Music, Sound & Animation

April 1997 Vol. 2 No. 1

Music,Music, SoundSound && AnimationAnimation

Andrea Martignoni on Pierre Hébert’s La Plante humaine

William Moritz on The Dream of Color Music

Carl Stalling’s Humor Voice Acting 101 Table of Contents

3 Editor’s Notebook A Word on Music and Animation; Harry Love. 5 Letters to the Editor The Thief and the Cobbler. Children’s Workshops; Errata. 8 The Ink and Paint of Music Amin Bhatia recounts a day in his life as an “electronic composer” for animated TV shows, explaining his tools and techniques. 11 The Burgeoning of a Project: Pierre Hébert’s La Plante humaine [English & Italian] Andrea Martignoni delves into Pierre Hébert’s radical method for marrying animation with music. 20 The Dream of Color Music, and Machines That Made it Possible William Moritz gives a quick and dazzling historical overview attempts to create visual music using “color organs.” 25 Who’s Afraid of ASCAP? Popular Songs in the Silly Symphonies From 1929 to 1939, Disney’s Silly Symphonies united animation with a rich array of music, including such songs as “Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf.” J.B. Kaufman reports. 28 Carl Stalling and Humor in Cartoons Daniel Goldmark shows how Carl Stalling, who may have been the most skilled and clever composer of cartoon music Hollywood ever had, used music to create gags and help tell a story at the same time. 31 Voice Acting 101 So, you want to be a voice actor? Well, Joe Bevilacqua tells you all you ever wanted to know, drawing on his experience and that of some of Hollywood’s top voice talent. 36 An Interview With Mark Hamill While most people identify Mark Hamill with his role of Luke Skywalker in the Star Wars films, few realize that he has had a highly successful career as a voice actor. Jacquie Kubin talks to Mark and helps put the record straight. 39 “A Screw Here, a Crank There”: Payut Ngaokrachang and the Origins of Thai Animation The father of Thai animation, Payut Ngaokrachang, tells John A. Lent how he got his start through a set of fortuitous circumstances. 42 The Influence of Religion on Early European Animation P. Pluie-Toile expounds on the mysteries and surprising richness of religious imagery found in the fledgling works of various European animation industries.

44 Festivals, Events: 49 Reviews in Brief Preview of NATPE’s Animation & Special Wendy Jackson reports on new animation music, video Effects Expo and book releases. by Wendy Jackson 52 Desert Island Series . . . 45 Film Reviews: If a Tree Falls on a Desert Island, Cats Don’t Dance Does Anyone Hear It? April 1997 by Mark Segall Alf Clausen, Danny Elfman, Howie Mandel, Will Ryan and Luc Hamet. 47 Software Reviews: Web Painter News by Guillaume Calop 56 63 The Dirdy Birdy by John R. Dilworth 64 Next Issue’s Highlights

1 Cover: La Plante humaine by Pierre Hébert. © National Film Board of Canada.

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE April 1997 2 by Harvey Deneroff

A Word on Music mated feature film genre in the and Animation minds of industry executives and Manny Davis, the former public alike. This bias was rein- Terrytoons director, told me that forced in recent years with the introduction of color to car- Disney’s The Little toons in the 1930s seemed very Mermaid, which had many stage natural to him, something that and music critics hailing it for wasn’t necessarily the case with resuscitating the moribund live-action films. The same might Broadway musical. also be said about sound and ani- The association of animated mated films. With few exceptions, features with musicals, however, early sound films paled in com- has also been an albatross parison to the silent movies that around the neck of filmmakers, went before them and whose who have hardly dare to make glory days these talkies seemed to was run once again so everyone an animated feature without the so cruelly eclipse. could experience it. requisite song and dance num- Animated movies, however, This sort of infectious energy bers. Happily, there have been were not hampered by the cum- was unleashed in animation stu- some signs of change of late, bersome restrictions the new tech- dios almost across the boards dur- given the success of Toy Story, nology imposed on their live- ing the early sound period. Thus, Space Jam and Beavis and Butt- action brethren. (Limitations that when the people at Disney saw head Do America, which are basi- were delightfully spoofed in the the way Fleischer Studios had mar- cally straight comedies. Stanley Donen-Gene Kelly musical, ried Rossini’s William Tell Overture If this trends holds, then per- Singin’ in the Rain.) Instead of to a tornado in Tree Saps, they haps we can start looking at music being hampered by soundtracks, turned the music around and one in animation in the same sense as animated cartoons were sudden- upped Fleischer with a musical tor- Norman Roger, who has said that ly liberated, kicking off a period of nado of their own in The Band he does not so much consider experimentation and innovation Concert. In all, animated cartoons himself a composer, but as some- the likes of which had never been seemed to gain an rhythmic one who designs soundtracks. In seen before. coherence and energy from sound this sense, we can look at music Ub Iwerks, at an awards din- that previously seemed lacking. in its proper context, rather than a ner in his honor in the 1960s, It was also during this period, series of set pieces, where every- spoke fondly of the magic as Daniel Goldmark and J.B. body bursts into song. If so, we moment when he and colleagues Kaufman point out elsewhere, that can delight in the driving rhythms on Steamboat Willie first married the Hollywood majors often used of Roger’s marvelous score for sound with picture. Several crew their captive cartoon studios as Frédéric Back’s Crac!, the voice members gathered behind the vehicles to promote songs fea- artistry of Mel Blanc in a Warner translucent screen (probably a tured in their live-action films and Bros. cartoon, and the minimalist sheet) to play music, while the rest published by their music divisions. soundtrack of a Paul Driessen film, of the crew watched. Then the With the success of Disney’s Snow and perhaps not be afraid to call “band” switched places with some White and the Seven Dwarfs, the it all music. of those out front and the scene musical became the de facto ani-

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE April 1997 3 Harry Love mative. In fact, he very much “Harry Love was the last of the reflected what his friend and pioneers, in at the very start of the sometime boss, Joe Barbera said industry. He was knowledgeable about his professionalism. in all areas—productions, anima- Voice actor June Foray’s recalls tion, storyboard and story. When that she used to get Christmas a project was assigned to Harry cards from Harry long before she ANIMATION WORLD NETWORK Love you knew it was going to be ever met him, or even knew who 6525 Sunset Blvd., Garden Suite 10 done. Those that really knew him he was. She recalls that she “asked Hollywood, CA 90028 will miss him.” my husband, who was a screen- Phone : 213.468.2554 —Joe Barbera writer, ‘Do you know who Harry Fax : 213.464.5914 Love is?’ He said, “No, I never Email : [email protected] Harry Love, despite his longevi- heard of him.” When I finally did ty (having started in animation meet him at DePatie Freleng, some 70 years ago at Charles where he was a producer, I said, Mintz in New York), was not an “How come you wrote to me all ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE animator who was known for the the time? And in his New York [email protected] films and TV shows he worked on. accent, he said, ‘Because I thought PUBLISHER Rather, he seemed to be someone you were beautiful.’ And after my Ron Diamond, President who was known for the friend- husband died, he called me and Dan Sarto, Chief Operating Officer ships and support he gave to his we became first friends after that.” Annick Teninge, General Manager fellow artists. His friend and fellow A confirmed bachelor, he EDITOR-IN-CHIEF producer-director George Singer befriended many new talents, Harvey Deneroff noted that, “Harry was always including people like Phil Roman, ASSOCIATE EDITOR/PUBLICITY behind the scenes; he was never owner of Film Roman, who fond- Wendy Jackson really recognized as one of the big ly remembers partying with Harry talents, but he was responsible for before he got married. Singer told CONTRIBUTORS : Joe Bevilacqua bringing up a lot of artists, anime of his habit of drawing cartoon Amin Bhatia mators, and writers.” In this characters on the napkins and Guillaume Calop regard, he taught the writing seg- tablecloths of some of the better Daniel Goldmark ment of the evening classes known restaurants around town. Wendy Jackson Hanna-Barbera conducted for four He recalled that Harry “was always J.B. Kaufman or five years, from which, as Singer drawing some of the Bugs Bunny Jacquie Kubin noted “came quite a few writers.” character, which was one of his John A. Lent Part of his support he gave oth- favorites, and passing it out to cus- Andrea Martignoni ers were a series of short tomers in a restaurant.” Foray also William Mortiz “Animation Profiles” he started to noted that “the maître d’s and the P. Pluie-Toile Mark Segall write in 1984 for Graffiti, ASIFA- waiters were just thrilled. And Hollywood’s magazine which I every time he came in, they’d ask Le WEBMASTER was then editing. It was not some- him for another one. They said, Guillaume Calop thing assigned to him, rather it “Well, we’ve got it framed. It’s on was something he wanted to do. the wall.” DESIGN/LAYOUT : He told me that his pieces, while All of us in or near animation Guillaume Calop not exactly great, were about peo- should only be so joyful. IMP Graphic e-mail : [email protected] ple who should be better known. Admittedly, I was not at first very ADVERTISING SALES excited about his writing, but look- Worldwide : Bart Vitek ing back today, these pieces UK: Roger Watkins remain remarkably fresh and infor-

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE April 1997 4 Letters to the Editor

The Thief and the Cobbler Having read the review of The Thief and the Cobbler by Alex Williams and your own editorial on the matter [in the March 1997 issue of Animation World Magazine], I thought you ought to read [the] article by Mike Dobbs [in] Animato magazine [“An Arabian Knight-mare,” that appeared in the issue #35, summer 1996, and which was posted by Dobbs on the rec.arts.animation user group]. Mr. Dobbs had interviewed Fred Calvert, so in a sense the article is “Calvert’s side of the story.” In it a good and believable case is made that Mr. Calvert was indeed sensitive to the beauty of the original work of Richard Williams, and did much to keep William’s work in the film, and still make a coherent and watchable story out of it. Of special interest (and the most significant evidence in Calvert’s defense) is the Australian release of the film as The Princess and the Cobbler in 1993 (two years before Arabian Knight), which was Calvert’s final cut, and is guilty of none of the new voice-overs (Broderick, Winters, et al), and has a good amount of Williams’ sequences that were cut by Miramax for the US release, including “outtakes” during the end credits. This Australian release can be found on video down under. And it serves to my mind as proof that Calvert gave an honest effort in the matter, given the extremely wretched situation all around, and it paints Miramax as the real Evil Committee in the whole fiasco.

Well, read the article. This chapter of the feature animation story certainly deserves a book, if not the dream laserdisc set you yearn for in your editorial. —Peter Merryman Los Angeles

The writer is an MFA student at the UCLA Animation Workshop and a self-described Richard Williams fiend.

Editor’s Note: While it may somewhat awkward to respond to Merryman’s letter without also reprinting Michael Dobbs’ article, his letter does bring up issues which do need to be discussed.

Alex Williams’ reply: In reply to the letter from the reader offering what might be regarded as Fred Calvert’s side of the sad demise of The Thief and The Cobbler, there are a number of factual inaccuracies which should be addressed. In fair- ness to Fred Calvert, Mike Dobb’s article is not an interview as such, and therefore cannot be taken as a ver- batim report of Calvert’s plea in mitigation. However, to suggest that he took on The Thief “somewhat under protest” (Calvert’s words, apparently) or that he tried to avoid the task, is misleading at best. It is very easy to avoid such projects—one simply has to say “no.”

My recollection of Fred Calvert’s visits is that he was only too keen to take on the completion of the film. I clearly recall my father’s astonished reaction when Calvert suggested, having been shown the painstaking and beautiful camerawork executed by the gifted John Leatherbarrow, that the film should be shot in Korea to save money. As we now know, Calvert was not only to shoot much of The Thief in Korea, but also to send

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE April 1997 5 large sections to be animated there. Such insensitivity to the quality of the film he was to inherit is the hall- mark of his work.

He is quoted as saying that “we tried to use as much of [Williams’] footage as possible . . . we hated to see all of this beautiful animation hit the cutting room floor, but that was the only way we could make a story out of it” The suggestion that The Thief lacked a compelling story is a common one, and is hard to argue against as it has become almost received wisdom. Anyone who has the good fortune to see the original director’s cut will find an excellent story, uncluttered with pointless songs or unnecessary voice-overs. Where is it written that animated films must have songs? Perhaps we are all so unconsciously conditioned by the success of the Disney formula that we can imagine no other way.

It might be argued that Williams’ cut required editing (it was certainly too long in parts), but it cannot be argued that what was done to it by Fred Calvert or Miramax in any way improved or assisted the story. Mike Dobbs suggests that the songs were “commercial decisions,” but the film made barely $300,000 at the box office. The butchering of The Thief was the most uncommercial decision that Calvert, Completion Bond Co.(CBC) or Miramax could have taken. It was a process of alchemy that turned pure gold into garbage. I have never worked on a project before or since in which the artists were more convinced that what we had on our hands would be, if properly marketed, a commercial and artistic success.

Calvert suggests that what he produced was a “releasable” picture, and blames Miramax for the disaster of The Princess and The Cobbler. He chooses his words wisely. “Releasable” it may have been, better than Princess . . . it undoubtedly was. But a good film, even a modest film, it was not. Calvert’s release, songs and all, was vulgar and mediocre.

In any event, by taking on The Thief himself and convincing CBC that he could do justice to the movie, Calvert set in motion events which were to destroy the project. For that he must take responsibility and ultimately, blame. That said, there were plainly other villains. Jake Eberts, the producer whose weight in Hollywood set The Thief in motion, abandoned the project when Warners became jumpy. Betty Smith of CBC played a major role in removing what was left of Williams’ cut. Calvert was thus in many ways a small player in a larger pool of sharks, who was unable to keep control of what he had inherited. —Alex Williams

Harvey Deneroff’s Reply: I am delighted that additional footage from director’s cut The Thief and the Cobbler exists in Fred Calvert’s version, The Princess and the Cobbler. But I doubt if this is the version I would want see released on laserdisc (or elsewhere) over seeing the director’s cut. In addition, I quite willing to admit that Calvert may not have been responsible for many of the changes made for the American market. However, like Alex Williams, Calvert’s story, as reported by Dobbs, seems to lack credibility on several points.

For instance, I must heartily concur with Alex Williams that there really was nothing wrong with the film’s story in the first place. Perhaps what annoyed Calvert was the extensive use of pantomime rather than songs to advance the plot. (In the article, Dobbs states that “Of the footage Williams completed, Calvert was only able to use about 50 percent of it, because of the repetitive nature of the scenes.” Gosh, if only more animation were so repetitive!) However, the musical numbers added by Calvert were obviously done in haste and are, at best, ineffectual and intrusive.

Another pointthat Dobbs fails to mention (or Calvert failed to tell him) was the role of Sue Shakespeare, of Creative Capers Entertainment (for more on her and her company, see my article, “Visioneering: Interactive Animation at Creative Capers” in the December 1996 issue of AWM). Shakespeare, who had been involved with previous “rescue efforts” on The Chipmunk Adventure and Rover Dangerfield, was, she states, brought in by Calvert as a consultant and diagnosed the severity of the problem faced by the film. She then made a

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE April 1997 6 proposal for allowing Williams to finish the film, under her supervision; she too felt there were story problems, and suggested that Terry Gilliam be brought in to work them out with Williams. (She says that Williams agreed to her proposal.) However, her bid was rejected by Completion Bond in favor of a cheaper one by Calvert!

If indeed Williams did express a willingness to work with Shakespeare in finishing The Thief and the Cobbler, then whatever claims Calvert makes about being the film’s saviour have even less credibility.

Yes, the story of The Thief and the Cobbler certainly deserves a book, but like many others, I wish it had a different ending.

Children’s Workshops I wanted to write a note saying that my students enjoyed the articles in the March issue (not just the one by their teacher). Learning about animation projects being done by children in other parts of the world was an inspiration to them. I, myself, enjoyed learning about other animation teachers and independent animators who have taught. I also wanted to extend an invitation to students, animators and teachers to contact me in regards to teaching animation or media literacy.

Sinecerely,

John Serpentelli 4617 Pine St. H505 Philadalphia, PA 19147 fax (215) 467-3412 email: [email protected]

Errata In the February 1997 issue, there were some regretable typographical errors in John A. Lent’s article, “Shin Dong Hun, An Old Warrior in Korean Animation which need to be noted. As Lent points out, “the textual mentions of Mr. Shin are incorrect. You have him as Shin Dong Mun. There is an animator by that name, but the individual I wrote about is Shin Dong Hun. It is incorrect throughout the text.

“Also, his important work was Hong Gil Dong, not Mong-Gil Dang.”

We apologize for the error, which will are correcting.

Letters to the editor can be sent by email to editor awn.com by fax to (213) 464-5914 or by regular mail to Animation World Network 6525 Sunset Blvd., Garden Suite 10, Hollywood, CA 90028 USA.

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE April 1997 7 er The Ink and Paint of Music er by Amin Bhatia

t 6:45 am on a weekday fun and the nightmare that is film morning the routine begins: scoring. AOpen all doors, turn on the On a live-action project, the dia- office computers, server, and the logue and the sound effects are real- printer. Turn on the power bars for ity. Sound effects are especially com- digital audio, samplers, and MIDI plex with location audio, ambiances and boot up. Check the Power Mac and foley (. . .the added footsteps, and confirm no backup problems grunts, groans and body move- the night before. ments). Music must carefully play Coffee: decaf with one package outside this and be the emotional of Sweet and Lo. Your treat for this reaction of the scene, rarely leading morning: A Sausage McMuffin you the story or accenting a visual picked up on the way over. Savor moment. each bite as you load up the second This is not so in animation. Mac in the MIDI room with spotting Because there is no location audio or notes. Four computers, two racks, reality to simulate, music has been four digital samplers, a printer and granted the license to lead the voice mail are standing by. Review action and provide the extra ener- the worklist database and decide Amin Bhatia. gy and motion in the audio track, which music cues to do today. Close to make up for the missing detail in the door and start. You have at least The musician’s tools have sound. This philosophy hasn’t two hours before any other staff changed from pencil and changed, from the black and white come in so get creative. Don’t come scorepaper, stopwatch and a days of Steamboat Willie to the out for a break until 2:00 pm. Don’t roomful of musicians, to digital cyberworld of Reboot. The bottom go home till 9:00. audio and MIDI workstations, line for the composer is: You can get The above scenario, while par- and racks full of synthesizer away with a lot more in animation! ticular to my studio, is typical of an and audio sampler modules. Anything ever written about electronic composer in the middle music for animation inevitably pays of a network animation series. Just Disciplines and Deadlines homage to Carl Stalling, and as as with the animator whose ink and Nevertheless the discipline and much as I tried to, I couldn’t avoid it paint tools have become digital deadlines are still the same. Even in here. Most noted for his scores for tablets and SGI stations, the musi- the cases where real musicians will the classic Warner Bros. cartoons in cian’s tools have changed from pen- be brought in for the final record- the 40s and 50s, Carl defined the cil and scorepaper, stopwatch and a ing, a film composer must still use all too well known musical style of roomful of musicians, to digital audio his tools and techniques to perform playing every visual gag with a musi- and MIDI workstations, and racks full the arduous task of enhancing a cal sound effect. Whether it be a of synthesizer and audio sampler group of images (in a very short group of plucked violins tiptoeing modules. amount of time) with an underscore across the screen in perfect sync, or that, at it’s best, becomes an uncon- the surprise “oh-no” orchestral phras- scious part of the whole. This is the

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE April 1997 8 The Process producer will just have to sweat it out with each other until it sounds The process of initial writ- right to both of you. I’m fortunate ing is a slow and labori- in that Nelvana’s producers and edi- ous process. It begins with tors are a good bunch of people . . meetings and spotting . . One does not always get so lucky. sessions with the produc- Once the style and themes are ers, who determine the shaping up, the actual writing of overall style of the music, music to picture begins. In live be it orchestral, rock, eth- action, one waits until the picture is nic, country . . . (On a “locked” and there are no more edits recent project, I asked the in show timing. In animation, the picture is usually the last thing to show up! In my work with Nelvana, I start by reading story- boards and listening to a prerecorded dialogue track that has beeps to tell me where in the storyboard I am. From this, I Screen shot from Studio Vision, a MIDI Digital Audio sequencing program by Opcode Systems. can time out my scenes and orga- es that preceded every exploding producers about style and the nize my computer metronome track Acme device, Carl and his peers cre- answer was simply, “Yes, we want to block out the beats and bars of ated a set of musical rules that have style.”) From these meetings, one music I have to write to. The picture shown up on every single animat- runs back to the hovel of a MIDI stu- itself is being rendered and colored ed project since then. dio and experiments with themes, in another department across town, This business is about teamwork variations, ideas and anything that or sometimes overseas. I don’t get and relationships, and you and strikes a fancy. These works of to check my work against picture the producer will just have to Wagnerian art are then eagerly until two days before the final mix sweat it out with each other until played back to the producers, who of music dialogue and sound effects. it sounds right to both of you. respond with, “Oh . . . that’s. . . well, Thankfully, I don’t do this alone. it’s . . . interesting . . .hmmmmmm. (Those glossy ads of one person sit- . . No, that’s not quite right . . . I can’t ting in a room spouting music from Why Carl? And why always Carl? quite tell you what I want, but I’ll his or her electrified fingers are I’ve seen cases where producers of know when I hear it.” absolute crap!) a new series (especially a computer Like any creative art, there are I work with Magnetic Music, generated one) will plan for an semantic frustrations when a com- which is a music production/edit- audio track that uses sound effects poser and producer must work ing/supervision company run by and underscore in a conventional together, each using a totally differ- David Greene. The Magnetic crew live-action approach. Yet, when the ent vocabulary. It doesn’t matter supervise the meetings, and orga- show is previewed, the inevitable how cool your MIDI studio is, or nize spotting notes that give me a request comes through to “make the your résumé, or musical back- breakdown of the action right down music busier”. . . “play the gags”. . ground. Those are already a given. to the hour minute second and .”it’s missing something”. . . All this But this business is about teamwork frame. They also produce the music, is Carl’s fault! and relationships, and you and the and are my objective ears when

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE April 1997 9 after working on a two minute the final mix of all the various piece for eight hours, I can’t hear it audio tracks (never mix your anymore. It’s wonderful because I own music), which can have as actually rent my studio space from many as 40 different synthesizer them for my MIDI workstation. We sources. Nelvana’s producers are bring each other a lot of work and present during this and, if all they’re always down the hall when goes well, we tell jokes and I need them. The relationship is well drink coffee during the mix- worth the added expense and down. If something feels much better than a second bed- “wrong” to them, everything room studio in my opinion. grinds to a halt. I dash to the computer to rewrite sections of Examples music, while they sit patient- The following audio exam- Nelvana’s Tales From the Cryptkeeper. ly and ponder hiring a differ- ples give you an idea of the melody and make sure it works to ent composer next time. writing stages. Care has been taken the picture timings. Working with a The music mix is the second last to process these so they sound the MIDI sequencer is akin to a word step in the process. The inevitable least offensive in eight bit mono processor. You can juggle notes and final mix or dubbing is where sound (ugh!!), and I look forward to the day tempo about, just like words and effects, dialogue, and music meet. If when you can download a Quick fonts, and never commit to anything everyone has done their job well, Time movie of this without dying till you finally “print” it to tape. Yes, it’s the dialogue presents the story, the from graybar fatigue on the World fun, but just as a word processor sound effects provide the reality (or Wide Wait! cannot write for you, a sequencer hyper-reality), and the music empha- cannot compose for you. You’ve still sizes the emotion and “fun.” Yes, it’s fun, but just as a word got to know your stuff. Hopefully, you hear them all work- processor cannot write for you, ing together. That’s the goal . . .and a sequencer cannot compose Audio Clip 1: Skeleton Sketch sometimes we achieve it. Take a lis- for you.You’ve still got to know ten. your stuff. The analogies between animation and music making are many. Audio Clip 3: Final Mix with The scene is from Nelvana’s Tales Both require imagination preplan- SFX and Dialogue from the Cryptkeeper, episode 14, ning, and perspiration! Once the entitled Game Over. Our hero, that skeleton sketch is done it’s hours of snickering punster the Cryptkeeper, All audio Copyright 1994 Nelvana Ltd. adding in all the other instruments: Music Composed by Amin Bhatia,Theme is trying to get some peace and woodwinds, strings, brass and per- by Danny Elfman quiet while his two enemies, the cussion. Vaultkeeper and the Old Witch, are A note to potential MIDI com- trying to steal the show from him. posers who expect to play a key- The Vaultkeeper has hijacked his cab board patch called “Orchestra.” and the witch is following behind Forget it. In animation, you can’t Composer/synthesist Amin on her broom. (Listen for a musical copy and paste a water texture. You Bhatia has been writing for film quote from The Sorcerer’s have to paint it, one wave at a time. for nearly 20 years. Recent pro- Apprentice for the broom. This job It’s the same with music. The only jects include Once a Thief, has it’s perks.) way to sound like an orchestra is to directed by John Woo, and The first audio example is a skele- build up each part one note at a Nelvana’s animated series ton sketch (no pun intended!). Just time! Blazing Dragons. He has as an animator will first do a line worked on album projects with drawing or pencil sketch to deter- Audio Clip 2: Finished Music David Foster and Steve Porcaro mine speed and pace before filling and is currently working on the things out, I use only one or two After I’ve finished writing, I sequel to his solo CD Interstellar synthesizers to flesh out the actual entrust the staff at Magnetic to do Suite.

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE April 1997 10 The Burgeoning La crescita di un of a Project: progetto: Pierre Hébert’s La Plante La Plante humaine di humaine Pierre Hébert by Andrea Martignoni di Andrea Martignoni

The germ of an idea for La Plante humaine grew La Plante humaine era inizialmente un piccolo many years ago, during the early 1980s, in the mind seme, nato molti anni fa, attorno ai primi anni ottan- of Pierre Hébert, a Canadian filmmaker who had been ta, nella testa di un cineasta canadese, Pierre Hébert, active in the independent sector since 1962 and had attivo come indipendente dal 1962 e, dalla metà degli started working with the National Film Board of anni sessanta, al National Film Board of Canada. Canada in the mid-1960s. I semi dell’ispirazione Seeds of Inspiration Fin dai primi film Hébert si caratterizza per un tipo From the outset of his di animazione non ordi- career, Hébert had nario. Inizialmente più vota- earned the reputation of to alla sperimentazione making unusual animat- pura, in qualche modo ed movies. Initially his legata alle precedenti espe- films had been purely rienze di Norman McLaren, experimental, and can be Hébert inizia in seguito a regarded to a certain realizzare film che pur pre- extent as having devel- sentando sempre tecniche oped out of the work of di animazione inusuali, Norman McLaren. Later, hanno un notevole con- he began to make films tenuto narrativo e sociale. with a strong narrative In particolare Entre chiens and social content, while et loup (1978) e Souvenirs continuing to make use de guerre (1982), sono film of unconventional ani- La Plante humaine. © 1996 NFB-ONF molto forti, apparente- mation techniques. Entre mente difficili per il grande chiens et loup (1978) and Souvenirs de guerre (1982), pubblico e anche per i festival specializzati, che spes- in particular, are powerful movies which appear to so non riconoscono il capolavoro e rispediscono al mit- have posed considerable difficulties both for the gen- tente. Inoltre i tempi per la realizzazione di questi due eral public and for specialized festivals, which often cortometraggi appaiono al cineasta troppo lunghi ed fail to recognize genuine masterpieces and simply send Hébert comincia a pensare ad un cambiamento radi- back films. In addition to these obstacles, Hébert was cale del proprio approccio alla produzione di film. dissatisfied with the lengthy production time required L’idea di realizzare un lungometraggio in ani- for the completion of his two shorts, and started to mazione, come progetto di un autore che lavora prin- radically rethink his cinematographic approach. cipalmente solo, non è una scelta facile. La strada

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE April 1997 11 For a filmmaker accustomed to working alone, the intrapresa da Pierre Hébert per arrivare al lungome- decision to make an animated feature film is never an traggio La Plante humaine è durata quasi quattordici easy one. When he decided to make La Plante anni. Quattordici anni in cui l’esperienza del cineasta humaine, Pierre Hébert embarked on a journey that si è sempre più avvicinata all’esperienza e al mondo was to last 14 years; fourteen years during which his della musica, dell’improvvisazione e dei musicisti. activity as a film director increasingly crossed over into Tra il 1983 e il 1984 Hébert incontra René Lussier, the world of music and improvisation. Jean Derome e Robert M. Lepage, giovani musicisti Between 1983 and attivi già da anni 1984, Hébert met René nel panorama Lussier, Jean Derome delle musiche and Robert M. Lepage, improvvisate o young musicians who della cosiddetta had for some years Musique actuelle been active on the a Montréal. Montréal music scene in Abitudine a lavo- the area of improvisa- rare in qualsiasi tion and so-called situazione, musique actuelle. He flessibilità stru- was both intrigued and mentale e com- impressed by their abil- positiva, uso cre- ity to work in any situa- ativo dello studio tion, by their instru- di registrazione, mental and composi- La Plante humaine. © 1996 NFB-ONF sono elementi tional flexibility, and by che incuriosiscono their creative use of recording studies, and chose to e affascinano Pierre Hébert che lavorerà con loro per work with them on the soundtrack of the short Etienne la realizzazione della trama sonora del cortometraggio et Sara (1984). Etienne et Sara (1984). It was here that the idea for a full-length movie L’idea del lungometraggio inizia da qui il suo per- developed. To begin with, it was necessary for Hébert corso. Per prima cosa è necessario per l’autore trovare to find a means of speeding up the creative and pro- la maniera di velocizzare la fase creativa e di realiz- duction stages of short films. Perhaps more so than zazione di un cortometraggio. Come e forse più di any other techniques employed in animation, the altre tecniche di animazione, la gravure su pellicola, device of etching onto film, which is a characteristic of caratteristica del lavoro di Pierre Hébert, richiede una Hébert’s work, demands a meticulous, and hence slow, applicazione lenta e meticolosa. Riuscire a darsi delle application. The first steps in improving his method scadenze, mettere in scena la propria esperienza di required learning to work to schedule, exploiting his cineasta, allontanarsi dalle sale cinematografiche per experience as a film director, and moving out of cine- entrare nell’ambito della performance musicale-visiva mas and into the musical and visual performance or o del concerto, sono i primi passi. I film vengono concert circuit. The movies were prepared by Hébert preparati da Hébert e proiettati con l’esecuzione dal and projected with the soundtrack—an alternation of vivo, da parte dei tre musicisti, della trama sonora, più composition and improvisation—performed live by the o meno caratterizzata da una alternanza di compo- three musicians. The best musical material was then sizione e improvvisazione. In un secondo tempo ven- selected for the movie’s final soundtrack which was gono selezionati e scelti i migliori materiali musicali thus “fixed” mechanically to the film or videotape. per la definitiva colonna sonora del film, che rimane This was the technique employed for Chants et così fissata meccanicamente sulla pellicola o sul nas- danses du monde inanimé-Le Métro (1985) and ô tro video. Picasso-tableaux d’une surexposition (1985). As a con- In questo modo vengono realizzati Chants et dans- sequence, production time was cut down drastically es du monde inanimé - Le Metro (1985), e ô Picasso without, however, sacrificing the aesthetic quality of the - tableaux d’une surexposition (1985). I tempi di pro- movie; indeed, a significant gain in dynamic impact duzione risultano incredibilmente ridotti, senza che was made. questo vada a discapito della qualità estetica del

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE April 1997 12 prodotto dell’autore che acquisisce anzi una dinamicità impressionante.

Cinema dal vivo Lo spirito sperimentale di Pierre Hébert e la sua testardaggine nel voler arrivare al cuore di una esperienza portano al passo successivo di questo originale connubio acustico-visivo. Lo stimolo è quasi casuale: i musicisti rimproverano scherzosamente il cineasta per il fatto di essere sempre e soltanto loro a esporsi e a rischiare in scena, mentre tutto il lavoro visivo è realizzato in studio e viene proposto in proiezione durante la performance. L’idea di Hébert La Plante humaine. © 1996 NFB-ONF diventa quella di tentare una strada apparentemente improbabile, il cinema a passo uno realizzato in diretta, dal vivo con la tecnica della Live Cinema gravure. Hébert’s appetite for experimentation and his tenac- ity in pursuing his ideas spurred him onto the next La strada intrapresa da Pierre Hébert per stage in his attempt to produce a highly original mix arrivare al lungometraggio La Plante humaine è of acoustic and visual genres. The necessary impetus durata quasi quattordici anni. Quattordici anni was provided fortuitously: one day the musicians light- in cui l’esperienza del cineasta si è sempre più heartedly reproached the director, saying that it was avvicinata all’esperienza e al mondo della musi- only they who took risks on stage, while all the visual ca, dell’improvvisazione e dei musicisti. work was carried out in the safety of the studio and then projected during the performance. Hébert sud- La prima esperienza di gravure in diretta avviene denly had the somewhat improbable idea of creating in occasione della messa in scena del progetto musi- cinema directly, as a live event, using the technique cale di Jean Derome Confiture de Gagaku (1986). Qui of etching. si assiste ad una inversione dei ruoli: la musica com- His first experiments with live etching on film took posta da Derome ed eseguita da un ensemble di diver- place during the performance of Jean Derome’s musi- si musicisti è accompagnata dalla improvvisazione in cal composition Confiture de Gagaku (1986). There diretta di Hébert. Un loop di pellicola nera di 16 mm, was a reversal of roles here: Derome’s composition was della durata di circa 40 secondi, viene proiettato in performed by an ensemble of different musicians and continuazione sullo schermo. Lo scorrimento della pel- was accompanied by Hébert’s live improvisation. A licola permette a Hébert qualche secondo di tempo per loop of black 16mm film lasting approximately 40 sec- incidere alcuni fotogrammi, che ad ogni successivo onds was projected continuously onto a screen. As passaggio aumentano o acquisiscono una nuova the loop was unwinding it allowed Hébert a few sec- forma. Se la tecnica dell’incisione della pellicola nera onds in which he could etch several photograms risultava bizzarra alla percezione già nei precedenti which, each time they were projected again, had either film di Hébert, nel caso della realizzazione in diretta grown in size or changed in shape. If the technique of l’effetto si moltiplica, risulta ancora più evidente l’am- etching onto black film in Hébert’s earlier movies had plificazione visiva sullo schermo di un tratto e di un already struck many people as bizarre, this impression gesto in origine quasi impercettibili, il saltellamento was merely magnified when he etched live onto film. delle immagini proiettate e l’alternanza delle stesse Thus a mark created by a movement that was almost con lo spazio nero che assume di volta in volta nuove imperceptible originally was amplified on the screen; forme è sconvolgente. Questi elementi avvicinano la the jerking motion of the images projected and the tecnica di animazione alla musica: il gesto, piccolo, si alternation of the latter with black spaces took on new amplifica come avviene per le onde sonore prodotte shapes each time, creating an arresting effect. The use da uno strumento, il nero ha funzione di pausa, i suc-

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE April 1997 13 of these elements creates a basic association between cessivi passaggi della pellicola sono continue variazioni animation technique and music: in the same way as su un tema che si trasforma nel tempo mantenendo sound waves are produced by an instrument, here a tutti i propri elementi originari. small movement is magnified, with the black areas of Da questo momento si moltiplicano i progetti di the film corresponding to a pause, and subsequent live-performance di cinema e musica in cui Hébert si projections of the film acting as continual variations affianca anche ad altri musicisti come l’inglese Fred on a theme which is gradually transformed, whilst nev- Frith e l’americano Bob Ostertag. L’improvvisazione, ertheless maintaining all its original features. che notoriamente è uno dei metodi per la compo- Following on from this experiment, Hébert pro- sizione musicale, diventa anche metodo per la com- duced a series of live performances which combined posizione filmica. Gli elementi creati su pellicola cinema and music, working alongside the English improvvisando si sviluppano assumendo forme visive musician Fred Frith and the American Bob Ostertag. e narrative sempre più complesse. Alcuni di questi ele- Improvisation, menti, come le immagini create per i progetti Adieu which is a well-known method of musical composi- Leonardo e Adieu Bipède e per gli spettacoli con Frith tion, thus became a method of film composition. The e Ostertag, diventano elementi di base che verranno elements created on film through this technique of sviluppati nel progetto La Plante humaine, inizialmente improvisation assumed increasingly complex visual and ancora legato alle performance di cinema e musica narrative forms. Some of these elements, such as the con Robert M. Lepage e successivamente alla defini- images created for the films Adieu Leonardo and Adieu tiva realizzazione dell’omonimo lungometraggio. Bipède, and for the performances with Frith and Ostertag, became the raw material which was later Composizione in collaborazione to be developed for La Plante humaine, a project which A partire dalla collaborazione con Fred Frith in initially was still linked to performances of cinema and occasione del duo concerto/proiezione presentato al music with Robert M. Lepage and subsequently was Musée d’Art Contemporain de Montréal all’inizio del associated with the final production of this feature film 1989, Hébert scopre che l’improvvisazione live con of the same name.

When he decided to make La Plante humaine, Pierre Hébert embarked on a journey that was to last 14 years; fourteen years during which his activity as a film director increasingly crossed over into the world of music and improvisation.

Collaborative Composition Through his collaboration with Fred Frith for the concert/projection duo presented at Montréal’s Musée d’Art Contemporain in January 1989, Hébert discov- ered that live improvisation with a single musician produced better results than did improvisation with a trio. La Plante humaine. © 1996 NFB-ONF A more intimate, more direct dialogue was established between music and images, and this allowed for the un solo musicista porta a risultati migliori che non con potential in audio-visual synergy to be fully exploited. un trio. Il dialogo tra musica e immagini risulta molto Apart from a few rare exceptions, such as the Fred più stretto, immediato e diretto rendendo possibile Frith Connection Projekte (New Jazz Festival, Moers una maggiore crescita del potenziale sinergico 1989) and In Memory (New Music America, New York, audio/visivo. Tranne rare e particolari eccezioni come 1989), which required a large ensemble of musicians, il Fred Frith Connection projekte (New Jazz Festival, in subsequent performances Hébert worked exclu- Moers 1989) e In Memory (New Music America, New sively in a duo with either Bob Ostertag or Robert M. York 1989), che prevedono un grande ensemble di Lepage. musicisti, le successive performance vedranno Hébert

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE April 1997 14 The live performances of La Plante humaine in col- lavorare sempre in duo con Bob Ostertag o Robert M. laboration with Lepage became increasingly complex; Lepage. in addition to the projection of elements that were Gli eventi live de La Plante humaine in collabo- etched directly onto the film throughout the perfor- razione con Lepage diventano sempre più complessi, mance, Hébert used another projector which pre- alla proiezione degli elementi incisi direttamente sented fragments of previously prepared film and which durante lo spettacolo, Hébert aggiunge un altro proi- performed a basic narrative function in relation to the ettore presentando frammenti di pellicola preparati material that was created in real time. Robert M. Lepage precedentemente che svolgono funzione narrativa di worked in a similar fashion, using prerecorded tapes base sempre in relazione a quanto viene creato in which had been produced with the help of a tempo reale. Robert M. Lepage procede in modo quasi sequencer, a synthesizer and acoustic instruments. analogo utilizzando nastri preregistrati elaborati al Improvisation was constantly combined, both visually sequencer, sintetizzatore e strumenti acustici. and acoustically, with a selection of composite mater- L’improvvisazione si mescola continuamente, sia sul ial. Sources were multiplied with, on the one hand, piano visivo che su quello sonoro, ad una scelta di electronic music, sound effects, electro-acoustic music, materiali composti; le fonti si moltiplicano: musica elet- clarinette improvisations, and, on the other hand, tronica, rumorismo, musica elettroacustica, images etched on film, photographs, fragments of film improvvisazioni di clarinetto da una parte; immagini and televised news reports, as well as abstract images. incise su pellicola, fotografie, frammenti di film, di Hébert added the option of using a shutter attached reportage televisivi e immagini astratte dall’altra. Hébert to the lens that projected the images, which are etched aggiunge anche la possibilità di utilizzare un otturatore live. Operated by a bass drum pedal, the shutter montato sull’obbiettivo che proietta le immagini incise allowed Hébert more time in which to etch the pho- in diretta; azionato da un pedale da batteria, perme- tograms before these images were projected onto the tte al cineasta di lavorare sull’incisione dei fotogram- screen; in this way, it was possible later to present a mi per un tempo maggiore senza che queste immag- more elaborate image whilst maintaining narrative ini vengano proposte sullo schermo, in modo da continuity through the use of a second projector. potere presentare successivamente un materiale mag- giormente elaborato pur mantenendo la continuità Hébert suddenly had the somewhat improbable narrativa garantita dal secondo proiettore. idea of creating cinema directly, as a live event, using the technique of etching. Definizione di musica visiva Il cinema di Hébert per le performance de La Plante humaine non è mai astratto, presenta sempre degli evidenti elementi narrativi che verranno maggior- Definition of Visual Music mente ordinati e sviluppati nella sceneggiatura del Hébert’s cinema for the performances of La Plante lungometraggio: la televisione, qualcuno che racconta humaine was never una storia, il fuoco, il abstract, and always pre- vento e gli alberi, un sented clear narrative ele- uomo che nuota, la ments, which were later lacrima di un viso che further arranged and cade e si trasforma in developed in the screen- pietra. play of the feature movie: a Anche se il medi- television screen, someone um televisione risulta telling a story, fire, wind sempre presente, come and trees, a man swim- un mantra, sia nello spet- ming, a tear running down tacolo che nel lungome- a cheek and turning into traggio, non è questo stone. l’argomento principale Although the medium del film, si tratta piuttosto of television is always pre- di una riflessione sull’uo- sent, incantatory like a La Plante humaine. © 1996 NFB-ONF mo realizzata attraverso

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE April 1997 15 mantra, both in the performance and in the feature un continuo spostamento di piani narrativi e percettivi, movie, it does not represent the central theme; instead, dall’interno all’esterno, quasi una continua zoomata it constitutes a sort of meditation on humankind che arriva in profondità o che allontana lo sguardo. Il through a constant shift in levels of narrative and per- cinema di Hébert affronta direttamente l’immagine e ception, moving from the inside to the outside, virtu- non propone panoramiche a trecento sessanta gradi, ally a non-stop zooming action whose gaze either pen- è un cinema tendenzialmente frontale e di frontiera, etrates or is withdrawn. Hébert’s cinema confronts una frontiera che viene attraversata continuamente. images directly and does not present panoramic views shot at 360 degrees; it tends to be a frontal and lim- L’idea di Hébert diventa quella di tentare una itrophe cinema which is constantly crossing over bor- strada apparentemente improbabile, il cinema a ders. passo uno realizzato in diretta, dal vivo con la Disrupting as it is of normal viewing patterns, this tecnica della gravure. movie presents the real-life events of its characters through the device of animation, and leaves the task Sconvolgendo le normali abitudini di fruizione, il of describing the world of fantasy, of storytelling and lungometraggio presenta la realtà della vicenda dei of illusory knowledge to images taken from real life. The suoi personaggi attraverso la tecnica dell’animazione, soundtrack, which in addition to music, includes sound lasciando alle immagini girate dal vero il compito di effects and some rare snatches of dialogue, can neither descrivere il mondo immaginario, della fantasia, del be classified as external nor internal, extradiegetic nor racconto e dell’illusione della conoscenza. La colonna intradiegetic, for its position within the film is in con- sonora, che presenta oltre alle musiche, rumori e pochi stant dialogue with the images. The end result is a rarefatti dialoghi, sembra non essere più assoggetta- masterpiece of audio-visual synergy. bile alla distinzione fra livello esterno ed interno, As we have seen, the Hébert-Lepage duo, although extradiegesi ed intradiegesi, componendosi nel film reminiscent of other important partnerships in the cin- in continua relazione dialogica con le immagini. Il risul- ema between directors and musicians such as Vigo tato finale è capolavoro di sinergia audio visiva. and Jaubert, Hitchcock and Hermann, Fellini and Rota, Il connubio Hébert - Lepage, se può fare ricordare le qualità caratteristiche dei grandi binomi di registi e musicisti nel cinema, come Vigo-Jaubert, Hitchcock- Hermann, Fellini-Rota, si propone come una esperienza artistica il cui percorso di ricerca, che abbiamo presentato, ha il carattere della assoluta originalità.

Filmography

Histoire grise, 1962, 3 min. Histoire d’une bébite 1962, 8 min. Petite histoire méchante, 1963, 33 sec. Opus 1,1964, 4 min. Op hop Hop op, National Film Board of Canada, 1966, 3 min. 30 sec. Opus 3, National Film Board of Canada, 1967, 7 min. La Plante humaine. © 1996 NFB-ONF Explosion démographique (Population Explosion), National Film Board of Canada, 1967, 14 min. constitutes a truly original artistic experience in this Music: Ornette Coleman. domain. Autour de la perception (Around Perception), National —Translated from Italian by Jane Dunnett Film Board of Canada, 1968, 16 min. Le Corbeau et le Renard (The Fox and the Crow), Pierre Hébert Filmography National Film Board of Canada, 1969, 2 min. 34 sec. Co-dir/coreal: Francine Desbiens, Pierre Histoire grise, 1962, 3 min. Hébert, Yves Leduc, & Michèle Pauzé. Histoire d’une bébite 1962, 8 min. Notions élémentaires de génétique, National Film

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE April 1997 16 Petite histoire méchante, 1963, 33 sec. Board of Canada, 1971, 7 min. Music: Andrée Paul Opus 1,1964, 4 min. et l’Infonie Op hop Hop op, National Film Board of Canada, 1966, Du coq à l’âne, National Film Board of Canada, 1973, 3 min. 30 sec. 10 min. Co-dir/coreal: Francine Desbiens, Suzanne Opus 3, National Film Board of Canada, 1967, 7 min. Gervais & Pierre Hébert. Music: Pierre F. Brault. Explosion démographique (Population Explosion), C’est pas chinois, National Film Board of Canada, National Film Board of Canada, 1967, 14 min. 1974, 14 min. Co-dir/coreal: Gilles Gascon & Pierre Music: Ornette Coleman. Hébert) Autour de la perception (Around Perception), National Père Noël! Père Noël!, National Film Board of Canada, Film Board of Canada, 1968, 16 min. 1974, 12 min. Le Corbeau et le Renard (The Fox and the Crow), Entre chiens et loup, National Film Board of Canada, National Film Board of Canada, 1969, 2 min. 34 1978, 21 min. Music: Normand Roger sec. Co-dir/coreal: Francine Desbiens, Pierre Hébert, Souvenirs de guerre, National Film Board of Canada, Yves Leduc, & Michèle Pauzé. 1982, 16 min. Music: Normand Roger Notions élémentaires de génétique, National Film Étienne et Sara, National Film Board of Canada, 1984, Board of Canada, 1971, 7 min. Music: Andrée Paul 15 min. Music: René Lussier, Robert M. Lepage, et l’Infonie Jean Derome & Claude Simard. Du coq à l’âne, National Film Board of Canada, 1973, Chants et danses du monde inanimé - Le Metro, 10 min. Co-dir/coreal: Francine Desbiens, Suzanne National Film Board of Canada, 1985, 14 min. Gervais & Pierre Hébert. Music: Pierre F. Brault. Music: Robert M. Lepage & René Lussier. C’est pas chinois, National Film Board of Canada, 1974, Love Addict, National Film Board of Canada, 1985, 5 14 min. Co-dir/coreal: Gilles Gascon & Pierre min. Co-dir/coreal: Fernand Bélanger & Pierre Hébert) Hébert. Music: Offenbach Père Noël! Père Noël!, National Film Board of Canada, ô Picasso - tableaux d’une surexposition, National Film 1974, 12 min. Board of Canada, 1985, 20 min. Music: Robert M. Entre chiens et loup, National Film Board of Canada, Lepage & René Lussier. 1978, 21 min. Music: Normand Roger Adieu Bipède, National Film Board of Canada, 1987, Souvenirs de guerre, National Film Board of Canada, 16 min. Music: Jean Derome, Robert M. Lepage & 1982, 16 min. Music: Normand Roger René Lussier. Étienne et Sara, National Film Board of Canada, 1984, La lettre d’amour, National Film Board of Canada, 15 min. Music: René Lussier, Robert M. Lepage, 1988, 16 min. Music: Robert M. Lepage. Jean Derome & Claude Simard. La Plante humaine, Canada-France: National Film Chants et danses du monde inanimé - Le Metro, Board of Canada-Arcadia Films (Paris), 1996, 78 National Film Board of Canada, 1985, 14 min. min. Music: Robert M. Lepage Music: Robert M. Lepage & René Lussier. Love Addict, National Film Board of Canada, 1985, 5 min. Co-dir/coreal: Fernand Bélanger & Pierre Hébert. Music: Offenbach ô Picasso - tableaux d’une surexposition, National Film Board of Canada, 1985, 20 min. Music: Robert M. Lepage & René Lussier. Adieu Bipède, National Film Board of Canada, 1987, 16 min. Music: Jean Derome, Robert M. Lepage & René Lussier. La lettre d’amour, National Film Board of Canada, 1988, 16 min. Music: Robert M. Lepage. La Plante humaine, Canada-France: National Film Board of Canada-Arcadia Films (Paris), 1996, 78 min. Music: Robert M. Lepage

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE April 1997 17 Discography Discography Robert M. Lepage - René Lussier: Chants et danses du Robert M. Lepage - René Lussier: Chants et danses du monde inanimé; Ambiances Magnétiques AM001, monde inanimé; Ambiances Magnétiques AM001, Montréal 1984-96. Montréal 1984-96. Jean Derome - René Lussier: Le retour des granules; Jean Derome - René Lussier: Le retour des granules; Ambiances Magnétiques AM 006, Montréal 1987. Ambiances Magnétiques AM 006, Montréal 1987. Fred Frith: The Technology of Tears and Other Music Fred Frith: The Technology of Tears and Other Music for Dance and Theatre; Rec Rec, rec dec 20, Zurich for Dance and Theatre; Rec Rec, rec dec 20, Zurich 1988. 1988. Jean Derome: Confiture de Gagaku; Victo CD 05, Jean Derome: Confiture de Gagaku; Victo CD 05, Victoriaville 1989-93. Victoriaville 1989-93. Bob Ostertag: Sooner or Later; Rec Rec, rec dec 37, Bob Ostertag: Sooner or Later; Rec Rec, rec dec 37, Zurich 1991. Zurich 1991. Bob Ostertag: Burns Like Fire; Rec Rec, rec dec 53, Bob Ostertag: Burns Like Fire; Rec Rec, rec dec 53, Zurich 1992. Zurich 1992. Robert M. Lepage: Adieu Leonardo!; Ambiances Robert M. Lepage: Adieu Leonardo!; Ambiances Magnétiques AM 024, Montréal 1992. Magnétiques AM 024, Montréal 1992. Robert M. Lepage: La Plante humaine; Ambiances Robert M. Lepage: La Plante humaine; Ambiances Magnétiques AM 042, Montréal 1996. Magnétiques AM 042, Montréal 1996.

Andrea Martignoni is an Italian musician and Andrea Martignoni, musicista e studioso italiano, researcher. He is currently involved in a project at conduce attualmente una ricerca presso la the Cinémathèque Québécoise in Montreal, where Cinémathéque Québecoise di Montréal, sui he is studying various aspects of the relationship molteplici aspetti del rapporto suono-musica-immag- between music, sound, and image in Canadian ani- ine nel cinema d’animazione canadese. mation films.

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE April 1997 18 97

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ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE April 1997 19 The Dream of Color Music, And Machines That Made it Possible by William Moritz

he dream of creating a visual entertainments for the Holy Roman demonstrations. The German com- music comparable to auditory Emperors in Prague. poser Telemann traveled to France Tmusic found its fulfillment in The Jesuit, Father Louis Bertrand to see it, composed some pieces to animated abstract films by artists Castel, built an Ocular Harpsichord be played on the Ocular such as Oskar Harpsichord, Fischinger, Len Lye and wrote a and Norman German-lan- McLaren; but long guage book before them, many about it. But a people built instru- second, impr- ments, usually called oved model in “color organs,” that 1754 used some would display mod- 500 candles ulated colored light with reflecting in some kind of fluid mirrors to pro- fashion comparable vide enough to music. light for a larger audience, and Philosophers, must have been Artists & Jesuits hot, smelly and Ancient Greek awkward, with philosophers, like considerable Aristotle and Fischinger’s Lumograph was licensed for use in the 1960’s sci-fi film, Time Travelers. chance of noise Pythagoras, specu- and malfunction lated that there must be a correla- around 1730, which consisted of a between the pullies, curtains and tion between the musical scale and 6-foot square frame above a nor- candles. Besides, the grid color-for- the rainbow spectrum of hues. That mal harpsichord; the frame con- note graph does not really corre- idea fascinated several Renaissance tained 60 small windows each with spond to how music is heard and artists including Leonardo da Vinci a different colored-glass pane and a felt: a symphony floats in the air, sur- (who produced elaborate specta- small curtain attached by pullies to rounding, and blending, with notes cles for court festivals), Athanasius one specific key, so that each time and phrases that swell up gradual- Kircher (the popularizer of the that key would be struck, that cur- ly from nothing, vibrate at intense “Laterna Magica” projection appa- tain would lift briefly to show a flash volumes sometimes, and fade away ratus) and Archimboldo who (in of corresponding color. Enlighten- smoothly. Nonetheless, Castel pre- addition to his eerie optical-illusion ment society was dazzled and fas- dicted that every home in Paris portraits composed of hundreds of cinated by this invention, and would one day have an Ocular small symbolic objects) produced flocked to his Paris studio for Harpsichord for recreation, and

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE April 1997 20 had indications of precise colors in the score. Scriabin wanted every- Ancient Greek philosophers, one in the audience to wear white like Aristotle and Pythagoras, clothes so that the projected colors speculated that there must be would be reflected on their bodies a correlation between the and thus possess the whole room. musical scale and the rainbow A similar demand for white-clad spectrum of hues. audience was posited by the Italian Futurist artists Arnaldo Ginna and the artform of color-music projec- Bruno Corra, who experimented tions “Lumia.” He stressed polymor- with “color organ” projection in phous, fluid streams of color slow- 1909 and painted some nine ly metamorphosing. He established abstract films directly on film-stock an Art Institute of Light in New York, in 1911.* The German Hans and toured giving Lumia concerts Stoltenberg also experimented with in the United States and Europe (at drawing abstractions on film about the famous Art Déco exhibition in this same time, and the Paris). He also built “lumia boxes,” Finnish/Danish/Russian Leopold self-contained units that looked Mary Hallock Greenewalt with her Visual- Survage (then resident in Paris, and rather like television sets, which Music Phonograph (1919.) Photo by could play for days or months with- Shewell Ellis. friends with Picasso and Modigliani) prepared hundreds of sequential out repeating the same imagery. dreamed of a factory making some paintings for an abstract film Rythme When young animator Jordan 800,000 of them. But the clumsy Coloré, which he hoped to film in Belson saw Wilfred’s Lumia in the technology did not really outlive the one of the new multicolor process- late 1950s, they inspired him to alter inventor himself, and no physical es that were being developed, but his style to incorporate softer, more relic of it survives. the onset of World War I prevented sensuous imagery. Despite technical limitations, that; he sold a number of the paint- Mary Hallock Greenewalt had many others experimented with ings, so that they were widely dis- studied piano with the illustrious clumsy machinery, including ones persed and have still not been Theodore Leschetizky and had a using colored liquids and daylight filmed. concert career, including recordings filtered through colored glass in a of Chopin for Columbia Records. darkened tent. The Victorian era Her desire to control the ambience Wilfred & Greenewalt “philosophical toys” also had their Two rival color- in a concert hall for sensitive music color-music versions, including organ artists vied for “chromatrope” slides for Magic American and inter- Lanterns, in which layers of colored national audiences glass could be rotated by a hand- during the 1920s. crank to produce moving mandalas, Danish-born as well as abstract cycles for Thomas Wilfred Zoetropes, Phenakisticopes and came to America as Praxinoscopes. a singer of early music, and got Synaesthetic Symphony involved with a Electricity opened new possibil- group of Theoso- ities for projected light, which were phists who wanted exploited by the British painter A. to build a color Wallace Rimington, whose Colour organ to demon- Organ formed the basis of the mov- strate spiritual prin- ing lights that accompanied the ciples. Wilfred called Elfriede Fischinger, Barbara Fischinger and Bill Moritz at a 1915 New York premiere of his color organ the 1996 Lumograph performance at the Goethe Institute in Los Scriabin’s synaesthetic symphony Angeles. Clavilux, and named Prometheus: A Poem of Fire, which

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE April 1997 21 like Chopin’s led her to experiment to live musical accompaniment. The fashioned Chopin-style piano music. with light modulation. She invented Hungarian composer Alexander Fischinger subsequently performed the rheostat in order to make Laszlo wrote a theoretical text Color- his multiple-projections several times smooth fade-ups and fade-outs of Light-Music in 1925, and toured under the title R-1, a Form Play, with light, and the liquid-mercury switch, Europe with a color organ of his live music by a percussion ensem- both of which have become stan- own devising, which contained ble—a kind of predecessor to the dard electric tools. When other peo- switches for colored spotlights and light-shows such as Jordan Belson’s ple (including Thomas Wilfred) slide projections on the stage above Vortex Concerts of the late 1950s began infringing on her patents by his piano. When the first reviews and the Rock concerts of the late using adaptations of the rheostat complained that the visual spectacle 1960s. (Laszlo fled to Hollywood during the Nazi era, and wrote lush symphonic scores for dozens of B- movies and television shows, from Charlie Chan and Attack of the Giant Leeches to My Little Margie and Rocky Jones, Space Cadet.) Four times (1927, 1930, 1933, 1936) the University of Hamburg hosted an international “Color-Music Congress,” which brought together artists (music, dance, film, painting, etc.), perceptual psychologists, and critics to explore issues of synaes- thesia and multidisciplinary artforms. Color-organ performances there included the Austrian Count Vietinghoff-Scheel’s Chromatophon and the elaborate Reflectorial Color Play by the Bauhaus artists Kurt Schwerdtfeger and Ludwig Hirschfeld-Mack. The Swiss “Musicalist” artist, Charles Dockum with his Mobilcolor V. Charles Blanc-Gatti, also visited the Color-Music Congress. He belonged and mercury switch, she tried to was much tamer than the Chopin- to an art movement that created sue, but a judge ruled that these like dazzle of Laszlo’s virtuoso piano paintings inspired by specific pieces electric mechanisms were too com- compositions, he contacted of music. Blanc-Gatti also invented plex to have been invented by a Fischinger to prepare some filmed a color-organ called the woman, and denied her case. She abstract images of greater com- “Chromophonic Orchestra,” which continued to perform on her color- plexity and vibrancy. Fischinger pre- contained images of musical instru- organ, the Sarabet, for which she pared a dazzling spectacle with created a special notation that three side-by-side movie projections But a second, improved model recorded the intensity and deploy- that were augmented by two more in 1754 used some 500 candles ment of various colors during any overlapping projectors to add extra with reflecting mirrors to pro- given musical composition. colors to the finale, and some com- vide enough light for a larger plementary changing slide-projec- audience, and must have been European Developments tions around the borders of the film hot, smelly and awkward, with Parallel in the 1920s, Walther projection. Much to Laszlo’s chagrin, considerable chance of noise Ruttmann and Oskar Fischinger the reviews flip-flopped: the aston- and malfunction between the were pioneering visual music films ishing visual imagery was much live- pullies, curtains and candles. in Germany, using tinted animation lier and more modern that the old-

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE April 1997 22 Fischinger and Scriabin wanted everyone in Dockum received fel- the audience to wear white lowships from the clothes so that the projected Guggenheim colors would be reflected on Foundation through their bodies and thus possess the Baroness Rebay, the whole room. curator of the Gugg- ments around the screen, and dis- enheim Museum of played colors based on a system Non-Objective that equated the frequencies of Painting, and she sound and color vibrations, so “low” specified that each spy tones would be red, medium tones on the other to make yellow and green, and very “high” sure that he was really notes violet. In 1938, Blanc-Gatti working on his grant founded an animation studio in project. While Rebay’s Lausanne, and was able to make grants helped an animated film, Chromophonie, Fischinger animate which pictures Fucik’s “Entrance of films like Radio the Comedians” at it would have Dynamics and Motion looked when played on Blanc-Gatti’s Painting, Dockum’s Chromophonic Orchestra. In his money went into book Concerning Sounds and preparing a larger and Colors, Blanc-Gatti says that Walt more complex projec- Thomas Wilfred with the first home Clavilux (1950). Disney came to an exhibition of his tor that would allow to show that it really did perform paintings in Paris during the early multi-layered motion in several direc- complex layered imagery. 1930s, and that he spoke to Disney tions—a projector destined for the Dockum spent the rest of his life, about his ambition to make a fea- Museum, since the rival Museum of into the mid-1970s, building anoth- ture-length musical animation film. Modern Art had a Thomas Wilfred er model MobilColor, and compos- After the war, when Fantasia was Lumia on display. ing about 15 minutes of material finally released in Europe, Blanc- When Dockum installed the that can still be performed on it, at Gatti became outraged and new MobilColor in the Gugg- his old studio in Altadena. While attempted to sue Disney for steal- enheim Museum, the Baroness was these compositions are brief, they ing his idea—something that also shocked to learn that it required one show three diverse types of occurred to Oskar Fischinger, who or two operators to perform it imagery—geometric forms, vibrat- was old friends with Leopold (whereas Wilfred had developed ing dot patterns, and soft sensuous Stokowski, with whom he had dis- automatic self-contained Lumia). trails—and above all demonstrate cussed plans for an animated musi- The projector was consigned to stor- why someone would want to go cal feature in 1934. age, and a few years later disman- tled, with the light units used for to all this trouble when film and slide projections are so simple: the Hollywood track-lighting in the galleries and light intensity from the MobilColor is In Fischinger’s Hollywood of the the rest of the mechanisms trashed. quite simply astonishing, the vivid 1930s and 1940s, one of the few This meant that all of the composi- shapes and colors magically hang people involved in a pursuit similar tions that Dockum had created in the darkness with a “living” glow to his own was Charles Dockum, uniquely for that instrument were who had begun to build color- also effectively destroyed—about 10 She tried to sue, but a judge organs in the late 1930s. Dockum’s year’s work! The animator Mary Ellen ruled that these electric mech- MobilColor Projectors could pro- Bute shot a reel of documentary anisms were too complex to duce hard-edged or soft imagery, footage that preserves about 10 have been invented by a since it used prepared image minutes of short excerpts from woman, and denied her case. sources that could be modulated in Dockum’s performance on the color and movements. Both Guggenheim MobilColor, enough

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE April 1997 23 a square), etc. Oskar performed cer- sion special, and a smaller one to tain compositions (such as Sibelius’ use in Los Angeles performances. “Valse Triste”) publicly, at the Coronet The Lumigraph also appeared in a Theater in Los Angeles, and at the 1964 science-fiction movie The Time San Francisco Museum of Art in Travelers, in which it is a “love 1953, in connection with a one- machine” that allows people to vent man show of his abstract oil paint- their sexual urges in a harmless sen- ings (where Jordan Belson saw it, suality. Maybe there should be a and was greatly impressed by the Lumigraph in every home. mysterious “presence” of its color). Fischinger hoped, like Castel *See: Giannalberto Bendazzi, long before, that someone would “The Italians Who Invented the manufacture Lumigraphs, and that Drawn-On-Film Technique,” they would become common Animation Journal, Vol. 4, No. 2, household items, used by children Spring 1996, pp. 69-84 for play and artistic training, by adults for recreation and party games. Although that has not yet occurred, Oskar’s original Lumigraph does survive, in the Deutsches Filmmuseum in Frankfurt, where it is played with some regularity, and it has been loaned to the Louvre in Paris and the Gemeente Museum in the William Moritz teaches film and Hague for performances by Oskar’s animation history at the California widow Elfriede. Oskar’s son Conrad Institute of the Arts. also constructed two other Matthius Holl’s designs. Lumigraphs, one large one that was more “real” than any image pro- used on an Andy Williams televi- jected through cinema. In the late 1940s, when Fischinger had lost the support of the Guggenheim Foundation, he also invented a color organ instrument that allowed one to play lights to any music very simply. His Lumigraph hides the lighting elements in a large frame, from which only a thin slit emits light. In a darkened room (with a black background) you can not see anything except when something moves into the thin “sheet” of light, so, by moving a finger-tip around in a circle in this light field, you can trace a colored circle (colored filters can be selected and changed by the per- former). Any object can be used: a gloved hand, a drum-stick, a pot-lid (for a solid circle), a child’s block (for Images from Oskar Fischinger’s Lumograph.

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE April 1997 24 Who’s Afraid of ASCAP? Popular Songs in the Silly Symphonies by J.B. Kaufman usic and animation: the using such material in their scores. the tune is Guy Massey’s “The potent union of those two Occasionally copyrighted songs did Prisoner’s Song,” made popular by Mforms of expression was cel- turn up in Disney’s films; Walter Vernon Dalhart’s 1924 hit record. ebrated in Walt Disney’s ani- To get the joke, an audience mated series, the Silly was expected to recognize the Symphonies. From 1929 to tune and remember the title. 1939, this extraordinary series (In 1935 the song was reused of films united animation with a in a roughly similar way in rich array of music, encompass- another Symphony, Music ing classical melodies, tradition- Land.) al folk tunes, operatic themes— As a rule, however, Disney and popular songs. composers were urged to Carl Stalling, who played a avoid such tunes. Stalling pivotal role in inaugurating the recalled* that, on at least one Silly Symphonies, also set the occasion, Disney had asked musical tone for early entries in him to compose a tune that the series. Drawing on his back- suggested a popular song ground as a theater organist, he without actually plagiarizing exhibited a knack for develop- it. This practice did not end ing musical scores both from with Stalling’s departure from original themes and from a wide the studio in 1930; a notable variety of existing sources, example can be heard as late including currently or recently as 1934, in the baseball popular songs. This facility sequence in The Tortoise and would serve him well in later the Hare. As the cocky Hare years during his celebrated flaunts his speed by playing tenure at the Schlesinger/Warner The success of “Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?” baseball with himself, the inaugurated a wave of original songs written for the Silly Bros. studio, where it was part Symphonies. music accompanying him is an of the charter of the Looney original theme written by staff Tunes and Merrie Melodies to exploit Donovan’s “Aba Daba composer Frank Churchill—the cue the songs in the vast catalogs of Honeymoon,” for example, can be sheet identifies it as “Battin’ the Balls Warner’s music publishers. heard in Monkey Melodies (1930). Around”—but it plants a strong sub- But Disney in 1929 had no When established music was liminal suggestion of Albert Von music catalog, and the use of copy- used in the Silly Symphonies, it was Tilzer and Jack Norworth’s “Take Me righted music in his films meant the used imaginatively. Historian Russell Out to the Ball Game.” This was the added expense of royalty pay- Merritt points out the significance preferred way of dealing with estab- ments—at a time when his meager of Just Dogs (1932), which opens lished songs in Disney’s cartoons. budget was already stretched thin. with a group of mournful dogs in a Stalling and his musical successors dog pound. The score accompa- A New Concept were usually discouraged from nying this scene is a musical joke: But if one source of music was

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE April 1997 25 generally discouraged, Disney did seemed to be composing songs sanction another, characteristically with the popular-music market in Disney in 1929 had no music inventive, one: the use of original mind. Lullaby Land, produced in the catalog, and the use of copy- songs. This phase of Disney music spring and summer of 1933 as righted music in his films was launched in earnest with the Three Little Pigs was first appearing meant the added expense of success of Frank Churchill’s “Who’s in theaters, illustrates the trend. The royalty payments—at a time Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?” in Three Lullaby Land score was composed when his meager budget was Little Pigs (1933). This landmark primarily by Leigh Harline, but Frank already stretched thin. song was conceived only to serve a Churchill, fresh from “Who’s Afraid,” Still, the Grasshopper’s song did simple functional purpose in the contributed a theme song titled realize a nominal success. It was short: the two playful Pigs sang it “Lullaby Land of Nowhere.” This published and recorded, and it also to express their carefree personali- song not only helped set the mood achieved a curious immortality at ties and to tease their hard-working of the film but was also a pleasant the Disney studio itself. During a brother. As heard in the film, how- tune in its own right, and enjoyed nightmare sequence in Mickey’s ever, the song exercised an irre- a modest life of its own apart from Garden (1935), the orchestral score sistible appeal of its own. the film. quotes a few bars of “The World Three Little Pigs opened in the Story development of another Owes Me a Living”—whereupon spring of 1933, and its subsequent Symphony, Grasshopper and the Mickey Mouse looks around to find success story has become a matter Ants, took place in the autumn of himself menaced by a giant of record. Similarly, the extraordi- 1933 while the “Who’s Afraid” grasshopper! Still later in 1935, nary success of “Who’s Afraid” is recording boom was at its height. Goofy makes his first now well known; quite unex- appearance in On Ice pectedly, the Disney studio singing “The World Owes found itself with a hit song. Me a Living.” Why was the Soon “Who’s Afraid” appeared Grasshopper’s song given in sheet-music form, published to the Goof? The only con- by Irving Berlin, Inc. and nection between the two embellished with additional characters was gag lyrics by Ann Ronell. (In recent man/vocalist Pinto Colvig, years her contribution has been who had supplied the disputed—inexplicably, since same voice for both char- the “additional lyrics” attributed acters. As slight as this con- to her are embarrassing at nection may seem, it was best.) By the end of 1933, at enough to justify the least a dozen recordings of adoption of “The World “Who’s Afraid” had been issued The Wise Little Hen (voice by Florence Gill) sings Leigh Owes Me” as a sort of by various record labels, and Harline and Larry Morey’s “Help Me Plant My Corn” in The unofficial theme song, several of those recordings Wise Little Hen (1934). both vocal and instru- were further “milked” by recou- mental, for Goofy in numerous car- pling with alternate B-sides or on Coincidentally or not, great care toons over the next 15 years. As late subsidiary labels. One side by Harry was taken to develop a theme song as 1950, in Lion Down, he can be Reser and His Eskimos, recorded in for the Grasshopper; pages of ten- heard singing it. October 1933, was used on seven tative lyric suggestions survive today different records! as evidence. The result was Leigh Then Came the Deluge Perhaps spurred by this over- Harline and Larry Morey’s “The After Grasshopper and the Ants whelming success, the Disney stu- World Owes Me a Living,” a number came the deluge. Virtually every dio began to inject more original which, though undeniably catchy, subsequent 1934 Symphony includ- songs into the Silly Symphonies. failed to duplicate the runaway suc- ed an original song of some kind, Songs, or sung dialogue, had been cess of “Who’s Afraid” when written by either Churchill or heard in the series before Three Little Grasshopper and the Ants was Harline. The title character in The Pigs, but now the Disney musicians released early in 1934. Wise Little Hen sings “Help Me Plant

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE April 1997 26 ued into 1935, the string short was produced when the of original songs contin- Disney films were still being distrib- ued apace: “Dirty Bill” in uted by United Artists, but overtures The Robber Kitten, “The had already begun which would Sweetest One of All” in lead to a new Disney distribution The Cookie Carnival, arrangement with RKO Radio in “We’re Gonna Get Out of 1937. Fully half the screen time of the Dumps” in Broken Cock o’ the Walk is accompanied Toys. The title song in by an instrumental version of the Water Babies, like “Slow Vincent Youmans-Gus Kahn-Edward But Sure” the year before, Eliscu hit “The Carioca”—introduced was written as a vocal two years earlier in an RKO feature, song but was heard in Flying Down to Rio. the film only in instru- In any case, if the practice of Offscreen choruses provided the songs in several Silly mental form. One of the original songs was disappearing Symphonies, such as Harline and Morey’s “The Penguin most brilliant Symph- from the Silly Symphonies, the days is a Very Funny Creature” in Peculiar Penguins (1934). onies, Who Killed Cock of the Symphonies themselves were My Corn,” the Three Pigs reprise Robin?, featured several new songs. numbered. By 1936 serious work “Who’s Afraid” in The Big Bad Wolf, In a key sequence Jenny Wren, was under way on the studio’s first while other songs, like “See the designed as a caricature of Mae feature, Snow White and the Seven Funny Little Bunnies” in Funny Little West, struts into the courtroom Dwarfs. Soon development had Bunnies or “The Penguin Is a Very singing Churchill’s “Somebody begun on other features as well, Funny Creature” in Peculiar Rubbed Out My Robin,” a canny and those projects increasingly Penguins, are sung by offscreen and hilarious sendup of Mae West’s usurped the role of the Symphonies choruses. (One seeming omission own songs. by absorbing the studio’s top tal- from the hit parade is The Tortoise ent—including its composers. and the Hare; the song “Slow But All of these songs were kept Accordingly, within a few short Sure,” written by Churchill and subservient to the overall flow years the Disney features began to Morey for that film, is never sung in of the pictures; the Silly introduce popular songs that would the finished version but is used as Symphonies were never become standards: “Someday My an instrumental theme.) reduced to mere showcases for Prince Will Come,” “Whistle While All of these songs, of course, popular songs. You Work,” “When You Wish Upon were kept subservient to the overall a Star,” and many more. In this flow of the pictures; the Silly After late 1935 the use of origi- domain—as in so many others— Symphonies were never reduced to nal songs in the series suddenly the Silly Symphonies led the way. mere showcases for popular songs. declined. Interestingly, in a few iso- Songs in the Symphonies always lated but marked cases, the studio *As quoted by Mike Barrier and Milt helped to establish a character or a began again to turn to outside Gray in Funnyworld 13 (Spring mood, and were deftly integrated sources for songs. The title charac- 1971) p. 22. into the action and incidental scores ters in Three Orphan Kittens (1935) of the pictures. In The Flying Mouse, find their way onto a player piano for example, the song “You’re and accidentally start it playing; the J.B. Kaufman is an independent Nothin’ But a Nothin’” occupies a tune is, appropriately enough, Zez scant 35 seconds of screen time, a film historian who has written Confrey’s “Kitten on the Keys.” An extensively on early Disney anima- brief, mocking snippet of music all-insect orchestra in Woodland sung to the title character by a gang tion. He is co-author, with Russell Café (1937) gives out with a hot Merritt, of Walt in Wonderland, of evil-looking bats. Apart from the rendition of Ted Koehler and Rube film, however, the song was pub- and the two are currently com- Bloom’s “Truckin’,” introduced two pleting a second book on the Silly lished and recorded by several pop- years earlier. Perhaps the most sig- ular dance bands. Symphonies, to be published by nificant of these later “borrowings” La Cineteca del Friuli in 1998. As the Silly Symphonies contin- is in Cock o’ the Walk (1935). This

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE April 1997 27 Carl Stalling and Humor in Cartoons

by Daniel Goldmark “All cartoons use music as an mary roles of the music is to Project, V. 1 & 2, as well as several integral element in their format. enhance the comedic affect of the new recordings of Raymond Scott’s Nearly all cartoons use it badly . . . story or gag. Thus, the composer more famous tunes (those fre- .” must make it his or her business to quently used by Stalling) should be —Chuck Jones* make the music funny and, at the enough evidence, yet there are same time, still effective as a sound- other proofs, such as the smash hat exactly is the role of track. Carl Stalling was, without a touring company Bugs Bunny on music in cartoons? This is doubt, the most skilled and clever Broadway, which essentially is a Wa question I have been composer of cartoon music celebration of the unique sound- trying to answer for years. Music tracks of the cartoons. can serve many functions within animated cartoons, several of Stalling’s Early Years which apply to its more widely Stalling’s origins as a silent movie accepted big brother, live-action accompanist reveal a great deal films. Music can set mood, fill in about his character as a musi- “empty” sonic space, and cian. Accompanists, more often emphasize motion. In cartoons, than not, had to create sponta- music also helps to enliven and neous scores for films, assisted yes, animate, a long sequence only by thematic musical cata- of drawings which, taken sin- logs. These books would have gularly, don’t carry much life, or well-known material arranged as a professor of mine always for piano and indexed accord- said, “forward motion.” The mod- ing to the mood or ideas with ern cartoon, and especially the Carl Stalling. which they were most often Hollywood cartoon from the associated. Stalling’s job was Golden Age of Animation, relies so Hollywood ever had; he not only more of a pastiche artist than a much on music that it is truly difficult created the scores to hundreds of composer, as he had to create a to conceive what they might have Warner Bros. cartoons (from 1936 musical narrative with a wide array been like without a soundtrack. to 1958), he essentially created the of genres, including folk, classical, sound that most fans of animated Tin Pan Alley, and big band, among The modern cartoon relies so shorts know as, simply, “cartoon others. When he went to Warner much on music that it is truly music.” His unique style (which we’ll Bros., this skill came in very handy. difficult to conceive what they discuss in a moment) of using songs (Let’s not forget the fact that Stalling might have been like without a for background music that had started his cartoon career with soundtrack. some nominal relation to the sub- Disney, scoring two of the first three ject at hand became his trademark; Mickey cartoons, Plane Crazy and One more role that music may and while it was not looked well The Gallopin’ Gaucho, as well as play in a cartoon (and occasionally upon at the time, people today writing Mickey’s first theme song in movies as well) is that of story- have realized just how important (with Disney), “Minnie’s Yoo-Hoo.” teller; and what better stories to tell and influential these soundtracks He then worked at Iwerks’ studio in a cartoon than funny ones? have become in our society. The for a while before going to Warner When you look at cartoons from the presence of two compact discs of Bros.) One of the original stipula- 1940s and 1950s, one of the pri- Stalling’s music, The Carl Stalling tions made by the Warner Brothers

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE April 1997 28 “That was Carl’s doing. It was kind of strange to me for him to do it, and it was okay, but I didn’t think every- body knew that it was that music.” Tebbel has a similar argument, agreeing with Jones that people would not always recognize the tunes that Stalling had included as intentional gags. A particularly notorious example is in Mutiny on the Bunny (1950). Yosemite Sam the Pirate has lost his crew and is searching the docks for new victims/crew for his ship. Bugs happens along, and is quickly tied up and brought on board. Stalling’s choice of music for this scene? A tune called “Put ‘em in a Box, Tie ‘em With a Ribbon, and Throw ‘em in the Deep Blue Sea.” With a song Photo courtesy of Jerry Beck, Cartoon Research Co. that so perfectly matches the scene, to Leon Schlesinger was that each toons is some of the old, campy you really cannot blame Stalling for cartoon had to have some portion gags that always draw groans from his selection, regardless of who gets (the usual consensus is at least one my friends. They seem to think the the musical gag. This ignorance of verse and the chorus) of a Warner jokes get old after a while, but I the actual meaning or context of Bros.-owned song. The studio’s cat- never tire of them. John Tebbel, in the original song actually works to alog at this time was enormous; yet, his Film Comment article, “Looney Stalling’s advantage, for while the it was still rather restricting for the Tunester,” speaks somewhat disap- viewer may not glean the original writers to have to construct a story provingly of one of my favorite ironic connection between the aural around the idea of a song. By the Stalling gags. It is from the original and visual gags, the music becomes time Stalling got to the studio, the Road Runner/Coyote cartoon, Fast a gag itself if used often enough demand for song-based cartoons and Furryous (1949). After having with the same type of visual gag. seemed to be slowing, yet Stalling sent off for some jet-powered run- Thus, “A Cup of Coffee, a Sandwich, immediately saw the advantage of ning shoes (from Acme™, no and You”, a love song that has little having such an extensive catalog doubt!), the Coyote seems to be on to do with food other than its title, of music at his disposal. Thus, his the verge of catching the Road and which Stalling used as his num- musical vocabulary extended Runner. Their chase takes them far- ber-one song for food scenes (just immensely, and he had a song for ther down the highway, and we picture Sylvester putting Tweety literally every occasion. see via a high shot from above that between two slices of bread), actu- they are running around a clover- ally becomes associated with eat- One of the original stipulations leaf. What was Stalling’s solution to ing in the Warner Bros. cartoons. made by the Warner Brothers this image, which would have Entirely new generations of cartoon to Leon Schlesinger was that meant nothing except for an appro- watchers are exposed to music from each cartoon had to have some priately chosen song? Why, “I’m Tin Pan Alley and other genres and portion of a Warner Bros.- Looking Over a Four Leaf Clover,” learn to appreciate it, albeit for a owned song. of course. Stalling allows the music completely different reason. to tell a bit of the story, as opposed Some of Stalling’s more subtle to letting the music mimic the char- jokes are actually some of his fun- Visual-Musical Gags acters’ actions. I once asked Chuck niest. The one that immediately One thing that I have always Jones, the cartoon’s director, about comes to mind is in the Jones clas- loved about the Warner Bros. car- this choice of music, and he said, sic Mouse Wreckers (1952), in

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE April 1997 29 which the two mice, Hubie and on the opera stage during the over- many of which contained humor- Bertie are trying to rid the perfectly ture to Rossini’s Barber of Seville. ous, and often ridiculous perfor- nice house in which they want to Once Bugs gets Elmer in the bar- mance instructions, such as “bury live of Claude Cat. Their approach is ber chair, however, he is in control, the sound in the ground” and “He simple enough: they torment him giving Elmer a memorable head also loves his pen holder, his green while he sleeps, and then escape message (and fertilizing) during the sleeves, and his Chinese cap.” up the fireplace, so that he never middle section of the overture. I am Composers do not only paint actually sees who is torturing him. still not sure which is more favored, pictures and evoke moods within After a particularly harrowing this or the “Kill the Wabbit” scene in their music, for they can also tell sto- episode (having his tail tied to a What’s Opera, Doc? (1957); yet, ries of great depth and detail. Carl rock, which is thrown off the Stalling almost single-hand- chimney, dragging him all over edly brought about a new and around the house), Claude form of music that did not decides to get some profes- exist before 1928. Having sional help. The next scene established the musical opens with him reading a conventions for cartoons, book, Psychology of Dreams Stalling basically had an by S. Freud. On closer inspec- influence on every cartoon tion, we notice he is reading composer since his run at the section on nightmares, Warner Bros. He was also a which tells him he should just master at telling a story say it was a dream and go back through music, with ges- to sleep. With a contented look tures and nuances so clear, on his face, Claude curls up that there is never any and goes back to sleep. The doubt as to his intentions. background music throughout If you don’t believe me, go this scene has been a very Photo courtesy of Jerry Beck, Cartoon Research Co. turn on your television and peaceful, lullaby-like tune. In watch some Looney Tunes. actuality, the tune we have been when I talk to people about cartoon Turn up the volume and listen while hearing is “Sweet Dreams, music, one of these two scenes doing something else (exploring the Sweetheart,” yet another Warner inevitably comes up. net, perhaps.) I guarantee you will Bros. owned melody. Stalling once know exactly what is happening, again has the last laugh, and I can- Carl Stalling almost single- and to whom. This was the not help but wonder if he knew he handedly brought about a new comedic skill of Carl Stalling. would be one of the only people form of music that did not actually getting his jokes. exist before 1928. * “Music and the Animated Stalling and the directors he Cartoon,” unpublished lecture, worked with did not, by any means, UCLA, 1944. limit themselves to inside jokes. Tunesters’ Looney-ness Some of the most memorable car- Never let it be said that com- toons ever made happen to be posers don’t have a sense of humor. about music, such as What’s Opera, Haydn is famous for being the orig- Doc?, The Rabbit of Seville, One inal musical “jokester,” a reputation Daniel Goldmark is a musicologist Froggy Evening, and Rhapsody he gained by doing highly unex- who spends his time watching Rabbit. In this situation, the director pected things in his music. Mozart cartoons and talking about and writers work directly with the wrote a piece called “Ein musikalis- medieval music. He currently music to try and bring out its inher- cher Spaß,” which translates rough- works in the bowels of Spümco, ent (and perhaps latent) comedic ly into “a musical joke.” Later on, as where he tries to keep the library points. One example of this should Chuck Jones points out, the French and archives in order, as well as suffice. In The Rabbit of Seville composer Erik Satie became known continuing to investigate the role (1950), Bugs and Elmer slug it out for his collection of piano pieces, of music in animated cartoons.

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE April 1997 30 Voice Acting 101 by Joe Bevilacqua

real, no matter how cartoony into an audition and create a char- the style is. In my radio car- acter.” toon series, for example, Willoughby and the Professor, Getting Started I played all the roles, some- Recalling his start in voice-overs, times a dozen or more per Bob Bergen states that, “I wanted show—from a one year-old to be Porky Pig since I was about baby named Bub and a 12 five years old. That’s what I told my year-old boy named parents I wanted to be when I grew Willoughby, to the 60 year old up. I called Hanna-Barbera and I Professor. None of these char- said, ‘How do I do it?’ At that time, acters were just “voices”; they they didn’t hire kids, like they do Joe Bevilacqua (right), with mentor Daws Butler. were flesh and blood people, now. Hanna-Barbera sent me to fully realized in the script, in Bob Lloyd, who’s got a company my head, and in the final perfor- called The Voice Casters, one of the mance. biggest voice casting companies in o you want to be a voice actor? Bob Bergen, the present day Los Angeles. Bob referred me to Looks easy, right? Getting paid voice of Porky Pig, comments that, teachers, and I studied with every- to act silly is actually very seri- S “The call that I get most often is, ‘I one.” ous and difficult work. I’ve been a want to work in cartoons but I’m voice actor since the age of 12, not an actor,’ or ‘I don’t want to be “In this business, they could worked in New York radio theater an actor.’ A person with this per- care less if you can do great from age 22, studied voice acting spective will never work. In this busi- voices. It’s the acting that gets with the great Daws Butler for 12 ness, they could care less if you can the job.” years, and I’m here to tell you some do great voices. It’s the acting that of what you need to know. To assist gets the job, it is definitely a skill and Nancy Cartwright is one of me, I have solicited the comments a craft that takes time to cultivate.” Daws Butler’s most talented and of some of my talented colleagues: he adds. successful students. She plays Bart Joe Alaskey, Bob Bergen, Greg David Kaye, the voice of Simpson on The Simpsons, and Burson, Corey Burton, Nancy Megatron, has similar sentiments. many other roles in cartoons, as well Cartwright, June Foray, Lee Richard He says, “The first thing you’ve got as on stage and on camera; these Harris, David Kaye, Stephanie to do if you want to get into car- range from The Snorks and Cheers Morganstern, and Phil Proctor. toons or animation or voice work is in the 1980s to recent TV movies take some acting classes.’ Study the and a one-woman stage show, In Real Acting classics, because that is where every- Search of Fellini. “My training,” says Most of the actors quoted in this thing comes from.” Kaye recalls that, Nancy, “started when I was a kid article also trained with Daws Butler, “I didn’t start getting a lot of ani- and I performed in theater. I got my and they all learned from him first mation [work] until I started doing confidence, and recognized an abil- and foremost that voice acting is theater. I went to the four-year pro- ity I had to make people laugh. I real acting, not just “doing funny gram at the American Academy of was learning by doing it.” Anyone voices.” This is very important to Dramatic Arts in Los Angeles. It was- who thinks cartoon voice actors keep in mind. Characters should be n’t until then that I could really go can’t act, should see Nancy in her

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE April 1997 31 superb one-woman show. Texas, no matter how talented you listen to that day.” are. When a casting call comes, you Practice Makes Perfect need to be there, sometimes with- How To Audition Veteran actor, writer and pro- in the hour. Auditioning is perhaps the most ducer, Phil Proctor recalls the tran- In order to get a good agent, difficult part of an actor’s life. You sition from stage to voice overs, in you need a great demo tape. Bob will be rejected most of the time, his case from Firesign Theater to Bergen feels, “As far as the demo and will need to get used to this. Rugrats. “I had to learn how to tape process goes, I don’t believe in You should learn to enjoy the accommodate my own eccentric telling a story. Each segment should process, because you will be audi- skills to the rather restricted demand sound like it’s a clip from a cartoon, tioning much more than you will of a particular vision, or often lack of where your character is involved be working. There are a few ways vision, in order to create whatever and doing some kind of action. You to make this experience a fruitful it was that the client ultimately want- should never repeat a voice on your one. ed to hear.” demo tape. Each clip should have David Kaye points out the impor- Joe Alaskey, one of several actors a totally different scene; perhaps tance of showing your unique skills. who now voices many of the “When I went in to audition Warner Bros. characters, for the Megatron voice,” he recalls one of his early notes, “I had just finished a lessons, when “Friz Freleng Shakespeare workshop, scouted me from my stand- and I pulled from some of up act in the late 70s. He cri- what I had been studying. tiqued my work over the I learned the Laban phone, telling me to keep method, and used it a lot working at it, and to prepare when I auditioned for car- for the future. I started satu- toons. It is based on differ- rating myself in Warner Bros. ent ‘weights’ you give a line cartoons, listening like never reading. For example, before, practicing every day instead of screaming, ‘Don’t to improve their unique ever do that to me again!’, sounds and the myriad of you can use a light weight, nuances in personality. I’m and softly, but powerfully still at it today.” say the line, which is more menacing than just out- Agents & Demos right shouting.” To get work as a voice “I do full-bodied per- actor, you must have an formances,” Joe Alaskey agent. Casting directors will says, “with expressions to not even consider you if you match, just like Mel [Blanc]. are not represented. (In the I’m not just concentrating David Kaye with the characters he voices. US, you can get a list of on my voice, though that’s agent from AFTRA and SAG, the two one is jet fighter pilot, another a where the performance is concen- actors’ unions.) Equally important is nerdy kid trying to ask a girl out, but trated; I try to become a cartoon— that you really should live where the scenes that contrast. You want to body, soul, mind and voice (not jobs are; in North America, this leave the listener asking for more. always in that order)—and then means Los Angeles, where most of The average length of a demo tape make my selections for the readings, the cartoon voice work is cast and is two-and-a-half minutes. I recom- of which there is usually only one recorded. Some actors such as mend one-and-a-half, because you ‘right’ one.” David Kaye and Stephanie are asking someone to take one- June Foray, best known as the Morganstern are based in Canada, and-a-half minutes of their life for voices of Rocky the Flying Squirrel but they are exceptions. No one will your life. And chances are you are and Granny in the Sylvester & hire you if you live in New Jersey or one of 20 or 30 tapes they have to Tweety cartoons, feels that you

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE April 1997 32 and the Professor radio cartoon Developing A Voice show, I don’t just stand still in front Voice actors today are faced of the microphone and speak. I put with a number of stumbling blocks my full body into the perfomance to creating truly original character just as I would on stage. People voices. The studios want the famil- who watch me perform find it as iar, not the new. Most of the great enjoyable as hearing the finished voices actors, such as Mel Blanc, recording. For example, I flail my Daws Butler, and Paul Frees are arms a lot when speaking since I gone now, and the studios need find that this movement gives my sound-alikes to keep their cartoon performance an extra “hmmph”. franchises going. For naïve 12-year old Willoughby, I Joe Alaskey explains that, raise my eyebrows up, open my eye “Revivifying the classic Warner Bros. as wide as I can and stand very voices is tremendous fun, but it isn’t straight. This gives me a brighter easy. The responsibility of doing all young alert sound for Willoughby. the voices for Marvin The Martian My Professor character has very in the Third Dimension was a white- large jowls but I have a thin face knuckler, the sessions were ongo- with no jowls, so to get a “hollow” Nancy Cartwright. ing for over a year (but worth it!). jowl sound for him I hold the sides must always observe your sur- But doing a more or less original of my face with my thumb and fore- roundings, and draw from what voice such as Stinkie on Casper is finger and pull my cheeks out as far you see and hear in your life when no less intense an experience.” as I can and hold them there every- auditioning. “When I as working for Greg Burson, who voices many time I speak as the Professor. All Chuck [Jones] on The Curiosity classic characters such as Yogi the good voice actors work from the Shop, I was the aardvark, and that Bear and Bugs Bunny, studies those physical. was easy. For the giraffe, I did a very who did the original voices and “I found that when I did the haughty type woman, and then how they spoke normally. “People voice of Witch Hazel,” says June came the elephant; I thought, leave road maps,” he says. “It Foray, “that I would come home ‘What can I do for the elephant that depends on the configuration in the with a crick in my neck, because I would be almost incongruous and voice box. Yogi came pretty quickly was bending over to play the char- yet acceptable?’ Well, my husband to me. I do the early Yogi, because acter.” and I were at a party, and there was that’ s the one I grew up with and “I had an innate talent and I a very heavyset lady chatting, and love. Bugs is much harder. To get practiced it,” explains Nancy her voice was just a tiny, sweet little Bugs right took me a year. I do the Cartwright. “I found ways to voice with very high tones. I listened Bugs of the 1950s, as the people at become different characters with to her and thought, ‘That is the ele- Warner Bros. felt that that was just the subtle change of a lift of an phant!’ It was a contradiction in when Mel was in his prime.” eyebrow or the curl of your lip; terms, but the voice was just per- those nuances can affect your voice fect.” No one will hire you if you live and help mold and shape a char- “When I landed the part of Bart in New Jersey or Texas, no mat- acter.” Simpson,” explains Nancy ter how talented you are. June Foray notes that, “We all Cartwright, “I wasn’t even called in have greed; we have anger; we for that part. I was originally called have charity; we love; we have all in for Lisa, but I couldn’t get a hook Not Just a Voice sorts of emotions. Being an actor, on her. ‘I can’t do her,’ I said. But I When creating original charac- you have to capture your own feel- had taken the time out in the lobby ter voices, it is important to put your- ings, and with your proclivities for to look at Bart’s audition and I said, self into it entirely. The physical voice-changing, you can insert that ‘Aha, I can do that!’ I only gave aspects of a character are as impor- wonderful human quality that you them one voice, one concept, and tant as the voice. When I perform have into that character with that I was hired on the spot.” my characters for my Willoughby particular voice that you’re using.”

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE April 1997 33 at this type of work. They encouraged, prodded, and “We use the rhythmo-band tech- provoked one another into great nique,” she explains, “which allows performances. for a lot of precision in dubbing, Phil Proctor remembers that, especially when you’re doing live “When I did The Smurfs at Hanna- action and need to match realistic Barbera, it was so much fun. I went lip flaps. The words you have to into my first session there, with speak are written by hand on a Daws Butler, Alan Young, Paul transparent strip (of something like Winchell, and Jack Riley; Gordon acetate) which is rolled, fast-for- Hunt was directing. They would say, warded or rewound in synch with ‘Oh, Phil does a wonderful English the playing, fast-forwarding or accent. Let’s create a part for him.’ rewinding of the videotape, and And they would massage parts for projected on a long horizontal you. It was wonderful, like the old screen above the video monitor. movie studio days. It was like being When the videotape is played, you part of a repertory company.” can watch the images on the mon- Joe Alaskey. itor, but your focus is on the screen Changing Trends above it where the words are pro- One of the current trends in the jected, flying across from right to American animation industry is to The Recording Session left at precisely the speed at which cast major movie stars to voice ani- There are many types of record- they have to be spoken. You voice mated characters. From Robin ing sessions. Sometimes, every char- each sound, gasp, scream or breath Williams in Aladdin, Tom Hanks in acter is recorded separately, then as it hits the ‘speak’ line to the far Toy Story, even Woody Allen in the edited and mixed together later by left of the screen. This is why the upcoming DreamWorks feature a sound engineer. This can be a words have to be handwritten: if Ants, these stars not only demand very difficult way to perform, as the the character speaks fast, they are huge salaries, they take work away actor does not have the opportu- written scrunched up so they take from the core group of voice actors. nity to hear how the other actors less time to say; and if you have to “A lot had changed since I was say their lines and respond natural- stretch a sound like ‘Sco-o-o-out Po- last in it,” Lee Harris states. “The cast- ly. Most of Mel Blanc’s work on the o-o- w-e-e-r!,’ it’s written elongated ing of celebrities promotes the car- Warner Bros. cartoons was done so that it takes as much time to say toon to adults more than it does this way. it as it does to travel across the kids. A kid watching a cartoon isn’t screen. It’s very confining, as it takes going to jump up and down and “I found ways to become differ- one of the most important parts of ent characters with just the expression, timing, out of your con- subtle change of a lift of an eye- trol altogether.” brow or the curl of your lip; The best recording sessions usu- those nuances can affect your ally are the ones in which all the voice and help mold and shape actors are in the same room per- a character.” forming together as if it were a radio play. All of Jay Ward’s cartoons, such Another type of recording ses- as Rocky and Bullwinkle, were done sion is done by dubbing the voices this way. Mark Evanier, who wrote during post-production, when the and voice-directed Garfield, also animation is already completed. This works this way. I remember sitting in is perhaps the most difficult of all for on many recording sessions of The an actor. Most cartoons imported Jetsons, when Daws Butler, Penny from Japan are recorded this way Singleton, Mel Blanc, Howard for the English market. Stephanie Morris, and the whole cast sat in a Morganstern, who plays Sailor circle and worked off each other. Venus on Sailor Moon, is an expert Phil Proctor.

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE April 1997 34 say, ‘Oh boy! It’s Danny Devito doing sight of that, even though every- have stayed in Kansas to begin the voice!’ I read a quote from a cast- thing else in the industry has with.” To me, acting is a life, not a ing person at one of the big com- changed. The way that Daws used career. You either live it or you don’t. panies that said that the days of the to describe things for animation or If you do live it, you will be willing Mel Blancs and the Daws Butlers commercials, with somebody just to pursue it for the rest of your life are gone, and that they cast well- and enjoy every minute of it. The known celebrities because they process of learning, growing, want ‘real’ actors… as if Mel and improving, auditioning, creating— Daws were not ‘real’ actors, which that should be your primary focus, of course they were.” not becoming rich and famous. “The greatest actor I ever knew There you have it. Study long was Daws Butler,” insists Greg and hard, learn to act, make a Burson. short but stunning demo tape, get “They gravitate towards celebri- an agent, audition, audition, audi- ties,” said Corey Burton, “so that tion, study some more, audition they have actors who have already some more, and somewhere along developed a persona they can the line you may just find yourself draw from to fill out the character, the next Bart Simpson or Yogi Bear. whereas a multi-voiced person is So now you know the real story, waiting for their idea to produce not a sugarcoated, Hollywood the particular voice. So they get glamour version of life as a voice somebody like Don Rickles com- actor. Still want to be one? I have ing in to Toy Story, and say, ‘OK, the number of a good therapist. Don, you’re Mr. Potatohead,’ and they are able to use his personali- June Foray. ty. Plus, they see it as a big marketing plus. That way they get little picking up the phone and saying, bits on Entertainment Tonight and ‘Hey Daws, hey Frees, hey June other ‘behind the scenes’ TV shows. Foray, come over, we’re doin’ a car- That’s not bad, but it’s just insulting toon.’ I don’t expect things to be when they completely ignore the like that again, but the ‘celebrity regular voice people.” curse’, combined with ‘playing it Phil Proctor talks about the diffi- safe’ with just very few established Joe Bevilacqua ([email protected]) culties of keeping up with the ever- voice actors—those are the battles is a Los Angeles-based voice changing business: “I’ve been doing to be fought and we just have to actor, writer, producer, and direc- it for about 25 years now, and I keep fighting.” tor. His radio plays have been have gone through all the different aired on public radio stations kinds of fads of what is ‘in’ and what Just Do It throughout the United States. He is ‘out’. It’s rather difficult sometimes Show business is a very tough is currently working on a comedy when you just have found a niche business. Once you decide to join Web site, featuring his original for yourself, and then they say they the ranks of unemployed actors, online animated cartoon, don’t want that anymore.” you must resign yourself to the pos- “Barnaby and Max, Radio Lee Harris states that, “My goal sibility that you may never make it. Repairmen”, which will soon is to have an original character on Only those who stick it out for the appear on the Internet. His car- a TV series. Our generation of TV long haul ever succeed. You should toon voices can be heard at the babies are making the decisions in not set time limits on yourself. This following Web site: casting, writing and directing, and is very stressful and restricting. I http://www.cybergraphix- we seem to have a large case of know plenty of actors who have anim.com/staff/joebev. nostalgia. I’d like to be known for said to me, “If I don’t make it in five an original character that people years I’m going back to Kansas.” I would remember. I’ve never lost say, “If that’s the case, you should

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE April 1997 35 An Interview With Mark Hamill

by Jacquie Kubin

like The Hunchback of Notre Dame ular adaptations of the Star Wars or Pocohantas. movies. Mark Hamill is one of today’s leading voice-over talents, and can Getting Into Animation be considered a modern-day pio- In 1987, he lent his voice talents neer in the field, having spent time for Pinocchio and Norby the Mixed and effort honing his craft, well Up Robot on TV. Hamill’s voice-over before it became a trend. Unlike star rose dramatically in 1992, when other actors who bring only their he was cast as the maniacal Joker voice to the animation, Hamill trav- and Ferris Boyle in Batman: The els with a repertoire of over 200 Animated Series (1992-95). The voices—the result of many years of show was later spun off into a Sega hard work. “I have always imitated Genesis video game, The people, and I love the musical Adventures of Batman & Robin, and sound of the human voice,” Mark a movie, Batman: Mask of the explained. “When I first began Phantasm (1993), where he doing voice-over work, I said to my reprised his role as The Joker. wife Marilou, ‘What took me so “What I liked about doing the Mark Hamill. long?’ I came to doing cartoons and Joker,” Mark said, “was his villainy. I voice-overs via Broadway, because thought, you know, I could use this efore the present trend of star- that is where I needed to go to be laugh almost as a vocabulary. driven animated films, the able to do comedy.” Mark began Instead of having it be one contin- voices behind the cartoons B collecting voices as far back as where often nameless; and for 1974, when he provided the voice every industry icon, like Mel Blanc, of Jeannie’s master in the classic tele- there were many other actors vision series, I Dream of Jeannie whose names passed by unknown, (1973-75). only to be briefly glimpsed during With his career as a television closing credits. Today, many of actor burgeoning, Mark was cast as Hollywood’s television and movie Luke Skywalker in Star Wars (1977), stars compete for voice work in such and its two sequels—The Empire hip, prime-time TV series as The Strikes Back (1980) and Return of Simpsons and Beavis and Butt-head, the Jedi (1983). As Jedi was open- as well as blockbuster theatrical films ing, Mark was playing Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in Peter Shaffer’s Unlike other actors who bring play, Amadeus. His Broadway career only their voice to the anima- also included a starring role as Tony tion, Hamill travels with a Hart in Harrigan & Hart (1985), for repertoire of over 200 voices— which he got a Drama Desk nomi- the result of many years of nation for “Best Actor in a Musical.” hard work. In 1981, Mark returned to voice From the CD-ROM game Wing Commander. work for National Public Radio’s pop- Photo courtesy of Origin Systems.

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE April 1997 36 uous laugh, I could use it like color ‘Green Screens.’Wing Commander Bruno, I was hired as what they call on a canvas. There could be sinister proved to be so successful that the a ‘utility player,’ which means they laughs, there could be joyful, glee- USA Network commissioned 13 could rely on me to provide more ful, maniacal laughs, there could be than one voice—I was actually hired malevolent and evil laughs. There Instead of having it be one con- to play three voices. Getting to the are so many different colors that you tinuous laugh, I could use it like point that I was trusted to provide can give him, so that kids will have color on a canvas.There are so more than one voice actually took more than one laugh to mimic on many different colors that you me over four years of work, but I the playground. I do have to thank can give [the Joker], so that got there.” Mark also revisited The the people at Batman, because this kids will have more than one Hulk to revive The Gargoyle in two work opened up an entire new laugh to mimic on the play- episodes, as well as The Joker in a career for me.” ground. Gryphon Software’s The Adventures In 1993, Mark provided voices of Batman and Robin Activity for such TV series as Center. SwatKats, Cowboys at Moo Projects Mark is cur- Mesa, Secret Squirrel, rently working include Bonkers, The Little Mermaid working with various (two episodes), and the Saturday Night Live alum- Flintstones special ni Jim Belushi, Shellie Hollyrock-a-Bye Baby. While Berman, Lorraine New- continuing to work in man, Don Novello and a movies and television, large cast of others, Hamill entered into a new including the likes of Peter type of voice-over work, the Aykroyd, Nell Carter and CD-ROM game. His debut Taj Mahal, for the UPN’s in this arena was Gabriel The Animated Blues Knight: Sins of the Father, Brothers, where he taking a minor release, in 1994. on several roles. Mark also Mark followed this by pro- provided the voice of viding voice-overs for such Threshold for the Gen 13, super-hero TV shows as The based on the ultra-popu- Amazing Spider-Man lar Image comic book. (Hobgoblin), The Fantastic Four (Maximus), The Hulk Web Voices (The Gargoyle). The fol- His popularity in the lowing year, he provided computer world is such voices for The Magic Flute that he now has his own and Phantom 2040 videos. fan-created site (http:// In late 1994, one of www.markhamill.com), Mark’s most ambitious and Mark Hamill’s new vigilante, The Black Pearl. Photo courtesy of Dark and has been a guest on Horse Comics. successful works following numerous live celebrity Star Wars and Batman was the episodes of an animated series with chats on America Online. This past Wing Commander CD-ROM trilogy, Mark. LucasArts then called upon March, he provided his vocal talents for which he provided the voice of Mark in 1995 to do the voice of to the Sci-Fi Channel’s Dominion Colonel Christopher Blair. Wing Ben, who is framed for murder in Web site’s Seeing Ear Theater, read- Commander III eventually became the Full Throttle CD-ROM game. ing adaptations of Franz Kafka’s The one of the top selling ‘live-action’ Hamill’s voice-over career con- Country Doctor and an original computer CD-ROM games that was tinued in 1996 when he was cast as story, Into the Sun. fully interactive and filmed using sets Harris opposite Bruce Willis in Bruno Also on Mark’s plate is the oppor- generated by the computer while the Kid, which he felt was a per- tunity to direct a movie, co-written the actors performed in front of sonal milestone in his career. “For with cousin Eric Johnson, about a

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE April 1997 37 Following the multitalented actor has been work- rerelease of the ing and entertaining you and your Star Wars trilogy, children for years. You just didn’t Mark has be- know it! come extremely busy, fitting in talk show appearances into an already tight schedule. On a March 15, 1997 he Jacquie Kubin is a freelance writer appeared on who first became interested in Saturday Night writing about Mark Hamill in the Live, where he fall of 1996 due to his release of super-hero vigilante, The Black Pearl. not only showed off his comedic the comic book, The Black Pearl. Originally done as a screenplay, it skills, but some of his vocal prowess, This is the fourth article on Mark was picked up by Dark Horse doing the voices of Darth that Jacquie has written or con- Comics, and Mark and Eric set Vadar/James Earl Jones and tributed to. Send your comments adapted it themselves to the comic Apocalypse Now star Robert Duvall. to [email protected] or visit her book page. Now, they have just fin- The recent rerelease of the Star newspaper, The Pop Art Times, at ished reworking the comic book Wars trilogy will most likely have www.poparttimes.com. back into a screenplay and there is people saying such things as, “Look rumor of interest from several stu- how busy Mark Hamill is again, dios. thanks to Star Wars”; but in fact, this

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE April 1997 38 “A Screw Here, a Crank There”: Payut Ngaokrachang and the Origins of Thai Animation by John A. Lent

hai animation owes going to Japan. He chose part of its genesis to a Japan, where he just “looked T“bug” that laid Payut around, as animation did not Ngaokrachang low in exist there at the time.” Payut 1955. only made one animated film The boredom that set in for the USIS, a 20-minute while Payut was sick recounting of the story of spurred him to animate a “Hanunan,” the white monkey cartoon he had been draw- in the classic Ramayana. The ing for the newspaper, propaganda element was pre- Lakmuang. A gag cartoon, Payut Ngaokrachang. sent in the form of the red it was based on a charac- monkey, which represented ter who roamed Bangkok, taking in cross the street when the zipper (a communism. He also created a the sights. In the particular gag newly introduced fashion accou- short cartoon for SEATO (Southeast Payut chose to animate in the film trement in Thailand) on her dress Asia Treaty Organization), based on called Het Mahatsajal, a policeman splits, diverting the policeman’s the theme that unity was necessary directs traffic, swaying to the tune of attention with the result that cars to combat communism. music in the manner of Thai classi- pile up all around him. cal dancers. A woman begins to A series of fortuitous circum- “I made a lot of my equipment stances guided Payut’s career from pieces I got from junk of because of this animated skit. A World War II military surplus. I news item stating that Payut did used a combat camera and “Hollywood-like” animation caught adapted it. I pulled together the attention of the US embassy, pieces of wood, aluminum, which asked to see the “ten to whatever I could find.” twelve minute short.” After that, the embassy gave him $400, his name appeared in the press again (this Sud Sakorn time with the American attaché), In 1976, separate from his job, and before the year was out, the Payut began to animate the story United States Information Service of one character, “Sud Sakorn,” from hired him. He remained with the a famous Thai literary work, Pra Apai USIS for “32 years and 10 months Manee, written by internationally- and 18 days,” painting and draw- renowned author and poet, ing, Payut said. Sudthornpu. The tale was a feast of For training, the agency gave incongruous adventures: Sud Payut a choice of spending 6 to 8 Sakorn, the son of a mermaid and Sud Sakorn. months with Disney Studios or a musician, fights on different occa-

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE April 1997 39 students helped with inbetweens. I was almost blind from doing that film and now I wear contacts. My right eye is long, my left is short, crooked because of all that detailed work.”

The Biggest Problem In recent years, a considerable amount of Payut’s time is spent in the classroom. Working on the premise that unskilled personnel is the biggest problem of animation, Payut, in a given week, is likely to have trained animators at Thai Wang and drawing and illustration students at Rajamonkala Institute, Sud Sakorn. with an occasional seminar (on how to incorporate Thai literature into sions, an elephant, shark, and drag- dent of Wang Productions, the cartoons, the week I met him) on horse, and encounters in his huge offshore animation house in thrown in. meanderings a king, a hermit, a Taiwan. Three days a week he trains yogi, a magic wand, and ghosts. animators for James Wang, for Payut’s feature, called Sud The intense and detailed work whom he also serves as advisor. Sakorn, was 82 minutes long and on this film seriously impaired Payut said he turned down two pro- took two years to finish. It was the Payut’s eyesight in that he posals to serve in that capacity and first Thai-produced, full-length ani- became “cataract sick.” accepted the third when Wang mated film. Production was plagued promised him space in which to with shortages of capital, person- work. Already by 1993, Wang had nel, and equipment. For the first 6 After Wang had finished his set up 14 projects in Bangkok, 2 of months, the crew was made up of studies at Indiana University, he which Payut headed, and had pro- 75 daytime and 25 nighttime work- wanted to come see my studio. vided 3 training sessions of 14, 7, ers, almost all students. By the sec- That was about 1980. He asked and 14 students each. He had also ond year, only 9 remained as the me what system I used— brought in much equipment, “others could not work without Japanese or American? I said, ‘I including 10 cameras, 2 of which money,” Payut explained. He did don’t understand.’ He persisted were for computer animation. The most of his own work at night since and I said again, ‘I don’t under- during the day, he was fully stand.’ Then I told him employed at the USIS. I used the Payut sys- Payut is perhaps proudest of tem, the one I had how he fashioned the equipment devised. Wang always to make Sud Sakorn. According to admired me for this. him, “I made a lot of my equipment from pieces I got from junk of World The intense and War II military surplus. I’d find a detailed work on this film screw here, a crank there, etc. I used seriously impaired Payut’s a combat camera and adapted it. I eyesight in that he pulled together pieces of wood, alu- became “cataract sick.” As minum, whatever I could find.” He he put it, “I did all the key delights in telling about his first drawings myself, even the meeting with James Wang, presi- layout and design. The Sud Sakorn.

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE April 1997 40 cartoons resulting from this influx of theater groups. “Sometimes, I’d be resources are for foreign clients, put into action to sing a funny mainly those from the United States. song,” he recalled. About the same time, 1946-47, he enrolled in class- John A. Lent is Professor of But, it was Japanese, not es to become an art teacher, fol- Communication atTemple American, animation which lowed by a stint as a commissioner University, in Philadelphia. He is Payut sees as a threat, claiming of block printing, where he made also the editor of Asian Cinema, that Thai cartoonists slavishly etchings, and a longer stay in a the journal of the Asian Cinema imitate the Japanese style. company where he did advertising Studies Society, which he also and other work. It was while he chairs, and managing editor of But, it was Japanese, not was at that company that he con- Witty World International Cartoon American, animation which Payut tracted the “bug” that changed his Magazine. sees as a threat, claiming that Thai life and the destiny of Thai anima- cartoonists slavishly imitate the tion. Japanese style. He also pointed out that Thai children favor Japanese over American animation, adding:

“The children don’t pay attention to Disney; they follow Japanese cartooning even though it is not smooth, in fact, it is very rough. They watch Japanese animation every day and they are used to it— the rapid action. Disney seems too slow for them. Even my grand- daughter is this way. Disney spends lots of money to be smooth, but children prefer rougher Japanese animation. Of course, it is more vio- lent too.”

Payut made it clear he was not Thailand’s first animator, that honor belonging to a blockmaker, Saney Klykuan, who preceded him by a decade. In about 1945, the Thai government, campaigning to get ordinary citizens to wear hats and farmers to wear boots, commissioned Saney to do a one-minute film on the subject. Upon Saney’s death a year later, Payut decided he wanted to be an animator, but post- World War II was not an auspicious time for such a career with the shortage of supplies such as cellu- loid. At age 17, Payut took his first job, painting backgrounds for play sets as he traveled up country with

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE April 1997 41

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he relationship between reli- to be a reference to his brother who Feodorovich. His seminal work gion and animation has long died in infancy. The references to Skuchniy (1931) is emblematic of Tbeen a subject which I have suffering and joy in this sombre film the “religio laici” in its noncon- wanted to address and one which, were the consummation of Schiller’s fomism. His prophetic neorealism in despite its transcendental connota- statement, “kurz ist der Schmerz, Steppe II (1938) is overtly con- tions, has been an area of repre- und ewig ist die Freude.” temptuous of the early Christian sentational art that defies rational- etbic which he later abandoned. ization. I am grateful to Prof. Doktor The tragic visionary Sergei Heinrich Schlepperman for his coun- ΑΠΡΙΛ Sergeivitch renounced his secular sel and for putting my first steps on life io 1946 to espouse Conformism the sacred paths of this tenebrous and his last film before his untimely area of research. death, Eta Syer’yozna? (1948) has ΦΟΟΛΣ all the latent imagery of the early The Mystical Life martyrs; the inverted scaffold show- The father of Russian animation, ing a precise relationship between Alexander Krolikov was deeply influ- spontaneity and the optimum enced by the metaphysical concepts ∆ΑΨ degree of repression. of the early Orthodox Church in the Ukraine. If one studies, in particu- A Dark and Gloomy Path lar, the icons of the Church of St. Polish animation has always Nikolai in Kiev, it can clearly be seen Another Russian animator to be walked a dark and gloomy path that there are, underlying references influenced by religious doctrines in and perplexing dark Madonnas to the mystical life. Krolikov based his early films, and particularly appear in abundance in the works his early masterpieceSlivnoy Bachok Byzantine symbolism with all its allu- of Zbigniew Wczjpycz. His obscure Isportilsa (1912) on these dark sive meaning, was Ivan references to the Hypostatic Union recesses of primitive belief. Myenya in Lichtarze (1951) show empirical- Tashnit (1920) is a moving spiritual The references to suffering and ly based elements of mysticism as essay on forgiveness in which prim- joy in this sombre film were the shadowy figures of nuns walk itive anaglyphs fall to earth from the the consummation of Schiller’s hand in hand through an apoc- night sky. Krolikov’s own life was fre- statement,“kurz ist der ryophal landscape chanting the quently reflected in his work and Schmerz, und ewig ist die hymn “Ratunka! Skradziono mi the child in Zakat (1922) is thought Freude.” Raczre.” Religious motifs also appear

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE April 1997 42 in Sam Spozywczy (1956), although here they are more syncretic. France too has its share of vision- aries, Claude Le Blagueur in his ✡✺✥✌✛✚✝ short film Lièvre (1939) gives life to the character of Saint Jeannot Punaises who later appeared in Lièvre II, which Le Blagueur made in evoke an uneasiness and are the Diesnicht, took a copy of this film Germany in 1967. Here Saint embodiment of pre-Christian to America where she disappeared. Jeannot struggles with the forces of Shamanism. Kachni (1936) is his It was rumored that she had evil in the shape of a hunter who definitive artistic statement and he changed her name and went to attempts to seize the Holy portrays the ceaseless fight between Hollywood, but this was never Mohrrübe. good and evil by using the figure proved. This feeling of Schadenfreude of Chemin-Courer, a 14th century Unfortunately, there is no space also appears in the work of the French troubadour, who is con- here to mention the work of Gyula Hans Schabernack, the German stantly under attack by a terrifying Tibor Gyulas, the great Hungarian abstract experimentalist, who used demon, Astucieux. animator, who was influenced by obscure and perplexing light shapes the primitive church hierarchies of in Aberglaube (1937) to depict the Kecskemet, nor that of Ron Rye the fight between good and evil. In this In this concept, even at its abstract painter working in Britain concept, even at its most ethical, most ethical, religion is nothing in the early thirties, and many, many religion is nothing more than a more than a Pantheistic com- others. Pantheistic comparison witb Nature. parison with Nature. I would like to thank Ron In a later work, Ein Scherz (1939), Diamond for his inspiration for this the relationship between magic and treatise and end with a quotation. religion again appears as a strange The Archetypal Concept of As Niais Schmendrik stated in semianimal shapes circle the figure Tragedy Cahiers du Cinéma in 1986, “Où se of a tonsured monk who has per- Petru Petrunescu, the Romanian trouvent les poissons d’avril?” I could secuted them. The Gothic fantasies animator, used Italian art of the not agree more. of Siegfried Schnipps, who worked Quattrocentro in several of his films. in Germany until 1933, are charac- In Am Pierdut Rata (1925), he uses terized by the figure of Hölzern the character of the Rata as the Specht, which gives rise to the ques- archetypal concept of tragedy and tion: Does this character embody this chimerical representation is the pestilence, or is its image evoked inspired by a spiritual iconoclasm. merely to characterize him? As yet, A later film on the life of Michel le this question remains unanswered. Souris used this same concept. This The deeply moralistic approach highly moralistic work depicts the of Krny Knyrka, the Czechoslovak simple life of le Souris, his joys, his master of coup d’oeil, may be mis- sufferings, and his devotion to his P. Pluie-Toile is on the faculty of leading. The images in Zajíc (1935) constant companion, a dog. In Film & Television, University of 1927, Petrunescu’s wife, Waltraut Balham. This article is adapted from a paper given at the bienni- al conference of the International Society for Semiotics in Religion at azedfgh the University of Baden Unter- Wären, in 1996. •,ZM•N

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE April 1997 43 Event Preview: NATPE’s Animation & Special Effects Expo by Wendy Jackson ust around the corner is the and has since been very busy orga- NATPE’s first annual Animation nizing the the four-day event. YYourour AdAd J& Special Effects Expo (ANIFEX), More a business conference than coming up May 8-11 at the Los a festival, ANIFX is being designed Angeles Convention Center. What to appeal to an industry audience, CouldCould BeBe makes this event unique is that it is with exhibitions, a job fair, and 20 being presented by The National seminars focused on various topics HerHere!e! Association of Television Program in animation and effects. UCLA, The Executives (NATPE), a nonprofit orga- WGA Animation Writers Caucus, nization known best for its annual Blue Sky Studios, The Motion Picture For rate cards and television convention. Their decision Screen Cartoonists Union Local 839, additional information to create an animation event came and (yours truly) Animation World about from their observation of the tremen- Network are among the participat- various opportunities dous growth in the animation indus- ing organizations producing semi- for exposure at try over the past few years. nars, which will cover everything Animation World Network, Originally a market for domestic from new technologies to commer- contact our television distribution, NATPE con- cials, licensing, Internet broadcast- ventions have experienced a dra- ing, training, marketing, and chil- Los Angeles matic increase in international par- dren’s programming. office at ticipation, along with exhibitions Concurrently, exhibitions from from companies involved less direct- more than 60 major companies, 213.468.2554 ly with television programming, in such as Walt Disney Television the animation and special effects Animation, Medialab, Apple, or e-mail industries. Responding to this, D’Ocon, Nickelodeon and any of our sales NATPE added an “Animation Mainframe will be showcased in the representatives: Pavilion” to the exhibition at their exhibition hall, presenting products 1996 annual convention, and found and services, as well as job oppor- North America: that, while it was successful, this tunities. To foster the development of alone was not enough to accomo- new talent, NATPE even plans to Bart Vitek date the need for an industry-spe- award scholarships to animation stu- [email protected] cific forum for animation. “After look- dents for the completion of projects. ing at the phenomenal reaction to For information on the events U.K. the Animation Pavilion, we realized taking shape for the Animation & Alan Smith that there was a need for a confer- Special Effects Expo, visit the NATPE’s [email protected] ence which brings all these elements ANIFX website at http://natpe.org/ together under one roof,” remarked animation&efx, or call 1-800-NATPE- NATPE’s Bruce Johansen. So, imme- GO. Other Location: diately after the ‘96 convention, it [email protected] announced plans to create ANIFX,

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE April 1997 44 Cats Don’t Dance by Mark Segall worthy soundtrack. premise for this musical tale is simi- (This reviewer’s ears lar to that found in Who Framed are still ringing, and Roger Rabbit, of some Hollywood he continues to pon- underclass—in that case Toons, in der a Workman’s this case, animal performers. Was Comp claim against Toontown Coontown, the Ink & the makers of that Paint Club the Cotton Club? Is any fiasco for cruel and particular caste system being sug- unusual punish- gested here? More like a casting, ment.) or type-casting system. The griev- ance, rather than “no justice for Another winning Toons” is “no decent parts for ani- aspect of this animat- mals”—talent goes unrecognized, Child star Darla Dimple mocks the cats’ dreams to make it ed musical: The plot careers are stalled. All because of big in showbusiness. being about a song- rules like the one that says that came to Cats Don’t Dance with and-dance cat gives its makers the cat-actors can only meow few expectations, thinking only “a opportunity to create a more dance- onscreen, they’re never allowed Iflick with six Randy Newman driven show than The Little to sing or dance. songs in it can’t be all bad.” Things Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast or got off on the wrong foot with a Hunchback. With elegant chore- The plot being about a song- lifeless, laughless Foghorn Leghorn ography supervised by the leg- and-dance cat gives its makers short, Pullet Surprise (directed by endary Gene Kelly, it manages to the opportunity to create a Darrel Van Citters for Chuck Jones out-dance recent Disney offerings. more dance-driven show than Productions) tacked to the begin- Cats draws from both WB animated The Little Mermaid, Beauty and ning, but took a more promising shorts and MGM movie musicals in the Beast or Hunchback. turn as the feature proper got their late forties-to-mid-fifties heyday. underway. Any movie that borrows The look Art Director Brian McEntee successfully from Sunset Boulevard has created is refreshingly non- The plight of these bit players, and Singin’ in the Rain in the first Disney. The stylish Art Deco back- who can’t get ahead because of stu- reel is well on its way to winning grounds draw on MGM traditions, dio discrimination, isn’t meant to be this old film buff’s heart. both animated and live-action. thought about too hard. It’s mainly Got to Dance Villainess Darla Dimple looks a bit like Elmer Fudd Cats Don’t Dance instantly out- in drag; while Sawyer classes Warner Bros.’ other recent resembles the sort of the animated release, that merchan- sophisticated feline Pepé dising-driven labor-of-lucre, Space Le Pew might pursue. (The Jam. Cats is long on charm—a film’s best “acting” is by this quality Jam lacked completely. A female cat—subtly and strong score by Steve Goldstein, expressively animated by with additional tunes and the Lenny Graves.) usual fine lyrics from Hollywood A Type-Casting System veteran Newman make for a healthy antidote to Jam’s cringe- The underlying Danny the cat.

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE April 1997 45 a pretext for creating an old-fash- agement from little Pudge the ioned boy-meets-girl, let’s put on a Penguin and giant studio mascot show musical. A small-town Wooly the Mammoth. With Pudge menagerie bids goodbye to The on percussion and Wooly on piano, Boy (Danny the Cat) as he boards a Danny draws the animal extras into bus for Hollywood. In a flash, he’s in a big musical number in the studio’s the heart of town, dancing across back alley. As the animals get into the famous hand prints in front of the spirit of things, their grayness Graumann’s Chinese Theater. His goes and they take on Technicolor Pudge the penguin and Danny the cat. big opening, you-can-do-anything (one of the film’s extremely clever cessful second audition. Darla’s fran- number climaxes with some fancy palette shifts.) Danny even taunts tic attempts to ruin the animals’ footwork, inadvertently knocks The Sawyer into outdancing him, and show only serve to improve it. In an Girl (Sawyer the Cat) headfirst into we know Boy will (inevitably!) get echo of the denouement of Singin’ a public fountain. Girl. in the Rain, Darla is unmasked as the animal hating little miscreant They’re both headed for the Cats Don’t Dance moves along she is, sinking her career and same place—Farley Wink’s talent briskly, propelled by show-stop- launching those of Danny and his agency, where they inevitably meet ping numbers, obvious plot friends. (Girl Hates Boy) and get cast togeth- devices and musical comedy er in the new Darla Dimple musi- clichés. In this kind of story, Like Broadway’s recent cal, Little Ark Angel. At rehearsal, predictability becomes an Gershwin-crammed hit, Crazy for Danny courts disaster by going asset.You know what’s going to You, Cats Don’t Dance moves along beyond his only scripted line happen but keep watching to briskly, propelled by show-stopping (“Meow,” of course) and upstaging see precisely how the makers numbers, obvious plot devices and the short-tempered child star. “Max!,” will contrive to bring it about. musical comedy clichés. In this kind screams America’s sweetheart at the of story, predictability becomes an top of her lungs, and her body- asset. You know what’s going to guard (a big-knuckled, four story tall Vengeful, crafty Darla invites happen but keep watching to see version of the Eric Von Stroheim Danny up to her shocking-pink precisely how the makers will con- character in Sunset Boulevard) mansion. Batting her eyelashes trive to bring it about. instantly appears. Squeezing coquettishly (savagely chomping Danny’s slender torso in his giant heads off of animal crackers all the If someone took a time machine fist, the monster asks, “What does while), she promises an audition for back to 1955 in order to route an the Kitty-Kat say?”—“Meow,” yelps the animals in front of studio head MGM Alan Freed Unit musical Danny meekly. L.B. Mammoth. She offers free use through Termite Terrace, the results of the Ark Angel sound stage. would look a lot like this. It’s a hybrid Our Hero is only momentarily that never would have occurred to dejected, for he soon gets encour- Danny, oblivious to her devious behavior, takes the bait. There’s me, but I’m glad first-time director another clever palette shift as Darla Mark Dindal thought of it, and I has a luridly colored fantasy of hope his unit stays together — Danny and Sawyer dancing across they’ve got a lot of class. I’m curi- a hellish green landscape. ous to see what they’ll tackle next. Darla arranges a flood reminiscent of Noah’s to ruin the animals’ Mark Segall has won awards for big audition, humiliating them in labor journalism and public ser- front of L.B., who swears they’ll vice copywriting. He co-authored never work in this town again. The How To Make Love To Your animals turn on Danny, who almost Money (Delacorte,1982) with his heads back to Kokomo, but then wife, Margaret Tobin. He is also gets a last-minute inspiration. His editor of ASIFA-East’s aNYmator One of Danny’s musical numbers. scheme wins the animals’ a suc- newsletter.

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE April 1997 46 Software Review: Web Painter

by Guillaume Calop

n the last issue, I with one tool, just like in Photoshop looked at Macro- Features 4.0. Imedia’s Flash, a pro- I was not able to take a look Animation tools: The “onion- gram that allows you atWebPainter 2.0, which is being skinning” feature is used for check- to do animation for release just as this issue is being pub- ing the current frame against both the Web. This month, I tested out the previous frame and the one fol- Totally Hip Software’s Web lowing, in the same way that an Painter, a program with the animator does with his drawings same general purpose as Flash, on a light box. There are both sta- but aimed at a different market. tic and animated layer modes, for While Flash works with vector- animating an image on a static based images and allows a con- background layer. This is an easy siderable amount of interactivity and fast way to add, remove, for a rather high price; duplicate, move and access a WebPainter allows you to easily frame cel. create GIF animations, and is Good control of Gif inexpensive, but lacks the inter- Animation export: For each activity and more professional frame, you can control the speed look that Flash is capable of. and transparency. You can also If you already have a pro- wait for user input, or specify how gram like Photoshop, the first Working window a frame should be removed after it question that comes in mind is, has been displayed (leave the cur- “Why would I use WebPainter if I lished. However, I can say that the rent graphic, erase it or partially have Photoshop and the freeware upgraded version will include new erase it). GifBuilder?”. Well, it’s basically the help files and tutorials, 500 sample Control of the overall anima- two programs in one, with animations, and a new users man- tion: The program offers choices of advanced features to maintain more ual. color palette, bit depth (to control control over your animation, WebPainter has a very compre- the file quality and size), choice of a retouch your drawings without hensive set of painting tools, color for the transparency, and going back and forth from one pro- including shapes, spray can, brush- frame-per-second (fps) setting. gram to another, export your files es, smudging, magic wand, paint Version 2.0 will also include in many different formats, and the bucket, ruler, measurement, etc. “GiffyView,” a viewer used to pre- ability to use one of their 250 “Hip There is an improved zoom feature view the animation at different con- Clips”! So, if you currently lack graph- and a new intuitive palette design nection speeds (14.4, 28.8 and ic software and all you want to do (three for all the tools). Also, a “free ISDN), which provides you with sta- is create GIF animations, WebPainter transform” tool will be added, in tistics to help you to decide upon may be the only program you will which you’ll be able to scale, rotate, the best settings for your animation. ever need. add perspective, skew and distort

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE April 1997 47 Import choices: Gif, PICS, PICT, into a “sprite” file that can be viewed Examples of Gif animation and Windows Bit Map, AVI Movies, and with a plug-in. What does this add? Sizzler can be seen on the Totally QuickTime files can be imported into It puts your animation into a stream- Hip Web site at http://www.totally- the program. ing format, which allows it to be hip.com. Export choices:Gif Animation, directly displayed with no down- Gif or PICT files, Windows Bit Map, load time, even with big files. At WebPainter 2.0 is available for QuickTime Movies, AVI Movies, first, the animations have poor qual- Windows 95/NT, Macintosh and Sizzler, Java. For Gif animation, ity, but it does improve by the time Power Macintosh. Until June 11, it Sizzler and Java, an HTML code is it downloads. Another cool thing is being sold at US$49.00, then it provided to embed it on your page. thatSizzler does, is allow you to will be priced at $99.00. It should JPEG & PNG (Portable Network embed a sound clip in your anima- be available at retail, via mail order, Graphics format) import and export tion and make it into a button. The and on-line shops. You can also get will be added to version 2.0. Also, problem with Sizzler is that the view- a 30 day free downloadable trial it will be possible to “batch open” er needs to have a plug-in, unless version at http://www.totallyhip files to import many files at the same you make it into a Java file; in that .com/. time and “import” and “export” will case, the user needs a Java capa- be replaced simply by “open” and ble browser. Also, the interactivity is “save as”. quite limited. Bottom line: It’s easy, it’s cheap, A Word on Sizzler. and if you’re new to animating on Sizzler is a piece of the Web, go for it. If you’re looking freeware from Totally for advanced animation capabilities, Guillaume Calop is AWN’s Hip, distributed online it can be useful for certain tasks (it’ll Webmaster and is Animation and via the WebPainter CD-ROM. replace your GifBuilder), but you’ll World Magazine’s Technical Sizzler will turn your Gif animation need to go to Shockwave. Editor. REGISTER with Animation World Network TODAY and

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ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE April 1997 48 Reviews in Brief by Wendy Jackson

ing a lot of this summer, episode. The Simpsons TV series, when Disney releases currently produced by Film Roman, their live-action remake is in its eighth season on Fox, and of the classic series has won three Emmy Awards for (George, George,) Outstanding Animated Program. “George of the Jungle.” Most of the music from The Don’t say I didn’t warn Simpsons is composed and you: listening to all of arranged by Alf Clausen, who has these classic cartoon jin- been nominated for an Emmy 14 gles just may instill an times. I asked Alf what the most strik- urge to sit down in front ing difference between scoring of the TV set with a big music for animation versus live- bowl of sugar cereal! action. He said, “We approach The Simpsons not as a cartoon, but as a drama where the characters are drawn. As such, the emotional content of the music is more closely tai- lored to a live action focus, rather CDs The Simpsons: Songs in the Key than that of a typical cartoon style. of Springfield. Fans of The The most striking difference Toon Tunes: 50 Favorite Classic Simpsons will be pleased to learn of between scoring this animated Cartoon Theme Songs. Last the release of a compilation of orig- series and scoring live action is that, month, Rhino Records released inal songs, scores, background with the episodes edited so tightly Toon Tunes, a long-awaited collec- music and themes from the TV because of the dialogue intensity, I tion of classic cartoon theme songs series. “Songs in the Key of as the composer don’t have much from various TV shows. I had to Springfield: Original have it, of course! Available on cas- Music From the sette and compact disc, the album Television Series” is a 51- features 50 songs from cartoons track album released by produced from the 1930s through Rhino Records. Musical the 1990s. Liner notes for the col- numbers such as “The lection feature cartoon trivia, all writ- Itchy and Scratchy ten by children’s pop culture music Theme,” “Flaming collector Greg Ehrbar. With a time Moe’s,” and of course span covering more than 50 years, the “Main Title Theme,” the collection is sure to spark fond are intercut with voice memories for several different gen- tracks from the episodes erations of animation fans. Some of in which the songs the lost classics include “Josie and appeared. This is help- the Pussycats,” “The Bullwinkle ful, as it provides con- Story,” “Underdog” and “The Pink text to make sense of Panther.” One of the songs on the the songs and remem- album is one we are sure to be hear- ber the corresponding

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE April 1997 49 time to set up and make a musical Books CD-ROM full of examples and statement of any substantial length source code, and a save-disabled before having to move on to the Bob Schmitt. ShockWave Studio: version of Director to get started next scene.” He adds a comment Designing Multimedia for the with (keep in mind that it is essen- about the pacing of animation Web. O’Reilly & Associates, tial to have a usable version of music, “I joke with my orchestra that 1997. US$39.95. Director in order to create finished I can make you feel 5 different ways product.) in 13 seconds. As funny as that For anyone looking to learn statement is, the requirements of how to make Shockwave anima- Videos scoring this series make that situa- tions quickly, there is a new book tion very close to the truth.” He designed to teach just that. Espresso Depresso. A new short adds, “Another interesting thing Shockwave Studio: Designing film by Seattle-based animator David about animation is that the sky is Multimedia for the Web, is the sec- Donar presents a dark satire of the limit on story ideas, so that if the ond title in O’Reilly and Associates’ today’s “coffee culture.” Espresso writers decide that Homer has a Web Review Studio series (the first Depresso is a two-minute film par- desire to be an astronaut, there are was GIF Animation Studio.) The odying the various stereotypes of no budget problems with sets, author, Bob Schmitt, is creative direc- patrons in hip coffeehouses, from wardrobe, etc. to stand in the way tor for the online magazine Web beatnicks to yuppie baby boomers. of it happening. Therefore, the Review, and the foreword is writ- Produced digitally with various music requirements can change ten by Marc Canter, founder of applications on a Macintosh-based radically from week to week, Macromedia and creator of the pro- system, the film has a unique 2-D because of the great variety of sto- gram Director, the multimedia pro- style reminiscent of 50s style comic ries generated by the writing staff. gram used to create Shockwave design, with a look atypical to com- It’s great fun!” files. puter animation, proving that com- Songs In the Key of Springfield is Although Director is a great puters can be an excellent tool for available retail for $15.98 CD or application, it takes a lot of time to traditional animators to produce $10.98 cassette, or can be ordered learn how to use it and its unique quality films without traditional through RhinoDirect at (800) 432- scripting language, “Lingo.” This equipment. David Donar, an ani- 0020. book offers a way around much of mator at Headbone Interactive, has the detailed learning process by cut- created several other short animat- ting straight to what you need to ed films, including Big Fat Dumb know to make short, Stupid Baby, currently included in compact animations for the Spike and Mike Sick and Twisted the Web. Much in the Festival of Animation. way that many Web designers learn HTML Pee Wee’s Playhouse. Last sum- by borrowing source mer, MGM/UA Entertainment code from others’ Web acquired the rights to the Pee Wee’s pages, Shockwave Playhouse TV series from Herman Studio encourages World. They have since released an learning by examples. 8-volume set on home videos fea- Sample Shockwave files turing 18 episodes. Scattered such as animations, throughout the episodes are some interactive pages, fantastic clay animation sequences, sound and even created by the likes of Craig Bartlett games, are explained in and Nick Park, such as Penny, The an easy to understand Dinosaur Family, Ants, and the language, with step-by- those unforgettable refrigerator step how-to instructions scenes. The series also served as a and techniques. The showcase for classic cartoons from book also comes with a the 30s and 40s, presented by “The

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE April 1997 50 King of Cartoons.” During its’ 5 years on the air, Pee Wee’s Playhouse was awarded a whopping 22 Emmy Awards for television excellence, as well as an Ollie at the American Children’s Television Festival, several Parent’s Choice Awards, and the Television Critics’ Association Award for Outstanding Achievement in Children’s Programming. The Museum of Television and Radio recently presented a tribute to to the show as part of the 14th Annual William S. Paley Television Festival. The event took place at the Directors Guild of America in Hollywood, with 9 members of the original creative team gathered together for a screening and dis- The creative team of Pee Wee’s Playhouse. © Lee Salem Photography. cussion: Prudence Fenton (animation producer), Ric Heitzman, Pee Wee’s Big Adventure, and ulti- to develop innovative new pro- George Michael McGrath, Alison mately the TV series, commissioned grams for Nickelodeon (Kablam!), Mork (puppeteer), Gary Panter, John by CBS at a generous $425,000. Children’s Television Workshop Paragon, Paul Ruebens (Pee Wee), per episode budget. The look of the (Sesame Street), and MTV(Liquid Lynne Stewart (Miss Yvonne) and show, which was overseen by pro- Television). Asked whether Pee Wayne White. They discussed the duction designer Gary Panter, Wee’s Playhouse will ever go back origins of the show as a stage act inspired a whole new style of kids into production, they all answered for six years in the Groundlings programming, and many of the a unanimous “No.” While this may Improv group, then the feature film show’s creators have continued on discourage some fans, they can take heart in following the individual projects of the creative team, such as Paul Reuben’s TV show coming out in 1998, and animation producer Prudence Fenton’s upcoming projects for television and the World Wide Web (stay tuned to Animation World Magazine for details).

Pee Wee’s Playhouse giftset is available from MGM/UA Home Entertainment for $99.92, or as individual 2-episode tapes for $12.95 each.

Wendy Jackson is Associate Editor for Animation World Magazine.

Miss Yvonne and Pee Wee from Pee Wee’s Playhouse.

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE April 1997 51 DDeesseerrtt IIssllaanndd SSeerriieess ...... IIff aa TTrreeee FFaallllss oonn aa DDeesseerrtt IIssllaanndd,, DDooeess AAnnyyoonnee HHeeaarr IItt?? Compiled by Wendy Jackson This month, we asked a few peo- Alf Clausen ple involved in creating sound and “After composing more than 4,500 music cues and songs for over music for animation what they 150 episodes of The Simpsons in the past 7 years, the last thing I would would want to have with them if want to have with me on a desert island is an animated film! However, they were stranded on a desert just maybe I could convince someone to slip the entire Rocky & His island. Alf Clausen is a composer of Friends television series into my suitcase for viewing when I finally come music for films and television whose back to consciousness. What a great series that was! In addition, I would credits include The Simpsons (see love to have to have the following with me:” the review of his new CD in this issue). Howie Mandel is the voice Films: of ‘Lil Howie in the Great Adventure 1. The Star Wars Trilogy by George Lucas CD-ROM series, and of Bobby in 2. E.T. by Steven Spielberg. Film Roman’s Bobby’s World ani- 3. A Woody Allen collection (for when I’m feel- mated series. Danny Elfman is a ing depressed.) composer whose long list of film 4. An Ingmar Bergman collection (for when scoring credits includes The I’m feeling elated.) Nightmare Before Christmas and Mars Attacks! Will Ryan has voiced Music: characters for over 1,000 animated 1. The entire CD collection of the Thad half hours and some of your favorite Jones/Mel Lewis Jazz Orchestra. feature films; and he is currently Alf Clausen. Photo by Jim 2. The entire CD collection of Miles Davis and Hagopian. consulting producer of Jim Henson Gil Evans. Productions’The Wubbulus World 3. The entire CD collection of the Bill Evans Trio. of Doctor Seuss . Last but not least, 4. The complete orchestral works of Bartok, Brahms, Hindemith, Luc Hamet is a French voice-over Rachmaninoff, Prokofiev, Sibelius & Stravinsky. actor whose credits include the French-language version of Who “I am set! Send me off!” Framed Roger Rabbit? Danny Elfman “In scoring animation, one tends to hit actions a little more tightly, although that’s not necessarily true; I don’t think I scored Batman any different as a live action film than if it were an animated film.”

Danny Elfman’s films to take to a desert island, “not necessarily in this order.”

1. Animation by Andre Sidlofsky. 2. The collected works of Jan Svankmajer, volumes I and II. 3. Vincent by Tim Burton. 4. Tim Burton’s Nightmare Before Christmas 5. Mr. Happy, a japanese television animation series. 6. Disney’s Pinnochio.

“. . . . And about a zillion short, sick and twisted pieces whose names I simply can’t remember.”

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE April 1997 52 Will Ryan Luq Hamet This is an excerpt from my upcoming book “I would never feel alone on a desert island because I 1001 Films for a Desert Island— or—What To would bring with me all my characters. . . . The days of Watch ‘Til the Helicopters Arrive. Listed in no grand solitude, I will try to make them all talk at the same particular order. Note: All films must be viewed time. in their original 35mm aspect ratios. “Je ne me sentirai jamais seul dans une ile deserte car 1. Greed by Eric Von Stroheim, the director’s cut. j’emmenerai avec moi tous mes personnages . . . . Les jours This choice should be an obvious one to any de grande solitude, j’essaierai de les faire parler tous en student of film history, but personally I’m a même temps!” big fan of Zasu Pitts, alone or with Thelma Todd. 1. Who Framed Roger Rabbit (Qui veut la peau de Roger 2. Anything with John Bunny and Flora Finch Rabbit ), by Robert Zemeckis and Richard Williams. Mon together. This would disallow Gertie the meilleur souvenir de doublage. Depuis, je ne mange Trained Dinosaur wherein Mr. Bunny plus de lapin . . . ./My fondest dubbing memory. Since appears with George “Pete the Tramp” then, I haven’t eaten any rabbit . . . . McManus, my own grandfather Terwilliger 2. Mary Poppins, by Robert Stevenson. L’ancêtre de Roger Ryan, Hearst artist Silas McCay, and others . Rabbit!!!/The precursor of Roger Rabbit!!! . . but alas, not with Miss Finch. 3. Bambi, by Walt Disney. Pour pleurer les soirs de pleine 3. Any home movies with Thelma Todd. lune . . . ./ 4. That Vitaphone short wherein Shemp Howard To cry onself to sleep by the light of the moon. beats up Jimmy Stewart. About 10 of us have 4. The Rose. Une si belle histoire d’amour . . . avec le pub- seen this film since its’ initial early 30s release, lic./A beautiful love story . . . with an audience. and I wouldn’t mind seeing it again. 5. Out of Africa. Majestueux, et animalier. . . . What 5. That other Vitaphone featuring Joe Frisco as music!/Majestic, wildlife . . . . What music! one of the Reese Brothers. About seven peo- 6. Les Looney Toons (All the Looney Toons). Tous sans ple have seen this since it came out in ‘29 or exception . . . . Il va me falloir une très grande valise . ‘30. This is an excellent work of cinema, mir- . . ./All of them without exception . . . . I would need roring with uncanny and unflinching accu- to take a very big suitcase with me. racy the ultimate futility of the human con- 7. The Cat Concerto (Tom et Jerry au concert), by Bill Hanna dition. A work of great art, and it’s got Billy and Joe Barbera. Un dessin animé qui a fait date./A Gilbert in it too! landmark in animated cartoons. 6. That Toby the Pup cartoon wherein the dog- 8. Le Roi et l’Oiseau (The King and Mr. Bird), by Paul catcher impersonates Maurice Chevalier, Grimault. Un classique francais./A French classic. Elmo Aardvark, Felix the Cat, “Scnozzle” 9. The Deer Hunter (The Deer Hunter – Voyage au bout Durante and Mahatma Ghandi. de l’enfer), by Michael Cimino. Le choc de mon ado- 7. Fred Ott’s Sneeze. I mean the original, not lescence; cette horrible scène de la roulette russe . . . / the re-make. The shock of my adolescence; the horrible Russian 8. The film Orson Welles was making on the roulette scene . . . . subject of magic. . . just because I’m in it 10. Amadeus, by Milos Forman. Je l’ai vu 15 fois; je redé- and I’ve never seen it. couvre de nouveaux plans à chaque fois. Un chef d’oeu- 9. Paramount on Parade. I always enjoyed vre de montage en musique./I have seen it 15 times; I singing along with the title track. discover something new each time. A masterpiece of 10. Follow Through. It would be nice to have montage and music. something in color on this list, and this 1930 two-strip feature is hard to top. Nancy Carroll looks ethereal. Zelma O’Neill is vibrant and, if there’s a phone on this desert island, I can call up Buddy Rogers and congratulate him on starring in such a swell picture!

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE April 1997 53 Howie Mandel “Can I just take two films and trade the other eight in for a raft?”

1. The acclaimed documentary Nautical Navigation. 2. The Return to Gilligan’s Island.

Dubbing in France

France is the premiere country for dubbing, with a unique technique. Herin Luc Hamet provides several words on dubbing in France. Only 34 years old, Luc Hamet is one of the most prolific cartoon voices in France. He has dubbed Roger Rabbit, and Buster Bunny and Plucky Duck in Steven Spielberg Presents Tiny Toon Adventures. He is also the new voice of Kermit the Frog, as well as Felix the Cat . . . he is a one-man zoo!!! He has also dubbed Tom Hulle Howie Mandel and Lil’ Howie in Amadeus and Michael J. Fox in all his films (e.g., Mars Attacks!). For 7 years he has hosted a weekly show featuring the best of Hanna- Le doublage en France Barbera on France 2.

La France est le premier pays du doublage, avec une technique unique au monde. Quelques mots sur le doublage par Luq Hamet. A 34 ans, Luq Hamet est l’une des voix les plus “cartoon” de France. Il a doublé Roger Rabbit, Buster Bunny et Plucky Duck dans la série des Tiny Toons produite par Steven Spielberg. Il est aussi la nouvelle voix de Kermit the Frog, mais aussi celle de Felix the Cat... c’est un zoo à lui tout seul!!! Il a aussi doublé Tom Hulle dans Amadeus et Michael J. Fox dans tous ses films (Mars Attacks!). Il a pre- senté pendant sept ans sur France 2 un show heb- Luc Hamet. domadaire des meilleurs dessins animés de Hanna The tradition of Barbera. dubbing in France goes back almost to the beginnings of talking pictures. The La tradition du doublage en France remonte technique has thus evolved over time and a cer- presque aux origines du cinéma parlant. La tech- tain savoir-faire has developed. If, in the past, come- nique a donc eu le temps d’évoluer et un savoir- dians who did dubbing were not well known, faire s’est developpé. Si, autrefois, les comédiens de today many French stage, movie and television doublage étaient un peu à part, aujourd’hui beau- comedians lend their voices to high quality French coup de comédiens francais de théâtre, de ciné- versions. ma et de télévision prêtent leurs voix pour des ver-

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE April 1997 54 All the preparation that is done before the actu- sions francaises de qualité. al synchronizing of voices are very important. The Les travaux techniques effectués avant l’en- dubbing studios get the film in its original version registrement des voix ont une très grande impor- from their foreign clients or their representa- tance. Les prestataires de service, sociétés de dou- tive/distributor in France. From there, the dubbing blage recoivent le film en version originale de leurs process is set in motion. The film is first “marked” client étranger ou de leur representant/distribu- on an editing machine manipulated by a “detec- teur en France. A partir de là, la chaine du dou- tor,” whose job it is to note on 35mm film all the blage se met en marche. Le film est tout d’abord mouth movements, phrase by phrase, aided by “détecté” sur une machine de montage manip- the original final script. This 35mm reel is then syn- ulée par un “détecteur” dont le travail consiste à chronized with the picture. This “détection” track noter sur bande 35 mm blanche toutes les ouver- is then given to an adapter who translates and tures et fermetures de bouche, phrase par phrase, conforms ir to the original mouth movements pro- aidé du script final original. Cette bande 35 mm viding by the original language. Then someone est synchrone avec l’image. writes on a blank strip of clear 35mm film the Cette bande detectée, appelée “détection” est alors French dialogue to be read by the actors. This confiée à un adaptateur qui va traduire et adapter “rhythm strip” will be shown in the studio in synch sur les bouches le texte original dans sa langue with the picture. The comedians are able to imper- maternelle. Puis un calligraphe appliquera sur cette sonate the original by hearing and looking at the bande blanche une bande 35 mm transparente et film; at the time of the synchronization, their words recopiera d’une belle ecriture les dialogues francais are projected over the picture. The difficult part à destination des acteurs. Cette “bande rythmo” for the artists is to act the way the original come- sera projetée en studio d’enregistrement sur l’im- dian did. While he is reading the rhthym strip, he age. Les comédiens pourront ainsi s’imprégner de has to give the impression that he is acting, rather l’original en écoutant et en regardant le film ; lors than just reading. de l’enregistrement, leur texte defilera sur l’image. In dubbing Who Framed Roger Rabbit, 30 Toute la difficulté pour un artiste est de jouer la French comedians auditioned and their audition comédie tout en respectant le comédien qu’il dou- tapes were all sent to Los Angeles. It was director ble. Tout en lisant la bande rythmo, il devra don- Bob Zemeckis and the artistic director for dubbing ner l’impression qu’il vit la scène et devra faire who together selected the voices. The recording transparaître ses sentiments. sessions lasted 3 weeks and was supervised by Pour le doublage de Qui veut la peau de Roger someone from the original production, who the Rabbit 30 essais de voix ont été effectués avec des director really trusted. For important and big bud- comédiens francais puis envoyés à Los Angeles. get films, such supervisors are in charge of all for- C’est Bob Zemeckis et la directrice artistique du eign versions. They are there until the final mix for doublage qui ont choisi. L’enregistrement a duré the French, Italian, Spanish, Germany, and per- environ trois semaines avec la présence d’une haps Indian language versions of the films which superviseuse, qui avait la confiance du realisateur. they are intimately famliar with in the original ver- Pour les films importants et les grosses produc- sion. In France, more than 80% of audiences see tions, les superviseurs suivent toutes les versions a foreign film in its French version. The quality of etrangères. Ils assistent jusqu’au mixage final à la dubbing is therefore an extremely important ele- naissance en langue francaise, italienne, espag- ment in a film’s box office success. nole, allemande, parfois indienne, du film qu’ils —Translated from the French by Annick Tennige connaissent parfaitement bien en version origi- & Harvey Deneroff nale. En France, plus de 80% des spectateurs voient un film étranger dans sa version francaise. La qualité de doublage est donc un élément extrêmement important pour mener le film au sommet du box office.

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE April 1997 55 ∆ Items are reprinted from the March 7, 1997 Animation Flash. ∆∆ Cartoon Network Fastest ∆∆ Items are reprinted from the Growing. Time-Warner/Turner’s March 21, 1997 Animation Flash. Cartoon Network has been identi- fied as the fastest-growing network ∆∆ Varga And TVC Form New in cable television by the Nielsen Company. After closing shop last ratings bureau. The network, year, 40-year old TVC Cartoons Ltd. which launched in 1992, and is (see article in AWM 07/96 issue) is now the 26th most distributed joining forces with Hungarian ani- cable network, added 9.4 million mation house VARGA Studio to homes to its subscriber base form VARGA tvc Ltd. The company, between December 1996 and to be officially launched in May March 1997, bringing the total 1997, will be jointly owned by Longstocking, Franklin, Ned’s subscription base to more than 40 TVC’s John Coates and Varga’s Newt, Rupert, Little Bear, Donkey million homes in the US. Andras Erkel. While they will con- Kong Country (with Medialab), tinue to act as a service company and Sam & Max. As is the tradition ∆ Cable Industry Addresses for broadcasters and distributors, with the Toronto-based production Issues. On April 7, key executives VARGA tvc plans to move into company, many of Nelvana’s new in the cable industry will present developing more original, in-house series are co-productions with The American Family and projects. Production plans include European companies. Television: A National Town traditional cel-animated adapta- Meeting, a special presentation tions of children’s books, as well as ∆ Nickelodeon Movies Officially focusing on issues about children managing and financing young Opens L.A. Studio. Although sev- and television, as part of the “Tune UK talent’s short films, and creat- eral executives have been setting Into Kids and Family Week” initia- ing opportunities for broadcasters up camp at Paramount for more tive. Media journalist Linda Ellerbee and distributors to develop origi- than a month now, Nickelodeon will moderate a panel discussion nal television projects. Ken announced just this week that it featuring Time/Warner vice chair- Anderson, co-owner (with Jill has officially opened its Los man, Ted Turner, CBS McGreal) of the UK company, Angeles office, with the appoint- Entertainment president Leslie Codename Cartoon, has been ment of Kathrin Seitz as vice pres- Moonves, producer Marcy Carsey, named managing director of ident. Seitz was formerly supervis- and Federal Communication VARGA tvc, while David Unwin has ing producer for the company’s Commission chairman Reed Hunt. been appointed creative director. Nicktoons division, overseeing pro- The discussion is aiming to explore duction on series such as Hey issues and raise questions such as ∆∆ Nelvana Increases Arnold, Angry Beavers and whether TV reflects reality when it Animation Volume. Rugrats. Jerry Beck, vice president comes to the family. We hope to The Canadian studio has expand- of animation for Nickelodeon shed some light on who today’s ed its’ animation production plans, Movies, relocated from New York families are, what they are looking with the anticipated addition of in January. He is overseeing pro- for from television, and, converse- 117 half-hour episodes of original duction on the Rugrats movie, ly, the decision-making process programming to their library in Nickelodeon’s first animated fea- television networks go through 1997, including several new series. ture, now in production by Klasky- that results in what is on the air.” Shows in production include Pippi Csupo in Hollywood. said Linda Ellerbee. The discussion will be taped on March 17 at the

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE April 1997 56 convention of National Cable Story direct-to-video sequel in minute animated short film based Television Association, and will air 1998, but this will not be part of on the Caldecott-award winning commercial-free in the US simulta- the 5-picture Disney deal. The cur- children’s book of the same name, neously on Animal Planet, Bravo, rent Pixar/ Disney film in produc- and narrated by actor John Cartoon Network, the Disney tion is Bugs, an animated feature Lithgow. Produced by Weston Channel, the Family channel, Nick due for a Christmas 1998 release, Woods and parent company at Nite’s TV Land, Nickelodeon, and not to be confused with Ants, Scholastic Productions, Officer USA Network and Sportschannel currently in production at Pacific Buckle will be completed in Chicago, April 7 at 6:30 pm Data Images for Dreamworks. September and distributed to Eastern and Pacific time. schools and libraries. ∆∆”Toy Story 2.” Walt Disney ∆∆ Disney, Katzenberg Will Go Home Video has finally ∆ Men In Black to be Animated To Court. A November 13 trial announced plans to create a Show. Columbia Pictures’ upcom- date has been set for former direct-to-video sequel to Pixar’s Toy ing summer live-action film, “Men Disney studio chairman Jeffrey Story. Tom Hanks and Tim Allen In Black,”produced in association Katzenberg’s breach-of-contract suit have signed on once again to with Steven Spielberg’s Amblin against The Walt Disney Company. voice the characters Woody and Entertainment, will also be done After a filing last April, and unsuc- Buzz Lightyear. This is a separate as an animated series by the chil- cessful efforts to settle out of court, deal than the one entered into dren’s division of Columbia Tristar Katzenberg is suing Disney for between Disney and Pixar earlier Television. The show will ultimate- $250 million, which he feels he is this month. Pixar will produce the ly air on the Kids WB network on owed in profits on animated block- film, John Lassetter will act as exec- Saturday mornings. This is the third busters such as Beauty and the utive producer, while original Toy network series from Columbia Beast and The Lion King, which he Story story artist Ash Brannon will Tristar’s 15-month old children’s played an instrumental role in direct. The film, yet to be titled, is division; their other projects on developing before his resignation expected to be finished in 1998. include “Jumanji,””Extreme in 1994 to form DreamWorks SKG Ghostbusters” and “Project with Steven Spielberg and David ∆∆ New Chuck Jones Short. Geeker”. Geffen. Warner Bros. distribution is featuring Pullet Surprise, the new ani- ∆∆ Felix Goes Global. Film ∆ Disney And Pixar Deal. Pixar’s mated short from Chuck Jones, Roman recently announced deals patience and hard work has final- which will be spliced on to every with several Asian broadcasters to ly paid off, to the tune of a 10-year, print of the feature animated film license The Twisted Tales of Felix 5 picture deal with Walt Disney Cats Don’t Dance. It comes as no the Cat which will bring the ani- Pictures, signed last week. After surprise that Warners is using the mated series to audiences in receiving only about 10% of the Turner-produced Cats as a vehicle Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, China estimated $400 million in profits to promote their own properties, and the Phillipines. Elswehere, on their animated feature Toy after they acquired the property in Felix has already been sold to Story, Pixar from now on will the Time/Warner and Turner merg- broadcasters in over 40 territories receive 50% partnership and prof- er last year. Pullet Surprise, which worldwide. it participation on all projects pro- features classic Warner Bros. char- duced within the definitions of the acters such as Foghorn Leghorn ∆∆ Pillsbury Doughboy Goes to pact, which includes features, and Pete Puma, was directed by Russia. As many American com- videos, merchandise and interac- Darrell Van Citters (on loan from panies are attempting to expand tive media. In addition, Disney has his Renegade Animation studio) their markets into Eastern Europe purchased 1 million shares of Pixar for Chuck Jones Productions. and the former Soviet Union, some common stock ($15 per share), interesting commercials are being and has an option to purchase 1.5 ∆∆ O’Plenty Short Film. New produced to advertise everything million more, which would result York-based O’Plenty Animation from laundry soap to soft drinks. in Disney owning 5% of Pixar. Studio is currently in production Massachusetts-based director Bill Plans are in development for a Toy on Officer Buckle and Gloria, a 10 Linsman recently completed a 30

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE April 1997 57 New York’s Taxi Films. Daniel Sousa served as director of animation, and digital effects were created by Bill Weber at Western Images in San Francisco.

∆ El Torito & Applebee’s Restaurants Serving Duck Soup. Los Angeles’ Duck Soup Producktions recently created Get Together, a “line animated” :30 commercial spot for El Torito Restaurants and its agency, Cohen/Johnson Advertising. Director/Animator Maureen Selwood noted that the spot uses a “painterly” technique and was originally done in black and white, with color added later to give it a Curious Pictures’ origami spot for Hershey’s Nuggets. Mexican flavor. Selwood’s team at Duck Soup included assistant ani- second spot for Leo Burnett and mi characters, and were directed mator Jenny Walsh and colorist Pilsbury, presenting the animated by Steve Oakes and animated by Isabel Herguera. Selwood is per- icon “Pilsbury Doughboy” speak- Dave Figliola and Patrick Zung. haps best known in the indepen- ing in Russian, and baking dent animation community for ∆∆ “bulochki” instead of rolls. Olive Jar Animates Quik. teaching at California Institute of Boston-based animation studio, the Arts’ experimental animation ∆∆ Dovas Animates HBO ID’s. Olive Jar Animation recently com- program, as well as for doing the New York-based animation direc- pleted animation for Nestle Quik animated introductory sequences tor Steven Dovas recently com- Mrs. MacGruder, a 30 second for the PBS/Side-Kick Productions’ pleted production on a series of commercial, with live action by station ID’s for Home Box Office’s (HBO) new Family Channel. The spots were produced using traditional 2-D animation techniques, with additional rendering and compositing done on a Macintosh with Adobe Photoshop and AfterEffects. Music and sound effects were created by John Schnall.

∆ The Curious Art of Origami. New York’s Curious Pictures has used stop motion animation and motion control to turn out two :15 spots for Ogilvy & Mather Advertising and Hershey’s with the theme that, Hershey’s chocolate is “One of life’s little rewards.” The commercials involve using origa- Olive Jar’s spot for Nestle’s Quik.

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE April 1997 58 cannot be filmed or pho- tographed—to truly understand our world and its’ complexities.” EAI is a leading producer of photo- realistic animation for scientific visualization, as well as interactive multimedia and 3D visualization software.

∆∆ SPI Animates Anaconda. Sony Pictures Imageworks’ (SPI) recent work can be seen in the new feature film Anaconda, for which they produced 22 computer generated shots. The animation director at SPI was Eric Armstrong. This is said to be the most extensive use of direct contact between live actors and Duck Soup’s El Torito spot. computer generated characters Animated Women documentaries food chain. created for a feature film. produced in 1994. Duck Soup also did Lunch ∆∆ EAI Animates Asteroids. ∆ Columbia Postpones Dinotopia Combos, a :30 spot for Applebee’s Ames, Iowa-based animation stu- Sony Pictures Imageworks (SPI) pro- restaurants and Wyse Advertising, dio Engineering Animation, Inc. duction of Dinotopia has been put features a voice-over by singer Billy recently created computer visual- on turnaround by Sony’s Columbia Vera. It also uses black lines, this ization animation sequences for Pictures. The 3-D computer live- time to produce a “vibrant neon the National Geographic special, action/animated feature has been look.” It was directed and animat- Asteroids: Deadly Impact. Producer in development at SPI for close to ed by James Murphy. Eitan Weinrich commented, a year now, with Ken Ralston “Advanced animation technology supervising. High expectations for ∆∆ Many of our American readers helps us to visualize strange or the film were deflated when it was may have already noticed the amazing scenarios—those which determined that the film will take heavily aired commercials for Wal- Mart, featuring a computer-generated yellow smiley face whistling to the tune of falling prices. Well, those spots were created by none other than Duck Soup Producktions, and The Front, their new media/live-action production arm.

∆∆ Renegade Animation created the animation for At the Movies, a 30 second spot for Bozell Worldwide’s client, Taco Bell. The 2-D cel animated sequences in the live-action spot feature animal characters, eating nachos at the movie theater, to promote Star Wars toy giveaways for the fast Duck Soup’s The Front spot Wal-Mart.

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE April 1997 59 more than $150 million to pro- (ABC), written by George http://www.film.com/video/scare- duce. This is also what happened Daugherty and Magnet crow. to Harold and the Purple Crayon, Productions’ Look Who’s Balking: the live-action/animated feature Gullah Gullah Island ∆The 1997 Capi Conference on that Raimund Krumme was work- (Nickelodeon), written by Eric “Japanese Popular Culture,” pre- ing on developing before it was Weiner. sented by the Centre for Asia also put on turnaround earlier this Pacific Initiatives of the University of year by Columbia Tristar. Sources ∆TV Academy Presents Student Victoria, will be held April 10-12 at say that although Columbia Awards. The Academy of the University of Victoria in Pictures wants to get into anima- Television Arts & Sciences has Victoria, B.C., Canada. The con- tion, the timing just may not be announced the winners of the ference offers a program of pre- right for it at this time. 18th annual College Awards, presentations and events on Japanese sented by Kodak and the Walter popular music, manga & anima- ∆ Fox Puts on a Show For Lantz Foundation. First place tion, television, movies, TV com- Anastasia. During the recent awards went to Hamid Rahmanian mercials, and leisure activities, plus ShoWest convention in Las Vegas, for his computer animated film, themes such as popular culture 20th Century Fox presented a The Seventh Day, produced at and changing Japanese society, Broadway-style ice show to pro- Pratt Institute, and to Thor and the growing influence of mote Fox Feature Animation’s Freudenthal, for his traditional ani- Japanese pop culture outside debut feature film, Anastasia. The mated film, The Tenor, produced Japan. estimated $1 million ice show was at the California Institute of the Guest speakers include Fred narrated by director Don Bluth, Arts. Schodt and Monkey Punch. and featured world champion Schodt, is an authority on manga, skaters such as Randy Gardner. ∆∆ Animation Seminar in whose books include Manga! There are discussions of adapting Seattle. Scarecrow Video and the Manga! The World of Japanese this and other future Fox animated Seattle Art Museum will present Comics and Dreamland Japan. films into other media, such as ice “Masters of Animation,” the first- Monkey Punch (aka Kazuhiko shows and stage plays; a path that ever animation forum to be held Kato), is one of Japan’s best-known Disney has been very successful at in Seattle, this July 4-6, 1997 at the manga artists, who was responsi- exploiting. While Anastasia. is slat- museum. The three-day event will ble for the popular Lupin series. ed for a November ‘97 release, Fox present seminars in which anima- Conference information, Animation in Phoenix is already tors will present their work and dis- including program details, accom- working on their second film, cuss stylistic approached to ani- modations and transportation info, Planet Ice, and are narrowing mation. Confirmed presenters links to the conference hotels and down the choices of projects for a include The Quay Brothers, Marv other event sites, and a registra- third feature effort. “We want to Newland (International tion form, is available on-line at: convey our enthusiasm and com- Rocketship), Henry Selick, Mark http://web.UVic.CA/hrd/capipopc mitment to animated films” said Gustafsen (Will Vinton Studios), ult, or by sending email to Chris Meledandri, president of Fox Steven Holman (Nickelodeon), Igor [email protected]. Family Films. Kovalyov (Klasky Csupo), Bill Plympton, David Silverman ∆∆ Chromacolour Acquires ∆∆ Writers Guild Award Noms. (DreamWorks), Ralph Bakshi, David Exclusive Animation Disc. The Writer’s Guild of America Anderson, Gerald Potterton, Jim Animation supply company announced nominees for out- Blashfield, Rose Bond, Joan Gratz Chromacolour International (North standing achievement in writing and Ruth Hayes, while additional America) has been granted exclu- for screen, television, radio and on- unconfirmed invitees include sive European and North American air promotion for 1996 produc- Chuck Jones, Tim Hittle, Martin distribution rights to the Korean- tions. Among the nominees are Rosen, Richard Condie. Tickets will made plexiglass animation disc. several animated productions in be available starting June 15th Negotiations were completed dur- the Children’s Script category: IF/X through Scarecrow Video in Seattle ing the recent “Team Canada” Productions’ Peter and the Wolf (800) 700-8554 or trade mission to Korea, involving

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE April 1997 60 the prime minister of Canada. position, leave his post as CEO of ed the new managing director of Chromacolour president Rita Egizii Virgin Sound & Vision, the inter- Fox Kids U.K., the satellite cable said, “This accord represents and active company currently being channel launched in October binds the strengths of both our sold by Spelling Entertainment. under Fox Kids Worldwide, the TV companies—it is an honor to have Will Vinton Studios is planning to program joint venture formed ear- the event recognized in such a expand in the realm of creating lier this year between Saban prestigious manner.” original content for film, television Entertainment and Rupert and multimedia programming. Murdoch’s News Corp. . . . Paul ∆∆ Publishing With Acclaim. Currently in development are two Lipsky has been brought on as Software publisher Acclaim feature film projects, one with senior 3-D animator at Manhattan Entertainment’s six-month old book DreamWorks and the other with Transfer/Edit, a post-production division has entered into several Mel Gibson’s ICON Productions, as studio in New York.. . . . Blue Sky publishing deals with Disney, well as a oon to be announced TV Studios has named Laney Saban and Fox Kids Network to movie deal. David Altshul will con- Gradus production manager for publish children’s books based on tinue acting as president, and Will digital operations, and has also animated and other properties. Vinton will shift over to the posi- promoted Amy Jupiter to execu- Starting in May, Acclaim’s Young tion of chairman. tive producer/vice president of pro- Readers line will release several duction. Prior to joining Blue Sky in series of low-cost monthly book ∆∆∆ Hollywood Shuffle. Shirley early 1996, Jupiter’s background series’ based on properties such as Powell has taken on the position includes producing at Digital Disney’s Hercules, Saban’s Samurai of vice president of media relations Domain and Disney . . . . Bob Pizza Cats, and Fox’s The Tick, for the Disney Channel, where Schreck has joined the staff of Bobby’s World and Life With Louie. she will oversee all public relations Comic-Con International, as a activities for the network. To take consultant to aide in the advertis- ∆∆ Will Vinton Studios Names on the position at Disney Channel, ing, promotion and marketing of Tom Turpin CEO. The Portland, Powell is leaving her post as vice the annual comic book retailing Oregon-based dimensional ani- president of public relations for the convention in San Diego. Schreck mation company has hired the Cartoon Network, where she has has worked at Dark Horse Comics new top executive as part of its been for the past five years. Prior since 1990, and has been in the strategy to increase its global busi- to the Cartoon Network, Powell comics industry for more than 20 ness. Turpin will, in taking on this was manager of press relations for years. . . . Paula Douglass has Nickelodeon Studios. Of Powell as resigned from the position of direc- a new member of the team, tor and co-chairman of the board Disney Channel president Anne at Iwerks Entertainment. . . . Sweeney said “[Powell] is ideally Two top executives from 7th Level suited for the position because of Entertainment have left the her extensive cable background company to pursue other interests: and her knowledge of the kid and former chairman George family programming arena..” . . . Grayson (a founding partner) and Webster Colcord has moved to CEO David Henkel. The positions California and joined Pacific Data have been filled by Donald Images as a senior character ani- Schupak and Bob Ezrin (former mator . . . Jonathan Lyons has president), respectively. 7th Level been promoted to director of 3-D has been disappointed by sales of animation at Duck Soup educational game titles lately, and Producktions. . . . Shawn Morris plans to refocus its energies back has moved from a position as into videogame projects.. . . . staffing consultant for Sony DreamWorks SKG has signed Pictures Imageworks, over to writer-producer Zak Penn to an Will Vinton Studios’ new CEO,Tom Columbia Tristar Television. . . . exclusive, 2-year, first look devel- Turpin Rod Henwood has been appoint- opment deal. Penn has already

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE April 1997 61 been involved with Dreamworks sion has been unsuccessful since contains information about the Animation projects Ants and Fish its launch in 1993. Inscape was event, registration, and exhibiting Out of Water.. . . Tim Sarnoff will formerly a Time-Warner owned companies with special limited- soon leave his top position as joint venture between Warner access pages for registered partic- senior vice president at Warner Music Group, HBO, and Nash ipants offering up-to-date infor- Digital, and head over to Sony New Media. mation. This year’s market is sched- Pictures Imageworks in order to On the upswing, NBC uled to take place April 11-16 in take on the position of top lieu- Digital is restructuring its interac- Cannes, France. tenant to president Ken Ralston. tive division to accommodate Sarnoff will fill the position left by expansion of their new media, ∆ Brøderbund & Colossal Bring Bill Birrell, who resigned last sum- interactive and Internet-based Forth Koala Lumpur: Journey To mer to pursue independent work. activities. And leading theme-park The Edge. The new comic adven- . . . Kenneth Goldstein has been ride producer, Iwerks ture computer game from promoted to vice president and Entertainment has acquired Brøderbund Software, developed executive publisher of Pioneer Technology with (Colossal) Pictures, involves a Brøderbund Software’s enter- Corporation, further expanding journey by Zen master Koala tainment products studio. . . . the company’s business into pro- Lumpur to to rectify the repercus- Venice, California effects studio ductions for giant-screen exhibi- sions of a mistaken incantation to Digital Domain has promoted Ed tion. find the pieces of The Lost Scroll Ulbrich to head of all production. In response to requests of Cartoon Prophesies. If Ulbrich has been at Digital Domain made by member companies such unchecked, the incantation will since its founding in 1993, most as DreamWorks, the Association bring about the “Comedy recently as head of just the com- for Interactive Media is planning Apocalypse.” The CD-ROM game mercial production division. to form an “entertainment coun- is available is currently available in cil” to address the need for bridg- stores at a street price of about ∆ Interactive Industry Shuffles. ing the gap between the enter- US$39.00, and requires either A number of recent downsizings, tainment industry and the tech- Windows 95 or Windows 3.1. mergers, and acquisitions are indi- nology community. cating an overall slowdown in the ∆ Land Before Time. Universal interactive gaming industry, the ∆∆ Central Park Media Creates Home Video is partnering with result of competition in an over sat- Online Content for AOL. Burger King and other sponsors to urated market. America Online has partnered with launch The Land Before Time Sing Last month, Virgin Binary Media Works and Central Along Songs, a 30 minute sing- Interactive was offered for sale Park Media, one of the largest along video based on The Land by parent company, Spelling American distributors of Japanese Before Time animated films. The Entertainment. While just this Animation, to present sing along will be released with a week, special effects studio Digital Japanimation Station, a Web site box set of all four features released Domain has drastically cut staff for fans of anime. The site features in the home video series in May. from its interactive division, and an archive of images, sound and The fifth and sixth features are now canceled all but one of their inter- video clips, a database of titles, a in production., as well as a CD- active projects. This comes as trade show calendar, a releases cal- ROM by Sound Source Interactive, somewhat of a surprise, with endar, chat rooms and Anime The Land Before Time Activity Digital Domain’s Barbie Fashion Today, a weekly newsletter. Now, Center. Designer CD-ROM produced for if only the AOL users could get Mattel, is a record bestseller. . . . online . . . . California software company, Compiled by Wendy Jackson Graphix Zone, has recently ∆∆ MIP TV Online The Reed acquired both the interactive divi- Midem organization has launched sion of Trimark Holdings, Inc., a Web site to promote and sup- Submissions of newswordhy idems as well as CD-ROM developer port the international TV market, may be sent to [email protected] Inscape. Trimark’s interactive divi- MIP TV. The site (www.miptv.com)

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE April 1997 62 AWN Comics

The Dirdy Birdy by John R. Dilworth

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE April 1997 63 Animation World Magazine 1997 Calendar

May issue highlights

The May 1997 issue will focus on animated commercials. It will include profiles of two major spot houses (the high tech Blue Sky Studios and the low-tech Acme Filmworks), along with Karl Cohen’s look at (Colossal) Pictures’ journey in and out of bankruptcy. Also, Gene Walz provides a look back at Phillips-Gutkin-Associates, Canada’s leading commercial producer during the 1950s. On the festival front, we will review the World Animation Celebration, Cartoons on the Bay and the Hong Kong Film Festival, Fred Patten takes a look at Antonia Levi’s book, Samurai From Outer Space, and much, much more.

Education & Jobs (June)

Comic Art (July)

Computer Animation (August)

International Television (September)

Licencing & Merchandising (October)

Home Video (November)

ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE April 1997 64