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Disney

A Kendu Attitude

Nov 1st, 2014
by rodney.
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Kendu Films is the creation of Davy Liu, a veteran artist and animator who has worked on numerous projects at Disney — including Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, Mulan, and The Lion King — as well as at ILM and Warner Brothers. Now he’s started his own production company, hoping to “encourage the next generation with a ‘Can Do’ spirit in every child by bringing great content and encouragement to families everywhere.” To that end he has created a series of five illustrated books, “Invisible Tails — parables told from the animal’s perspective”, whose titles include The Enchanted Tree, Fire Fish, Jordan’s Guest, The Royal Feast, and The Giant Leaf. You can purchase each of these books at the official Kendu Films web site, and also see a collection of development art from these and various film projects the studio is currently working on.

image c. 2014 Kendu Films

image c. 2014 Kendu Films

Golden Books of D

Oct 25th, 2014
by rodney.
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The illustrated hardcover children’s books published by Golden Books are indeed as valuable as gold among collectors — and none more so than the Disney tie-in Golden Books. Now a new hardcover collected edited by animation historian Charles Solomon, The Art of the Disney Golden Books, celebrates these historical treasures — and their lasting value and influence over the past 80 years. “A remarkable lineup of talent, many of whom were Disney Studio artists – including Mary Blair, Alice and Martin Provensen, Gustaf Tenggren, Al Dempster, Retta Scott Worcester, and Bill Peet – created the illustrations for the early Disney Golden Books. The bold and incredibly detailed artwork was painstakingly executed in gouache and watercolor-media that required a steady hand and immense patience and precision. The resulting publications became favorite selections in the libraries of many children, among them, future generations of Disney and Pixar artists who were inspired to draw, dream, and later, create their own films and Golden Books. The Art of the Disney Golden Books celebrates a legacy that has now thrived for more than eighty years and continues to influence new generations of artists and filmmakers. Through interviews with contemporary animators who recall tracing the characters in their childhood Disney Golden Books, paintings by artists who influenced and inspired the Disney Golden Book illustrations, and a generous complement of Golden Book artwork-much of which was thought to have been lost until very recently-the rich tradition of the series is explored in this vibrant volume.” Published by Disney Editions, The Art of the Disney Golden Books is available now from Barnes & Noble.

image c. 2014 Disney Editions

image c. 2014 Disney Editions

Dinosaurs are Walking — Again

Oct 24th, 2014
by rodney.
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Seemingly out of nowhere, Disney/Pixar have announced that the CGI animated feature The Good Dinosaur is back in production — and back on track for release in the winter of 2015, according to an article over at Cartoon Brew. After Disney removed director Bob Petersen from the project (he had co-directed Up and played the voice of Dug the dog) we didn’t hear much about Good Dinosaur for a while, as Disney/Pixar began advertising their next big project Inside Out. Now Disney/Pixar have announced that the new director of The Good Dinosaur will be Peter Sohn. He’s well known behind the scenes at Pixar, having worked in the art and story departments on several projects and directed the short film Partly Cloudy. He’s also known for his voice acting (he was Emile in Ratatouille and Squishy in Monsters University) and for being the body model for the character Russell in Up. Yes, really. With this announcement it now seems that Disney/Pixar will actually have two releases in 2015: Inside Out in June and The Good Dinosaur in November. Which puts the latter film right up against Kung Fu Panda 3, by the way. If you haven’t heard, The Good Dinosaur follows the adventures of a talking dinosaur family in modern times — on an alternate Earth where the great beasts never died out.

image c. 2014 Disney/Pixar

image c. 2014 Disney/Pixar

Man of Design

Sep 30th, 2014
by rodney.
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Walt Disney referred to Marc Davis as his “Renaissance Man” because Marc could seemingly do anything… He could do storyboards, design characters, animate, and he could even help to design new attractions for Walt’s theme parks. And now professionals from each of those departments and more have gathered together to celebrate Marc’s life and legacy in a massive new hardcover book, Marc Davis: Walt Disney’s Renaissance Man, coming this October from Disney Editions.  It’s filled with Marc’s original sketches and designs, as well as background information from his friends and co-workers. Need a furry tie-in for all this? Look no further than his character designs for The Country Bears and America Sings attractions at Disneyland. But there’s more.

image c. 2014 Disney Editions

image c. 2014 Disney Editions

One Lonely Shrew

Sep 18th, 2014
by rodney.
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Disney/Pixar have launched their new Studio Artist Showcase series with Over There, a full-color hardcover book for young readers written and illustrated by Steve Pilcher. “Shredder is a little shrew who lives by himself, and while he loves his forest home, he gets a bit lonely. There must be something more, he thinks. So when he sees a ‘silver line twinkling in the distance,’ he decides to find out what it is. He discovers a beautiful stream, but then he gets caught up in the current! Luckily, a mole named Nosey saves him. As they explore, Shredder begins to miss the forest, so he and Nosey return together, and Shredder realizes that all he really needed was a friend.” Over There is available later this month, and it’s been reviewed over at Publishers Weekly.

image c. 2014 Disney Publishing

image c. 2014 Disney Publishing

The Most Famous Furry in the World?

Sep 1st, 2014
by rodney.
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It’s quite possible that Mickey Mouse could well be that — though, of course, Bugs Bunny could also be considered a serious contender. Still, The Mouse has been around the longest, and author Garry Apgar decided to take a look what possibly accounts for Mickey’s world-wide appeal in a new hardcover book. “Since his modest debut in 1928, Walt Disney’s Mickey Mouse has evolved into arguably the world’s most recognized and beloved fictional figure. Mickey Mouse: Emblem of the American Spirit is the illustrated biography of a unique cartoon character, his life and times, and his impact and influence around the world in art and literature. Part art history and part cultural study, Apgar’s Mickey Mouse narrates how the character was initially developed by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks, how his irrepressible spirit grew to huge popularity during the Depression, and how he became a politically charged cultural icon of international reach.” You can order the book at Midtown Comics. It’s coming later this month from Simon & Schuster.

image c. 2014 Simon & Schuster

image c. 2014 Simon & Schuster

The Evolution of The Mouse

Aug 4th, 2014
by rodney.
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Needless to say there have been many, many books over the years (official and otherwise) showing you how to draw your favorite characters from Disney Animation. This latest book from the famous Walter Foster art how-to series takes a little different tack: How the look of Mickey Mouse and some of the most well-known Disney characters has evolved over time since they were first created. “A collection of vintage artwork from the Disney archives reveals early designs, sketches, and poses of Mickey Mouse as well as other classic characters such as Minnie Mouse and Donald Duck. Learn to Draw Mickey Mouse & Friends Through the Decades creates the opportunity for an artistic celebration of the world’s most beloved mouse, by bringing together a collection of step-by-step projects and inspirational illustrations for rendering these timeless characters as they originally appeared. Featuring 128 pages of art instruction material, this title makes a covetable collector’s item for any loyal Disney enthusiast or aspiring artists interested in learning to draw in classic cartoon style.” Learn to Draw Mickey Mouse & Friends Through the Decades (whew, long title!) is coming next year to Amazon and other sellers.

image c. 2014 Walter Foster Publishing

image c. 2014 Walter Foster Publishing

Pictures Coming At You!

Jul 31st, 2014
by rodney.
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We’ll let Lyla Warren tell it herself: ” Recently relocated to Portland (from San Francisco via Denver) Lyla Warren is a self-taught freelance artist. Her education was forged by late nights in the halls of the animation industry and by wonderful mentors. Through her career, she’s worked for a variety of clients such as Disney, Cartoon Network, Sony, Mattel, Zynga, Laika, and Leap Frog, to name a few. These days she is focused on sculpture, character design and personal art work.” And what sculpture! Her leaping-out-of-the frame 3D pictures of various Disney and Pixar characters have been featured at the Disneyland Wonderground Gallery, and her other works have drawn from many sources. She even found time to create her own 2D animated short film, Beaver vs. Platypus, as well as shorts for the Happy Tree Friends series. Take a look at her web site to see all that and more.

image c. 2014 by Lyla Warren

image c. 2014 by Lyla Warren

Return to the Pridelands!

Jun 10th, 2014
by rodney.
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Here it is, straight from Variety this morning: “Disney is looking to get new mileage out of its Lion King franchise with a new animated series and TV movie planned for its Disney Channel and Disney Junior cablers. Disney Television Animation is producing The Lion Guard, a series that continues the storyline of the Mouse’s boffo 1994 hit feature. Lion Guard will bow next fall with a TV movie and transition to a regular series in early 2016. ‘We look forward to introducing a whole new generation of kids to both the Disney legacy characters and to new friends and heroes,’ said Nancy Kanter, exec VP of original programming and G.M. of Disney Junior Worldwide. The series incorporates strong environmental and conservation messages as it revolves around lion cub Kion’s role as a member of the Lion Guard group tasked with preserving his family’s natural habitat. Series will revive Lion King characters including Simba, Nala, Timon and Pumbaa. Ford Riley developed Lion Guard and is exec producer.” Keep watching this space for news of the premier!

image c. Walt Disney Television Animation

image c. Walt Disney Television Animation

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