“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times,” began Charles Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities. Similarly, animation director Henry Selick (Coraline, Monkeybone, James and the Giant Peach, Nightmare Before Christmas) chose that same dichotomy to describe the current state of the business, observing that it’s both an “incredible” and “the worst” time for animation. The positives include an increased demand for talent as animation storytelling–particularly in feature films–has become a valued commodity. Additionally, access to tools has enabled new, up-and-coming talent to experiment and hone their craft. And exposure for the work of new artists is now more likely given the reach of the Internet and the emergence of new media outlets.
On the flip side, though, feature film budgets are so high today that “people cannot afford to take risks,” related Selick. “Having to make a blockbuster every time puts an unhealthy pressure on the creators.”
In today’s risk-averse climate, Selick said he couldn’t imagine another Fantasia being made today. Still, he harbors hope that a breakthrough will materialize, prompting studios to see the value of smaller projects and trying to bring more of them to fruition.
Selick’s comments came during the keynote session of SIGGRAPH 2013 at the Anaheim Convention Center this past Monday (7/22). He and eight other accomplished animation feature filmmakers participated in a keynote discussion that was part of the Marc Davis Lecture Series, this latest installment being presented by ACM SIGGRAPH and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). This marked the first time that the Lecture Series–named after Davis who was one of Disney’s revered “Nine Old Men” pioneering animators–was held at a venue outside of AMPAS. The very first Marc Davis Lecture took place in 1994 with Davis himself as the inaugural participant. (Davis–who gave shape and life to such characters as Bambi, Brier Rabbit, Cinderella, Tinkerbell, Maleficent and Cruella DeVil–passed away in 2000.) The Lecture Series was established to provide a forum for film animators and other experts in the craft to share their experiences as well as to explore with colleagues the challenges of creating animation.
Selick was joined on the Anaheim Convention Center’s arena stage by fellow animation artists/creators Pete Docter (director of Monsters, Inc. and UP, and animator and co-writer on Toy Story) Eric Goldberg (co-director of Pocahontas, supervising animator on the Genie in Aladdin and more recently on the trumpet-playing alligator Louis in The Princess and the Frog), Mike Mitchell (director of Shrek Forever After, Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked and currently in production on the animated feature Trolls for DreamWorks), Kevin Lima (director of A Goofy Movie, Tarzan, his first live-action movie 102 Dalmatians, and the combo traditional animation, live-action and CG feature Enchanted), Chris Sanders (who directed How to Train Your Dragon and The Croods, and earlier served as head of story on Mulan), David Silverman (director of The Simpsons Movie, co-director of Monsters, Inc, supervising director of The Simpsons TV series), Kirk Wise (who teamed with Gary Trousdale to direct Beauty and the Beast, The Hunchback of Notre Dave and Atlantis: The Lost Empire) and Ron Clements (who co-directed Aladdin and The Little Mermaid).
Moderating the panel discussion was Randy Haberkamp, AMPAS’ managing director of programming, education and preservation.
Springboard
Serving as a springboard for conversation was the screening of excerpts from student shorts created by each of the now established animation filmmakers. From this came career reflections, observations on how far animation as come since and a hearkening back to career influences and mentors.
Silverman said that his first mentor was fellow panelist Goldberg. He recalled meeting Goldberg at a teenage movie award competition event at The Plaza Hotel in NYC. Goldberg was already an accomplished artist and had encouraging words for Silverman, and the two have become friends over the years. Silverman also cited Bill Scott, co-creator of The Bullwinkle Show as offering valuable encouragement. Silverman recalled with fondness Scott saying to him one day, “David, a lot of people draw well but you draw funny.” Silverman took this as high praise.
Goldberg in turn said his mentor was Richard Williams of Who Framed Roger Rabbit fame (as its animation director) and prior to that assorted classic commercials. Goldberg began his career as an assistant animator on Williams’ Raggedy Ann & Andy: A Musical Adventure. Later, Goldberg went on to co-found commercials studio Pizazz Pictures and then joined Disney. Goldberg said Williams introduced him to “a unique sense of graphics and movement…Dick could animate anything well,” paying meticulous attention to acting, timing and staging. Goldberg noted that helping Williams’ versatility as an animation filmmaker was his work in commercials which spanned a wide variety of styles and disciplines.
Speaking of discipline, Goldberg said that he and his fellow SIGGRAPH/AMPAS panelists have “2D in our history.” Today, by contrast, people aren’t taught hand-drawn principles which are still relevant today in terms of developing artistry in storytelling. His advice: “Never ignore the technology but don’t forget what it took to get it there.”
Docter recalled an early influence came as a youngster on Sunday nights when Walt Disney’s Wonderful World of Color ran on network TV. He quipped that every week he’d wish that the program content would be animation so he could enjoy and learn from watching. Also incredibly influential and helpful was when he managed as a student to connect with a small animation firm, Bajus Jones, located in a Minnesota neighborhood where he grew up and went to school. Today, he noted, many young, aspiring animators and storytellers want to connect with a major studio ala Disney or DreamWorks. However, he affirmed, there are great benefits to breaking in with a smaller shop which often gives you the chance to do more things and to experiment in various ways.
Wise also cited Walt Disney’s Wonderful World of Color–as well as the Warner Bros. Looney Tunes cartoons–as the work which first interested him in animation and gave him an inkling that he might want to have a career in that artform one day. At first, though, his burning ambition was to be a comic strip artist. But when he hit the fifth grade, he was exposed to several short films and that sent him on an animation path, making him determined to get into CalArts, which he did.
Clements said what first drew him into animation was watching Woody Woodpecker, particularly the segments during which Walter Lantz would take the audience behind the scenes to shed light on the animation process and the creation of Woody. In the same vein, Clements recalled “Tricks of the Trade” during Walt Disney’s Wonderful World of Color, which also drew back the curtain to reveal some inner workings of animation. When Clements eventually began working at Disney, he had the honor and pleasure of working with Frank Thomas (Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Lady and the Tramp, Mary Poppins), another of the aforementioned “Nine Old Men.” Clements said that Thomas stressed acting, what the character is thinking, the way in which characters relate to each other–all key in fashioning artful and relevant animation storytelling.
Lima recollected seeing The Jungle Book as a boy and setting a goal of one day drawing King Louie of the Apes. He quipped that ever since he hasn’t been able “to escape making films about singing monkeys.”
Sanders recalled growing up in Colorado when as a lad California seemed so far away. Yet he was captivated by the animation of yet another of Disney’s “Nine Old Men,” Ward Kimball, on The Three Caballeros. “It was so fun, so quick, so ingenious,” assessed Sanders who remembered his grandfather helping him to construct a makeshift light table. He loved that table though he didn’t at the time know what it was for; he only knew that it had something to do with animation. It wasn’t until he got into CalArts that Sanders learned about the function and purpose of a light table.
Mitchell noted that seeing his old work as a student affirmed for him some advice he’d give to young animators today. He discouraged them from trying to make a film that’s tailored to what Pixar or for that matter what any other studio does. Instead, just “express yourselves” because that’s the only way your work will reflect what you have inside, what moves you.
