Animation &Commentary 11 Aug 2006 07:29 am
A Non-talking Animal – Dumbo
– Dumbo was on Toon Disney last night. Since there was little on TV other than the non-News about another terrorist attack, I chose to watch it (for about the 200th time) again.
What a little gem that film is. There will never be anything comparable in my lifetime. It’s so beautifully animated, designed and constructed.
The Tytla scene of Jumbo Jr. running about under his mother’s legs, after his bath, is far and away my favorite animated scene. So simple; so beautiful.
Oliver Wallace’s musical theme for the baby is introduced here; it’s perfect.
But then, they cut to commercials. Tarzan is on tonight. What a jolt to cut from Dumbo to the flatter animation in Tarzan. I enjoyed parts of that film, but the animation is too often jerking from extreme to extreme without really developing character. It didn’t hold up in the sudden comparison. How could it? But then, that was better than the flash animated series Toon Disney is also promoting.
Then there were ads for an insurance company! Over and Over and Over again. In the middle of the afternoon, cutting through Dumbo? That media buyer had better be looking for a new job.
I couldn’t watch anymore and had to leave the film. I’ll watch the dvd again soon. (The commentary track featuring John Canemaker – alone – has to be the best commentary track of any Disney film. A first rate job by John.)
Who Let The Dogs Out?
- As a post script to the note I had the other day about the MTV flash-animated show “Where My Dogs At?”, a response has come from MTV about the future of the show. Here’s the AP link. MTV is not supporting their show. No one there seemed to notice the sexist/racist overtones prior to the press’ comments, and now they’re distancing themselves from the blame.
on 11 Aug 2006 at 3:44 pm 1.Eric Maziade said …
You didn’t like Tarzan?
I admit I am probably from a younger generation – not to mention that I’m no animator – but Tarzan is one of my favorite “non-classic” Disney animation movie.
I’m ashamed to admit it publicly, but I actually cried watching on of the movie’s scene, because I found it amazingly beautiful.
I’m talking about the ‘sliding down the trees’ scene where they managed to build one of the nicest 2d/3d animation combination I had ever seen.
on 11 Aug 2006 at 3:57 pm 2.Michael said …
Tarzan’s a very effective movie, and you shouldn’t feel the need to apologize for liking it. It has some beautifully produced scenes. I also think Minnie Driver’s VO reading for Jane is impeccably done.
My only comment is that it doesn’t compare, for me, to the work in Dumbo. You call Tarzan a “non-classic” Disney animation movie. Dumbo is one of the “classics”.
on 11 Aug 2006 at 11:37 pm 3.Eric Maziade said …
Yeah, I love Dumbo too…
I don’t know what really makes a classing and a “non-classic”…
For me, its durability. Dumbo has been around for some time and is till a good movie to watch.
Most of the Disney cartoons I consider classics, I’ve heard before I ever saw them – I had received a collection of vinyl discs when I was a kid. I remember spending countless hours listening to the movie soundtracks and looking at the pictures on the covers.
Hmm… come to think of it, one of my favorite Disney movies as a kid was “The Jungle Book”… and I think I never actually saw the movie outside from my imagination…
I do not consider Tarzan a classic simply because it simply has not yet whitstood the test of time.