The Fabulous Disney Babe
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Tin Toy (c) Pixar
The new technology was "a pain to use". To make it worse, Disney/Amblin came out with "Who Framed Roger Rabbit". John said that after seeing that, it seemed that his characters were practically standing still. With lots of other people sharing the same computer, the system slowed down to a crawl. But Tin Toy was a hit, humorous and charming. (Watch Tin Toy)
In 1988 they decided to go back to geometric shapes instead of imitating life, which they had not yet perfected, and in 1989 KnickKnack was released. It was a 3D short about the frustrations of a snowman figurine inside a plastic waterglobe. (Watch Knick Knack)
Knick Knack (c) Pixar
Note the credits at the end: "Filmed entirely on location". All Pixar films have silly credits, says John.
Every time John would finish a short, Peter Schneider would call from Disney: "Come back!" Disney, now with the triad of Michael Eisner, Frank Wells and Jeffrey Katzenberg at the helm, had a contract with Pixar having to do with the development of the CAPS system, which replaced the Ink and Paint department starting with Beauty and the Beast. Back when Very Serious and Dignified Disney Historian Paul F. Anderson was a Very Silly Disney Historian, he actually printed an interview with the CAPS system for Persistence of Vision. Click here for the issue: http://www.disneypov.com/issue06-7 Mel Broberg conducts the hilarious interview. It's well worth the read.
John had wanted to work with Disney, it's true, and Steve Jobs, who was now owner of Pixar, was contributing lots of "nudging" to get it along, but until that point, Disney Animation was just and only Disney Animation.
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