keyleedaud (REAL ESTATE)

Thad has posted about Plight of the Bumblebee , a Mickey Mouse cartoon from the early '50s that was animated, but never finished. Included in Thad's post is the pencil test, something I've never seen before. Rather than steal Thad's thunder, I'll direct you to his site so that you can watch it.

I'm frankly amazed (and amused) that the video of Disney re-use is still generating comments after more than a week. I was certainly aware of how heavily Disney re-used animation during the Reitherman years. The video didn't surprise me so much as wrap things up in a neat package. Thad Komorowski has created a similar video cataloging Bob Clampett's history of re-use, some of which I wasn't aware of. Anyone who has worked in animation production knows the twin pressures of budget and deadline. While nobody has brought it up, Chuck Jones re-used animation multiple times within his half hour TV specials, including The Grinch and Riki Tiki Tavi . We can argue over a director's motivation and judge whether the end result has value or not, but I don't doubt for a second that given the opportunity, every director would opt for new footage instead of re-use.

I've been catching up with various sites since getting back from vacation and have found several articles that are thought provoking. Peter Emslie has done two very interesting posts about how generic designs often are. In this one , he shows how he redesigned some characters and explains his thought process. In the second part , he zeros in on how ethnicity has been handled in various places and offers an alternative to the Disney Fairies that are now Tinker Bell's sidekicks. I've known Peter for years and I've come to realize that behind his talented draftsmanship is a very perceptive and articulate artist. I have to admit to not being a fan of John K's work, but I check his blog regularly and do admire his ability to analyze the work of various artists and animation disciplines. As an example, here is an analysis of the work of cartoonist and animation layout artist Owen Fitzgerald and a follow up on Mort Drucker , both of whom illustrated the comic book bas...