The Laurence Olivier of Animation

Have you ever heard the simile “An animator is like an actor?” What that means is that in an animated movie, once the backdrops of the film have been completely painted, and the voice talent for the film has been recorded, someone now has to bring all of the characters in the film to life, in front of the backdrops, and that isn’t the job of the voice actors. It actually is the job of the animators! While the voice actors give the cartoon characters their souls, the animators give them the ability to move and cavort about the screen.  

In the later years of Walt Disney’s career, he was in an interview where he was asked by the interviewer “Mr. Disney, if you could choose one piece of animation that your studio has done today as your favorite, what piece would that be?” Walt thought about it for a moment, and he said “Well, probably the moment in Cinderella where she gets her ball gown.” That moment was animated by a man named Marc Davis. Known as one of Walt’s “Nine Old Men.” Marc Davis was one of the most renowned and prolific animators! He worked his way up from being a storyboard artist, to a character animator, to a Disney park attraction designer for the Walt Disney Studios.

When he got promoted from storyboard artist to character animator, Marc Davis worked on animating supporting characters in the feature length films such as Thumper and Flower in Bambi (1942). In the 1950s, he got further promoted to animating the princesses and leading ladies such as Cinderella in Cinderella (1950), Alice in Alice in Wonderland (1951), and Tinker Bell in Peter Pan (1953). He wanted more than anything, however, to animate the villains, and was finally able to do so with Maleficent in Sleeping Beauty (1959). (He animated Sleeping Beauty/Princess Aurora in the film as well.) His final animation assignment was the supervising animation for the character of Cruella De Vill in 101 Dalmatians (1961). 

After completing work on “Dalmatians,” Davis went on to become one of the head creators of many of the most beloved Disney Park attractions, including “Pirates of the Caribbean,” “Haunted Mansion,” “It’s a Small World,” and “Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln.” He served as a mentor to animator Andreas Deja, who would go on to animate the more modern Disney villains, including Gaston in Beauty and the Beast (1991), Jafar in Aladdin (1992) and Scar in The Lion King (1994).

Marc Davis’s wife, Alice Davis, worked as a costume designer for the studio. When “Beauty,” was in production in the mid-1950’s, she received a phone call from future husband, Marc, to design a costume for Helene Stanley to wear as she performed live-action modeling for the animators for the character of Sleeping Beauty. (Stanley provided live-action modeling for Cinderella and Anastasia in “Cinderella,” and also Anita in “Dalmatians.”) After marrying Marc in 1956, Alice was ultimately hired by the studio to be a full-time designer by Walt himself in 1960. While her husband created the audio-animatronic figures for “Pirates of the Caribbean,” “Haunted Mansion,” etc., she created the costumes that the figures would wear in the rides. She and her husband both retired from Disney in 1978 and were married until Marc’s passing in 2000 at the age of 86. She does, however, continue to serve as a creative consultant on Disney films, including Disney/Pixar’s Up (2009). The “Up,” creative team interviewed their closest, personal friends and relatives to ask their opinions on “What are the most important things in life?” which served as their inspiration to tell the story of “Up.”

The extraordinary artwork that Marc Davis created for Disney individually and also with his wife is incredible and insurmountable! One can easily credit him as one of the world’s greatest animators, not just in the history of Disney, but in the history of animation in general as well, as evidenced by his work on screen and at the Disney parks. Marc Davis and his wife Alice’s 44-year-marriage was a true match made in heaven, and it became one of the most unique and ambitious assets to Walt Disney Animation. 

Cruella De Vill: That’s It!

Cruella De Vill is undoubtedly one of Disney’s most incredible villains! We love to hate her! For one thing, she is very cruel to animals — puppies in particular — and she is also a rich, spoiled brat who believes that her way is the only way.  We get frustrated with her frustration  — and when Cruella isn’t getting her way, EVERYONE has a rough time!  The woman we love to hate - was still a lot of fun - and furnished a lovely canvas for some talented actresses.

Dodie Smith, who wrote The Hundred and One Dalmatians novel in 1956, was inspired to create the character of Cruella De Vill, when a friend said of one of her own dalmatians (with no malice intended!), “You know, those dogs could make a lovely fur coat!” The very thought of dalmatians being murdered and skinned just to make fur coats scared Ms. Smith to death, and hence that character of Cruella De Vill was born. Disney purchased the film rights to the book the very next year in 1957, and the animated film was released 4 years after that in 1961. The film was readapted for live-action by Disney in 1996 under the production of renowned teen angst film producer John Hughes, which also led to a sequel, 102 Dalmatians (2000). The character of Cruella De Vill was even written into Disney/ABC’s hit show Once Upon a Time in the show’s 4th season. The novel was also adapted into stage musical which toured the U.S. in 2010. Throughout whether stage, screen or small screen, Cruella De Vill has had many different incarnations, by a number of different actresses.

Betty Lou Gerson voiced Cruella in 101 Dalmatians (1961). Gerson’s first Disney film was Cinderella (1950), where she provided the opening narration for the film. When she lent her voice to Cruella, she also lent her voice to one of the characters in the scene in the film where Horace and Jasper are watching the game show on television, Miss Birdwell. While Gerson provided Cruella’s voice, Mary Wickes did the live-action, referential modeling for the film. (Wickes’s final film role was the voice of Quasimodo’s gargoyle friend, Laverne in Disney’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996)). In Mary Poppins (1964), Gerson appears as the creepy, elderly woman in the scene where Jane and Michael are running away from their father at the bank.   

2-time Golden-Globe-Winner Glenn Close portrayed Cruella De Vill in its first live-action treatment, 101 Dalmatians (1996). Close received a Golden Globe nomination for her performance as Cruella, but was beaten by Madonna in Evita (1996). Close reprised the role for 102 Dalmatians (2000). Besides playing nasty Cruella De Vill, close also lent her voice to Tarzan’s loving “ape” mother Kala in Disney’s Tarzan (1999) and also reprised that role for the direct-to-video sequel, Tarzan & Jane (2002). Close also played Nova Prime in Disney/Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) and will be reprising that role for the sequel, Guardians of the Galaxy vol. 2 (2017).

Rachel York originated the role of Cruella De Vill for 101 Dalmatians: the Musical, which followed the book instead of the Disney films. I had the rare privilege of seeing Ms. York perform the part when the show came to Music Hall at Fair Park in downtown Dallas. 

Susan Blakeslee, who is also voices Wanda and Mrs. Turner in The Fairly OddParents (2001-) voiced Cruella in the direct-to-video sequel, 101 Dalmatians 2: Patch’s London Adventure (2003), and is the current voice behind many of the classic female Disney villains whenever they make an appearance on Disney channel, or in a video game, including The Evil Queen, Lady Tremaine, Maleficent, and many others. 

Victoria Smurfit currently plays Cruella De Vill in Once Upon a Time (2011-). Emma Stone has also been attached to star in a live-action prequel film of Cruella’s life entitled Cruella with a released date yet to be set.  

Cruella has one of the most intriguing histories of any Disney character at the studio. She’s been played by many talented actresses over the years, all of whom brought their own unique qualities to the role. It is ironic to think that she was first created by Dodie Smith out of a comment that her friend made, rather than a person that she knew. Cruella will no doubt forever be remembered in film history as one of the most remarkable villains, not just in the history of Disney or of animation, but in films in general as well. 

To Kill a Mockingbird + Disney = Mary Poppins

Walt Disney once had a conversation with his son-in-law, Ron Miller, (one of his very few surviving relatives, 1933-present). Walt asked him “Did you see To Kill a Mockingbird? Boy, that was a heck of picture! I hope to God, I can make a movie like that!” He was finally able to do so with Mary Poppins (1964). When Pamela Lyndon “P.L.” Travers relinquished him the rights to adapt her book for the silver screen in 1961, he combined animation with live actors, which was something the he had never done in any of his movies, and it had never been done before by any other filmmaker. “Poppins,” went onto become the biggest hit in the history of the Disney studios at the time, winning 5 Academy Awards. Did it ever occur to you though, that while To Kill a Mockingbird (1962) is a simplistic black-and-white drama and “Poppins,” is a lavish color musical, there are some intriguing similarities between both movies?

Both “Poppins,” and “Mockingbird,” tell family-oriented stories. They tell stories of families where things aren’t necessarily well for everyone psychologically, emotionally, and financially. Atticus Finch and George Banks who are the two respective patriarchs. Both, in general, good human beings, but both conflicted between their families and their careers. Atticus is torn between being a widowed father of Scout and Jem and his reputation with the town of Maycomb, Alabama, as he is chosen to defend the wrongly accused African-American man, Tom Robinson. George is torn between how financially well his bank is doing and being neglectful of his wife, Winifred and kids, Jane and Michael. Besides that, the children in “Poppins,” and “Mockingbird,” struggle a bit in the “behavior” category. Scout is a feisty, tomboy and Jem is a rude, rebellious boy. Neither have as much respect for their father’s authority-nor for many of the townspeople-as they should. Jane and Michael don’t necessarily equal Scout and Jem in attitude, but they do equal them in rambunctiousness and also don’t respect their parents’ authority prior to the arrival of Mary Poppins. Essentially, both movies tell stories of how the children learn to respect their parents better, but also how the parents learn to pay closer attention to their children and love them more. While they have very different plots, they still send the same message to us as an audience that family comes first!

I’ll bet you never would have thought that “Poppins,” was in any way connected to “Mockingbird.” Both films also garnered Academy-Award Nominations for Best Picture. Neither won that award, but they both won Best Acting Oscars (i.e. Gregory Peck for Best Actor as Atticus Finch and Julie Andrews for Best Actress as Mary Poppins). They also received nominations for Best Original Score and Best Art Direction (“Mockingbird,” scored Best Art Direction and “Poppins,” won Best Original Score.) 

Both “Poppins,” and “Mockingbird,” have gone on to become two of Hollywood’s most prestigious films for their own, unique reasons. But they are both stories where the families are changed for the better! 

The Sisters of “Sister Suffragette”

Many of these blog posts have references the reasons Mary Poppins (1964) is such a great movie. But one reason for it is the key roles played by actresses you’ve grown to love-without really knowing their names or much about them. They played pivotal roles that were often hallmarks of our childhood memories and bring smiles to our faces. Perhaps the best group of actresses fitting this bill are the women of “Sister Suffragette.” 

“Sister Suffragette,” is the 2nd song performed in “Poppins,” right after Dick Van Dyke’s “East Wind,” song. It is performed as a comic number in the scene of the film by Mrs. Winifred Banks, Mrs. Brill, and Ellen (the cook and maid of the household), where Katie Nanna is trying to get Mrs. Banks’s attention that she is resigning after growing tired of Jane and Michael’s constant rambunctiousness. The 4 actresses in this scene appeared in other Disney films just like David Tomlinson, though none of those other films are as treasured by movie fans as “Poppins.”

Glynis Johns portrayed Mrs. Winifred Banks. Prior to "Poppins," Johnson made The Sword and the Rose (1953) and Rob Roy: The Highland Rogue (1954). Walt invited her to the studio to talk to her about being in the film. She was under the impression that Walt was to offer her the title role, but was disappointed to find out that Julie Andrews had already been signed on. When Walt talked her about playing the role of Mrs. Banks, she said she might consider that if she could have a song. Walt said “But Glynis the boys (meaning Richard M. and Robert B. Sherman had already came up with a song for you.” In reality they hadn’t, but as soon as she left the studio they got right to work on a song for her. They had originally written a song in the film for Mary Poppins to sing called “Practically Perfect,” because she is practically perfect in every way, but they decided to alter the lyrics for that song and turn it into a suffragette song for Mrs. Banks. By the time Johns got home, Walt telephoned her and said “Listen to this,” and she heard the first few bars of “Sister Suffragette.” At which point, she agreed to do the movie. Post “Poppins,” Johns continued to act in film, theatre, and television, playing leading and supporting roles, but has retired from films since 2000. Her second-to-last film was Sandra Bullock’s While You Were Sleeping (1995).

Elsa Lanchester played the role of the irascible, uptight Katie Nanna. She is best known throughout the world for her role as the Bride of Frankenstein, opposite Boris Karloff, in Bride of Frankenstein (1935). She was the only character who didn’t actually sing in the “Sister Suffragette,” sequence. There was a song written for her by the Sherman brothers entitled “Lead the Righteous Life,” which was to be sung by Katie Nanna and Jane and Michael, prior to Mary Poppins’ arrival at the Banks’ house. The song was thrown out of the movie, but the melody of the song was recycled for a different song in Disney’s The Happiest Millionaire (1965). Despite not getting to sing in “Poppins,” Lanchester also starred as the nosy next-door neighbor Mrs. MacDougall in That Darn Cat! (1965) and Mrs. Emily Stowecroft in Blackbeard’s Ghost (1968). She also appeared in 2 episodes of Walt Disney’s Wonderful World of Color (1954-1992).

Reta Shaw played Mrs. Brill, the cook. The trademark of Shaw’s entire career was playing the roles of housekeepers/working wives. She played Tillie Lagerlof, the cook in Pollyanna (1960) and Mrs. Grindley in Escape to Witch Mountain (1975). Outside of Disney, she played the role of Katey the maid in two made-for-television films of Meet Me in St. Louis, which were released in 1959 and 1966. (Both were based on the 1944 film of the same name, where the role of Katey the maid was originated by Marjorie Main.) The same year as the latter, Shaw starred opposite Don Knotts in The Ghost and Mr. Chicken (1966). Shaw had previously worked with Knotts in an episode of The Andy Griffith Show (1960-1968), where she played escaped convict Big Maude Taylor. (Charles Lane, Hal Smith, and Hope Summers who also appeared in “Andy Griffith,” also appeared in “Ghost/Mr. Chicken.”)

        Hermione Baddeley played Ellen the maid. Baddeley primarily played the roles of rich, snobbish woman throughout her career, though the role of Ellen was one of the few exceptions. Baddeley played Mrs. Worth in The Happiest Millionaire (1965) and voiced Madame Adelaide Bonfamille, the owner of the cats in The AristoCats (1970). She provided the voice of Auntie Shrew in United Artist’s The Secret of NIMH (1982). That film also featured the voice talents of Arthur Malet, who played Mr. Dawes Jr. in “Poppins,” Lucille Bliss who voiced Anastasia in Cinderella (1950), and Edie McClurg who voiced Carlotta in The Little Mermaid (1989) and marked the directorial debut of former Disney animator, Don Bluth. Baddeley, along with Reta Shaw appeared in episodes of Bewitched (1964-1972), though not in the same episodes. She starred as Mrs. Buttercup Grogan, opposite Debby Reynolds, in The Unsinkable Molly Brown (1964), released the same year as “Poppins.”

All 4 of these women had diverse careers in Hollywood. They were 4 of the very few actors at the time who were fortunate enough to act in every medium of entertainment. Prior to “Poppins,” Johns, Lanchester, and Baddeley all garnered Academy-Award nominations for supporting roles, and while Reta Shaw unfortunately never received any Oscar nominations, the “cherry-on-top” of each of their careers while always be “Poppins.” Like David Tomlinson, they too created characters that many of us count as part of our childhood, and they will continue to stay with us for generations. 

David Tomlinson: Disney’s Greatest Actor/Voice-Over Artist

You might or might not recognize the name David Tomlinson, but he is best known throughout the world as Mr. George Banks in the Academy-Award-winning Disney blockbuster Mary Poppins (1964). Tomlinson starred in other Disney films, though none of them were ever able to equal or surpass the popularity of “Poppins.” He was first offered the role of Mr. Banks by Walt Disney after Disney saw him in a play in London, England a few years prior to “Poppins.” He was under the impression that Walt was to offer him the role of the father in the film Bon, Voyage! (1962), but that part went to Fred MacMurray. Nevertheless, he agreed to star in “Poppins,” and it was obviously a big hit for him, and the entire Disney family. His contributions, however, extended behind Mr. Banks, as he made several voice-over appearances in the animated sequence in the film?

    David Tomlinson voiced one of the dancing penguins in the “Jolly Holliday,” scene, and one of the Horse Jockey and Racetrack Stewards in the “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious,” scene. His voice was also dubbed in for Admiral Boom’s first mate, Mr. Binnacle. (Disney voice-over artist, Don Barclay, wore Mr. Binnacle’s costume. Barclay voiced the Doorman in Cinderella (1950), and also lend his voice to Alice in Wonderland (1951) and 101 Dalmatians (1961). He played Dr. Miller and Santa Clause in The Walt Disney Christmas Show (1951).) Tomlinson also provided the voice for the talking parrot handle on Mary Poppins’ umbrella. (They originally considered having the handle talk throughout the whole movie, but Walt decided that that ought to be saved for the very last scene.) 

After “Poppins,” Tomlinson starred as the evil Thorndyke in The Love Bug (1968) and as the clumsy Emelius Brown in Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971) where he starred opposite Angela Lansbury and Reginald Owen. Angela Lansbury had previously been considered for the role of Mary Poppins before the role went to Julie Andrews (Ironically, Julie Andrews was also considered for the role of Mrs. Potts in Beauty and the Beast (1991) before that role went to Lansbury.) Reginald Owen played Admiral Boom in “Poppins.” and General Teagler in “Bedknobs.”

Movies have given us many brilliant actors who have taken on the roles of fathers. (Thomas Mitchell as Gerald O’Hara in Gone With the Wind (1939), Gregory Peck as Atticus Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird (1962), and Christopher Plummer as Captain Von Trapp in The Sound of Music (1965).) Though his talent in “Poppins,” goes far beyond Mr. Banks, David Tomlinson created one of the most memorable “movie dads,” and one many of us count as part of our childhood.       

         

It Was All Started By a Rabbit

If you’re a Disney addict like I am, you may have heard the phrase “It Was All Started By a Mouse,” but that isn’t entirely true. Yes, Walt Disney built his entire empire of magic and imagination on the success Mickey Mouse. But that didn’t happen until after a number of other projects he created when he first started out in the film/animation industry. 

His first project was referred to as “The Laugh-O-Gram” series, which he produced at his first studio in Kansas City, MO all throughout 1922. After the studio declared bankruptcy in 1923, Disney began work on the “Alice Comedies,” which he produced in Los Angeles, CA after relocating there with his uncle, Robert Disney, and older brother, Roy. The series lasted from 1924-1927. (He completed the very first “Alice” comedy back in Kansas City before the studio went bankrupt and produced the rest in L.A.). And then…there was Oswald the Lucky Rabbit.

In 1927 Walt signed a contract with Universal Pictures to distribute a new character that he and his long-term business partner, Ub Iwerks, came up with named Oswald. The head of animation distribution at Universal was a man named Charles Mintz, who married Margaret J. Winkler in 1924. (Winkler had been Walt’s previous distributor for the “Alice Comedies” series.) Oswald’s first appearance was in a short called Poor Papa (1927). Displeased with the short, Mintz requested Walt and Ub create a younger version of Oswald. They did so for Oswald’s next short, Trolley Troubles (1927), and the series began to gain success. In the midst of that success, however, Walt asked Mintz for an increased budget for the series, but Mintz unfortunately refused and took Oswald for himself. (Walt had refused a new agreement with Mintz that would have given him a much smaller portion of the “Oswald” profits.) Mintz hired all of Walt’s staff at that time as well, except for Ub Iwerks and Les Clark, who would go on to become one of Walt’s Nine Old Men. There was nothing Walt could do after that, but he refused to give up hope, He and Ub got an idea for a new character deciding to create a mischievous and clumsy, though kind-hearted and loyal, mouse to be named Mortimer. Walt’s wife, Lillian Disney, suggested the name Mickey, believing it to have a much better ring than Mortimer.

Walt auditioned several actors to provide Mickey’s voice, but ultimately decided to do the voice himself. He would go on to voice Mickey from his first appearance in a short called Plane Crazy (1928) to the film Fun and Fancy Free (1947). When Walt became too busy with running the studio he handed the role over to James MacDonald. MacDonald served as the original head of the sound effects department for the Disney studios from 1934-1977. In addition to Mickey’s voice, he also provided the voices of Gus, Jaq, and Bruno in Cinderella (1950), the Doormouse in Alice in Wonderland (1951), the snapping voice of Tick-Tock Crocodile in Peter Pan (1953), the Wolf in The Sword in the Stone (1963), the Bees in the short, Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree (1966), and Evinrude the Dragonfly in The Rescuers (1977). He also briefly provided the voices for Goofy, Pluto, and Chip the Chipmunk. Since MacDonald’s retirement in 1977, 10 other actors have all taken on the “voice” of Mickey Mouse. The role is currently shared by Bret Iwan who does the voice for the Disney Junior Show Mickey Mouse Clubhouse (2006-present) and Chris Diamantopoulos who does the voice for the Disney Channel Show Mickey Mouse (2013-present).

Mickey Mouse eclipsed Oswald the Lucky Rabbit’s popularity at Universal Studios in the late 1920s, but Disney reacquired the rights to him in 2006, and since then he has made cameos in the short Get a Horse (2013) and the movie Big Hero 6 (2014) as well as various Disney video games. Today it is impossible to imagine Disney without Mickey Mouse or any of his friends for that matter, but had it not been for Charles Mintz, Walt Disney’s foundation of entertainment would have begun with Oswald. As sad as it was for Mintz to steal Oswald from Walt, in a way it was one of the greatest “blessings-in-disguise” that Walt received throughout his life. It gave him the opportunity to create his most popular and most beloved character

Humorous Grace

“They think he’s a righteous dude!” These words of pure hilarity were spoken by an actress named Edie McClurg who played Grace, the secretary in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986). She improvised these words when she first auditioned for the role, and the late, great John Hughes (1950-2009, writer/co-producer/director of “Ferris Bueller,” Sixteen Candles (1984), The Breakfast Club (1985), Weird Science (1985)) hired her right after she auditioned. As a favorite of John Hughes, she was re-hired to portray several other amusing bit parts in his movies. You can also recognize her voice in several Disney movies as well.

Before playing Grace the secretary in “Ferris Bueller,” she was the Check Out Lady in Mr. Mom (1983). After “Ferris Bueller” she played the role of the Car Rental Agent in Planes, Trains & Automobiles (1987). Next she portrayed Lynn in She’s Having a Baby (1988). Her final film for John Hughes was Curly Sue (1991) where she played the Secretary.

Disney hired McClurg to voice characters that served as comic relief for their movies. She voiced Carlotta, Prince Eric’s maid in The Little Mermaid (1989), Dr. Flora in Disney/Pixar’s A Bug’s Life (1998), Mary in Wreck-It-Ralph (2012), and Gerda, a citizen of Arendelle, in Frozen (2013). She also provided the voice of the midwestern minivan, Minny in Disney/Pixar’s Cars (2006) and reprised that role for the sequel, Cars 2 (2011). She appeared as Nurse DeFarge in the “Beauty and the Beast” episode of The Golden Girls (1985-1992) for Disney/ABC, which also happened to star Alisan Porter, who played Curly Sue, as Blanche’s granddaughter, Melissa. Although they had no screen time together in the episode, the episode aired on television in October of 1991, the same month and year that Curly Sue (1991) was released to theaters.

Edie McClurg is no doubt of one Hollywood’s funniest unsung clowns. Her distinctively friendly voice is not only easy to listen to, it’s also hilarious. While we might remember her best as Grace, the secretary in “Ferris Bueller,” the humor that she brought to every role that she played never will never cease!