the illusion of life disney animation a

Djsm~,
AnJnj~¥'
Frank
Thomas
and
Olli
~
J
1-
The
Illusion
of
life
Disney
Animation
-
YSNEp
1:01'1"10:'
New
Yo
rk
Th~
Illusion
of
Lif~
Disn~y
Animation
Frank
Thomas

and
Ollie
Johnston
This book is ded
ic
ated to
Wa
h
Di
sney
~
1Ild
the sta n'
or
artists
who brought
th
e magical qua
li
ty
of
lir
e
10 charact
er
animation.
Cnpynghl"
19~1.
Wa
lll),,,,

"Y
P,od""h
On.<
"II
,iglll'
"""

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wi""
"",", ,

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the
"nl"'"
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of

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I hstory and
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6~4J
Contents
Prefa
ce
Acknowledgmcms
I.
An
Art
Fonn
[s
Bom
13
2.
The
Early
Day
s 1

923-
19
33
29
3.
'
11
1C Principl
es
of
Animation
47
4. Oiscowry 19J4- IY
36
71
5.
c.l
noon Com
es
of
Age
93
6.
Ap
pe
al and Dynamics
"'
7. Hyperion; l
bc
E

~
!lI()1;io
n
14
1
,.
Burbank
and
The
Nin
e Old Men
159
,
Our
Procc
du
r~s
18
5
10 H
ow
to Gel It on
the Screen
243
II
. The
Di
sney
SourKI
s

285
12
. The Fo
llow-
up
FUll(.
1ions
303
13
.
The
Uses of Live AClion in Drawing
Human> and
Animah
319
14
. Story
36
7
15.
C
h~ractcr
Develupment
393
16.
Animating bf'TC-

~i
on
s

and Dialogue 441
17. Acting and Emotions
'"
18
. 04her T
)'
pcs
of
Animati
on-
and
the Futuro
509
Notes
Apf't'ndices
Index
<
•
-
•
Preface
Thi$
book
is
about
Dimey
c
ha
nw:
~

animation. an
an
form
!hat
CTtaied
such "
'Or
kHamoos cartoon
fi,u~s
as
Mict
ey
M
ou~
and Dornlld Duck . DiUICyanima-
_
make
s
audie
nces
really
believe
in
t~
c
ha
rac·
1eI'$,
",ho$e
ad,'enturc:~

and misfortunes make prople
laup-and
c"en cry. There
is
a t
ped
•• ingn:dient
in
0\Ir t
ype
of
animati
on
thaI
produces drawings that
appear
10
think ;uwj make decisions and
ac
t of their
(I'MI
volition
; it is whal
Crea
l
CS
1M
illusion
of
lif

e.
No
••
stud;"
Iw
be
en
able
10
d
up
licate this I0O$I
""I'OfWlI
(
but!f
asc

11(\0:0100<1) clemen!
in
our
fil ms.
b
~
be
prodU«d by Ifl(lney alone. When a
pro-
~
M15
he
is coing") make a " Disney_type" film.

IIr
may
th
i
nt
(hil
rull
aninwion. nicc
c:oIor.
and I
IaF
1ludgtI
.e
.U tlla! is
n«<kd
. But
Di
s
ncy
anima.
•
is
mort
lIwI dra

ing, or animating.
or
storytcll.
l1li.
or

p;iliMin
,
-
~
is what
thi
s book is all
10
00ut.
In
tracing
the
de~clopl1lcn
l
of
cl\aracl
er
an;nUllion
ndIer
than
the
stooio
or the
men
in
it, inevitably
"'
l'
will
leave

OUt
the
names
of
many
fine
anim

We
~
slighting anyone, but
we
n:~
t
even
more hay·
ilia
over!ool:ed
a k
ey
scene:
in
anim~cion
hi
scory or a
IpKW
Soeq
Ill:I'ICe
in
a p

ic
cull'
chac
WOtlld
h3V
~
helped
apil
in
and
clarify oor meaning. h i
s.
perrn.ps. mi
s·
ItIdiDg
kl
CTtdi!
spec
if
IC
ar1i
scs
,,
·
ic
h lhe
draw
ings
we

in
me
book
. since
Ihi
s mighc imply
Ihac
bach
Che

MId
the
~ylc
(I"",
from one person: for this was
Iddom
me
Cas(
.
So
much
of
OUr o
,,
·n

·
ark
appears
IItrt

!.imply
b«lIIse
;1
was
aJl
dIM
was
available after
III
lIIII'Iy
yean. Animal
Of$
uw
aU
y
do
noc
save lhe
~I
$kdches. ch
ux
ler drawings.
and
uperi
-
mmcaI
pl
ans
chat
re~11

lhe
mosc
imporlanc slage, in
dtvdoping I pmonalicy
or
piece of business.
In
any
CIIIt.
the
tm
phasii here is on lhe research ralher
Ih
an
lilt
ptOpIc
who
did
lhe drawings.
One
ofme
mosl
rcwuding
pans
of Ihis project has
beat
me
inkrv~ws
wilh old friends
and

co
lleagues.
e!lablin,
us 10
ga
in perspective
and
insiglu
011
e~nlS
lhat had
gone:
wh;u ing by
~k
when

~
wen
roo
busy 10
1\01;
••
or
appnise
.
Ottasion
:llly _
indi
vid
·

ual di
sagrttd
wich
anorher
over
in
l
.rprtU
l
ion
and
e~n
Il'«>
lI
ccri
on
s. buc.
lhen.
argum
.n
cs

·.re
Ih
.·ays daily
(l("(:
urt"t
n«S
when
we

"
"ell'
mU
ing
chc
pkwrcs
.
ThaI
was an
i"'ponanl
pan
of
Ihe I.am effort .
Many
will loot. to Ihis book to teach lhem
the
S«rctS
of
Disney animal ion
SO
I
hac
lhey can
become:
huclnl
$lICCU5eS
. Unfoounac. l
y.
Chis craft ca
nllOl

be
learned
by j
use
reading a book. and not

emighl under
any
cil'C\lnutancu.
Our
original
in
tention had betn 10""';11:
I book
00
how 10 animal
••
hoping
we
could offer
inspiration ra
che
r than
_Ihin
g 10 ropy.
bul
as

~
did

ou
r ,,"search
ic
became obvious C"'I c was I
greacer
need
10
record
j
u
~
how
this
sp:eial
ki
nd
of
animacioo had
dcvdoped
.
'Those
Ii"""

·ere
uniqlic:
and
wi
ll
never
be

dupl
ka
led:
~
nHath
of "·

1
was
lutnW
had been valid in the lhealcr for
5Cvend
hun·
dll'd
yUIl
and concinucs
IQ
be
valuable where.·
.r
there
is
commu
ni
calion wilh
an
audience. We fcilihal
lhi
s

ahh
of
knQwledge in animalloo
~
hould
be
prc5C
rvnI
.
Ron
Milkr
.
c
xecu~ive
head
of
all
production I I
the
Oisney Studios.
hoped
10
doobk
~
suff ofanimawrs
by 1981.
bu~
he foond. even .
flC1"
an

i
nlCn
si~
scam
lhat "
••.
lhe~
just
m:n
·lIh.1
many
people
c
apable
of
doing Inimalion in
lhe
Disney seyle
:·
Wlw
ii
the
Disney style? Can
il
be
uplained
? We hope
MI
. This
book is "Tillen for lhe

SllKic
nl who
want
~
IQ know
how
Dis.nc-y
animalion w
as
<ic:R:
for
~
hi5rorian

.
1\0
wants
to know why
il
w
as
00nc W t " "ly: f
or
the aniSl ".
1\0
has
ncv~r
re
alized the
pot.ntial

of
an;mal
ion
as I
pro.
fusion
; for the general public w
ho
sli
ll
wonders.
··Whal really
makes lhem mover
We hope
Ih
al
SOrTIC
readers wi
ll
be
Slimulat«! to
carry
on
lhese lradilions and elevale Ihis art form 10
an
ever-hi
&hcr
k~1.
Acknowledgments

This
book
bclong~
to the pn>ple. pas! and l'"'5I:nl.
of
Walt
Oi§lleY
i'rodU('lions.
wl'los.l:
ooop:n lion and ass;s-
I.lo~
made
it
.11
possible. Speciallllanks muSt go!O
(he
CAl.'CutivCJ
E. CIf\lon Wilker. Ron Miller. and
Vince
Jdfcnls. for without lhei. continued suppon
(lVe.
the
four
1<)Ili
yeal'll
we
spcm puni!!g
it
together.
this

book
wO\Ild
neVer have been wrinen.
We
wi~h
to
Ih~nk
the
many
<k
pan
ments
who
Wen:
""'"'
bclpful Illan
their
jobs
mjui.w.
In alphabctK:11
order,
they an:: the Animation Research
Tum.
under
Leroy
Anderson. "'00 slorW the anwonc from each
pic
t
ure
in

the !lasemenl
"catacombs";
in
Arc
hi
vu.
Dave
Smith and Paula Sigman. who tracked down
informalion. checked names and dates and spt"lIings
and
tides and locations;
An
Props,

. tJos,e skills and
mo"
'
lrdgc
in saJvagin& and
~n
ting
mlIlerials

-ere
in,,,lulblc;
the
tidies
In
Ink and Paint
who

furnished
uS
Wilh
illCll'dible work on
the
cels: the dedicated staff
in
the
Library: Ihe
cre
w in
Merchandising
and Publica-
tions. and
Don
M
acLaug
hl
in in particular; the
cooper-
alh"c men in Still
Ca
mera
and
IMir
indomitable
leader
Dive Speno;cr. We
are
indebted!O

tMm
all.
Wc
also
a~
gr.udul
(Of
tM
cno;ouragcment
received.
in N,.,.
~cmber
1979.
from
D
iane
D~ney
Miller
,
",
"ar
m
reo
sponse
to
our
manuscript in its first
rompktc
fonn.
We ".en: very (ortUNUC to

""~e
(
Of
our
cditOf the
paUmi
and scholarly Wahon Rawls. His sensitive
COII-
u;butions s
ho>o.
·
ed
a remar1cablc underslanding
of
our
purposes that
was
boIh
reassuring
and
apprttiated
.
Our
!hanks
abo
go to
our
~ympalhc
lic
publiIDcr

RCJbc,r"I
E.
Abrams.
whose>
persona!
intcre
~
t
in the
proj«t
and
detcrmination
to
ma
kc a quality
boo
k
of
our
writings
and i k
elchcs
inspired
us
10
an
cven
more
critical
approach

10
our
work.
"The
day
ancr
Wah
died.
W
oolie
R
eithemlan
sa
i
d.
··From
this day on it will never
be
li
ke it
was.
but
only
ascach
person
remembers
it.··
We
want
tOe~pre5SOUr

Iwm'ialion
to the following
peopi(
who
helped
us
remembor the way il
was
:
Ed
Aardal
James
N.
Algar
Ken Anderson
William Andersoo
Xavier
Aleno;io
An
llabbin
Te
d
Berman
Al 8enilK)
•
Carleton
(Jack
) B
nyd
Roger

Bmggie
Bob
Broughton
Les
aart:
Ron
Clemen
tS
Ufry
Ci(mmons
aaude
CoatS
Evelyn CnalS
Ed
Cool<
Bill Cottrell
An
Cru
i
cksh
ank
Jack CUlling
M
arc
F.
Davis
Lou
Debney
Al
Dempster

Don
Duckwall
Becky
Fallberg
Vance
Gerry
Blailll:
(iib$on
""""
'""_
Floyd (iol1fre<bQn
Joe:
(iBnI
Don
(irifr
"h
Belly
Ann
(i""nther
Dave
lland
Ed
Han
sen
T.
li
ce
J
ohn
tleno;h

D
id
Il
ue"",r
Wilfred J
ackson
Bill
JU$licc:
(ile
n
Ke
ane
Richmond (I);ck) Kelsey
Kalherine
Kerwin
B
elly
Kimball
Wan! Kimball
Eric
l aJ$OII
Fini Littlejohn
Ann
LlQyd
MIS.
Ham
(
Frukic
) Lusl:e
Eu

stace: Lyecll
Jim
M",donaJd
Bob
McCre
a
Bill McFlIdlIen
Bob MclntQSh
Dave
M
ictr.cnc:r
Oarence
Nnh
Grim
N
al
w
ic
k
Maurice Noblc
Cliff Nordberg
Ken
O·Brien
Ken
O·C
Qnnor
Dale Oliver
Bill Peet
Ken Pet
er$Oll

Elmer
Plummer
Man
in
Provensen
Wolfgani
Rci
lhtrman
Leo Salkin
Milt
Schaff~
Ben
Sharpstetn
Mel
Shaw
A"
S1evens
Sandy
Slrother
H
ero
Taylor
Mary
Tebb
Ruthie Tompson
T
om
Wilhite
1.

An Art Fonn Is Born
. 'Animolian elln f,rptnin
'I"II~,'er
",,, mind
of
""m
e,m COll(t;W. Walt Disney
MiUI
alway
s
has
h
ad
a compelling ur
ge
to
make
repr!:-
senlaljon~
of
.he things
he
~s
in
the
world around
him.
As
he
looks

31
the creatures Iha. share his daily
aclivities.
he
first Iries
to
draw
Of
sculp!
or
mold their
f()l'm$
in
recogniUlble f
~hion.
"Then.
when
he
hewme.
mon:
s
ki
llful.
he
anempu to caplllre some.hing
of
a
c<talu",'s movemcnls a look. a leap. a strogglc. And
ultimately.
he

:>«ks
to
ponray the ,'cry spirit
of
hi
s
subjec
t.
For
some
pn:sumptoous
Il'~.
man
reels.he
neW'o
creale
something of
his
own
thaI
appears to
be
living.lhal has an inner 5
1I'1:n&,h.
a vitality. a separate
idenlil)'-SOrnelhing that speaks out wilh authority- a
creation
Ihal
gives the illusion
of

life .
T"
·
~1I1y
.
five
thousand
yean
ago.
in
the caves of
soothwestem
Europe. Cro-Magnon
man
made
ast<)Und·
ing
drnwings
of
'he animals he hunted. His repn:scnt3.
tions are
no! only K\:urate and ""aU!ifully df'dwn. but
many seem to have an inner life combined with a
suggestion
of movement. Since that time.
we
ha,'c
been inundated with
ani.lu
· a!!enlp\S to .hape some·

thing
in
clay
or
stone
or
paint thaI has a life
of
itsown.
Cenain
anis
ts
ha""
achieved marveloos Il'sults:
sculptures that
are bursting with energy. paintings
that
speak with slrong inner forces. carvings and
dfll
winp
and printS that have captured a living moment intime.
Sut
none can do
n,OTe
than suggest whal
ILappcnedjUS
t
befon:.
or
what

·ill happen afler
thal
paI1icular
moment
has
p;1SSCd.
Yel, through all the centuries. anists coo-
tinued to search
for a medium
of
C X
p"
~
ion
tlLal
wookl
permillhem
to
capture Ihal elusive spark
of
life.
and
in
l
he
late
18OC1s
new invenlions
scen>e:d

allastlo
mU:c
Ihis possible . Along with improvements
in
the
moIion
picture
camera
and the development
of
a
roll
f'lm
capable
of
surviving
the
harsh
m«hani
s
ms
for
projecI.
ing its images. a new art form
wa
s
born,
animation.
Sy
making

SC<juential
dra"
'ings
of
a continuing action

1lJIll'
JoIM
S

II.
fir;
~
~8ambi.
and
I"

*,,,tin& their phmographs onto a screen
al
a
con>lant
ralC,
an
ani~t
II(IW
rould creatc
~II
of
the
m(w."",nt

and
inner tife he "'as capable
of
.
An
artl~t
cou
ld rcp"'SI.'n! the actual figu

if
he
c~. mcllculou,ly caplUring its mo"enICnts
and
ac-
lions,
0
tIC
could uricalul'<: il.
sat
irize,
il.
ridicu~
it
.
And
he
"'""15
OOIitmlted 10 me actions; hc could
silovo
'

• mOIlOlllo.
fcelinl
~.
c,
·
.n
innermost
fCar$
. Ilc could
K,,·t
,alIlY
10
tilt d ,ams
of
Ihc
visioNry
.
He
could
• ,al.
a c
huactcr
on
lhe scr<:cn thai
not
onty appeared
1(1
Itt
li"ing but Ihinking
and

making
dcc
i
sion~
all
by
himSl.'If.
M
OS
t of
all.
to
c'
·
.ryone·s
surpri
se.
this ne w
an
of
animalion had lhe
pow.
r
10
make lhe aud
ience:
:telually fCcllhl: CIllOlions
of
a
ean""

n figure.
Wh
at an ama
7.ing
an
form!
Jt
is aSlonish
inglhu
t so
r.",
· prof.nionalS h., ,
in~.
S
ligated
il
s possibililies.
for

he , else
don
lhe
aniS(
ha~.
such
opponuni
t
iu
for self
u",""

ssion? The ,
IS
a ne",'
ueilemc:nl
10
the
fanuliar
e~mc
nl
s
of
dl1lwing
and
design whcn thcy arc
'""""'n
heroi<."
$i~c
on
a large screen. bul.
Il"IOoR:
Ihan
!hal, the oddiuoo
of
n1(
w.me
nl
opI'lIS
the ""ay 10
alll-'
uftlimllW new Il'lalionohlps

in
all areas. And the ""00-
dol"$
continue on inlo
color
.
E",n
thc
brightcSl pigments
on
a painling
Can
,nccl
~k
10
thc
~Ie""c
r
only a limited amount
of
light.
Their
appa ,nl brighlness is
1'<:13I
i,
'c 10
it
self
.•
nn~

fronl
dark 10 light
of
aboul
20
10
I.
But w'lh the light
intensily
of
III<'
proj-eClion lamp
~nd
a highly
,ncctivc
scfftn. Ihis brighlllCss factor inc ,ascs
10
an
udtina
200
10
1_
II:n
l
ime~
a$
g ,at! Just as thc slained
glaS>
,,'Indow
had

brwghl
dlu
ling brilli

afttT
cenlunc
s
of

Iat,,·dy dull ffl'SCocs.
tilt
inlroduction of lighl
behInd
till:
film
made

hol~
new I1Inges
of
color
,,
·ail.
able
10
till:
artist. Add 10 this Ihc potenlial
fOf
building
«>lor

IJIKlmhlpS
in
SoeqUCnce
for
wonger
cmotional
rcspoIIse. and till: artist has before
him
""
incrN
ib~
med,um for
self
e~",""ssion.
BUI
re

arding as anima-
lion
is,
it
i~
al:>o
. m
t:mdy
difficult. Slill. once an
an
iSI
sees his drawing,; conI< 10 life

On
lhe
5O;

n.
he

il1
IIC, ,r
again be quite p.lisfled wilh any
OIl11:r
I)'pc
of
upt<:s
sion.
"The
unique challenge
of
Ihis
an
form "'"as aplly
dc>e:ribed by Vladimir
(Bill) Tylla.
fir$!
animltOr
10
brlnl
Irw
cmotlons 10 thc
cartoon

scftt
n.
'
·· It

~
melMionc:d
!hat
the
possibilities
of
anlmallon ,
Infi
•
nile. It is
alilhat.
and
y.
t
"cry
simplc-bul
Iry
and
do
il! There
isn't
a minI
)"ou
can'
l

do
In
il u far
as
composition
i
~
to

emcd
. Therc isn't a carKaturist
in
Ihis country
,,
'
00
has as much liberty I S an animator
here
of
t

isting
and

e
a'
·ing
hi
s lines
in

and
0111
••••
But I
can't
Icil you how
10
do il- I
wi
.h
[
(ould.··
Bill
"
'
a~
speaking
10
a group
of
youn,
animalors
ho had
boc:n
asking
how
he achieved his wonderful
rcsults
on
lhe

Kreen.
II.
ans

·c cl simply,
"To
me
il'
Ii
jU>l
as much a mysICry as
cver
bcfore-$Ol"l"lCtlmtS
I g.1
il somc
cill"lQ
1
don'l
. I
wool
tncw
.
ItlCn
I'
ddo
il mo«: often.
"
"The
problem
IS

IlOl
a
si
ngle
Il1>Ck
one. Anllnalion
is
IlOl
just liming.
Of
jusl a ,",ell-dn,,'n C
haraclCT
.
~
is
Ihc
sum
of
aillhe
facton
~med
.
No matter
""IIlU
the
de"i1 one talks aboul-wllelhCT fon:e
or
form. or
,,~IJ
·

dn

n chsl1lC'lers. liming.
or
'pacilli
- anima
cion
is ,II
lhese Ihing
s-
not
anyone
. What you IS an animalor
~re
intcreSled
in
is conveyi
ng
a
ctnain
f~cling
you
h~
p pcn
10
h~"c
~I
that panicular time.
You
do

all
sons
of
Ihings in
or<J<,r
to
get il. Whcrn r you
1Ilt,
·c
10
rub
001
•
IIiouS:tlnd
limes in
order
CO
gel
it
is
imltlOllCrial
. n
COII,",)'i
"l
tJ c
errain
Irrli"l
IS
thc
cu<n«

of
com·
munkation
in any
an
form. The
rnpoose
mIlle
vjc",'Cf
is an emotional
one.
boc:ause
an
spcaki
10
lhe hean.
This
gh ,10
""'mation an almost
maenl
abillly to
ruch
inside
Iny
audience
and
communicate "'ith all
peoples
c~e'Y"
·

lItre,
gamless
of
language Il.arnen.
It
is one
of
an;malion
'li
grcatesl slrengths
and
,.
nainly one
of
lbe
mosl
imp<>nanl
aspc'"
of
ll1i.
an
for the young
animator
10
study and
mast~r
.
As
anisls.
"'c

110

·
h.,
·c
new
responsibilities
in
addilion to
I~
of
draflsman
a
nd
designer: we
~
ave
added
lhe
disciplines
of
lhe
aclor
and
the lheater. Our tools
of
communical;on are
11 :
symbols thaI all men understand hecau:;e lhey go
back hefore man df:veloped

sp«cll.
Scicnlist and aUlhor Jane Goodall repons
Ihal
c'·en
les:;er primales. such as t
he
chImpanzee. have a

·hole
··complex nonverbal communication based
on
touch,
posture. and geslure. .

The:;e
~clion
s
vary from
an
exchange
of
greelings

·hen mceling
to
aclS
of
submission. often

ilh

lhe
arm
extende<l and the palm
lumed duwn. When a lop·ranking male arri,
·c
, in any
poop.
"!he
OIlier
chimps invariably hurT)' to
plIy
I
hdr
~.lOUChlng
h
Im
·

,01
ou!Stlffi:hed hands
or
bow·
,ng.
JU!'!
IS
courlieTS
once
bov'w
befln
lheir king."

M
ll'Ii
Goodall
describe~
how a
lone
male passing I
mOIher
arod
her family Il:!ponded
10
her gll:eling with
a
''''''h.
"as
. himp eliq eue
dema
nd
s.
then greeled
her
lOfant.
plIuing
il
gently
on
tile
""
ad while
it

looked
up
al
hIm wilh bil! staring
eyes
.
··
1
Some
tWO
hurodrcd
~
sIgns
Ib.a
l clearly
d,s.pLay
chim~nzcc
cmotiomi
include preenIng. embracms.
charging. kissing.
and pounding. Chimps
are
apt
10
ning
lheir
arms
around
u.ch
OIlier for runUnln<;'(:.

throw Ihings in
ange
r.
ste
al
objec
ts
fun
ivcly. and
scream
wildly wilh ex
ci
t
emen
t.' Most
of
these
ex·
•
J'l'cssions
of
fcding.! and language symbols are well
k""",
'n In
",~n.
W~It r
lhey
"'"
burk<J
o.Ittp

in his
WbronSCIO
"
~
Of
Slill
xli.
·ciy
u~
In
h,s
OWn
com-
mUnlc'II'"''
bc.>tla,
-;
or.
Dogs.
1
00.
!la'-"
a
""hole
p;!
uem
of
ac
t
ions
001 only

clearly un<krstood by OIhe, dogs bul
by
man as wel
l.
Even
",Wl<)\l(
u~ing
sounds.
~s
can
coovey
all
of
'
h ~
broad s!"'tlrum
of
(mo
ll
om
and feelings, There i
.<
1\0
doom
wh<:n
l
dol!-
iJ
ashamed.
or

proud. or playful.
or
sad lot hdhllc,cm, .1«1')'. disgusted. ,ndillnant).
He
Sprats ""j,h h
is
whole body
in
both attitude and
mo"cmc:nl
'Y'I1c
XWr
is trained
10
tnoYo
'
'''~
)y
mboh
of
com·
munica'io"
becau'>C
they are
his
1001-
In
trade. Ba-
SICally. the animator
i.

the
actor
in IIninkl'cd films_ .Ie
is many
othf.:r
things as well : how

ver.
in
his
druns
to
cO""0unic:,lc
hi
s ideas. acting become:, his
"'
''''
impor-
lanl
dcvk

Itut ,he animator
ha,
II
,pedal problem.
On
the
" a
ge.
un

of
lho:
fOl"C'go
inll
~)mb()ls
arc
aerom·
panied by sonK' kllld of personal magn<:,isnl
'M'
can
ro.lU"unlU'C ,he
f«lings
and
al1
i.OOes
equally;o,.
"ell
as .he action lIsclf.
n re
is
a '
P""
.n .
hi
s kind of
rommunicalion .ha. is u.renK'ly al
i'c
and ,·
i!al
. 11

0\0'-
cver. wanderful
a.~
.he world
af
anima.ion
IS.
i.
is
'00
crude la
'''p
'ure camplc.el)· ,hal
ki
nd
af
,uhliely.
If
in
~"ill1
a
liun
we
are tr)"inilla shu,,'
Ihal
"chamc-
Icr
is sad.
we
droop lhe shoulders. slump

lhe
body.
drop
III<'
11<':.<1.
add a long face_ and
dlOlg
lhe f«1.
YCI
lhose
s.omc:
s)"m
bols also can mean Ihal
til<'
d.arae"r
is
. -
,ired.
or
discooraged.
or
e,
'en
li
.
tlc"
. We can add a
l
ur
and !,mpoint

our
~lli
l
udc
a
1I11le
he",'"
but
1M'
is
,he U lent
of
oor capabililies.
"The:
Ih'c actor lias anulher
:.<I'-anl~
J!<:
m
lhat
he
can
imcrrelalc nh others
in
the
ca>l
In racl.
lho:
producer
relics
ho:avil

y
un
Ihis. When
ho:
bc~",.
a I"'e acllon
pic
.ure.
he
Sla
MS ilh two "
'''","S
ofp""'cn
"hili!) ,,
110
will
gellcr~
l
c
somclhing
sp<:ci.1
JO"
by
being lIlgcther
TIlere "
'i
ll
be a chemi,,'Y
at
""'k Ihal will crea

te
charisma. a s
pc<.'
i
aJ
cxci'ement I
h'"
,,111
dic
.,
an
imme
-
diale
re~sc
from ,he audience The
",
:
l<",
",it
each
proj«
. a
unH;jUC'
cn<:rgy
simply
beea\>,""
the)"
are
re~1

prop • .
B
)"
ron'
ntS
l.
in
anima.ion "'c ,I
an
"'Ih
a blank
pi«c
of
paper!
Oul
af
nowhere wc h;,,·c
10
00
"",
up wi,h
chalOlclers
1hal
" ,
,31.
that
hc
. that illtcm:lale.
Wc
h

a,
'C
to
work up
Ih
e chcmi>lry
hc
lwccn thcm Ilf ;IIlY I<
la
ui,
'). find
way'
10
creatc
the
counter!"'n
of
ella.·
"sma.
ha,l'
lhe ehar
"",e",
muvc in _ betic"able ma
n·
ocr. and
do
il
all wnh
mere
pcncil d

~"",V
.
That"
enough ehallenJl(' fur an) body
TIlesc problems
,,
-uuld
SCCm
,u
C
.
~
~l
e
COII,KIe",bk-
d
iffoc:ul
ll
es
For
achl~~ing
the
c"mmonIC~lIon
ct~lnK'd
for
~nlltl
al
i
an,
.10'" can

11
,,'
00
""
"
ooo.rf
ully? It
dncs
il
in
~
~cry
simple way Ihrough
"h~t "
'
~
"all
"auditnce
,"~ulv~mem

In
'~
Ir
,,"n
livc'.
w~
find
,hal u
we
ge(

(a know
JlCU1Ilt
,,~
, ha.e their ex!"'·
ricnces-w~
sympathize. "'e cmpath<l.(.
"C
cnjuy.
If
"'c lu"c .hem.
"l'
bcconK' deepl) concerned
~bout
I
\
,
I
,
!
!
•
theu

·
df~.
We
IIecome
invol,
·w in their lives.
We

IRvol'l: the
audi~nce,
in
our
filnlJ lhe
~"'"
wa
y. W
eM
a
l1
with something they k
now
and
li
k
e_
This

n
bo
either an idea or a characler. M Ionll as ;t
is famIliar
IIIId
acrea
ling.
11
can
he • siluation
every

-
one
IIu
c~ prncncc<J.
an cmoI:ional
ruction
un[\l:rsally
sllartd
••
fllC<'t
of
sonIWnc·, personality ea$ily recog-
nized.
Of
any combination
of
these. But l
ho:
re
mll.'il
be
KIIIlI:t
h
lng
tilat is
kllOYl
·n lI!Id
un<k~ood
if the film is
10

achlt'l: audience: in,·oh"emcnt.
In
dlt
g~
a
t
d~y
s
of
ntdio.
the~
""C~
many
pr0-
gram! prese
nt
ed
in
such a special. intimale w
~y
that
lhey drew
the
li.lening audIence
into
lheir
'lotieS
conlplct Iy. The myslery
prognm~

·en: p;IfIicul.trly
good
Ie Ihls. using
VQKl:S
tII
al
~lIChed
oul to
you and
good
sou
nd
eff~
I
S:
h.:avy bru
lh
ing up close to
Ih
e
mlCTOphone.
~hoing
footsteps. a creaky.
door.
you
wc~
held spellbo<lnd. Tho bro;idcasts were
prop,ted
Ihmtlgh symbols
inlO

your imagination. and yo
made:
lhe situation
~al.
It
Wall
"'"
ju
sl " 'hat you
toean!.
it
wa. what the sounds
mad<:
you bolie"" and fecI. It

-as
"'"
the
IIC
t
Of·
' emotions you
,,
'cre sensing anymore.
Thcy
"'·ere y(;
ur
emotions.
Fortul1;llcly.
~nim

a
tion
worh
In
lhe
sa"",
way.
II
is
capllblc
of
gctllng
,",ilk
the heads
of
115
.lIo;he~.
in1
0 their imaginations. Tho
ulUljflKfS
WIll
make
OUr
little
can<XIn
character
SJld-ac
lllally. far!-td<lcr
Ih
an

we could
ever
draw
him-be
o
ll!ie
in
their minds
thai
characler
is
uul
. He lives
In
the"
imaginaliom. Once
the audience has hecome
IRwlvw
",
·ilh your
rnan.:.
lers and your Story. almost anything i. pos.ible.
Fm
a char.Kter
10
be
Ihat rcal. he
muS!
have a per·
~rin

5""

" f
ul.

.
ff
gro'n
". 12.
SOUND C
OMt
S I N

M
ore
I
ra«
netde<l.
build
;
~
e ~
pa!>dod
.
Staff
in
"ea
'" 30.
Nt
""

buildings
added
for
anim
.",,,.
p
lu ~
wund
,tag
e.
TI
ME
C
HART
1
923
to
19
33
1923
1
924
19
25
1926
192/
1
928
19
29

.oJ()
19.
31
19
32
1
93)
Walt
mal
n
"Ii«
·.
WnMt
,/
,,1t/I
W " a
llS
a.
City. In " ugu
S!.
W.lt
romcs
10
H
ol
ly

,.
Coo,Tr\
f

or
AI
~
.mes
.
Fonn.
COn'Ipan
y
,,
"h
bIOt
htr
R
oy.
J
"i
ncd by
lib
I
~
fl
<
.nd
fncnd< from " "n

,
Ci
ty. Tum out
,,""
~

tu fe
•
"""'
th.
Ne
'"
c
ool
l"lCl
rot one
picTu
"" .'.
ery
t
h"'"
",ee
~
•.
lJ
uy
pl'Of'Cn)·
""
U)·pelion
A.
·e. Stan
build
i"~.
Mo

e '0 ne

""
" clio
00
UY
P"non
.
Complete I .

Ioii
a f,lm.
!>!an
new

.
ie>

i.h OM
"hl
,h
~
Lud
~
·
R"
Pt>JI
.
Aftef
26
P;~
l"

t"I:
'
.
W
ah
1
000$
ri
ghts to
O,

·. ld.
S.
an, new
""ie,
",
·
ith
Mickc)· M
oo



- - -


- - -

- - -

-
Nov. 1
8.
Stfflmboa, Will, open< in New Y
or\<
U
se
of
soond m. k

D
i,
,,,,
y·,
f"",
m
os
t c.
l1
oon stooio. Animato" f
lO
m
No"
Yor\<.
btli
n ani,'mR
Firsl S
ill
y
S

)'
mpbon
y S
k"
~""
Da
n<"~
.
.II
i
d,
y·, 0
(1<)
C/wo. anima.ed
mi
n .
"1'''.
C
hain
G'JII
g.
has
OO
i .hat later
bee."",
Pluto.
U~
ly
Du
c*

'in
~
.
nampl
e
of

mnger
"ari
es, F
i"t
I
'y
oot mon
hi
red
.
n()~W
'
nnd
T,,~
•.
fi
r
lol
eanoon in
rol
or
. S
,.n

of.n
s<
hool al nigh,
Thru Urr/t
Pi~.
_
" Mou
nd
,ng
""""

fi
nan
ce
< e>pllniloo and man:
""dy
. Bottom oIlJtprt:I,,,,,,
.
SOIIIIily.
aoo.
~rerably.
an intcre.ting
011<:
.
tl
~
muS!
be
•
WIIIf ,.,:>bk

;b
an old ,hot. lCl
""
ex
ciling as a
-!fIriIIc
OIIt(oI
.
Sp«tators
ean laugh at a gaG.
be
daukol
11)
' I
lit
·
df""
I.
""'1
be
,n"'guN
by 5<'fM'
Wng
~kly
(re. h.
hul
an
of
Ihi

in hold their
Itlmlion r

hardy leo
mlnUl

.
A
~
Ch.rlie
Charlin
aid
of
hi~
oUln
beginnings
in
lhe
m",
"e husiness,
"uuk
as
I
kno:w
.1x
•.
11
movie,
. I k ,

III" I\l)(hing
t"ns«ntkd
I"'r<o"ality.
···
In
addillon to
~.8
s
ami
.fftc1S
. there
n\U
,1 be a point
of
~nlry
through

lIicll

it.:"
can liknlify
,,
·;tll \he §
tOf)"
~ ,"
'
at
i
on.
~nd

the
~
"'lIY
I, ,hrou,h a ch:ll:lct. r
"ho
;.
like s
omeone
1he)
'
111,
·"
knovon
. lie
un
be
more he
c.
Of
biuer
lIIan
life

"11"1<""'"
Ihan sin : '
bUI
b:I.
~
lCaU
)"

It<.
ha.
10
be
huma" c'K",!:h for lhe aud,ence 10
"mk:"laml
h
im
and
;(\cnlif)'

;Ih
\he
problems
It<.
be
••
in Ihe
,
.
nc
,rnt
AIIII.:
,ica
ll
lIIime and anise
Angn.
Enters'
II!Cd
10

&i'~
ller
d~
lhe
"",
i,
nment ,,( " 'riting "
po.!$4C :I
r IllUIl:innl
cire"m"aocr$
.
beea"",
il i.
III
KIlon
«m
'd of an)' inlere
.'
"h.b
,,
~'
·
er
wilhoul
1h< scM

of
rc
~
nati')"

.
BUI
once
a ,
lfOl"
1"'

ali\y
is
inlnxloced
g'""
i""',ibili,ics s
IMJdcn
ly bc<:OnlC
apparent.
To
be,;n
"i
'h.
i,
hdps
10
tlc"dop
a silualion
in

tlich
)'011'
im~glllcd
personality ca"

(uIICI
;lIn. Say
thal)'llU'"

.ning
001
on a too
.;
it
is
1II
0
1"l1l0g
arnJ
I""
~!
is
fUlJ
y
10
kave. Y
ou
h
a'
-e been urg
ed
to hurry
lIP.
but
just

lhen )·ou
"''''''mber
IlI;It
you
r",gut
10
put
tIw
~
0lIl
he
(

re Ita" ing
hom.
! You
mu!>!
"rilc
a
""itt
110\(
10
)'
'''''
neighbor
"'h
o Iu.,
It ;
lc
~

- .
a,king
her
10
we
ca'c uf Ihing,. Now. huw
w""ld
y
,,
"'rite
lilt
cud
'!
If
)'
011
h,,
·( chosen a
ncr
·
O\I
S.
in~cu.(.
and
d
i
l<l<Pni~ed
I'monalilY
in
Ih

~
1i"1 plac
e.
you will
h."I,·c
allnl'"
""lilllll,,11
hil'
o(
bu
s
;nc
~~
10 sho",' all
factll
Ii
the
d",
.r
""l.r
~
lt ;
""nf
.,;
,

. ,he p>nic . lhe
I

01

be
,
o,
left
,"",hi
nd. lhe inability
'0
phr.>
c
" o
rd.s
10
II
they
n

Lc
~ny
'
'''''
''''.
the
fl
uucr of in
m"""n
t
.IIM»
.
the
Ik>rcrallon.

0
""PJK'St
11\0
po!.rotl

,,"o
g
It ;
card i, highly
ind;,nant
"""",,,
• Ctlmpulcr
in
si.
ls Ih:.\
It<.
n",
not
p:lld
a
o:cn~i"
b,lI
antl has
jn>1
scm him
hI>
1;1\1
IIOliee
.
No

· tilt
wool
.
mn>!
be chosen w;,h
c ~re
.
T""
com-
PUI'"
and
lhot
'·
"'"p.n
)"
Ih'"
h.
s
b«n
. Iup,d
~
nQUgh
to

·n
it
1!III;t
""
tol

d
"If
in
TIO
unccna
in
t
cr
ms. There

ill
be
110
on
,.".

(rom the ioc",
,,
'c ,""eu,allons you
ar.:
st
uin
g tlnwn. You
"""Id
be
g~~rul
.
~n
jo
ying

c:och
<"",I

·
"'d
.
Or
you cou
ld
be
"rumphanl
a, )·w Ih;nt
of benef.
~
''''''ge
r
.
more
biting

·

ds.
Or
y
ou
could
be
''''
mbling " -;Ih ragc a, ,he ",hoi" idea

or
lhe lerriblc
effrontery of Ihis mechanical age.
Suppose lhe ",riter "-
en:
10"csick and "·riting
IU
hi,
dream girl- prohably the th;rd
~
uch
rnM
Ihal
"I\If"·
ing . A
~ill)"
smi
le
might become
fi~
c
d
on
hi
s rae.
a
he
rc,"Cicd in each
s
ug~ry

word. Wilh
II;Ilf
·c
kw:o.I
()'cs
and heavy ' igll
s.
he wo

ld
gale
inlo
.\fIOCe
_ing
a
mofM"
t
al"
Y
VISion
of
her precious f
a«
. '1" , , ,,,,,Id
be
ki
ss
,",
of the <

rd
",hen
he
",
.;;tli fim.
hN
.
,,
'-en
a
rel"",a~
III
drop it inlll the
nllllho~
unlll
be
Iu.d
sighed
onc
lasl
,ifM
and
k
i,><:d
lhe bek'\"cd
n~II"I<
jn>!
OllCe
mOr("
.

II
is easy to
!OCt:
ht'

Ihe
dc"cioPIIICIl1
of
''''
ill(
iivi.
dual
pe
f5<)
n~lil)"
in
a
.Iory
silualion can nwkc
ewn
lhe
dulln t action
b«omc
cntc
nainin,
. In addilion
10
(he
personality. hO\O't'·
(r.

the",
. hould be
~
(
han1-'C
in
the
initial
ac
lion that

·ill enable an a
ni
""'
Ior to show
mofl' than one side
of
'hi
s pe
rw
n;t]il)
·.
n
,nnsl ;nltr.
es
,in,
ellaraclCr in
,""

·

orld
is oot "er)' u e
i,
in, ,,-hen
,i
l1;n
g
~nd
l
i
s
lcnin~
10

~
)
'
nlphon
y
(one
en
_ Our \rue
personalil;", arc bes,
rc\"uled
h
)"
uur fe
ae
,iu",
1<>

a
chan,c
we d,d nol
e~pec'
Take a . Imple example
of

go
ll"cl
~c
uing
",ally 10
make a e
ruc:
IaJ
shot.
He
>hu>o.
',
conccnlrat'on
and
!l 1er
·
" ,·'wAf(;lll
o.;,n,ld·! C
"',lmJ;,,!
~'_li
~
ella"",
,,

" .
minalion
as
he
prepares
for the imponam swinS.
llien
.
suppose
he
misses lhe ball enlirely. His lrue characler
will be revealed
31
once! If
he
is Donald
Du
e
l:.
. he will
fly imo
~
"'ge
and blame lhe ball. If
he
is insecure and
nervous. he will blame lhe
club
and promptly break
it

over
hi
s knee. Or.
if
he is a popular amateur who has
been
off his game but has 3 sympathetic galler)" trying
10
encourage him. his response will
be
biuer dejec-
ti
on. and you will have pathos in your slory.
Our
goal
in
these studies is to make the audience
fulthe
en>otioni
of
the
~
haraclC
rs.
rather than appreci.
ate lhem
in
tellectually. Wc want our vie

crs

not
merely
to enjoy the situation with n murmured.
"Isn't
he
cu-ute?"' but really
10
feci something
of
""h~tlhe
char
·
acter is feel ing. If
""e
succeed
in
thi
s. the audience
will now
Care
about the eharactcr and about what hap.
pe
ns to him. and that is audience
invoh
·cme
nt
. With·
OUI
il. a ca
noon

feature will ne,'cr hold the anention
of
il
s vic",·ers.
The
various aspecls
o(
what animalion is. whal
it
could
do.
a
nd
how
it
worked were learned slowly over
the years.
lliey
werc ccnainly
not
evident when lhe
an
form was flrsl di$Covered.
c~cept
in the epic works
o(
Winsor McCay. the N

,,
·

York
Hrmld'
, skill(ul
canoonist. Working
essemially alonc:.
he
turned oul
several a
Slou
nding films between
1911
and 1921. with
SOme
canOOll
figurcs so convincing that
he
was accused
of
tracing them from p/IoIogroph,. In responsc, McCay
drew
a dinosaur for
hi
s next film. and. incidentally.
dis<;oyered
the imponan<;e
of
a
can
oon
chara<;tcr"

s per.
sonality in establishing rapport with the audience.
Today
his films arc historic
clusi~s.
but in their time
chey
"
-':~
not
commercially successful. and
Chat
forced
McCay to return to ,",wspaper work. His cre.tions
were vinually forgonen for fifty } :ars.
OChers
enlering lhe animation
roeld
lacked McCa
y's
awel'llrne calents. and few
autmpted
anything more
than whal was commercially aCttplable. Aflcr all.
in
those early days. movies
wc~
Mill
a novelty and car·
loons "

'e
re added
10
the progrum only (or amuseme
nt
11Iey were
not
an
imponam pan
of
the shnw. and very
liule
~y
carne back to the studios
thac
made them.
Audiences
responded tO,
he
gags and preposterous s
it
·
uacions.
so
creative energies went into a search for
different
approaches. fresh angle
s.
new tri
cks.

rather
chan
into making hener pictures. When the men
in
a
Sludio
f<IUnd
a gimmick. that was successful, Ihey hung
onlo
itlenaci<IUsly, Max Fleischer had his "OUI
of
the
Inkwell" series, and Pal
Sullivan's
slUdio
produC<'d
OIto Messmer's films
of
"Felix
tile
Cat."
Animaled
comic strips. illustrated
jokes,
live action relimed and
combined with drawings. and a variety
of
othereffons
were made to assure
COntrao;t

renewal for a struggling
"\ldio.
Of
aU
tile early pictures. only tile films about Felix
suggested
1M
idea
of
giving a character personality.
but his
crealors had failed
10
develop
Ihi
s past rudi-
mentary beginnings. relying instead
on
visual
trick.
that
gOl
audience response. Nothing then gave a
due
10 what animation might someday
become.
and
no
promising artists were attracted
10

lhe studios_ Most
people felt thaI by
1923
ju,
t aboul everything
had
been
done
Ihal wos possible. and
IIle
exhibitors were I""king
in
OIher
directions for something
new
to
k.et:p
lheir
audiences laughing.
This
was the situation
when
Walt Di
sney
enlered
!he
field. and
he
was nol
an

immediate succes
•.
In
fact.
it
is
uen
surprising Ihat he was able
10
get a
toehold
in
this tough business
of
limited contracts and
tighl
money.
BUI
Walt was a fighler and had great
detenninalion;
he was no aeslhetic artist living in a
drum
world.
As
he said.
"I
have been up againsl
tough
compelilion all
my

life. I w<IUldn't kn
ow
how
10
get
along without
it."
Any man with W
ah's
talents
001
withoul his spirit and lenacilY would neVer have
made
il.
'There
were conSlanl ballie
s.
many defeats. endless
disappoinlmenls:
he
losl the rights
to
his cart()()n char-
acter.
his
staff.
hi
s contracls. And then when he finally
began
10

achieve a bit
of
sucC<'ss. his studio became a
pri'-"
10
be laken
over
one
way
or
anolher.
or
run
<lUt
ofbusi~ss!
Union jurisdictional problems plagued him
u
he
devtioped new te<:hnique<.
new
equipment. and
new
idea'
in
entenainmenl. Yet Ihrough
il
all he never
losl
bi,love
for peop

le
or
hi
s faith
in
their
judgment.
" I
am
inlerested
in
enlenaining
people.
in
bringing
pleasure. panicularly laughter.
10
olhers. ralher Ihan
being coocemed
witb 'expressing' myself with obscure
cre.tlive
impressions
Thn:M.Jgh
those first years. Walt and his brother R
oy·
struggled alone against the people
who
con
trolled
tb.

movie
industry.
In
laler decades when
Walt's
back
was
10
the wall he had Ihe strong suppon
of
his staff,
whose
loyalty and dedication to both lheir boss
and
their
wort
kept lhem mak.ing sacrifices Ihrough
dllJls
of
uneenainty When
it
came right down
to
it, most of
uS
were more interested
in
keeping animalion alive
Iban we were in
making

money.
We
were beginning
10
sense lhe magnitude
of
the
an
form that we were
discovering. and ils polential held us like a magnet.
Wall was basically a communicator. and
in
the
ani,
mated film he found astounding potential forexprening
his ideas_ The cart()()n drawing always had been a very
simple and direcl graphic form. and whether
it
WitS for
social
comment
or
just
amusement
it
had
10
pcescnt a
unified. single idea with nothing complicated

tra-
neous.
or
contradiclory
in
its makeup. When
IIle
cu-
IUUO
was transfem:<! to film these elements
.<till
applied,
and
nOlhing was dra",'n Ihat was no! part of
lhe
idea.
Background,
COStume.
character. and e. pression were
all
de.igned
for a
sucdncl
statemenl. Behind
lbe
char-
acter there
was only a horizon. or a
house.
or

a rocklo
run into. but Ihat was all.
To include
only
objttts
Ihal
Were
needed for
the
idea became the basis for a language
of
drawings
on
film, Walt t
()()k
to this nalurally.
and
if any
of
his staff
introduced something wrong
or
confusing
or
"ague.
he was quick to
nOliC<'
and
to
educate the offender.

Walt gradually added lhe more sophisticated
graphic
symbo
ls
of
acting. presenting complicated
ideu
that
had
10
he
underslood very quickly. We used
to
indio
cate
how
successfully drawings communicated
these
Ihoughts by saying Ihal they either
"read"
or '"didn',
read." John Heneh
.'
one
of
lhe studio's most gifted
anists.
said
"We
don 't really know how much we

learned here
aOOut
using images to
communicate-to
develop
a kind
of
visual literacy
."
At the time,
oone
of
us
lhoughl
in
Ihose
leoos
Or
stopped long enough
to
gain perspective on what was happening. The language
of
imagery was emerging as
II
_'eparate
an
form
of
its
own,

fC<juiring
skills and disciplines different
from
those
of
related
craf~~
.
NOI
every artisl could
masler
the
demands. and mosl failed to realize Ihal they were
invol,'.d
in
something quite different and exacting.
'"
I Ihink Ihis is a lillie hard for people
10
under-
stand. ,. John continued.
"the
fact that
yOU
are devel,
oping a kind
of
language, and a very precise one.
They
figure thaI graphics are no! precise al

all-they're