If one were to search for "Disney Recycled Animation" on YouTube, one would find several videos showing side-by-side comparisons of 2D animated Disney films recycling the same bits of animation. It's not much of a "gotcha" if you know anything about the painstaking reality of what it takes to complete a traditionally animated feature film, nor is recycling shots something limited to films or television. If anything, animators repeating themselves is as inevitable as writers using their favorite turn of phrase over and over. (That's my cue to wipe away my own flop sweat.)
In the case of Disney's animated "The Jungle Book" and "The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh", the two pictures have more in common than suspiciously identical scenes of young boys wandering around in the wild. "The Jungle Book" protagonist Mowgli the Man-Cub was voiced by Bruce Reitherman, who was then fresh off lending his vocals...
In the case of Disney's animated "The Jungle Book" and "The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh", the two pictures have more in common than suspiciously identical scenes of young boys wandering around in the wild. "The Jungle Book" protagonist Mowgli the Man-Cub was voiced by Bruce Reitherman, who was then fresh off lending his vocals...
- 3/3/2024
- by Sandy Schaefer
- Slash Film
Everybody wants to be a cat, but not a ton of people want to direct cats. Count Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson in that rarefied latter group, because the Oscar winner behind “Summer of Soul” is making his narrative debut with a remake of the Disney animated feature “The Aristocats,” IndieWire has confirmed.
An individual with knowledge of the project told IndieWire that the film will be a “live-action hybrid reimagining” of the original film, a 1970 animated feature directed by Wolfgang Reitherman. In addition to directing, Questlove will oversee the music for the film. The script was penned by Will Gluck, director of the 2014 “Annie” and “Peter Rabbit,” and Keith Bunin, writer of the 2020 Pixar film “Onward.”
The project makes sense for Questlove in a way because the film’s most memorable moment is a jazz sequence, set to the song “Ev’rybody Wants to Be a Cat” — Quentin Tarantino claims the...
An individual with knowledge of the project told IndieWire that the film will be a “live-action hybrid reimagining” of the original film, a 1970 animated feature directed by Wolfgang Reitherman. In addition to directing, Questlove will oversee the music for the film. The script was penned by Will Gluck, director of the 2014 “Annie” and “Peter Rabbit,” and Keith Bunin, writer of the 2020 Pixar film “Onward.”
The project makes sense for Questlove in a way because the film’s most memorable moment is a jazz sequence, set to the song “Ev’rybody Wants to Be a Cat” — Quentin Tarantino claims the...
- 3/27/2023
- by Wilson Chapman
- Indiewire
Animator, director, producer and story artist Burny Mattinson, who joined the Walt Disney Company at the end of its first great run of films, when Dumbo (1941) and Bambi (1942) were new and an in-his-prime Walt Disney was just 42 years old, died today. He was 87. He was the last full-time Walt Disney Studios employee who had worked at the company when Walt Disney still ran it.
Seeing the studio’s Pinocchio at the age of six convinced Mattinson he wanted to work in animation. “Ever since I saw that film, this was my dream—to work in this business,” he recalled years later. “So I worked every day, drawing.”
Related Story Hollywood & Media Deaths In 2023: Photo Gallery & Obituaries Related Story Ron DeSantis' New Book Describes Phone Call With Bob Chapek, Says Then-Disney CEO Talked Of Unprecedented Pressure To Weigh In On "Don't Say Gay" Bill Related Story Amazon, Disney Employees Petition...
Seeing the studio’s Pinocchio at the age of six convinced Mattinson he wanted to work in animation. “Ever since I saw that film, this was my dream—to work in this business,” he recalled years later. “So I worked every day, drawing.”
Related Story Hollywood & Media Deaths In 2023: Photo Gallery & Obituaries Related Story Ron DeSantis' New Book Describes Phone Call With Bob Chapek, Says Then-Disney CEO Talked Of Unprecedented Pressure To Weigh In On "Don't Say Gay" Bill Related Story Amazon, Disney Employees Petition...
- 2/27/2023
- by Tom Tapp
- Deadline Film + TV
Slip into a pair of Bermuda shorts, pack your magical traveling bag, and get ready for an Arthurian adventure because we’re looking back on Disney’s The Sword in the Stone. For this final episode of Animation Movies Revisited, we’ll embark on a grand Arthurian adventure filled with valuable life lessons, prestidigitation, and one of the greatest wizard duels in cinema. Directed by Wolfgang Reitherman, The Sword in the Stone presents Mouseketeers with a film that nearly broke the studio, being the product of artist feuds and significant changes to the original story by T.H. White. Join us as we explore Camelot alongside some of Disney’s most extraordinary characters and relive the magic of the animated classic that teaches generations about the importance of a good education, how to embrace the unknown, and Darwinism!
Animation Movies Revisited is written and narrated by Steve Seigh and was edited by Jasmyn Evans-Samuels.
Animation Movies Revisited is written and narrated by Steve Seigh and was edited by Jasmyn Evans-Samuels.
- 1/30/2023
- by Steve Seigh
- JoBlo.com
If you’re a new parent, you know that finding quality movies for your toddler can be a challenge. You want something to keep them entertained, but you also wish to be educational and age-appropriate. Luckily, Disney has a wide selection of great movies for toddlers that will please everyone in the family.
Everything You Need to Know About Disney’s “Baymax!” Series
Disney movies are a cherished part of childhood for many young kids. From classic tales like Cinderella and Snow White to modern-day hits like Frozen, these movies capture kids’ imaginations around the world.
For toddlers, many Disney films can be a fascinating way to learn about the world around them. The vibrant colors and catchy songs help to engage young minds, and the stories often teach kids valuable life lessons.
Whether your toddler is fascinated by animals or loves to dance along with the songs, there will...
Everything You Need to Know About Disney’s “Baymax!” Series
Disney movies are a cherished part of childhood for many young kids. From classic tales like Cinderella and Snow White to modern-day hits like Frozen, these movies capture kids’ imaginations around the world.
For toddlers, many Disney films can be a fascinating way to learn about the world around them. The vibrant colors and catchy songs help to engage young minds, and the stories often teach kids valuable life lessons.
Whether your toddler is fascinated by animals or loves to dance along with the songs, there will...
- 4/8/2022
- by Israr
- buddytv.com
Here's a novel idea: a live-action movie about talking cats. Even better? It's a live-action Disney remake!
Disney is going back to the well of its 1970s animated slump with a live-action remake of "The Aristocats." The original film, which Wolfgang Reitherman directed between "The Jungle Book" and "Robin Hood," centered on cats in Paris who stand to inherit money until their owner's butler kidnaps them and strands them in the French countryside.
Deadline reports that a live-action take on "The Aristocats" is indeed in development. Things are still in the early stages, but writer-director Will Gluck and screenwriter Keith Bunin are attached to it and will pen the script. Gluck has a...
The post Disney is Giving The Aristocats the Live-Action Treatment appeared first on /Film.
Disney is going back to the well of its 1970s animated slump with a live-action remake of "The Aristocats." The original film, which Wolfgang Reitherman directed between "The Jungle Book" and "Robin Hood," centered on cats in Paris who stand to inherit money until their owner's butler kidnaps them and strands them in the French countryside.
Deadline reports that a live-action take on "The Aristocats" is indeed in development. Things are still in the early stages, but writer-director Will Gluck and screenwriter Keith Bunin are attached to it and will pen the script. Gluck has a...
The post Disney is Giving The Aristocats the Live-Action Treatment appeared first on /Film.
- 1/21/2022
- by Joshua Meyer
- Slash Film
A live-action adaptation of the classic animated film “The Aristocats” is in early development at Disney, Variety has confirmed.
“Peter Rabbit” director Will Gluck and “Onward” writer Keith Bunin are set to pen the script, with Gluck also producing via his Olive Bridge Entertainment banner.
The original 1970 film follows a family of aristocratic cats — mother Duchess and her three kittens Berlioz, Marie and Toulouse — living a luxurious life in Paris. But when their owner’s butler finds out that the cats are set to receive a massive fortune, he kidnaps them and abandons them in an unfamiliar land — the country. The aristocats then must befriend an alley cat, named Thomas O’Malley, to help them get home before the butler steals what is rightfully theirs.
Directed by core Disney animator Wolfgang Reitherman, the original voice cast included Phil Harris, Eva Gabor, Hermione Baddeley, Dean Clark, Sterling Holloway, Scatman Crothers and Roddy Maude-Roxby.
“Peter Rabbit” director Will Gluck and “Onward” writer Keith Bunin are set to pen the script, with Gluck also producing via his Olive Bridge Entertainment banner.
The original 1970 film follows a family of aristocratic cats — mother Duchess and her three kittens Berlioz, Marie and Toulouse — living a luxurious life in Paris. But when their owner’s butler finds out that the cats are set to receive a massive fortune, he kidnaps them and abandons them in an unfamiliar land — the country. The aristocats then must befriend an alley cat, named Thomas O’Malley, to help them get home before the butler steals what is rightfully theirs.
Directed by core Disney animator Wolfgang Reitherman, the original voice cast included Phil Harris, Eva Gabor, Hermione Baddeley, Dean Clark, Sterling Holloway, Scatman Crothers and Roddy Maude-Roxby.
- 1/21/2022
- by Ellise Shafer
- Variety Film + TV
Disney is in early development on a remake of its 1973 animated musical comedy “Robin Hood” for Disney Plus.
“Blindspotting” director Carlos Lopez Estrada is on board to helm the movie. Kari Granlund, who wrote the script for 2019’s Disney Plus reboot of “Lady and the Tramp,” is attached to pen the new “Robin Hood.” Justin Springer, whose Disney credits include “Dumbo” and “Tron: Legacy,” is producing the pic.
The new version is being developed with the animals in a CGI/live-action hybrid format, similar to Disney remakes of “The Jungle Book” and “Dumbo.” The deals for Estrada and Granlund were signed early last month prior to the coronavirus pandemic.
The 1973 “Robin Hood” — produced and directed by Wolfgang Reitherman — was centered on the classic story of Robin Hood, Little John, Friar Tuck, Maid Marian and the Sheriff of Nottingham. Hood, portrayed as a fox, led the fight against Prince John’s excessive taxation.
“Blindspotting” director Carlos Lopez Estrada is on board to helm the movie. Kari Granlund, who wrote the script for 2019’s Disney Plus reboot of “Lady and the Tramp,” is attached to pen the new “Robin Hood.” Justin Springer, whose Disney credits include “Dumbo” and “Tron: Legacy,” is producing the pic.
The new version is being developed with the animals in a CGI/live-action hybrid format, similar to Disney remakes of “The Jungle Book” and “Dumbo.” The deals for Estrada and Granlund were signed early last month prior to the coronavirus pandemic.
The 1973 “Robin Hood” — produced and directed by Wolfgang Reitherman — was centered on the classic story of Robin Hood, Little John, Friar Tuck, Maid Marian and the Sheriff of Nottingham. Hood, portrayed as a fox, led the fight against Prince John’s excessive taxation.
- 4/10/2020
- by Dave McNary
- Variety Film + TV
After five years of combining animated short subjects, and a combo live-action/animation feature, Disney dove into full feature animation fantasy again with the most basic of Fairy Tales. Just because he learned to create animation for a price doesn’t mean that the quality slacked off — the wondrous design and animation is augmented by terrific songs. Yes, half the picture is about cute mice and birds and other critters … which are done so well, the show is worth seeing multiple times. This handsome Signature Collection release follows earlier Diamond and Platinum releases … and don’t ask me to decode that classification system.
Cinderella
Blu-ray + DVD + Digital Code
Walt Disney
1950 / Color / 1:37 Academy / 75 min. / The Signature Collection / Street Date June 25, 2019 / 39.99
Voice Actors: Ilene Woods, Eleanor Audley, Lucille Bliss, Rhoda Williams, Verna Felton.
Songs: Mack David, Al Hoffman, Jerry Livingston
Directing Animators: Les Clark, Marc Davis, Norm Ferguson, Ollie Johnston, Milt Kahl,...
Cinderella
Blu-ray + DVD + Digital Code
Walt Disney
1950 / Color / 1:37 Academy / 75 min. / The Signature Collection / Street Date June 25, 2019 / 39.99
Voice Actors: Ilene Woods, Eleanor Audley, Lucille Bliss, Rhoda Williams, Verna Felton.
Songs: Mack David, Al Hoffman, Jerry Livingston
Directing Animators: Les Clark, Marc Davis, Norm Ferguson, Ollie Johnston, Milt Kahl,...
- 6/15/2019
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
On Nov. 8, 1973, Buena Vista unveiled its 83-minute animated adaptation Robin Hood, featuring music and songs from George Bruns, Roger Miller, Floyd Huddleston and Johnny Mercer. The Hollywood Reporter's original review is below:
Two-thirds of Robin Hood, the new Disney animated feature produced and directed by Wolfgang Reitherman, is charming, amusing and imaginative. The characterizations are simple, vivid, and with the aid of the vocal talents of Peter Ustinov and Terry-Thomas, sometimes genuinely inspired. But there's also that other third, spaced throughout the 83-minute movie, which is visually monotonous, uninteresting and a rehash of familiar Disney techniques.
The ...
Two-thirds of Robin Hood, the new Disney animated feature produced and directed by Wolfgang Reitherman, is charming, amusing and imaginative. The characterizations are simple, vivid, and with the aid of the vocal talents of Peter Ustinov and Terry-Thomas, sometimes genuinely inspired. But there's also that other third, spaced throughout the 83-minute movie, which is visually monotonous, uninteresting and a rehash of familiar Disney techniques.
The ...
- 11/21/2018
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
On Nov. 8, 1973, Buena Vista unveiled its 83-minute animated adaptation Robin Hood, featuring music and songs from George Bruns, Roger Miller, Floyd Huddleston and Johnny Mercer. The Hollywood Reporter's original review is below:
Two-thirds of Robin Hood, the new Disney animated feature produced and directed by Wolfgang Reitherman, is charming, amusing and imaginative. The characterizations are simple, vivid, and with the aid of the vocal talents of Peter Ustinov and Terry-Thomas, sometimes genuinely inspired. But there's also that other third, spaced throughout the 83-minute movie, which is visually monotonous, uninteresting and a rehash of familiar Disney techniques.
The ...
Two-thirds of Robin Hood, the new Disney animated feature produced and directed by Wolfgang Reitherman, is charming, amusing and imaginative. The characterizations are simple, vivid, and with the aid of the vocal talents of Peter Ustinov and Terry-Thomas, sometimes genuinely inspired. But there's also that other third, spaced throughout the 83-minute movie, which is visually monotonous, uninteresting and a rehash of familiar Disney techniques.
The ...
- 11/21/2018
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
It’s not every day your audience includes the most famous anthropomorphic rodent in the world, but in celebration of Disney legend Mickey Mouse’s 90th birthday, members of Zac Brown Band performed as Mickey looked on from the best seat in the house. Brown and company performed “Bare Necessities,” a song from 1967’s The Jungle Book, a Disney film that didn’t feature the cartoon mouse, but instead included a wild kingdom of characters including the young man-cub Mowgli and his companion, Baloo the bear, who first performed the song onscreen.
- 11/6/2018
- by Stephen L. Betts
- Rollingstone.com
Jon Favreau's The Jungle Book did great in Germany on its opening weekend, pulling in $5.4 million on 655 screens with nearly half a million tickets sold, the best opening for one of Disney's classic reboots here since 2010's Alice in Wonderland. The film has grossed a total of $5.8 million in the territory so far. But the new Jungle Book has a way to go if it's to catch Disney's 1967 original in the country. The first Jungle Book, directed by Wolfgang Reitherman, is not just the most successful animation film in Germany. It's not just Disney's biggest-
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- 4/20/2016
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Photo by: Sarah Dunn. ©2016 Disney Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Brand new special shoot images featuring the cast of Disney’s The Jungle Book have been released.
Featuring Idris Elba, Scarlett Johansson, Lupita Nyong’o, Sir Ben Kingsley, Christopher Walken and Giancarlo Esposito, each image pairs the actor with their onscreen character, as well as quotes from the actors.
Voiced by Idris Elba, Shere Khan bears the scars of man, which fuel his hatred of humans. Convinced that Mowgli poses a threat, the bengal tiger is determined to rid the jungle of the man-cub. “Shere Khan reigns with fear,” says Elba. “He terrorizes everyone he encounters because he comes from a place of fear.”
Kaa is a massive python who uses her voice and hypnotic gaze to entrance Mowgli. The man-cub can’t resist her captivating embrace. “Kaa seduces and entraps Mowgli with her storytelling,” says Scarlett Johansson. “She’s...
Brand new special shoot images featuring the cast of Disney’s The Jungle Book have been released.
Featuring Idris Elba, Scarlett Johansson, Lupita Nyong’o, Sir Ben Kingsley, Christopher Walken and Giancarlo Esposito, each image pairs the actor with their onscreen character, as well as quotes from the actors.
Voiced by Idris Elba, Shere Khan bears the scars of man, which fuel his hatred of humans. Convinced that Mowgli poses a threat, the bengal tiger is determined to rid the jungle of the man-cub. “Shere Khan reigns with fear,” says Elba. “He terrorizes everyone he encounters because he comes from a place of fear.”
Kaa is a massive python who uses her voice and hypnotic gaze to entrance Mowgli. The man-cub can’t resist her captivating embrace. “Kaa seduces and entraps Mowgli with her storytelling,” says Scarlett Johansson. “She’s...
- 3/21/2016
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Pick your favorite spot to watch—anytime and anywhere—and get ready for a fun-filled adventure with the Diamond Edition of 101 Dalmatians! Pongo, Perdita and their super-adorable puppies are in for thrills, hilarious spills and an epic action-packed adventure when they face off with Cruella De Vil, Disney’s most fabulously outrageous villainess. When Cruella dognaps all of the Dalmatian puppies in London, brave animal heroes launch a daring plan to save all puppies from Cruella’s clutches! Unleash all the excitement and suspense of Disney’s 101 Dalmatians, a beloved classic you’ll want to share with your family again and again!
Cast: Rod Taylor (Inglorious Bastards, The Birds) as Pongo, J. Pat O’Malley (The Jungle Book, Alice in Wonderland) as Jasper and Betty Lou Gerson (The Fly, Cats Don’t Dance) as Cruella de Vil
Producer: Walt Disney
Directors: Wolfgang Reitherman, Hamilton S. Luske and Clyde Geronimi
Writers: Story by Bill Peet.
Cast: Rod Taylor (Inglorious Bastards, The Birds) as Pongo, J. Pat O’Malley (The Jungle Book, Alice in Wonderland) as Jasper and Betty Lou Gerson (The Fly, Cats Don’t Dance) as Cruella de Vil
Producer: Walt Disney
Directors: Wolfgang Reitherman, Hamilton S. Luske and Clyde Geronimi
Writers: Story by Bill Peet.
- 11/4/2014
- by ComicMix Staff
- Comicmix.com
Academy Award-winning actor Ben Kingsley has been cast as the voice of Bagheera in Disney’s upcoming The Jungle Book.
Directed by Jon Favreau from a script by Justin Marks, The Jungle Book combines live action and animated filmmaking.
The film arrives in theaters in 3D on October 9, 2015.
From Wikipedia:
Inspired by the Rudyard Kipling’s book of the same name, it is the 19th animated feature in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series. Directed by Wolfgang Reitherman, it was the last to be produced by Walt Disney, who died during its production. The plot follows Mowgli, a feral child raised in the Indian jungle by wolves, as his friends Bagheera the panther and Baloo the bear try to convince him into leaving the jungle before the evil tiger Shere Khan arrives.
The early versions of both the screenplay and the soundtrack followed Kipling’s work more closely, with a dramatic,...
Directed by Jon Favreau from a script by Justin Marks, The Jungle Book combines live action and animated filmmaking.
The film arrives in theaters in 3D on October 9, 2015.
From Wikipedia:
Inspired by the Rudyard Kipling’s book of the same name, it is the 19th animated feature in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series. Directed by Wolfgang Reitherman, it was the last to be produced by Walt Disney, who died during its production. The plot follows Mowgli, a feral child raised in the Indian jungle by wolves, as his friends Bagheera the panther and Baloo the bear try to convince him into leaving the jungle before the evil tiger Shere Khan arrives.
The early versions of both the screenplay and the soundtrack followed Kipling’s work more closely, with a dramatic,...
- 6/25/2014
- by Melissa Thompson
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
The release of The Jungle Book on Blu-ray today has become, as when Saving Mr. Banks was unveiled a couple months ago, an unplanned forum on a most thorny issue for the Disney uber-fan: was Walt Disney a racist/sexist/anti-Semite, and if so, was he a super-racist/sexist/anti-Semite, or just your average, garden-variety racist/sexist/anti-Semite? Even though the 1967 animated film based loosely on a collection of stories by Rudyard Kipling opened months after Disney passed away, this was the last film on which he had any serious impact. And, since Meryl Streep chose to make her speech applauding Emma Thompson for her performance as P.L. Travers in Saving Mr. Banks as much about exactly how bad a man Walt Disney was, the issue of his true personal feelings–whatever those may have been–and whether or not they crept into the films he made has become unavoidable as of late.
- 2/11/2014
- by Josh Spiegel
- SoundOnSight
The Aristocats
Written by Ken Anderson, Larry Clemmons, Eric Cleworth et al.
Directed by Wolfgang Reitherman
USA, 1970
The 1970s and early 1980s represent a curious episode in the history of Walt Disney Animation Studios’ features. The famous studio rarely produces outright poor movies, yet this period is just as rarely mentioned in the same breath as its first decade or so, when classics like Pinocchio, Bambi, and Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs came to be, or the baptized renaissance that began with The Little Mermaid and lasted until Tarzan. It feels as though the aforementioned decade and a half feature a steady stream of decent, generally appreciated outings but nothing most people cite as being their favourite efforts. The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, The Rescuers, The Fox and the Hound, Robin Hood; few if any of these make anyone’s top 5 lists. Neither does the film that opened the 1970s,...
Written by Ken Anderson, Larry Clemmons, Eric Cleworth et al.
Directed by Wolfgang Reitherman
USA, 1970
The 1970s and early 1980s represent a curious episode in the history of Walt Disney Animation Studios’ features. The famous studio rarely produces outright poor movies, yet this period is just as rarely mentioned in the same breath as its first decade or so, when classics like Pinocchio, Bambi, and Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs came to be, or the baptized renaissance that began with The Little Mermaid and lasted until Tarzan. It feels as though the aforementioned decade and a half feature a steady stream of decent, generally appreciated outings but nothing most people cite as being their favourite efforts. The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, The Rescuers, The Fox and the Hound, Robin Hood; few if any of these make anyone’s top 5 lists. Neither does the film that opened the 1970s,...
- 2/2/2014
- by Edgar Chaput
- SoundOnSight
The voice of Mowgli and the storyman behind the beloved 1967 animation recall the difficulties of pleasing Walt Disney
Bruce Reitherman, Mowgli
I was 11 and my dad, Wolfgang Reitherman, was the director so it didn't take much for him to see me on the sofa at home and have his lightbulb casting moment. I was the voice of Christopher Robin when I was six but had no other acting experience. I just sounded like an ordinary kid.
The makers wanted someone who sounded very innocent to play Mowgli, to soften the parts where, thanks to his lines, he might come across as a petulant teenager. But in the 1960s, it took four years to make an animated film – so if you cast a kid and didn't get to the cutting room quick enough, you'd end up with an adolescent. And sure enough, the first Mowgli had had to be replaced after his voice broke.
Bruce Reitherman, Mowgli
I was 11 and my dad, Wolfgang Reitherman, was the director so it didn't take much for him to see me on the sofa at home and have his lightbulb casting moment. I was the voice of Christopher Robin when I was six but had no other acting experience. I just sounded like an ordinary kid.
The makers wanted someone who sounded very innocent to play Mowgli, to soften the parts where, thanks to his lines, he might come across as a petulant teenager. But in the 1960s, it took four years to make an animated film – so if you cast a kid and didn't get to the cutting room quick enough, you'd end up with an adolescent. And sure enough, the first Mowgli had had to be replaced after his voice broke.
- 7/29/2013
- by Anna Tims
- The Guardian - Film News
The voice of Mowgli and the storyman behind the beloved 1967 animation recall the difficulties of pleasing Walt Disney
Bruce Reitherman, Mowgli
I was 11 and my dad, Wolfgang Reitherman, was the director so it didn't take much for him to see me on the sofa at home and have his lightbulb casting moment. I was the voice of Christopher Robin when I was six but had no other acting experience. I just sounded like an ordinary kid.
The makers wanted someone who sounded very innocent to play Mowgli, to soften the parts where, thanks to his lines, he might come across as a petulant teenager. But in the 1960s, it took four years to make an animated film – so if you cast a kid and didn't get to the cutting room quick enough, you'd end up with an adolescent. And sure enough, the first Mowgli had had to be replaced after his voice broke.
Bruce Reitherman, Mowgli
I was 11 and my dad, Wolfgang Reitherman, was the director so it didn't take much for him to see me on the sofa at home and have his lightbulb casting moment. I was the voice of Christopher Robin when I was six but had no other acting experience. I just sounded like an ordinary kid.
The makers wanted someone who sounded very innocent to play Mowgli, to soften the parts where, thanks to his lines, he might come across as a petulant teenager. But in the 1960s, it took four years to make an animated film – so if you cast a kid and didn't get to the cutting room quick enough, you'd end up with an adolescent. And sure enough, the first Mowgli had had to be replaced after his voice broke.
- 7/29/2013
- by Anna Tims
- The Guardian - Film News
Why Watch? Well, don’t you want to know the truth about Mother Goose? This quirky 1957 Disney short film takes you behind the rhyme, explaining the origins of “Little Jack Horner,” “Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary” and “London Bridge Is Falling Down.” Sort of. The cartoon is somewhat more devoted to charm than accuracy, getting a few details entirely wrong. Yet if anything it makes The Truth About Mother Goose even more clever, retelling tall tales with the very loose sense of history that made them fun in the first place. Your second to reason to watch is Wolfgang Reitherman, who co-directed the short with Bill Justice. Today is Reitherman’s birthday, what would be his 104th. He was one of Disney’s “Nine Old Men,” the group of core animators that created most of the studios greatest early works. The Truth About Mother Goose was Reitherman’s first outing as a director. He...
- 6/26/2013
- by Daniel Walber
- FilmSchoolRejects.com
The new Blu-ray/DVD/Digital release of Walt Disney’s Peter Pan includes the bonus features from previous DVD releases plus a few additions, including Growing up with Nine Old Men, a short documentary in which Ted Thomas, the filmmaker and son of top Disney animator Frank Thomas, checks in with the children of the other artists who were nicknamed the Nine Old Men. There are no revelations or airing of dirty laundry, but if you’re a diehard Disney buff you’ll enjoy learning about the personal lives, families, and hobbies of such animation titans as Thomas, Ollie Johnston, Ward Kimball, Milt Kahl, Wolfgang Reitherman, Les Clark, and John Lounsbery. (Marc Davis and Eric Larson...
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[[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]...
- 2/4/2013
- by Leonard Maltin
- Leonard Maltin's Movie Crazy
The Rescuers
Directed by Wolfgang Reitherman, John Lounsbery, Art Stevens
Written by Larry Clemmons, Vance Gerry, Ken Anderson, Frank Thomas, Burny Mattinson, Fred Lucky, Dick Sebast, Dave Michener
Starring Bob Newhart, Eva Gabor, Geraldine Page, Pat Buttram, George Lindsey
One of the most fascinating aspects of our podcast is watching the struggle within the Walt Disney Company to blend reality and fantasy. From the beginning, Disney had stated that he wanted movies like Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs to be perceived as films for adults, as opposed to films for children or families. I’m always heartened to see that comment brought up in modern conversation, because the stigma that animation is specifically for children hasn’t ever dissipated in popular culture. What frustrates me is the film Disney refers to, and how it became a template of sorts for the animators and filmmakers who work at the Walt Disney Company.
Directed by Wolfgang Reitherman, John Lounsbery, Art Stevens
Written by Larry Clemmons, Vance Gerry, Ken Anderson, Frank Thomas, Burny Mattinson, Fred Lucky, Dick Sebast, Dave Michener
Starring Bob Newhart, Eva Gabor, Geraldine Page, Pat Buttram, George Lindsey
One of the most fascinating aspects of our podcast is watching the struggle within the Walt Disney Company to blend reality and fantasy. From the beginning, Disney had stated that he wanted movies like Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs to be perceived as films for adults, as opposed to films for children or families. I’m always heartened to see that comment brought up in modern conversation, because the stigma that animation is specifically for children hasn’t ever dissipated in popular culture. What frustrates me is the film Disney refers to, and how it became a template of sorts for the animators and filmmakers who work at the Walt Disney Company.
- 12/29/2012
- by Josh Spiegel
- SoundOnSight
The Sword in the Stone
Directed by Wolfgang Reitherman
Written by Bill Peet
Starring Rickie Sorenson, Richard Reitherman, Robert Reitherman, Karl Swenson, Junius Matthews
How important is fidelity in a movie adaptation? And, more to the point, do you need to be familiar with the source material for a movie to get more enjoyment out of that film? I’ve considered these questions with previous movies covered on the show, and my overall opinion remains the same. A movie is a movie, and a book is a book (or play, or musical, or what have you). I wouldn’t say “never the twain shall meet,” but frankly, one story can and should be able to work in various media. Though it doesn’t often happen, we’ll sometimes see movies that are better than the books they’re based on. All too frequently, we find the cinematic adaptation is a letdown.
Directed by Wolfgang Reitherman
Written by Bill Peet
Starring Rickie Sorenson, Richard Reitherman, Robert Reitherman, Karl Swenson, Junius Matthews
How important is fidelity in a movie adaptation? And, more to the point, do you need to be familiar with the source material for a movie to get more enjoyment out of that film? I’ve considered these questions with previous movies covered on the show, and my overall opinion remains the same. A movie is a movie, and a book is a book (or play, or musical, or what have you). I wouldn’t say “never the twain shall meet,” but frankly, one story can and should be able to work in various media. Though it doesn’t often happen, we’ll sometimes see movies that are better than the books they’re based on. All too frequently, we find the cinematic adaptation is a letdown.
- 10/26/2012
- by Josh Spiegel
- SoundOnSight
101 Dalmatians
Directed by Clyde Geronimi, Hamilton Luske, Wolfgang Reitherman
Written by Bill Peet
Starring Betty Lou Gerson, Rod Taylor, Ben Wright
One of the great ironies of xerography is that, while it was created to help cut costs for the animation arm of the Walt Disney Company, it was first used in a way that was, surprisingly, creatively ambitious. Xerography was a process that Ub Iwerks adopted for the use of animation in the late-1950s; it’s not really hyperbole to say that xerography saved animation at Walt Disney as we know it. If you’ve been listening to the show for a while, and reading these columns, don’t worry. I haven’t received a sharp blow to the head, nor has an alien replaced me. I can’t stand most of the xerographic films from Disney from the 1960s and 1970s. (There are exceptions, of course, but in general,...
Directed by Clyde Geronimi, Hamilton Luske, Wolfgang Reitherman
Written by Bill Peet
Starring Betty Lou Gerson, Rod Taylor, Ben Wright
One of the great ironies of xerography is that, while it was created to help cut costs for the animation arm of the Walt Disney Company, it was first used in a way that was, surprisingly, creatively ambitious. Xerography was a process that Ub Iwerks adopted for the use of animation in the late-1950s; it’s not really hyperbole to say that xerography saved animation at Walt Disney as we know it. If you’ve been listening to the show for a while, and reading these columns, don’t worry. I haven’t received a sharp blow to the head, nor has an alien replaced me. I can’t stand most of the xerographic films from Disney from the 1960s and 1970s. (There are exceptions, of course, but in general,...
- 10/6/2012
- by Josh Spiegel
- SoundOnSight
The Aristocats
Directed by Wolfgang Reitherman
Written by Ken Anderson, Larry Clemmons, Eric Cleworth, Vance Garry, Tom McGowan, Tom Rowe, Julius Svendsen, Frank Thomas, and Ralph Wright
Starring Phil Harris, Eva Gabor, Scatman Crothers
Complacency is always a dangerous tone to strike in filmmaking. Combined with cheapness, it can be a killer. Those two concepts are what stand out most of all from the Wolfgang Reitherman era of Walt Disney Pictures. For various reasons, most of which were beyond Reitherman’s control, most of the films from Walt Disney Pictures between 1959’s Sleeping Beauty and 1989’s The Little Mermaid felt cheap and lazy. (Being fair, Reitherman’s time at the company ended, for the most part, with 1977’s The Rescuers, but the four films between that and Mermaid have varying aspects of laziness on display, I think.) And make no mistake: the word “cheap” does not need to be a criticism.
Directed by Wolfgang Reitherman
Written by Ken Anderson, Larry Clemmons, Eric Cleworth, Vance Garry, Tom McGowan, Tom Rowe, Julius Svendsen, Frank Thomas, and Ralph Wright
Starring Phil Harris, Eva Gabor, Scatman Crothers
Complacency is always a dangerous tone to strike in filmmaking. Combined with cheapness, it can be a killer. Those two concepts are what stand out most of all from the Wolfgang Reitherman era of Walt Disney Pictures. For various reasons, most of which were beyond Reitherman’s control, most of the films from Walt Disney Pictures between 1959’s Sleeping Beauty and 1989’s The Little Mermaid felt cheap and lazy. (Being fair, Reitherman’s time at the company ended, for the most part, with 1977’s The Rescuers, but the four films between that and Mermaid have varying aspects of laziness on display, I think.) And make no mistake: the word “cheap” does not need to be a criticism.
- 9/8/2012
- by Josh Spiegel
- SoundOnSight
Before The Princess and the Frog dazzled a generation of Justin Bieber- and Miley Cyrus-loving kids with New Orleans jazz, Disney’s The Aristocats introduced kids of the 1970s to jazz of the circa 1910 French variety.
Tuesday Disney released The Aristocats on Blu-ray, and to commemorate the release, EW chatted with Richard Sherman, who wrote some of the film’s music along with his late brother, Robert Sherman. (In the photo below, that’s Richard on the left, Robert on the right.) The duo composed two songs for the 1970 film about a collection of musically gifted cats: the...
Tuesday Disney released The Aristocats on Blu-ray, and to commemorate the release, EW chatted with Richard Sherman, who wrote some of the film’s music along with his late brother, Robert Sherman. (In the photo below, that’s Richard on the left, Robert on the right.) The duo composed two songs for the 1970 film about a collection of musically gifted cats: the...
- 8/21/2012
- by Emily Rome
- EW - Inside Movies
The Jungle Book
Directed by Wolfgang Reitherman
Written by Larry Clemmons, Ralph Wright, Ken Anderson, and Vance Gerry
Starring Phil Harris, Sebastian Cabot, George Sanders, Louis Prima, Sterling Holloway
Why are so many Disney movies incapable of creating indelible lead characters? I wonder if that question is tantamount to heresy for many Disney buffs, but it’s worth asking. Don’t get me wrong: there are a number of Disney movies that work so well thanks in no small part to the lead character, from Belle in Beauty and the Beast to Tiana in The Princess and the Frog. (And, for the purposes of this argument, I’m leaving aside any Pixar movies.) But a whole host of Disney movies, ones that we consider classics, have a great, big, gaping hole at their center, counterbalanced by colorful supporting characters.
Take, for instance, Aladdin. Though we’ll talk about this 1992 animated...
Directed by Wolfgang Reitherman
Written by Larry Clemmons, Ralph Wright, Ken Anderson, and Vance Gerry
Starring Phil Harris, Sebastian Cabot, George Sanders, Louis Prima, Sterling Holloway
Why are so many Disney movies incapable of creating indelible lead characters? I wonder if that question is tantamount to heresy for many Disney buffs, but it’s worth asking. Don’t get me wrong: there are a number of Disney movies that work so well thanks in no small part to the lead character, from Belle in Beauty and the Beast to Tiana in The Princess and the Frog. (And, for the purposes of this argument, I’m leaving aside any Pixar movies.) But a whole host of Disney movies, ones that we consider classics, have a great, big, gaping hole at their center, counterbalanced by colorful supporting characters.
Take, for instance, Aladdin. Though we’ll talk about this 1992 animated...
- 7/7/2012
- by Josh Spiegel
- SoundOnSight
Something that has become a subtle poison over the years among the Disney fan community is the idea that we know what Walt Disney would have wanted. Most of the truly dedicated fans are predominantly obsessed with the Disney theme parks; thus, when an attraction opens and they don’t like it, some fall onto the old saw: “Walt wouldn’t have done this. He’s spinning in his grave right now.” It gets even worse when the Disney executives and Imagineers choose to update an old favorite or, in the case of Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride at Walt Disney World, remove it altogether. The fans would want well enough left alone, but the Imagineers and executives would advocate change.
Now, it’s well documented that Walt Disney said that Disneyland—the only theme park with his name on it that he was actually alive to see open—would never be finished,...
Now, it’s well documented that Walt Disney said that Disneyland—the only theme park with his name on it that he was actually alive to see open—would never be finished,...
- 1/6/2012
- by Josh Spiegel
- SoundOnSight
When the subject of Disney movies comes up, one film always stands out to me as not getting enough attention. The Fox and the Hound is now out in a 30th Anniversary Blu-Ray release which includes The Fox and the Hound 2, and I'm hopeful that the re-issue allows another generation to add some support to the popularity of both films.
For all that weaves of complicated friendship are not at all uncommon, there is a unique mix at play in The Fox and the Hound that delivers exceedingly well to younger audiences. Not only, as we all know, a fun and engaging movie, but an interesting and relatable situation for all kids, who find friendships waxing and waning.
The presentation of how all aspects of one's life can put pressure on actions, and perspectives can be complex and blurry, is wonderfully drawn, and surprising purposeful to kids who only...
For all that weaves of complicated friendship are not at all uncommon, there is a unique mix at play in The Fox and the Hound that delivers exceedingly well to younger audiences. Not only, as we all know, a fun and engaging movie, but an interesting and relatable situation for all kids, who find friendships waxing and waning.
The presentation of how all aspects of one's life can put pressure on actions, and perspectives can be complex and blurry, is wonderfully drawn, and surprising purposeful to kids who only...
- 8/18/2011
- by Marc Eastman
- AreYouScreening.com
Chicago – As far as kiddie tearjerkers go, “The Fox and the Hound” is one of Disney’s finest. It’s not a great film, and certainly not in the same league as the watershed game-changers that came before or the renaissance masterworks that followed. But it is a tender and bittersweet fable with a message of refreshing complexity. At its heart is a friendship that society has deemed unsustainable, and the film doesn’t shy away from its troubling repercussions.
Based on the novel by Daniel Mannix, this 1981 effort functioned as a crucial turning point in the history of Disney studios, when veteran animators like Wolfgang Reitherman were replaced by a slate of new talent including Ron Clements and John Musker (future co-directors of “The Little Mermaid”). Creative differences intensified between the old guard and the rookies, many of whom found the project to be distressingly bland. This caused the...
Based on the novel by Daniel Mannix, this 1981 effort functioned as a crucial turning point in the history of Disney studios, when veteran animators like Wolfgang Reitherman were replaced by a slate of new talent including Ron Clements and John Musker (future co-directors of “The Little Mermaid”). Creative differences intensified between the old guard and the rookies, many of whom found the project to be distressingly bland. This caused the...
- 8/12/2011
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
In the tradition of heart-warming films, such as Bambi and Dumbo, comes Disney.s classic tales that taught us the power of friendship in The Fox and the Hound and The Fox and the Hound 2, in a special 30th Anniversary 2-Movie Collection. For the first time ever in high-definition, consumers can now experience the brilliant, humor-filled adventures of best friends Copper and Tod in an all-new digitally restored version of the original 1981 film, arriving to stores on August 9, 2011.
Featuring an all-star cast of voice talents, toe-tapping music and fantastic bonus features, consumers can take home two of Disney.s beloved ―tails.∥ The Fox and the Hound and The Fox and the Hound 2, 2-Movie Collection features both movies in a single 3-Disc Blu-ray Combo Pack. This release provides families with the value, versatility and opportunity to enjoy their favorite movies how they want, when they want and on the...
Featuring an all-star cast of voice talents, toe-tapping music and fantastic bonus features, consumers can take home two of Disney.s beloved ―tails.∥ The Fox and the Hound and The Fox and the Hound 2, 2-Movie Collection features both movies in a single 3-Disc Blu-ray Combo Pack. This release provides families with the value, versatility and opportunity to enjoy their favorite movies how they want, when they want and on the...
- 5/9/2011
- by Melissa Howland
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Another bumper edition- I hereby pledge never to write several 2000 word reviews a week while neglecting this beautiful little column- with three weeks worth of viewing listed below.
An added element to the Film Diary this time around is the sub-challenge A Disney A Day, instigated at the behest of my girlfriend, who discovered that between us we now own every Disney home release- except the somewhat controversial Song of the South (which, despite featuring one of Disney’s most released soundtrack songs, is yet to see a DVD release)- and has decided that it would be a missed opportunity not to watch all of them as quickly as possible. Seems my spirit may have rubbed off there a little…
The count so far: 101 Films
Anyway, into three figures now, and catching up to the 1 film a day rate (though that’s slow for me). Read on, lovely Diary...
An added element to the Film Diary this time around is the sub-challenge A Disney A Day, instigated at the behest of my girlfriend, who discovered that between us we now own every Disney home release- except the somewhat controversial Song of the South (which, despite featuring one of Disney’s most released soundtrack songs, is yet to see a DVD release)- and has decided that it would be a missed opportunity not to watch all of them as quickly as possible. Seems my spirit may have rubbed off there a little…
The count so far: 101 Films
Anyway, into three figures now, and catching up to the 1 film a day rate (though that’s slow for me). Read on, lovely Diary...
- 4/17/2011
- by Simon Gallagher
- Obsessed with Film
Disney’s The Princess and the Frog (see Alex’s review here ) heralds a return to the 2D hand drawn animation of yesteryear.
To celebrate the revival of an old art form we’re offering ten of the finest traditional animations for your delectation. This list represents our personal favourites so don’t be upset if your own doesn’t appear or go ahead and be upset, just keep it to yourself.
What are you favourite 2-D animations? Leave us a comment, suggestion, etc.
The Emperor’s New Groove (Mark Dindal, 2000)
A spoilt Emperor plans to bulldoze a village and replace it with a water park. He’s then transformed into a llama and gets to spend some time with the subjects he plans to displace in this neglected gem from 2000. Pixar’s success had put a ball and chain around Disney’s early nineties revival and dropped it down a well.
To celebrate the revival of an old art form we’re offering ten of the finest traditional animations for your delectation. This list represents our personal favourites so don’t be upset if your own doesn’t appear or go ahead and be upset, just keep it to yourself.
What are you favourite 2-D animations? Leave us a comment, suggestion, etc.
The Emperor’s New Groove (Mark Dindal, 2000)
A spoilt Emperor plans to bulldoze a village and replace it with a water park. He’s then transformed into a llama and gets to spend some time with the subjects he plans to displace in this neglected gem from 2000. Pixar’s success had put a ball and chain around Disney’s early nineties revival and dropped it down a well.
- 12/17/2009
- by Ed Whitfield
- FilmShaft.com
Time Out London has published a list of the 50 greatest animated feature films of all time curated by Terry Gilliam . I'm not sure if this means that Gilliam hand picked the titles on the list, or if the filmmaker was simply commenting on the list created by the TimeOut editors. Either way, you can find a listing of the top 20 entries below: 1. My Neighbour Totoro (1988) Hayao Miyazaki 2. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) David Hand 3. The Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Movie (1979) Chuck Jones and Phil Monroe 4. Fantasia (1940) 5. Toy Story (1995) John Lasseter 6. Spirited Away (2001) Hayao Miyazaki 7. Yellow Submarine (1968) George Dunning 8. Belleville Rendez-vouz (2003) Sylvain Chomet 9. South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut (1999) Trey Parker 10. Robin Hood (1973) Wolfgang Reitherman 11. Bambi (1942) David Hand 12. Grave of the Fireflies (1988) Isao Takahata 13. Dumbo (1941) Ben Sharpsteen 14. Gandahar (1988) René Laloux 15. The Iron Giant ...
- 10/8/2009
- by Peter Sciretta
- Slash Film
The sixth and final volume of the Disney Classic Short Films collection finally found a way to load a disc with cartoons of genuinely similar moral themes. While Mickey and the Beanstalk did well in that regard as far as plots are concerned, the cartoons accompanying The Reluctant Dragon all take a different stance on identity and what it means to measure expectations of who people think you should be against who you actually are. Each of the cartoons does this in its own way – some more deftly than others. While more consistently thematically, it’s also worth noting that the average age of the four cartoons in this set is noticeably lower than those in other volumes; where volumes 1-5 each had about 2-4 cartoons from the mid 1930s, this volume has but one – and its 1938 creation date gives it a stylistic leg up over its 1933/1934 brethren of past volumes.
- 5/17/2009
- by Lex Walker
- JustPressPlay.net
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