ASIFA-Hollywood: The International Animated Film Society
Saturday, April 23, 2005
Aladdin Reunion Wrap Up
Robin Williams said wake up and smell the hummus. He was not making fun of the homeless. Really he wasn`t. And Aladdin said good tiger etc, he never said good teens take their clothes off. Okay, we got that out of the way.
Eric Goldberg was in a position to put his stamp on this film. Everybody else in the studio was working on some other animated film when Eric came in from England (He closed his English studio because of too much stress, he said, and then moved to Disney. Does that remove the stress factor, Eric?)
As the first animator on board Eric did a pass at most of the characters. This is how he managed to put over his Al Hershfeld inspired designs and set the look of the film. We got to see many of these designs last night at the ASIFA-Hollywood sponsored Glendale Library event when Eric and others showed their rough story reels from the 1992 movie.
There were rough animation reels from Eric Goldberg (Genii) Andreas Deja (Jafar), Tina Price- (CGI pioneer who animated the Magic Carpet) and many others that showed the characters in the development process. There were a couple of reels where you could see when the character jelled and first came to life.
To start Tom Sito asked everybody on stage to relate their first contact with the project. Ron Clements and John Musker (co-directors) spoke to the early development process. The move away from Alan Menken`s songs and the later journey back to them.
A comment that gave a lot of insight for me was that Robin Williams was not really a singer but he could do a good impression of a singer.
They made Kathy Zeilinski (animator of Jaffar as a beggar) stand up in the audience and relate the embarrassing story of how her water broke on her last day before maternity leave as she was finishing her very last scene (Jaffar as a snake). I can`t have my baby now, I`m suppose to have 3 more weeks.
Will Finn (Iago) was unable to attend because of health issues. Duncan Marjoribanks (Abu) was drafted from the audience. Hey I paid my money to get in, I`m not suppose to be on the stage. We offered him his money back but that didn`t seem to be the point.
I got a chance to catch up with Norma Rivera (assistant animator on Aladdin) I hadn`t seen her since Chuck Jones` last public appearance way back in 2001.
I also tried to talk one of the panel into appearing on our State of the Industry panel at Comic-Con. I`ll let you know if that works out.
Also in attendance were Raul Garcia, David Burgess animators; Brian Cliff -lead key assistant on the Genii; and Chris Heller -assistant animator
You know, you just have to come to these events folks. There is no way that I can remember all the cool stuff related to the audience. I do know that it will come out in my History of Animation classes or when I talk of Aladdin but it is like trying to relate a flowing stream of water.
All the crew members signed a poster (Eric Goldberg drew a great Genii and Andreas Deja did a killer Jafar drawing. This poster will be auctioned off in an online silent auction to raise money for the ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Center Project. I will give you the link when I get it.
The night ended with a number of questions from the floor and then the event broke up into long lines of people wanting to get sketches and autographs. Everybody from the Aladdin team was very generous with their time and talents.
This was a once in a lifetime event. You really should have been there!
Eric Goldberg was in a position to put his stamp on this film. Everybody else in the studio was working on some other animated film when Eric came in from England (He closed his English studio because of too much stress, he said, and then moved to Disney. Does that remove the stress factor, Eric?)
As the first animator on board Eric did a pass at most of the characters. This is how he managed to put over his Al Hershfeld inspired designs and set the look of the film. We got to see many of these designs last night at the ASIFA-Hollywood sponsored Glendale Library event when Eric and others showed their rough story reels from the 1992 movie.
There were rough animation reels from Eric Goldberg (Genii) Andreas Deja (Jafar), Tina Price- (CGI pioneer who animated the Magic Carpet) and many others that showed the characters in the development process. There were a couple of reels where you could see when the character jelled and first came to life.
To start Tom Sito asked everybody on stage to relate their first contact with the project. Ron Clements and John Musker (co-directors) spoke to the early development process. The move away from Alan Menken`s songs and the later journey back to them.
A comment that gave a lot of insight for me was that Robin Williams was not really a singer but he could do a good impression of a singer.
They made Kathy Zeilinski (animator of Jaffar as a beggar) stand up in the audience and relate the embarrassing story of how her water broke on her last day before maternity leave as she was finishing her very last scene (Jaffar as a snake). I can`t have my baby now, I`m suppose to have 3 more weeks.
Will Finn (Iago) was unable to attend because of health issues. Duncan Marjoribanks (Abu) was drafted from the audience. Hey I paid my money to get in, I`m not suppose to be on the stage. We offered him his money back but that didn`t seem to be the point.
I got a chance to catch up with Norma Rivera (assistant animator on Aladdin) I hadn`t seen her since Chuck Jones` last public appearance way back in 2001.
I also tried to talk one of the panel into appearing on our State of the Industry panel at Comic-Con. I`ll let you know if that works out.
Also in attendance were Raul Garcia, David Burgess animators; Brian Cliff -lead key assistant on the Genii; and Chris Heller -assistant animator
You know, you just have to come to these events folks. There is no way that I can remember all the cool stuff related to the audience. I do know that it will come out in my History of Animation classes or when I talk of Aladdin but it is like trying to relate a flowing stream of water.
All the crew members signed a poster (Eric Goldberg drew a great Genii and Andreas Deja did a killer Jafar drawing. This poster will be auctioned off in an online silent auction to raise money for the ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Center Project. I will give you the link when I get it.
The night ended with a number of questions from the floor and then the event broke up into long lines of people wanting to get sketches and autographs. Everybody from the Aladdin team was very generous with their time and talents.
This was a once in a lifetime event. You really should have been there!
A Dozen Animators Aladdin
A thousand words times twenty-four for what it is worth. I will write on the Aladdin Reunion in the morning when I get some sleep under my belt, not that I wear a belt to . . . let`s just leave that one.
Friday, April 22, 2005
Reunion
Tonight is the night. The Aladdin Reunion is going to be big. We know who is on the schedule but here is a little secret for you girls and boys, there will be other people that worked Aladdin there.
When we did the Lion King Reunion last year there were 8 people on the stage and about 12 more in the audience. I expect the same thing this time around. You don`t want to miss this once in a lifetime event.
I will be posting photos here somewhere around 11PM, the good creek willing and the Lord don`t rise.
When we did the Lion King Reunion last year there were 8 people on the stage and about 12 more in the audience. I expect the same thing this time around. You don`t want to miss this once in a lifetime event.
I will be posting photos here somewhere around 11PM, the good creek willing and the Lord don`t rise.
Thursday, April 21, 2005
Wine Whine
So a couple of days ago it was the anniversary of my nativity. I don`t give out details - but let`s just say I share the day with a famous rejected artist that got into public service when he couldn`t get into the academy - fund the arts guys you really don`t want artists in power.
I have already shown the cover of an album I got, Firehouse Five + Two. I listened to it last night and it is very good. These guys are not just a group of animation artists playing a little music on the side. I would listen to them even if they couldn`t animate.
Here is another of the presents I got for the feat of making it through another year. Fellow Kubert student and old running mate, Chris Kalnick, sent me a bottle of his latest vintage. I love the label and am saving the wine for a special occasion. I bare a little bit of the guilt here, I turned him on to wine in 1980 with a bottle of Mouton Cadet. But who could have known?
I love the label by Chris. If you would like to see more of his art here is a link to a comic stripe he did a number of years back NON
Cheers
So a couple of days ago it was the anniversary of my nativity. I don`t give out details - but let`s just say I share the day with a famous rejected artist that got into public service when he couldn`t get into the academy - fund the arts guys you really don`t want artists in power.
I have already shown the cover of an album I got, Firehouse Five + Two. I listened to it last night and it is very good. These guys are not just a group of animation artists playing a little music on the side. I would listen to them even if they couldn`t animate.
Here is another of the presents I got for the feat of making it through another year. Fellow Kubert student and old running mate, Chris Kalnick, sent me a bottle of his latest vintage. I love the label and am saving the wine for a special occasion. I bare a little bit of the guilt here, I turned him on to wine in 1980 with a bottle of Mouton Cadet. But who could have known?
I love the label by Chris. If you would like to see more of his art here is a link to a comic stripe he did a number of years back NON
Cheers
ALADDIN REUNION UPDATE:
This just in from Tom Sito with a look at some the subject areas to be addressed at the Aladdin Reunion this Friday night. Don`t know about you but the Geni`s bellybutton is the big, can`t miss need to know, issue for me.
April 22nd, 2005 • 7:00pm
GLENDALE CENTRAL LIBRARY
222 E. Harvard Street
Glendale, CA
I hope you all can make it to the Aladdin Reunion on Friday April 22nd at
the Glendale Library. This is the largest event about the making of this classic
film since the DVD came out last year. We`ll going to show rare, not before
seen, rough footage and reveal some of the secrets and stories that were not
covered in the Special Edition DVD.
Stories like:
- Our layout supervisor who went to Bagdhad to take research photos just as Gulf War Part I was breaking out.
- The Battle Of The Geni`s Bellybutton.
- How to make a funny film about a thief during the LA Riots.
- Whatever happened to Jafar`s Song?
- Was Aladdin really a "Disney" film?
These issues and more will be discussed by our panel of vets and many
more friends and co-workers in the audience. We`re going to have a poster signed
that will be auctioned off on line to benefit the ASIFA Animation Center.
If you've been to the panels we did for Beauty & The Beast and the Lion
King, you know these events are pretty cool and are once in a lifetime. Look
forward to seeing you Friday!
T S
April 22nd, 2005 • 7:00pm
GLENDALE CENTRAL LIBRARY
222 E. Harvard Street
Glendale, CA
Wednesday, April 20, 2005
Loading up trucks for Fred Patten
We need people to help move Fred Patten`s library. Fred, a lone time member of ASIFA has donated his library to UCR Library Special Collection. Fred is currently in at Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center in Downey recovering for a stroke. Lee Gold needs help moving all the stuff.
Sunday, April 24th
11 AM at Fred's apartment
11863 Jefferson #1,
(310) 827-3335
(wait awhile before hanging up; one of the phones has
disappeared
under boxes; the only one under location is in the office)
and also, perhaps a little later, at the Shurgard facility
11510
Jefferson, 391-9929
where we'll be moving stuff from #1145 and #2299
We're going to move all of Fred's boxes into the trucks
We're going
to finish boxing the stuff in the office room
and bedroom of Fred's
apartment and move that all into the
trucks. The next day the trucks will go
down to UC Riverside
Library Special Collectiosn and be unloaded there.
Fred is THRILLED that his collection will be kept together,
not
dispersed, and be in the same place as that of old friend
Bruce Pelz's
collection and in general at a facility that
specializes in SF and anime and
fandom.
See ucr
and ucr
UCR Library Special
Collection only wants ONE copy of each item.
Duplicate DVDs will be divided
among tax-exempt organizations
whose members show up and help during this
time of need.
Fred is currently at Rancho Los Amigos National
Rehabilitation
Center in Downey, Building 10, Room #1016, bed 2.
562-401-8328.
--Lee Gold
Lee Gold
Sunday, April 17, 2005
Sol looks on as Paul films for ASIFA Archives - Martha Sigall Book Signing -Van Eaton Gallery - Sherman Oaks
Martha and Jerry Beck talk animaton history - Martha Sigall Book Signing -Van Eaton Gallery - Sherman Oaks
Martha Sigall Book Signing -Van Eaton Gallery - Sherman Oaks - The stuff on the walls could run me into the poor house if I wasn`t already there.
Martha and Sol`s Son and Daughter-In-Law - Martha Sigall Book Signing -Van Eaton Gallery - Sherman Oaks
