Hand-Drawn Animation Dead at Disney

[D82]

Hey guys I came across this 14 minute Disney short "The Truth about Mother Goose" from 1957 and ive NEVER heard of it!!! And it deals with famous nursery rhymes so yeahhh havent finished it yet but looks great so far! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7W_5__XBcmo

I didn't discover it until a few years ago either, although I had heard about it before thanks to a book about Disney history I have. I remember it was one of the Disney shorts to be nominated for an Oscar. I grew up watching similar shorts like Lambert the Sheepish Lion or Ben and Me, but some of the not so well-known ones like this one or A Symposium on Popular Songs, for example, probably haven't ever been released in my country. If not for the Internet, I don't think I would've been able to see them.

I've watched this short again now and I agree it's not bad. I think my favorite segment is the last one. There's not much story to explain that last nursery rhyme, but the Disney artists managed to make it entertaining thanks to characters like the painter and some clever visual gags. By the way, I didn't remember the second segment was so adult. It's very weird to see infidelity and beheading in an animated Disney production, right? Although the latter is just subtly hinted at.

[The Disneynerd]

I remember it was one of the Disney shorts to be nominated for an Oscar.

wait really??? Wow thats really cool, well now that ive watched it, it does seem Oscar worthy indeed!

I think my favorite segment is the last one. There's not much story to explain that last nursery rhyme, but the Disney artists managed to make it entertaining thanks to characters like the painter and some clever visual gags.

I completely agree with you! It looked pleasing visually and really fun!

By the way, I didn't remember the second segment was so adult. It's very weird to see infidelity and beheading in an animated Disney production, right? Although the latter is just subtly hinted at.

YES!!! I was completely shocked, I mean they cant ignore the historical facts, but I thought maybe they would have just shown her in the dungeon and leave the rest out. To think that she looked like a Disney Princess that would be decapitated is really dark

[D82]

wait really??? Wow thats really cool, well now that ive watched it, it does seem Oscar worthy indeed!

Yes, it was nominated for Best Animated Short in 1957. It didn't win, though. I agree it seems Oscar worthy.

YES!!! I was completely shocked, I mean they cant ignore the historical facts, but I thought maybe they would have just shown her in the dungeon and leave the rest out. To think that she looked like a Disney Princess that would be decapitated is really dark

Yes, I was shocked by that too.

[Sotiris]

New Disney commercial animated by Eric Goldberg.

Disney and Charlotte Tilbury Team Up on Limited-Edition Makeup Collection and Brand New Animated Short
https://variety.com/shop/disney-charlot ... 235683112/

The Making of Charlotte Tilbury and Disney: A Magical Collaboration Written in the Stars!
https://d23.com/the-making-of-charlotte ... the-stars/

Disney Create 100: Charlotte Tilbury
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dd_nnaUtgr0

[Farerb]

An I the only one who thinks it's sad that the only way to get an actual hand drawn animation from Disney is only through commercials?

[D23ExpoVisitor25]

An I the only one who thinks it's sad that the only way to get an actual hand drawn animation from Disney is only through commercials?

It’s only in commercials FOR NOW.

When the Tiana series lands on Disney+ after Wish hopefully becomes a huge hit for Disney to take a risk on a new style of animation, it’ll bring hand-drawn animation back fully into the fold.

[Sotiris]

Disney animator, Andrew Chesworth is releasing a 2D-animated short called The Brave Locomotive inspired by Disney's The Brave Engineer. You can watch the trailer, here and read an interview with the director, here. The project was previously mentioned in this thread, here.

[Kyle]

Not sure if this on topic enough, but I might be going to Lightbox in october this year. Nothing's set in stone yet, so it might not end up happening for cost reasons (hotels alone seem pretty high), but I see Chris Sanders will be there. Anyone know if he'll be there all 3 days, or just certain ones? I tried asking on his discord, but it seems pretty dead.

And does Disney ever have any cool exclusives for this usually? I have no idea what to expect really.

[Sotiris]

Disney Illusion Island: An All-New, Hand-Drawn Game with 95-Year-Old Characters
https://www.awn.com/animationworld/disn ... characters

‘Suzume’ Director Shinkai Makoto on Hand-Drawn Animation and the Importance of Original Stories
https://variety.com/2023/film/news/suzu ... 235528766/

[Sotiris]

The project was previously mentioned in this thread, here.

Long-Lost Japan-Set Disney Short Film The Flower Resumes Production, Includes Japanese Staff
https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2 ... ff/.201929

Bringing “The Flower” To Life: How An Unfinished Project From Disney’s Defunct Florida Animation Studio Is In Production Today
https://www.laughingplace.com/w/news/20 ... he-flower/

[PatrickvD]

Aaron Blaise has released a new hand drawn short entirely produced on Procreate Dreams, an animation tool exclusive to iPad. The short is quite well done I’d say.

https://youtu.be/VJKEhmQoKGw?si=kAxBsSLOlArcOoGH

I use the existing Procreate software for illustrating and it’s amazing to see what this new app can do. Really looking forward to playing around in it.

I think all these technological leaps must really bring the costs of 2D animation down significantly. And there seems huge renewed interest in the medium these days.

[Sotiris]

Thanks for posting this! I agree it's very well done. The character animation is excellent. Not so fond of the coloring or the backgrounds, but those are minor blips for a one-man short film. The clean-up/linework needs some improvement though. The quality and texture of the line looks a bit too digital, for my liking.

[Kyle]

I find the pencil lines a bit off putting, but I'm not sure I'd say they look digital?
It looks more traditional than even some of disney's stuff once they started using caps and beyond.

Personally I wish I could find a way to replicate the lines we get in movies like Aladdin in a digital environment, but havent really found a way yet.

[JTurner]

Aaron Blaise has released a new hand drawn short entirely produced on Procreate Dreams, an animation tool exclusive to iPad. The short is quite well done I’d say.

https://youtu.be/VJKEhmQoKGw?si=kAxBsSLOlArcOoGH

I use the existing Procreate software for illustrating and it’s amazing to see what this new app can do. Really looking forward to playing around in it.

I think all these technological leaps must really bring the costs of 2D animation down significantly. And there seems huge renewed interest in the medium these days.

Agreed. That looks promoising. If 2D animation has to be done on digital tablets instead of paper, so be it. There is a thing as paperless 2D animation after all. Toon Boom, IIRC, has specialized in it.

[Sotiris]

Animation veteran Michel Gagné is working on a 2D-animated feature.

Exclusive Clip: Michel Gagné Crafts an Epic Fox Tale in ‘The Saga of Rex’
https://www.animationmagazine.net/2023/ ... ga-of-rex/

[Farerb]

Trailer for Pencils vs Pixels:
https://youtu.be/bjmlmXwVzAc?si=m0JaaDMoFVm6KwPH

The documentary releases on VOD on November 7, 2023.

[PatrickvD]

Controversial take, but should the title of the thread be altered perhaps? It’s technically not dead anymore.

[Mooky]

It's technically not alive either, so... hand-drawn animation zombified at Disney?

[Kyle]

To me it seems it is alive, they just aren't ready to talk about it yet, because its such a slow process.

[D23ExpoVisitor25]

To me it seems it is alive, they just aren't ready to talk about it yet, because its such a slow process.

Which maybe why Grace Randolph allegedly said on one of her livestreams that Tiana is delayed from premiering on Disney+ until 2025.