Figment, the newest from Marvel's Disney Kingdoms series!

Of the acquisitions Disney has made over the last decade or so, Marvel has interested me the least.  Although I respect the art form, comics just don't do all that much for me… that is, until Marvel released a series which provides a backstory for Epcot's own cult duo, Dreamfinder and Figment.  My copies of issues #1 and #2 came today!:

This title is the second in what I think is going to be a very interesting series by Marvel called Disney Kingdoms.  The goal of the series is to explore some of the more obscure facets of Disney history, culture, etc. in a fresh way.  For those that don't know, Figment was a character created in the early 80's for Epcot and he, along with his friend, Dreamfinder, were the stars of the attraction Journey into Imagination.  The original incarnation of the attraction closed in 1998, yet, to this day Figment and Dreamfinder maintain a following.

This blog seems to work better when I keep writing to a minimum, so I will let some illustrations from Issue #1 do the rest of the talking for me, and delve further into review mode at a later date. Enjoy!

Silly Figment.

Lyrics lifted straight from One Little Spark, the attraction's theme song.

The story is set in the early 20th century and has a distinct steampunk vibe.

Dreamfinder's leg looks so long!

Animator Grim Natwick's Snow White

A few weeks ago, I picked up The Fairest One of All from Locust Moon Comics, a really neat little shop in West Philly.  The book explores the making of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves from start to finish in impressive detail and with great breadth.  It is chock full of concept art, model sheets, behind the scenes photographs, and much more, all of which I am excited about sharing with you!

When considering characters from the Disney lexicon, especially those so classic and iconic as Snow White, it is hard to imagine that the animators had anything else in mind but the final form.  The truth is that a given character is a result of months, even years, spent creating, shaping, erasing, redrawing, trashing and refining.

Below are some very early sketches of Snow by Grim Natwick, one of her key animators.  Natwick is best known for his creation of Fleicher Studios' superstar Betty Boop and was praised in the industry for his female characters.  Walt brought him in specifically to work on Snow White.  Notice how cartoony this iteration is!  This is symptomatic of the nature of animation at this point in history.  Although I'm glad that Snow's look eventually evolved towards realism (and caricature was reserved for the Dwarves) I love seeing these sketches as a means of understanding the processes involved in character development.

Vintage Disneyland Grad Night Posters

One of things that fascinates me about Disney is how, for so many, it has become interwoven with collective notions associated with American childhood and coming of age.  Sometimes, I wish I could get in a time machine set for 2006, write American Studies instead of Sociology on the declare major do-hicky, and then write my thesis on this very topic.

For Southern Californians, one such pivotal event is Disneyland Grad Night.  Started in 1961 and continuing to this day, the event provides a safe environment for high-school grads to spend graduation evening.  I think it is a super groovy tradition, and I wanted to share some super groovy vintage posters from the event I came across!  I think they are just so neat… they solicit from me a peculiar nostalgia for a time I never experienced.  The one from '71 with the stylized line drawing of the park map really appeals to me for some reason.

1968

1969

1970

1971

1971

Which is your favorite? Let me know in the comments!

Disneyland Paris and Collective Art

For a lot of 'serious' art and design people, the idea that a fellow 'serious' art and design person (a grown-ass woman, specifically) could have a serious Disney fixation does not compute. For many, the mega-corporation creates cherished children's films and runs theme parks that are pretty fun.

What is often missed is that Disney is, itself, a serious hub for art and design. I will not delve into the fact that Steamboat Willie was the first 'talkie', that Snow White was the first feature length animated film, that Walt Disney invented the nature documentary genre, but instead share this story (brought to my attention by a friend of mine) that highlights that the Disney company, to this day, engages in art for art's sake.

For me, this is reminiscent of Kusama Yayoi's Polka-dot Sticker Room. I guess it could be argued that this is nothing more than a clever marketing tool to promote the theme parks, but I think that's missing forest's trees.  Just let it in, people :)

Weird Disney: Mouse Mania

The internet can sure take you to some weird places. Whilst researching covers and alternate versions of Baroque Hoedown (best known for being the piece that The Main Street Electrical Parade uses as its theme), I came across this super freaky and somewhat bothersome stop-motion short.  Animated by Mike Jittlov (most famous for The Wizard of Speed and Time… yeah, doesn't ring any bells for me either), this short was commissioned by Disney for a special celebrating Mickey's 50th birthday.  Of note is that this is the first time that Mikey appeared in stop motion. Enjoy!