So. As I was reading some animation material and watching some old videos I learned (or rather was shown) a few things that helped things click in my head.
First, as animator's we spend an awful lot of time complaining. I mean, if you're not working on a feature (more on this later) at Disney you feel like you're on the outside of animation. I mean, I've seen some stunning things come out of Europe, advertising and Children's products (check out Len Simon's Fat Cat Animation). I hear the story of Dick Williams and how he struggled to keep his advertising going to pay for the 'Thief' and in the end lost the film. But during that whole time he was winning awards making a name for himself, training a new generation of animators and doing what he loved: Animating. I've watched that video of Ralph Bakshi a dozen times this week. What a wake up call. I love when he says: "the industry's not falling apart! You're falling apart!"
We traditional animators tend to stay stuck in the past. We look at the golden age of Disney and the amazing work done by those old masters. We look at the recent renaissance of animation and look at the current masters and are completely enamored by tradition. We're almost stubborn to embrace new things as if it threatens our craft. We think that the old stuff is the best stuff. I'll tell you now that Bambi II had much better animation than the original. I know that's sacrilege but it's true. There were things about Return to Neverland that were far superior to the original Peter Pan. Granted the current incarnations had the benefit of what came before but we glorify the past so much that we cripple ourselves.
On top of that, we look at the past and think that everything was sooooo great and that today we're victims of an unfair industry. That the people in charge, the people with the money that we grovel to work for don't understand, and that it's unique to us because we live in a time when the art is driven more by the business model. Well I gotta tell you not much has really changed. Read Tom Sito's Articles (available at AWN or his own site), or read his book. Nothings really changed. The big difference is that we have a guild to protect us for the most part, and that we have much more time on our hands to complain about it. Things sucked for Chuck Jones. Things sucked for Walt. Things sucked for Tex Avery, and things Sucked for Glen Keane as well. But we find solace in our craft. Our industry is hard with very little to show for most of us. If you don't like it, go to school and get a business or medical degree and thin out the herd for the rest of us.
Second, is watching the old Disney Family Album of Milt Khal. I mean, we all know he was a genius there's nothing I need to say about his craft. But he made a comment that really fueled me up, especially on the coattails of what Bakshi said. He said: Animator's tend to be solitary creatures. It's amazing that Walt was able to bring us all together on one project and unify us to make something wonderful." A-f'ing-men. THAT is what sets Walt apart. He wasn't a good artist, he wasn't a good businessman but he had a vision and an infectious attitude. He could talk to someone and convince them that they needed to be on board. He was an alpha male, he had a plan and people wanted to be a part of it. On top of that he pushed people to be greater than what the had been before, he was always moving forward, not stuck in the past. All these upstart executive types want to compare to Walt, they all want to fill his shoes, well I'll tell you what, your business degree, your synergy, your vertical initiative and your assertive power-words mean two things; Jack and Crap. Unless you can inspire masters to flock to you and coalesce on a dream and contribute to legacy, you will be nothing but a hack. Disney's name is eternal, you will be forgotten in the annals of time. Thanks for playing, here's your parting gift. As animators so many of us are waiting for a messiah. Someone to flock to that will inspire us that will give us a job. Many think that's at the big studios, and a lot of us piddle around with our own projects but go no where. We circle jerk with our blogs but rarely does anything get done. I love the Seigfried trailer (look at my older posts). They did it, they did something amazing. Even if it NEVER is made into a feature that trailer is amazing. They did it.
Which brings me to my last point. While pondering all this in the storms of my mind I was listening to the Ender's Game novels on Audio. At the end of Ender's Game Orson Scott Card talked about writing the novel and about the efforts to make it to the big screen. But you know, he said something amazing. He said, why is it in our day that we have to have it as a movie to make it legitimate? Ender's game was written to be read. Why does it need to be anything more than a book? I know that in our world that the Feature Film is the apex of our entertainment experiences (followed closely by television and a quickly rising video game industry). But what if your idea never becomes feature length? What if you never work on a feature film? Does that make you less than an animator? I've known guys who can animate so much better than other's I know who contributed to the feature films at Disney and dreamworks in the 90s. They are no less craftsman because they didn't' work on a feature. Animation was around long before it was in the feature film format and has thrived much more prominently on the small screen, as children's' cartoons or advertising. Because it's a feature film doesn't make it MORE of a cartoon, or MORE of a animation. Yes they get bigger budgets, yes they get more time, but some would argue that's just more rope to hang themselves.
Animate to animate. love what you do. Respect the legacy but don't pine for it. Build a new legacy, make it your voice. You don't need anyone to tell you that you can, and you don't need any one's stamp of approval.
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