2003 NFFC Convention Part Three
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The NFFC held their annual summer convention from July 15 - 20th.  LaughingPlace.com is presenting a series of reports from the convention. For more information on the NFFC, see LaughingPlace.com/NFFC.

NFFC Conventioneers Journal

Friday morning began with a panel of artists hosted by Terri Hardin, former Disney Imagineer and Disney sculptor. Terri hosted the popular Country Bears seminar last year and is an NFFC favorite thanks to her enthusiasm and all things Disney.

Among the panelists were Dick Duerrstein; John Adam, Philo Barnhardt and Alex Maher. As the conversation passed from one artist to the next we were given a brief glimpse at the hearts behind the art. Alex, Philo and John create sketches of Disney characters sometimes they duplicate existing scenes while other times they adapt the characters. Philo offered a sneak peek at sketches of Ariel in an autumnal setting and John highlighted the various products created from his sketches of Lilo & Stitch. I discovered most of my favorites were generated by his pencil. Alex Maher talked about the amazing moment he experienced at a Hong Kong marketplace. In the midst of that hustle-bustle he spotted a 101 Dalmatians t-shirt featuring a sketch of his. Surprised to see his art so far from home, Alex pointed and declared to his escort and translation.. That's my drawing he declared to her. She promptly slapped his hand down reminding him it was not polite to point. Embarrassed by still astounded at the sighting Alex apologized.

Having grown up on the Studio Lot, Philo has various stories about the Studios' earlier days and a few tales of Walt Disney. Philo actually auditioned for the role of Mowgli but was not selected. Walt understanding the disappointment for a young boy invited Philo & his father to spend a few days as extras in the Let's Go Fly A Kite sequence for Mary Poppins.

Next up was the always popular presentation by Disneyland Resort merchandising which offers a sneak peek at the upcoming merchandise releases and events. This year's focus was the Haunted Mansion. They unveiled snow globes, blankets, t-shirts and more featuring the classic Mansion and Haunted Mansion Holiday. Currently cap sleeved t-shirts featuring vintage record album covers are available at the Resort but at the presentation Martha Blanding and Barbara Roma Cole unveiled the same style shirt featuring the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction poster. They also unveiled the logo for an upcoming line of merchandise celebrating Mickey Mouse's 75th birthday.

Following the lunch break was another opportunity for conventioneers to get a sneak peek at upcoming Disney products as the Walt Disney Classics Collection brought along the various pieces that will be released during the upcoming months. Tim O'Day of Communications ToDay works with various divisions of Disney to create special events and product announcements. Tim, a longtime friend to the NFFC, began the presentation with a live action short by Mike Jittlov entitled, "The Collector.â€? As Tim said in the introduction, the film could represent either nirvana or hell. As the film rolled we were offered a peek into a man's world where everything he touched was Mickey, his soap, shampoo, towels, wallpaper, belt buckle, tie clips, pens, pencils and more. The clip ended as the gentleman drove off to work in his auto topped with an oversized pair of Mouse ears. Tim then announced their 2004 Art Classics convention will be held at the Disneyland Resort between May 14 - 16 and will feature the fabulous 50s with their "Blast to the Pastâ€? theme. He then turned the microphone over to Mark Haberman and Doug Horchow to discuss the upcoming Classics collection piece centered around Mickey's 75th. Their Fall Event Sculpture is a color representation of the 1993 short Mickey's Gala Reunion with Mickey in top hat and tails and Minnie decked out in evening finery. The set is a retail price $175 and will be released September 19 - 21 as their Fall Event Release. Throughout the presentation they announced various new lines with the Classics Collection including one that focuses on the Christmas cards the Disney Company sends out each year to cast members. The first piece features a 3D representation of a 1936 holiday card entitled Merry Messengers. Also discussed were the Holiday Princess series debuting in November and the Heroes and Heroines series premiering this month. And in October they will release a representation of the model citizen sequence from Lilo & Stitch. The presentation concluded with the announcement that Africa, Egypt and Japan will be the next three nations featured in their "it's a small worldâ€? collection. For more information on the Walt Disney Classics Collection and the Collectors Society visit their website: http://disney.go.com/disneyartclassics/ or call toll free 1 800 932 5749.