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Disneyana 2002
Page 1 of 4

I had the privilege of attending the 2002 Official Disneyana Mystery based at Epcot at The Walt Disney World Resort. Events though this Disneyana event was smaller than in years past, it is still a big event and there are many reasons to attend. Some might attend for the limited edition merchandise, others might go for the special activities, and others go to spend some quality time with fellow Disney fans. Every guest attending Disneyana goes for different reasons. And with the wide variety of programs each guest participates in a different menu of activities. Each Disneyana experience is unique. While I can provide an account of my experience, it is a unique experience tailored to my own interests and schedule.

Although the event officially began on Thursday, my experience began on Monday. Disneyana guests were invited to register for the evening presentations of the 5th Annual Disney Institute Animation Event. The program began in the Contemporary Hotel where we registered, received our two free pins, and got in line for the Meet and Greet. This night we got to meet our host Jeff Kurtti, who is a renowned animation historian and author of such titles as Treasure Planet: The Legend, The Lore, and The Loot, and Atlantis: Journal of Milo Thatch. We also got to meet Ruben Aquino. Ruben joined Walt Disney Feature Animation in 1982 as a clean-up breakdown artist on the animated featurette Mickey's Christmas Carol. Since then he has worked on Dr Dawson and Mrs. Judson in The Great Mouse Detective, Francis the bulldog from Oliver & Co., Ursula, Jake the kangaroo rat from The Rescuers Down Under, Belle's father Maurice, adult Simba, Powhatan, Frollo, Captain Shang and Fa Li from Mulan, and most recently David and Pleakley from Lilo & Stitch. He was also one of the animators behind Disney's award-winning computer-generated short Oilspot and Lipstick.

Because of inclement weather we boarded the Monorail and headed to the Magic Kingdom. We were then escorted into the Magic Kingdom Exposition Hall Theatre. We were given a Little Mermaid PVC Toy as well as popcorn and soda. After a welcome video from Roy Disney, Jeff Kurti introduced our special guest. Ruben discussed how he ended up in animation because he could not find any architecture jobs in Hawaii. Ruben moved to Feature Animation's Florida Studio after his work on The Lion King. After Beauty and the Beast the Burbank studio began working on more than one film at a time. At the Florida studio the whole team works on one feature at a time. Ruben mentioned this as one of the key to the Florida studio's success. Tonight's program, however was focused on the film that brought Disney animation back in to the spotlight, The Little Mermaid. Ruben did a lot of the early concept work on Ursula. He recalled how Roy Disney, who studied octopi for his work on the True Life Adventure films, wanted Ursula to be accurate. So Ruben got some footage of octopi with their pulsating motion and played the song Poor Unfortunate Souls to it. The music matched the images and Ursula was on her way to becoming a classic Disney villain.

Well now it was time for the screening. Before the feature began we were treated to the Silly Symphonies Water Babies and Merbabies. Finally, we were treated to the film that started the second golden age of Disney animation, The Little Mermaid.

On Tuesday, the folks at the Disney Institute put together a panel of artists that worked in Florida on Lilo & Stitch. The panel, once again moderated by Jeff Kurtti featured Sam Ewing, head of the clean-up crew for Stitch, Rob Corley, an animator on Stitch, Kathy Blackmore, who served as a clean-up artist on the film, and Irma Cartaya-Torre, the head of color models department.

In the Magic Kingdom we were each given a lei to get us in the Hawaiian spirit. This panel was very insightful into why the Florida studio is so special. They are Ohana. Each of the skilled artisans working on the film considered the colleagues working at the Disney-MGM Studios animation building to be a part their family. Hearing them talk about their teammates reminded me of hearing the animators that worked on the early classics. A small group determined to make something special. The team in Florida was able to transform itself from a group making Roger Rabbit shorts into the division that has become the stronghold for traditional animation. The animators are proud of the studio's growth. They really are a special team. After a screening of Runaway Brain we were treated to the film that the animator had worked so hard on, Lilo and Stitch.

 

 

 


Disney Fine Art at
The LaughingPlace Store
The LaughingPlace Store now carries a selection of Disney Fine Art from ACME Archives and Sanders CC Gallery

Laughing Place Podcast
On a mostly American LPP the crew take apart Wall*E and give their opinions, talk about the changes at Downtown Disney and Pleasure Island, discuss Disney and Americana and the new Celebrate America fireworks show plus Reader Mail, the Captain's Challenge, FanBoy's Disney Myths and all the other usual silliness.

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Posted: 7/4/08