think about this one minute : personally what i liked in Princess and the Frog was precisely that it has the class of Disney animated features in the grand Disney tradition (as John Lasseter would say). And it's true that when you see it you have the feeling it could have been done anytime between the 1950's to the 1990's as the animation style and the "Princess" storyline could have been one they choose to adapt in these old days. But that's a big part of the movie charm, precisely! It is this quaint charm which makes it enjoyable.

However i can see two reasons which could explain its so-so success at the box-office. First it's a "Princess" movie and although i don't doubt that young girls can still believe to these poor-girl-who-finally-meet-the charming-Prince stories i think that it's not anymore the same with parents. Let me be clear: even forty years ago adults didn't believe that this kind of fairy tale was true. But, in our 21st Century age, the cynism of the society reached such a point that it has almost destroyed any form of innocence in people's mind. Life is harder and harder - and it's going to get worse - and it's more and more difficult for adults to keep (even hidden) a childhood spirit.

I know that when we go to Disneyland it's precisely to find back this "childhood spirit", but we know that it's not the real life. Back in the 1950's - 70's when the future was bright it was different. Innocence was not yet replaced by cynism and even adults could be sensitive to these "Princess" stories. But not anymore. And that's probably one of the reason why "Princess" didn't had the success it deserves.

One other reason could be that in the times we're living people like what is "shiny". And i have to admit that CGI animated movies have a look more "shiny". It's absurd because it is the animation quality and the storyline which should be more important, but the look of CGI animated movies is more "charming" for the eye. And, by the way, we can see this love for shiny everywhere if it's not in any product. As you know i'm a big fan of Apple computers but i'm furious that all Mac computers have now - and only - a glossy screen. The reason why Apple is doing this is not only an economic reason but also because, precisely, glossy-shiny screens are as i've just said more charming for the eye.

All of this to say that the high quality of Princess and the Frog is not into question. It's probably more difficult now to have huge hits at the B.O with a 2D animated movie but that's not a reason to stop 2D animation. Right now the international box-office of the movie is $149 M but if we except Germany and Italy where the movie was released last December - and France since last week - the movie has yet to open in theatres of many major countries like the U.K or Japan. So, in the meantime, please go out to watch Princess and the Frog, it's a wonderful movie with great characters and, as i've said, top class animation. I'm sure you will love it!


/Film did recently a great behind the scenes Princess and the Frog documentary called "Frogumentary" and filmed at Walt Disney Animation Studios. It's now released in four parts on Youtube and i've embedded it below. Great document, don't miss it!


















Picture: copyright Disney

Video: copyright slashfilm.com

The new " Jungle Book " luxury edition is simply Gorgeous !

Anyone who loved Disney's great animated classic "The Jungle Book" will be in heaven with Pierre Lambert new gorgeous opus. Pierre Lambert is the author of the previous luxury books "Pinnochio", "Snow White", and "Mickey Mouse" all of them existing in english edition. This new one, published by french renown publisher Editions de la Martinière has its text in french only - that's why the title on the cover is "Le Livre de la Jungle".

Although Pierre Lambert's text is extremely interesting this only-french-version must not stop you to order the book as most of the 237 pages of the book are purely visuals. And what a great artwork! From Ken Anderson and Bill Peet first sketches to the stunning background by Albert Dempster, the book tells the full story of the creation of one of Walt Disney's most beloved classic. You'll find not less than 250 never seen before artwork coming from Walt Disney Animation Research Library and private collections: cellos, layouts, modelsheets, story-boards and preliminary studies, and many more. Let's have a look to some of them.

Here is a watercolour and china ink preliminary study from Ken Anderson showing Mowgli and Baloo...



...and a great cello upon background painting showing Mowgli walking in the Jungle (double-click on the image to see it in big).



You'll find also in the book rare story-board sketches like these below...







...or great colour sketches like this one for Baloo...



...or these colour sketch and modelsheet for King Louis...





...or Shere Kahn.





Of course, the book is full of great cellos like this one from the Bear Necessities sequence...



...or beautiful background paintings...



...or both of them together like these cellos on background painting of the King Louis temple scene (double-click on the image to see it in big).



And when i will tell you that the printing of this 13" x 13" book - which comes in a box - is absolutely stunning you'll understand that this Jungle Book luxury edition - definitely the best book ever published on the movie - would be a perfect Christmas gift to any super-fan of this animated classic. For now, the best price is 95 euros on Amazon ( $142 ) which, i agree, may look a bit expensive but believe me the book definitely worth each cent of the 142 dollars! Fantastic book, really!




Thanks to leave a comment or discuss this article on D&M english forum on Mice Chat

All pictures: copyright 2009 Disney

A Behind the scenes look to " Prep and Landing "

Last August i've let you know about this Walt Disney Animation new animated called "Prep and Landing", directed by Kevin Deters and Stevie Wermers. Well, it will be released on ABC next month December 1st, and the ABC website released some interesting videos about it, among them a trailer and a behind the scenes videos.



But first, here is the synopsis of this lovely Christmas tale: "After working tirelessly on Prep and Landing for 227 years, an Elf named Wayne is upset when he doesn't receive an expected promotion to be the "director of naughty list intelligence".
Instead Magee the North Pole Christmas Eve command center coordinator partners Wayne with Lanny, an idealistic rookie who has an undying unthusiasm for Christmas. during their Christmas Eve mission, Wayne and Larry encounter unexpected challenges that push them to their limits.
Will the elves be able to guide Dasher, Dancer and the rest of the reindeer pulling Santa's sleigh through a raging snowstorm to ensure a Merry Christmas for all?"




After watching the videos below, i'm totally positive that Prep and Landing will be a great animated movie, now it's your turn to discover them!



In this next behind the scenes video John Lasseter and Prep and Landing animators tell us more on the making of this great animated movie.



As i've said, Prep and Landing is released December 1st on ABC, so if where you are living you're able to watch it, don't miss it! In the meantime you can watch more short videos on the ABC web site HERE.

Pictures and videos: copyright Disney

Walt Disney and Animation Artists in South America - 1941

In early 1941, before U.S. entry into World War II, the United States Department of State commissioned both a Disney goodwill tour of South America, intended to lead to a movie to be shown in Central and South America as part of the Good Neighbor Policy. The tour took during ten weeks Walt Disney, his wife Lilly and a group of sixteen great artists from Walt Disney Animation as well as composers from the Walt Disney Studios to South America, mainly to Brazil and Argentina, but also to Chile and Peru. The movie, of course, now known as "Saludos Amigos" was made up of four different segments. Donald Duck stars in two of them and Goofy stars in one. It also features the first appearance of the character José Carioca.

But the Disney group was not alone, as LIFE photographer Hart Preston was there too and did a fantastic photographic report for LIFE magazine. It is these very rare pictures that you will see today, probably for the first time.

We will begin by Brazil in Rio de Janeiro. On the top, Walt and Lilian Disney going for a tandem bike ride in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, June 1941. Below Frank Thomas, on the left, is standing with Walt Disney on a beach of Rio de Janeiro.



Precisely, in the next pictures we'll see Disney and his group going on a Brazilian beach...




Where Walt with his camera filmed some young cariocas...





Another great picture of Walt filming on a beach of Rio de Janeiro.



Meanwhile, Disney artists like Lee and Mary Blair created great watercolours that will serve as inspiration for the future movie.






They've also study the brazilian vegetation in botanical gardens...









And even waterfalls...



..And animals like this parrot - who knows, may be his painting by Lee Blair was the one who inspired the character of Jose Carioca?




Or may be it was this parrot?




Near a beach of Rio, Lee and Mary Blair meet and greet young cariocas...







...while on the other side of the road Disney artist Herb Ryman was doing sketches of animals.





The group went also in mountain villages...



...where Herb Ryman did some interesting paintings.




Here are two sketches of Frank Thomas, in the first one Pluto meet an armadillo...



And this one shows Dopey with a Brazilian monkey.



After the work the Disney group is relaxing...




...and for Walt, it's lunch time!...



...before some party later in the evening.



The Brazilian premiere of Fantasia also happened when they were in Rio de Janeiro.



And Walt Disney gave a presentation about animation with the help of three of his animators.



In a Brazilian nightclub performers entertained an audience which included Walt Disney.



And in the Urca Casino nightclub, dancers put on a floor show for the benefit of Walt Disney and his movie crew.



The group then moved to other countries, in Argentina to see the famous "gauchos"...



Or in Peru to see peruvians villagers...



While in Peru, they went also on Lake Titicaca to film sequences that will serve as inspiration for the Donald segment in Saludos Amigos. On the pictures, Walt is the one who holds the camera.








Hope you enjoyed this pictorial article with these rare LIFE pictures of the Disney South-American tour. All of them are coming from the fantastic LIFE photographic archives which are now avalaible to anyone in a special section of Google Images HERE and where you will find dozens of other rare and gorgeous pictures of Walt Disney.

Thanks to leave a comment or discuss this article on D&M english forum on Mice Chat


All pictures: copyright Time-Life - All rights reserved