DVDizzy Forum

Regarding the special features on DVDs of all Disney films made before the '80s... How many of the classic Disney animators are actually still alive, to do interviews for films like Lady and the Tramp, Cinderella, 101 Dalmatians, The Jungle Book, The Rescuers, Pinocchio, and/or Dumbo? As I've said before, I haven't watched the special features for any of the movies now on DVD like Bambi, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, Alice in Wonderland, Fantasia, Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. So I don't know if they were able to get any of those original animators to talk about the movies.

You see, I'm absolutely obsessed with those featurettes they used to include on the VHS's of the THX- Peter Pan, Fun and Fancy Free, The Jungle Book, and Sleeping Beauty. I couldn't give a damn about stupid music videos by new pop artists, games, storybooks, sing-alongs. I want featurettes and real archival material, like bonus cartoons, promotional documentaries, premiere footage, newsreels, and photo galleries (in particular animated slideshows to music from the movie).

So, I'm just kind of wondering... are there anymore original animators alive to tell those creative tales and stories about what it was like working on each movie?

joe grant and Ollie Johnston (I think)

Yeah... So that means, they quiz the hell out of these guys, and then what? They compile the rest of documentary material from notes? Recordings of creative sessions? Photos of animators animating? And of course, historians and professors?

I guess the main question I have is, what is the bulk of their making-of documentaries and featurettes comprised of, since most of the animators are dead or gone (or otherwise sick of talking about these movies)? Because, I don't understand why Disney would bother taking all this time to release more special DVDs of movies so old that by the time they do get out, there are no more people left to do interviews or whatever.

Well, there is also the option of putting together featurettes using older interviews with the animators. The fact that DeForrest Kelley has been dead for quite a few years now hasn't stopped Paramount from putting interviews with him on the Star Trek DVDs.

Most of the animators have already been interviewed about their work in the past, so Disney could always use these archival interviews. Take the "Bambi" Platinum Edition DVD, for example. All of the interviews with the animators were recorded years ago, none of them is all-new.

When it was clear that Ward Kimball would soon pass, I believe Disney went about interviewing the remaining nine men, Ollie Johnston, Frank Thomas, and Marc Davis. From the looks of it, they have extensive footage of these three (along with Alice, Joe Grant, etc.) to support featurettes for a number of animated films.

I thought the extras on Sleeping Beauty were quite fine last year. This year's Bambi, less so.

Well they could use old footage of the late animators being interviewed. They could also use film historians like Lenord Maltin and they can use Roy Disney(Unless Eisner refusses!). Sometimes they can even use the voices like they did with Bambi! And of corse the last living man from the legendary nine old men: Ollie Johnson can still be interviewed!

Well this is all good news. I just had to ask since I have yet to own any of these special DVDs yet. I want to, just waiting until it becomes cheaper to be a working American.

Disney has always been making lots of documentary material so they will always have stuff to take from.