Friday, January 8, 2010

Toot Whistle Plunk and Boom

By Walt Disney in 1953

It's a little bit un-PC for these days so be warned. I like the animation a lot, and also I learned something about horns after watching it. Back then they would animate things even when they weren't doing anything. Nowadays Flash-animated characters don't move until they absolutely have to.

This cartoon has 2 distinct styles. There's a framing devise of a classroom to explain the actual meat of the cartoon. The classroom is done in the traditional Disney style. Then there's the musical part of the cartoon. That's my favorite part. I really like that streamlined, engineered and simplified style.

(The following has been rewritten in light of a new outlook, and so I don't appear as moronic as I did before.)

At 1st I thought John K hated this style but I was mistaken (see comments below.) John K breaks it down really well and for some reason I thought he was explaining why he hated it, but I misread it. I had no idea there was that much thought and planning going into these layouts. After I read his post and rewatched the cartoon, I do see all the imaginary construction lines.

5 comments:

  1. actually John K likes this style for this cartoon, because it was created by legends who were the best draftsmen in the world. he hates that all cartoons today are trying to mimic this flat style and not doing it properly. it is hard to animate something that is flat and not "properly" constructed. that is why he "breaks it down".

    this is by far one of my fav disney shorts and it showcases the genius that is TOM OREB.

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  2. I guess you are right. He did a bunch of posts on this cartoon, and it seemed to me like he despised it the 1st time I read it. Now when I go back and look at it again he seems positive about it. I could swear he was complaining about it all, but maybe it was one of those situations where I couldn't hear him explain it out loud so I didn't pick up on meanings. ok then. I take it back.

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  3. I think I've figured out what happened now. I always imagine John K being angry about rigid cartoons that don't stretch or squash, so when I read his post I was imagining him saying it all with hate and contempt in his voice. When you say "this reeks of Disney to the core" with a mean voice it sounds negative. When you say it with a nice voice it sounds sort of positive. I guess.

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  4. Keith, thanks both for posting the toon, which I love by the way (I now know more about trumpets than I ever have before in my 55 years), and for the link to the John K blog. Neat stuff; I had no idea that much composition could go into a cartoon.
    The cartoon itself, both parts are enjoyable. I like the dumb bird in the beginning sitting on the dumb stool with the dunce cap on his head. And the Owl school teacher...is he voiced by the guy who would later do Piglet's voice?
    best,
    r/e

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  5. R/E
    I don't know about the Piglet voice. It certainly seems plausible.

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