By Merlin Jones
The public has yet to associate a "face" with the great disaster that has befallen the tribe of traditional Disney Animators.
Oh, there have been numerous press accounts burying the art form with clinical comparisons of recent CGI and "2-D" box office receipts. But even after all the ink, the truth doesn't really sink in with the general public -- the unthinkable reality that Disney has already closed up the cartoon shop (as we have known it), fired the artists and sold off the furniture. This is not some dire warning of an event that "may" happen if these shadows are unaltered by the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come -- these things (as loyal SaveDisney readers are well aware) have already come to pass...
The human toll -- the crushed dreams and aspirations of real, live magic makers -- generally disappears in the blather of outsourcing, technology, rebranding and sequel debate. What of the artists? Retraining? New skill sets? This is a dedicated artform, not a temp agency.
In reality, Disney's traditional Animators are the Sorcerer's Apprentices -- the heirs to the secrets of Walt's Nine Old Men.
Aside from hyperactive PR glimpses of animators used in the "making of" specials on every DVD, audiences know little about this rarified breed of grown-up kids who brought about the Disney Animation Renaissance of the 80's and 90's through their own determination, dedication and dreams.
But the void will soon be filled: I was treated to a sneak preview of director Dan Lund's new short documentary "Dream On, Silly Dreamer," produced by Tony West, both formerly of Disney Feature Animation. ...And their film is filled with the faces of Disney's animation art production pipeline: cartoonists, storytellers, animators and other fine artists alike, finally sharing their own experience of the rise and fall of their unique dreamland.
But this is no "sour grapes" account. Nor is this documentary the detailed "tell-all" history of the Disney management miscalculations and machinations that lead to the Animator's Trail of Tears (...a drama we hope is one day committed to film as well...).
Rather, this film shares the sheer joy of the cartoonist breed, the childlike innocence and pure pleasure of the creative types who have enchanted us for so many years. On display is a taste of what makes the artform work so well (when it does): the people, the artists, the dreamers.
Mr. Lund ties his colorful package together with animated inserts that prove the point with inventive charm, contributing to the story in way that words never could. A wall-to-wall underscore appropriately evokes longtime Disney composer Buddy Baker.
What one walks away with after "Dreamer" is an understanding of who these artists are -- where they come from -- and where the company has gone wrong by relying on marketers, technicians, social engineers, MBA's and strategic change agents to take their places.
Animation folk are irreplaceable, imaginative and uplifting spirits, as the film indelibly stamps on the viewer's consciousness. These are people who always wanted to work for Disney -- and might gladly have done so for free. Though now tossed aside like last year's gloves -- they will not go quietly... Like the heroes and heroines of the pictures they made us love -- the film's subjects suggest the pure of heart will triumph yet.
Already we are seeing evidence of this creative missing-link in the marketplace, as cold and cynical technological creations like Polar Express are obliterated in direct competition with old-school cartoonist creations like Brad Bird's The Incredibles. This isn't a battle of computer VS pencil -- it's battle of point-of-view. Of the human heart.... Of animators as valid creators... Of cartooning as a skill to be celebrated...
No less than our own Roy E. Disney was similarly impressed with Dan and Tony's film:
Roy says, "I was recently given the privilege of viewing 'Dream On, Silly Dreamer,' and I have to say how very human a face it puts on an institutional tragedy... the slow, cruel and insidious death of Disney Animation over the past several years under Michael Eisner. It should be seen by everyone who still believes in the magic of Disney. These are the people who made it happen. Their treatment was appalling."
To my mind, there is only a happy ending in store for Walt Disney's true believers, the talented stepchildren banished to the company attic. ...Those dreamers who refuse to let their personal artform be killed by corporate cranks and killjoys.
So, thanks to Dan and Tony for bringing a tear or three to this eye -- and yet another glimmer of hope to the industry as we look to an appropriately happy Disney ending to this epic tale.
SaveDisney.com will keep you informed of screenings or festivals where you will be able to see "Dream On, Silly Dreamer" in the coming months. Don't miss it!
Disney's lost tribe of artists now have a collective face, and it is "The Dreamer."
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