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Animator Paul Carlson tells of magic in the Disney studios

FANTASY flows through his fingers. With just a few well-judged pen strokes, Paul Carlson can summon up a whole gallery of animated characters from the world of Walt Disney.

"I can draw Mickey and Donald and Goofy and Pluto, almost like writing my name," the 79-year-old animator says from his home in Los Angeles.

"I've done it for nearly 50 years and I tell ya, it's a lotta fun. I draw Mickey on a napkin and people don't believe it."
Quality paper is Carlson's preference, of course. For Australia's biggest ever exhibition of Disney animation art, the veteran cartoonist is supplying 14 new hand-coloured, hand-signed drawings which glow like jewels.

But Carlson's contribution to Enchantment: The Art of Walt Disney, opening today at Armadale's Silver K Gallery, is not confined to one-off sketches of Tinkerbelle and Jiminy Cricket.
Lady and the Tramp, 101 Dalmations, Sleeping Beauty ... in the 1950s, Carlson worked on all three Disney masterworks and, half a century on, his handiwork is on display in limited edition cels. What keeps drawing us back to these antique images?
"I don't know what the answer is," he says, "other than a feeling I have that Walt was a true person, an honest person. That was reflected in the personality he gave to all his characters."
Disney Studios was enjoying a golden age when Carlson signed on as a mailboy in 1953.
Carlson recalls: "That studio, when I started there, had 3900 employees ... I carried mail for about a year and got to meet almost everybody. Went up and down in the elevator with Jack Webb who was in Dragnet.

"Met James Mason, Kirk Douglas and Peter Lorre who were working on 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea ... oh, that was a good picture."
Crucially, Carlson met "all the good artists" at Disney, known affectionately as "Walt's Nine Old Men".
"They were probably only in their 50s and 60s," he says, "but being 21 at the time, I guess they seemed old to me.

Those guys taught me how to draw and within a year and a half, I started working on Lady and the Tramp. Remember the scene where the dogs go into the alley and eat spaghetti? I worked on that."
Disney's "house style" was well established by then. It emphasised charm and gentle humour, storybook sentiment and realistic backdrops.

Exaggeration and irony were hallmarks of rival studios at Warner Brothers and UPA, but soft, frolicsome creatures were still favoured in Walt's Magic Kingdom.

Carlson saw it all for himself when he was assistant director of animation on Sleeping Beauty.

The raven perched on the shoulder of the Wicked Fairy was one of his special contributions, but detailed model sheets "showing all the poses and expressions" defined Disney's very particular preferences.
"We used to show Walt everything we did at least once a month," he says, "and because he knew all his characters so well, he'd sometimes say, 'That doesn't sound right. Who did the voice on that?'
Another time, Carlson was sitting a few seats behind Disney watching some just-finished scenes from 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea.
"He noticed a wire in one frame was attached to the giant squid's tentacle and said, 'Wait a minute ... we gotta shoot that over'."
Director Richard Fleischer explained a re-shoot would cost thousands of dollars. "Walt said, 'I don't care what it costs. Shoot the scene over'."
Disney's perfectionist impulse extended to education and in 1955, around the time Disneyland was taking shape as America's favourite Shangri-La, he asked Carlson to illustrate a series of books about drawing Disney characters.

"Walt checked every page and they sold 'em at Disneyland for a dollar a piece," he says. "Jiminy Cricket was the hardest to draw ... dunno why. I just had an easier time with Goofy and Pluto."
Carlson went on to manage his own animation business, employing 30 artists and producing commercials and educational film strips for Disney.
"I'm still drawing pictures, doing this and that," he says. But those fabled studio days in the '50s hold a special place in his heart.
There was the time in 1958 when Carlson got an unexpected phone call from head office. Walt Disney told Carlson: "Paul, I'm sending some friends of mine down to see you ... show 'em what you're working on and give them a little history on animation."

"In about 10 minutes, the tour guide brought them in ... a man and his wife and their eight-year-old boy. Well, that boy stood right by me as I drew Jiminy Cricket and said, 'Mr Carlson, can I have that picture?'
"I said, 'Sure you can. I'll autograph it. What's your name'? He said, 'Mitt ... Mitt Romney'."

Super Aurora wrote:OMFG LOL this seriously fucking killed me: http://romneymegaprayer.com/

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carolinakid wrote:I believe in the power of prayer. I'm praying that America votes today with wisdom.

Siren wrote:What is really sad is people think there are only two parties/people to vote for. Just because someone didn't vote for Romney does not mean they voted for Obama and vice versa. Such train of thought only makes that person look like an ignorant arse.

Flanger-Hanger wrote:

Siren wrote:What is really sad is people think there are only two parties/people to vote for. Just because someone didn't vote for Romney does not mean they voted for Obama and vice versa. Such train of thought only makes that person look like an ignorant arse.

The media isn't really helping with that, they don't exactly cover the "others".

Disney's Divinity wrote:

carolinakid wrote:I believe in the power of prayer. I'm praying that America votes today with wisdom.

I've been doing the exact same thing the past week.

Super Aurora wrote:OMFG LOL this seriously fucking killed me: http://romneymegaprayer.com/

Siren wrote:

Flanger-Hanger wrote: The media isn't really helping with that, they don't exactly cover the "others".

I agree and that sucks, but no one should count solely on the media to get info on the candidates. They should seek info from many sources on their own rather than turn to their favorite channel and watch that daily.