Animation Artifacts &Commentary 14 May 2006 08:21 am
What a Group!
- I didn’t mean for yesterday’s post to turn into a “praise Grim Natwick” nor a “get on Art Babbitt” statement. I hope it didn’t come off that way.
As I’ve said in the past, I treasure the drawings I have that were done by Art. I study and love every frame of any piece he’s ever animated. I just have more fun, personally – and I underline that word, personally, reviewing Grim’s animation.
I also didn’t say that Marlon Brando was a better actor than Laurence Olivier. They just came at it from different angles, and my preference has always been the more natural side of the acting world.
- Back in the late thirties when the Group Theater was formed, these actors went to Russia to search out Stanislavsky, an acting teacher who preached at the bible of natural movement – getting in touch with your inner soul to project through the acting.
On Broadway, now, is a revival of Awake and Sing. Clifford Odets was a member of the original Group Theater, and his plays reflected their “common man” attitude to theatrical productions. They weren’t trying to do spectacles or Royalty plays, they were trying to project the “average Joe” back from the stage. It changed theater, created Henry Miller and a whole breed of acting styles. Compare, ex-Group Theater performer, John Garfield’s performances of the thirties with someone who was praised to the hilt back then, Paul Muni. Completely different acting styles – one natural and one overemotional and unrealistic.
The same was and is true of animators’ performances.
At Disney’s, these guys took their animation seriously. Some, such as Fred Moore and Norm Ferguson, thought they had it right and continued their own paths. Some looked into Stanislavsky and rejected it; others adopted it wholeheartedly. Still others, such as Grim Natwick, did it naturally and always had. Just as in the theater.
Next time you look at Fantasia, try just watching the acting styles. There’s nothing more Stanislavsky than Bill Tytla‘s scenes in Night On Bald Mountain, and there’s nothing less Stanislavsky than anything in the Pastoral.
on 14 May 2006 at 9:36 am 1.Gabriel said …
That makes sense. But can you think of any examples of a more realistic subject done in a non-stanislavky (Mamet?) way ? Is that possible?
on 14 May 2006 at 9:44 am 2.Michael said …
How about some of the work Frank Thomas did in Cinderella or Peter Pan? In the former he had his cuteness in check; in the latter he played at theatricality, and I think got it right. Ever the showman, he was ideal to do Capt. Hook – broad yet controlled.
Interesting question.
on 12 Sep 2008 at 5:29 pm 3.Gale said …
I was just reading how Walt Disney wanted Rackham’s watercolor and pen & ink style adapted for use in the background of Snow White. I know little about animation but love Rackham’s work so out of curiosity went out to find more. The picture in this post of Snow white and a dwarf has a sort of Rackham feel…was this one of the other versions of Snow White considered for the movie?
on 12 Sep 2008 at 10:32 pm 4.Michael said …
Gustaf Tenggren was the primary designer for Snow White’s backgrounds. Certaily, the artists saw Rackham’s work, but they followed Tenggren, a Swiss artist brought in to solidify the style.