Tag Archives: Disney

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Never-Before-Seen Robin Williams ‘Aladdin’ Outtakes Revealed in New Blu-ray Edition

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“He was the genie. He was bigger than life.”

The Hollywood Reporter is reporting that there will be some never before seen outtakes in the new Blueray edition of Aladdin.

In 1992, Disney’s animated classic Aladdin became a hit with adults and children alike, with much credit due to the performance of Robin Williams as the unforgettable genie.

Now, almost 25 years later, Disney is releasing the Aladdin Diamond Edition Blu-ray Combo Pack with never-before seen outtakes of Williams in the recording studio — all of his unstoppable talent on full display. To celebrate the launch of the new edition, the directors, composer and voices behind the film appeared on Good Morning America to pay tribute to the late actor and all that he contributed to the film.

“It was amazing working with Robin, absolutely incredible,” said composer Alan Menken.

“We wrote the part with Robin in mind,” added co-director John Musker mused. “We didn’t know if he would do it. We were totally walking down the plank; if he didn’t want to do it, we were in big trouble because the whole concept was built around Robin — fortunately, he agreed to do it.”

“Nobody else could be the genie,” co-director Ron Clemens mused. “We recorded him in four-hour sessions and he would be going for four-hours straight. By the end, he was just drenched in sweat. He had so much energy and so much passion.”

“He was the genie,” added Musker. “He was bigger than life,”

Watch the full clip below.

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Life at the Jay Ward studio, as seen by Bill Scott, part 1

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Darrell Van Citters; Renegade Animation studio owner, author, Animation Historian (and also my boss!) has the first of a multi part series up on his blog about life at the Jay Ward studios. Also, if you haven’t already picked up Darrell’s most recent book, The Art of Jay Ward it’s a fascinating look inside the studio that brought us Bullwinkle and Mr. Peabody. Check it out!

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Patrick Stannard

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What is your name and your current occupation?
My name is Patrick Stannard, though most people refer to me as “the Kilted Animator” or “that guy in the Kilt”. I currently work at Powerhouse Animation as an Animator.

 

What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation?
Ho boy, I’ve worked some pretty nasty jobs before getting into my art career. My favorite one to tell people about is when I worked as a raisin dumper. To your quirked eyebrow and inquisitive expression I say, a raisin dumper is exactly that, someone who dumps raisins, frozen blocks of raisins, eight hours a day. I performed this simple task at a grain factory in Michigan that supplied grain and fruits for cereal companies to box and ship. Extra Extra Raisin Bran was the worst, the conveyor belt never stopped moving, and you’d come home smelling like boxes, and boxes, of raisins. The smell never really washes out.

 

What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of?
There’s so many. I’ve been lucky enough to have a career of varied experiences. Epic Mickey 2 and Stoic Studios: The Banner Saga are my two biggest go to projects currently. Both have taught me a lot about how to animate well and efficiently, as well as allowed me to really explore and have fun. There is of course my internship at Disney when I was a Junior in college, I can say that I learned more in that year than I have any other in my life, and I’ll always cherish that summer as one of my best. The job I’ve been proudest to work on however has got to be a little video game project titled, Downfall Aftermath.  If you’ll permit me to reminisce, Downfall Aftermath was a glorious experiment. At a community college in Kalamazoo, we put together a 6 man team to pitch an idea for a new video game production class. To prove it’s worth we were tasked with producing a working video game in 13 weeks, from scratch. The final product wasn’t what you would call a AAA title, nor even a B or C game, but it had functioning levels, a multiplayer server, working character models, animations, items, and above all we finished it on time. It made the local papers and was played at the school for a couple years beyond that. It helped spur the animation and game courses in my home town. It was a risk when I hopped onto the project, and it required more sleepless nights than I prefer to remember, but it was a rewarding adventure and opportunity to explore my passion.

 

Where are you from and how did you get into the animation business?
I’m from Kalamazoo Michigan, and ever since I was reprimanded at a parent teacher conference for drawing on my homework, I’ve known that art was the career for me. Animation specifically Continue reading

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Tad Stones

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What is your name and your current occupation?
My name is Tad Stones and what I do pretty much depends on the hour of the day. Currently I’m a storyboard artist at Bento Box Entertainment. I just finished an episode of the new Fox series, ALLEN GREGORY, and will soon be returning to board on the second season of the wonderful BOB’S BURGERS.
However, I’m also in written development on a new series for Disney Junior. I’m past the written pitch and am waiting for word on which of my premises will move into outline so you can call me a writer. The series is based on a Disney property and if it makes it into production I’ll be the Executive Producer.
But catch me between drafts and I’m finishing the board on my own pilot for Cartoon Network. Hope to move it into animatic soon. That will give me the triple crown of EP, Story Editor and Creator.
What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation?
I started three days after college graduation so I hadn’t had many jobs. I was a scooper then an unofficial assistant manager at a Baskin Robbins 31 Flavors. I was there during the moon landing (with instructions to pull Lunar Cheesecake if anything went wrong at Tranquility Base). For two summers in college I was a camp counselor for WoodCraft Rangers at Lake Arrowhead. Then, for the summer of my Junior year, the last year before “real life”, I worked eight hours a day trying to sell gag cartoons to magazines. The closest I got was that the Saturday Evening Post held one for further consideration. The brainstorming I did that summer paid off in spades when I moved into story at Disney Feature Animation.
What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of?
I’ll say that my favorites were DARKWING DUCK and HELLBOY ANIMATED for completely different reasons. With Darkwing I was able to chase the funny more and play with all the comic book tropes I loved. With Hellboy I was trying to create true suspense. Mike Mignola and I wrote a third picture which would easily be the best of what we did. That’s definitely a project I’d like to return to.

How did you become interested in animation?
I always loved it. I remember an animation exhibit at Disneyland and bought Bob Thomas’s book, THE ART OF ANIMATION. My dad had wanted to be a cartoonist but didn’t pursue it after graduating. He did, however, Continue reading

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Alisa Harris

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What is your name and your current occupation?
My name is Alisa Harris and I’m a freelance character designer and traditional Flash animator in New York City.

What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation?
One summer during college, I painted carousel horses in Canarsie, Brooklyn. It was pretty awesome.  Some of the carousels I worked on are at the Willow Grove Mall in PA, Bryant Park in NYC and overseas.  When I first graduated from art school, the animation industry had tanked.  I ended up doing data entry for two years at an insurance company specializing in mental health and substance abuse.  I like to joke that it prepared me for working in the animation industry.

What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of?
One of my favorite projects was my first lead design position at Flickerlab in NYC.  It was a web series for Ritz/Nabisco on how to have cheap family fun in the summer.  It was the first commercial project that I designed characters and props in my own style.  There was a lot of freedom in designing the families and I enjoyed creating a more diverse cast.  Because it was a small studio, I also boarded half of the episodes and did some of the Flash puppet setup.  It was really cool to see my own designs and staging come through to the final episodes.

How did you become interested in animation?
As a kid, I loved Looney Tunes, classic Disney films, The Muppet Show and Rankin Bass Christmas Specials.  In the ’80s, my family would watch The Disney Sunday Night Movie and I was riveted to the Continue reading

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PARIS OPERA COMMISSIONS GLEN KEANE TO CREATE “NEPHTALI”

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 15, 2015

PARIS OPERA COMMISSIONS GLEN KEANE TO CREATE “NEPHTALI,” A SHORT FILM FOR THEIR NEW DIGITAL STAGE, “3RD STAGE”

Glen Keane Productions is pleased to announce the official launch of Glen’s new film, “Nephtali,” which was created for the Paris Opera to coincide with today’s launch of their new digital stage, 3rd Stage (3e Scène, in French). Here is a direct link to the film: https://www.operadeparis.fr/en/3e-scene/nephtali.

Glen was personally invited to join a distinguished list of artists and filmmakers to help launch 3rd Stage by Benjamin Millepied, the new Director of Dance for the Paris Opera. Benjamin and Glen first met while they were both working on projects at Google last year.

“We invited Glen Keane to come to the Paris Opera because he is one of the best artists in the world,” stated Dimitri Chamblas, artistic director of the 3rd Stage of Paris Opera. “It was such a dream to have him working with the dancers to invent a story. He is first and foremost about the movement of his subject, and the very singular and fantastic way he transmits that movement through animation. Glen is a major artist and we couldn’t imagine opening the Paris Opera Digital stage without having him on board.”

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The 3rd Stage’s spectators live all around the globe, speak every language, and love art in all its forms. Stéphane Lissner, Director of the Paris Opera, describes the 3rdStage as “an autonomous venue for digital creation to complement the Palais Garnier and the Opéra Bastille.” He continues, “The aim of this digital 3rd Stage is to commission new works from artists through original pieces offering an original perspective on the world of opera, music, dance, our cultural heritage, the architecture of our two theatres and the skilled professionals working of the Paris Opera. Glen is among 16 other top artists and filmmakers who were invited to create unique works for the debut of the 3rd Stage. The rest of the films can be seen here: https://www.operadeparis.fr/en/3e-scene

“Nephtali”, which refers to Jacob’s blessings and Psalm 42, was born from the comparison between the grace of a dancer and that of a deer. In a choreography which Glen created with dancer Marion Barbeau, he depicts the journey of a soul that is drawn towards a higher power, fights a struggle and is eventually liberated. By using both film and drawing, Glen and Marion manage to overcome the constraints of gravity and attain the freedom towards which a dancer’s body and spirit always aspire.

Said Glen Keane, “It was a humbling experience for me to work as an animator in the Opera Garnier. It is a palace steeped in the heritage of the craft and art of ballet. I was astounded by the expressiveness and power of the dancers I drew. There is a close connection between dance and animation. I was taught by my mentors at Disney to think in terms of “golden poses” that communicate the emotion and attitude of the character. I noticed in ballet the same use of these “golden poses.” Working with ballerina Marion Barbeau I had the impression I was working with a great animator, only she expressed herself through her body’s movements instead of a pencil… and with such rhythm and grace! I am truly grateful to Benjamin Millepied and the Paris Ballet for the invitation to step into their world and live my animation dream for a moment.

ABOUT GLEN KEANE AND GLEN KEANE PRODUCTIONS

A 38-year veteran of Walt Disney Feature Animation, Glen Keane is most noted for creating and animating such legendary Disney characters as Ariel in “The Little Mermaid”, Aladdin, Pocahontas, the Beast from “Beauty and the Beast”, and Tarzan. Glen also served as Supervising Animator and Executive Producer on Disney’s 2010 box office hit, “Tangled”. In the spring of 2012, Glen decided to leave Disney Studios in pursuit of further artistic exploration. In his departure letter he stated: “I am convinced that animation really is the ultimate art form of our time with endless new territories to explore. I can’t resist its siren call to step out and discover them.” In 2013, he launched Glen Keane Productions to pursue his personal projects. Immediately after launching GKP, he teamed up with Google ATAP (Advanced Technology and Projects) to create the acclaimed Google Spotight Story, “duet.”