Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Understated

A restored ultimate DVD has been released for Disney's Snow White, quite a breakthrough for animation when it first came out (understatement). It was a difficult undertaking (understatement) for the studio, inventing the processes and techniques on the fly. Three years earlier they made a Silly Symphony short—The Goddess of Spring—which was a dress rehearsal of sorts (understatement) for animating 'realistic' human figures. Here is a model sheet from that short:

I love model sheets of any kind!

2 comments:

Daniel [oeconomist.com] said...

Unlike many people, I think that Snow White was Disney's greatest feature film. I feel that Fantasia is a lesser film, often paying too little attention to form, as if it were of secondary importance to color.

Thomas Haller Buchanan said...

Fantasia had its moments, though its best art and concepts were in pre-production.

I was in high school when Fantasia had its psychedelic revival. I don't think it had been seen since its debut more than a generation before. And I gotta tell you, it was mind blowing, seeing it in a big theater for the first time. I've seen it many times since and it's grown a bit quaint, especially on the small screen.

You're right, color seemed to be a prime directive but I think it was well worth the risk to sublimate form. I only wish more filmmakers would similarly try for more visually experiential anthologies.

But yes, of course Snow White is an amazing high-water mark for a feature cartoon film.