Finding a home in Fantasia...

May 1996...
  After animating on Hunchback and prior to Hercules, my curiosity got the best of me and I trained in CGI in preparation to animate on the then called Dinosaur Project (released as Dinosaur). Thoroughly enjoyed the training experience, but after about six months I missed 'pushing a pencil' . After a conversation with director Eric Leighton in which I explained how much I missed drawing on a daily basis, I left the project.

(Me training on computer for The Dinosaur Project...)

  During this time I continued being a spokesman for Disney animation. My first opportunity to do this came while animating on The Black Cauldron. I spoke to an elementary school for their career day in Victorville, CA. As 'Guest Speaker' I would get many more chances to talk about my passion and love for this art form. These speaking engagements would help hone my skill and quiet my nervousness in years to come:-)

(Me as 'guest speaker'...)

                                               









   Attached to no production I wandered aimlessly around the studio in search of a project to latch on to.  Hercules, in need of animators to complete the feature brought me on board.

January 16th 1997...

  The animators who worked on Hercules started off the year with an appreciation luncheon in celebration of  the features' run in the theaters the past few months.

January 20th 1997...

  After my brief venture into and out of the world of CGI and the short stint animating on Hercules, I was once again without a production home. Wandering through the hallway of one of the many buildings Disney occupied on Flower St. in Glendale and looking at storyboards of the then called "Fantasia 99", Paul Brizzi walked by.We engaged in a conversation about the boards. The storyboards outlined Stravinsky's Firebird Suite which Paul and his twin brother Gaetan were preparing to usher into production as directors of this segment of the newly revised Fantasia.

Fantasia...
  Released in 1940, this piece married classical music with animation. The original intention was to take out a piece and replace it with another musical number every few years. By this time there should have been all new segments in place. Things did not go as planned as other studio priorities came to the front of the line. But, now it was time.

    Paul walked me through the story boards and my interest peaked. John Pomeroy was to animate the Firebird and Tony DeRosa the Sprite; the only other character was the Elk. I wanted to animate the Elk and voiced my desire. Paul wanted to see what I could do with a four footed character before he would consider me animating on this ungulate. I dropped off my reel of Djali tests done for The Hunchback of  Notre Dame for the brothers to look at. A few days later I got a call welcoming me on board. I found a home:-)




The Elk...

  As ruler of the forest the Elk was to show strength, majesty, courage, encourage another (Sprite) and be regal at all times...without dialogue. Body language and timing would be the rule.

  In addition to these spiritual qualities, the Brizzi brothers had a particular physical kind of elk in mind. Of the three kinds of elk in North America, the largest of the species, the Roosevelt Elk, embodied the brothers vision.






Getting started...

  My research of articles, video and photographs had yielded plenty of information.

(Information from books and articles.)

(Hoof placement of rear right leg in walk)

(top:Thumbnails of first rough test)

 Thumbnail studies gleaned from video and photographs.

No substitute for the real thing...

   Stepping away from the books, a trip to the local LA Zoo would finalize my information quest and then I could start animation.

   A couple of problems emerged. There were no Roosevelt elk locally and any in California zoos had already shed their antlers (they would grow back at a rate of 1/2 inch  a day for months producing a 50"+ rack).

 How could I draw live elk with full antlers; observe them in their natural habitat and touch them up close?  Simple, go where they are. Unfortunately, calls to zoos and wild life habitats in Southern California were fruitless. Northern CA, same results. Up the coastal states of Oregon and Washington, nothing there.

  Finally we hit the jackpot...the Nybee Elk farm...in Montana...in January...28 degrees below zero.

Bundle up, here we come.

  Paul Brizzi, Fred Herrman and I flew out of  Los Angeles to Denver, CO. From there we took a small plane to a small airport in Idaho. A car was rented and Fred drove us across the state line to Plentywood, Montana where it was 28 degrees below zero at night (it warmed up to 14 below during the day:-)                                                    
                                                                                   

(Our small plane and Fred and I on board)

(Elk outside the van.)

    A van was rented with big side windows. The elk were fed outside the vehicle so we could get a good look at them. With the heat going full blast, I sketched away.                                                                

(Up close and personal...)

  These antlers would be harvested (cut off) while still covered with a furry skin referred to as 'velvet' which has a blood supply to support the fast (up to 5 ft. in two months) growing antlers. They were then sold, usually to foreign markets for medicinal and other purposes.


Our newsletter, The Twilight Bark chronicled our visit in pictures.

(A little below zero humor and I did bring back an antler)

  My cartoon, which was included in the article, is based on true events. We'd walked across the street from the hotel where we were staying to get breakfast. We entered the restaurant and the diners are all in short sleeve shirts and we are dressed like Ralphie's brother in A Christmas Story. They had a good laugh on us as one guy asked "Where you boys from...Florida?"




to be continued...

February- dedicated to African-American History...

 In 1926 Carter G. Woodson headed a movement to highlight the contributions that African-Americans had made in society. A week was set aside to recognize these many achevements. Canada, the United Kingdom and Germany also recognize this time which has now grown from one week to a whole month.The next few days will close out the this years celebration, but before this months end, I'd like to share an article written by Amy Booth Green highlighting African-American Animators.
 Words of encouragement and advice are chronicled in her interviews of those working in Disney animation at the time.
 
                                                                 

                                             

  "I meet young people who say they want to get into animation and the first thing I say is go to school, get training and discipline yourself. Sharpen the talents you have. The road to animation is narrow. It takes talent, initiative and drive."
                                                                                                                               Ron Husband

Happy Birthday to my Chocolate Drop...

February 15, 1977...
  How time flies, fortunately we have cameras to freeze a moment in time so we can look back and reminisce. I looked back and this is what I saw...

 a few days home from the hospital in the arms of your first visitors. Linda, with her husband behind the camera.

I saw your first birthday, complete with a sheet on the floor to catch any and all crumbs from your cake...

I saw your fourth birthday anniversary celebrated at The Big Yellow House. You had graduated to the table but not to
silverware.




On Christmas day I saw a measuring to see how much you, Mikel and Jai had grown from the last year...

Mr. Bill came along a couple of Christmas's before this picture was taken. Opening the box he came in you exclaimed "a fur coat!". He has and continues to serve you well, as we shall see.

(Melissa, Mr. Bill and Cabbage Patch)

Before you took your present job at the Humanitarian Center of Excellence in Disaster Management and Assistance you worked in sales...while your mother and I were at work, the entrepreneur bug had bitten your brothers and they sent you curbside to man the Kool-Aid stand in front of our home...

(What I saw as I pulled into the driveway)

Food and animals were always dear to your heart, in you I see a wonderful cook and animal lover...

(Homemade Halloween costumes and preparing breakfast)

(Bentley, Gretchen. neighbors and Homer)

You have always held education high on your list of  'things to do'...

  I saw your first day of school...

(Jennifer and Melissa on their way to Allen Ave. elementary)

high school brought out Miss Personality in you as I watched you participate in track, student government, three years of prom nights and voted a real princess at homecoming...

                                                 

                  I saw your high school graduation from the tip of my pen.

                                                                                   
















On to college...




a tearful goodbye as we left our Choc-Drop in Atlanta...

not totally alone, Mr. Bill to the rescue, a old friend in the dorm.

College included a semester in Paris, giving Mom and I a place to visit and see you...
                                                                           

(Luxembourg Park in Paris)

(Melissa in Venice)

  traipsing all over Europe at Spring vacation (where you couldn't be seen nor did we hear about it until years later) included a stop off in Venice...















 I saw you graduate from Spelman...and years later while taking chemo and radiation treatments, obtaining a Masters Degree from the University of Oklahoma. I am not amazed to see anything you set your mind to do.

Transportation through the years...

I saw you pushed around Disneyland in a stroller...

chauffeured Mom around Tomorrowland in a red car and

took the red car to work at Disney Studio to a job in post production and other departments.

  I saw you take a trial run down the aisle, preparing for the real thing...

years later I proudly walked you down the aisle to the real thing...

      and to the real man, Johann.




                 I have been...
                                     

                                                                                  and will always be...

there for you to lean on.

Happy Birthday My Chocolate Drop
Love, Dad

Hercules...

Summer of 1996...

  came to an end with the launch of The Hunchback of Notre Dame. The animation newsletter, the Twilight Bark heralded the Passing of the Torch to the production Hercules which had been in the works for some months.

Yes, there was a figurative and literal torch being passed from completed production to the next in line :-)






   At that time multiple productions were being done concurrently with the aim to release a Disney Feature film every year.  Fantasia 2000 was in development. It was then known as Fantasia Continued ( and Fantasia '99) and Disney's first venture into 3D Animation, the Dinosaur Project was perculating.
 
But, for now it was Hercules' time to take the spotlight.

Coming over from CGI training for the Dinosaur project (more on this later), I was asked to 'lend a hand' to help Hercules to the finish line. By this time much of the primary animation had already been completed. I got a screen credit for the Titans and Cyclops, but in reality, I did a variety of characters (and none of the Cyclops:-)

(Chariots and animals  of the gods)

Thumbnails of various scenes I animated...

(Fans climbing gate to get to Hercules residence)

(Storyboard for series of scenes where running horses are frozen by one of the Titans)

(Thumbnails working out the action of the horses)

  Lending a hand to finish a production was nothing new for me. On my first feature Rescuers, everybody pitched in as that feature came to an end. We animators did clean up, effects and anything else needed to complete the production.

  On Fox and the Hound my primary animation was on Chief and some adult Copper. After all the character animation was completed, I, like the other character animators did whatever else was needed to finish the film.  I did some clean up and special effects animation. We tried to avoid cleaning up our own rough animation, though it was not always possible.

  I added the leaves effects to a Big Mama scene...The one where she is carrying out a pile of leaves and dropping them to the ground with one leaf settling on Todd's head.

I also animated the close up of the stick and bear trap being set off by a close up of Amos' hand and some ground being splattered by shotgun pellets.  And if you're wondering, Yes...I do remember pretty accurately each scene I've ever worked on (got the thumbnails to prove it).

 As the years passed, helping out in other areas became passe as the animation department expanded with an abundance of specialized personnel in every department.

Also during the time, Ebony Magazine ran a short article about Wes Sullivan (rough inbetweener) and my contributions to Hercules...

(Ebony Magazine article title)

(Wes Sullivan and me)

The invitation to the Hercules screening and wrap party signaled the productions' end...and the beginning of the next. (Up next... (for me - Fantasia 2000).