Todoroki Kawaii

"The animator must be a keen observer of action and must understand and remember it, for he never knows when we will find in it the inspiration for the entertainment he puts on screen."  - Eric Larson "The first and most important things for an animator to know is how to draw."  -Walt Disney This June, Disney veteran animator  Ron Husband , (otherwise known as "Huz" to those close to him) will be coming to Tokyo,  touring and giving a series of seminars on quick sketching, and traditional hand drawn animation.   Ron Husband was part of the first generation of animation artists to be passed down the torch of animation by Disney's greatest animation directors, sometimes known as  Disney's Nine Old Men.   Ron learned from some of Disney's best, such as Eric Larson and assisted legendary animator, Frank Thomas.    Ron started with Disney in its training program in 1975 as many of the artists who established modern American animation as we know it...

ディズニー夢と魔法の90年展　スッキリ!! 20140320 投稿者 dm_5232ea58af3f6 Matsuya Ginza department store is holding yet another Disney event on it's exhibition floor in Tokyo's Ginza district.   Disney's 90 Years of Dreams and Enchantment .  Definitely worth taking a look.  There is a story about Walt Disney who sat through a storyboard pitch for a cartoon involving Mickey, Donald and Goofy by one of his directors.  The director decided to take a different turn in the characteristic approach of what Disney's headline trio were known for.  I'm certain as in many cases the director was nervous about approval from Walt.  However during the pitch, Walt apparently couldn't restrain himself from laughing at the gags proposed in the cartoon.  Even to the point where Walt was in tears from the laughter.   Surely the director had a "hit" on his hands.  The director closed his pitch and likely waited for Walt to catch his breath and wipe the tears from his face before ask...

Diane Disney Miller (1933 - 2013)  was the oldest and until recently the only surviving child of Walt Disney.  Diane Miller was a keeper of the flame not just for Walt's professional life but for also for the understanding that he was a human being and a family man. Her dedication dates back as far as 1956 when she was only twenty years old and wrote for the Saturday Evening Post a profile sketch of what it was like to have Walt Disney living at home with her. For the few of us who have parents in the public spotlight or who have gained some sort of fame (or infamy for that matter), they are not that public figure.  For us, they are just "Dad" or "Mom".  Truth, no matter what they are famous for, their achievements as a parent far more heroic, substantial and admirable than any bit of so-called fame they have. So I asked a crucial question,  "Daddy are you Walt Disney?"  "Yes, honey", he replied. "I mean are you the Walt Disney?"...

Once made the mistake of telling a Tokyo resident that Walt Disney couldn't actually draw Mickey Mouse well.  She never spoke to me ever again.  Seriously. The image of Walt Disney is damn near sacred in Japan.  Or Tokyo anyway.  It's difficult to leave your house and not see at least one Disney related image between home and your final destination. In honor of Walt Disney's 110th birthday, the Disney Family Museum put on an exhibition with the Matsuya Ginza department store in the high-end shopping district of Ginza. Occasionally pedestrian, but it was  very much worth taking a look (despite the aftertaste of the sledgehammer merchandising).  Lots of artifacts from Walt's personal possessions as well as artifacts from the past and wall in the Bambi section that paid tribute to Tyrus Wong that was nice to see. Below are some shots from the exhibition.    Apparently Walt's early drawings of Mickey Mouse were there, but I didn't get to see them...