Rhett Wickham: A Dream, A Wish and A Real Heart
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In a lengthy panel discussion preceding Thursday night's premier at Disney's El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood, a master animator from Disney's second golden age, Andreas Deja, sat next to legendary "Zen" master animator Ollie Johnston discussing the approach the last remaining of the Nine Old Men and his colleagues took to bringing life to the characters in Cinderella. After a giving a few halted responses to Andreas's attempts to get him to talk about his work on the step sisters, I panicked thinking "oh dear, this is just awful, poor Ollie seems a little lost, and he probably can't hear and isn't really answering Andreas's questions. This is just terrible and I'm so angry with them for parading him out like this." Nearly in tears I leaned forward from my seat in the first row of the balcony and held my breath. Then I did something I'd practically forgotten how to do out here in Hollywood, I listened. And I watched. And I even went a step further and did the two simultaneously as Andreas once again asked Ollie about Anastasia and Drizella, prompting him with small reminders and helping him out as generously and lovingly as any devoted pupil would. Still the answer came back the same each time - only this time I saw it in his eyes and I recognized in an instant that Ollie knew exactly what he was doing.

I realized from watching Ollie Johnston and listening to his responses that in fact he knew precisely what he was being asked, and he heard and understood every single word. The simple fact is that his answer to every question posed was - like Ollie and the late Frank Thomas and Eric Larson and Marc Davis in their infinite wisdom and unparalleled experience - reduced to the essence, and stripped of any unnecessary ramblings; the answer was as pure and readable and earnest as Ollie's animation. "We just figured out what these characters were feeling and we tried to get that into the drawing." What else do you need to know?

From a humble black plastic chair on the apron of the El Capitan Ollie Johnston was being given one more opportunity to make sure we all heard it. He made sure that with what little time was his last night, seated before an audience of devotees, acolytes, fans, families, wide adolescent eyes and ordinary movie going popcorn eaters, what really mattered was made loud and clear one more time. Listen again to the secret - "It came from our heart", Ollie said, reaching down to his gut and tracing a line right up to his heart, tapping gently. "Whatever was in these characters hearts we wanted to capture that." And indeed they did. What moments before had been near tears of frustration were now very real tears of realization that animation has its Knights Templar, and here was the last of them whispering from across the chasm of the orchestra, and passing on the key to anyone who was willing to listen.