Thursday, March 4, 2010

"The Magic of Disney Animation"

This is the big reason why I want to visit the rides and shows in Disney World that will change in the near future. For a while in the early '90s, the Disney/MGM Studios was my favorite of the Walt Disney World theme parks. One of the main reasons for this was the original version of the Magic of Disney Animation tour. Here's a video that gives a quick overview of the sad, strange history of this attraction/studio:

This was the very first time us unwashed fanpeople could watch Disney animators do their thing. This was immediately preceded by a short film that gave a brief overview of the process. Thankfully, some kind soul has uploaded the original film on YouTube):

   
After the film, you got to walk through the animator observation area. Admittedly, it did feel like walking through the gorilla exhibit at Franklin Park Zoo. The tour ended with an exhibit of art from upcoming movies (I got to see some early maquettes of the "Toy Story" characters) and a film with interviews of the top animators at Disney of the time, like Glen Keane. You only got a few minutes in this room until you were ushered into another theater to watch a montage of classic Disney film and short clips, mostly culled from this TV special (including the introduction. Ah, the Michael Eisner era.)    
Certainly, this is a Weird Disney Thing. But it may also be the Saddest Disney Thing, because now the Magic of Disney Animation at the Studios, in it's entirely, looks like this (bonus points for making "dragon" not even sound like a word anymore):
     
I've seen this in action a few visits to the park ago. I half expected Mr. DNA to show up. After the events you've just seen, we were brought to a small room with a very small exhibit of animation art and were invited to "learn how to draw Mickey Mouse". And... that's it.😭   
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  The Therizinosaur Gallery is up at Art Evolved and my entry is the first on the page! YAAAAAAYYY!!! Seriously, though. There is great work from everyone. 
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Sketch of the day! More Great Backyard Bird Count cuteness.  
2.13.10 Sketchbook page