Animation Artifacts &Richard Williams 22 Aug 2007 08:41 am
More Ragged odds & ends
- Aside from the usual models that came my way on Raggedy Ann and Andy: A Musical Adventure, I was privy to a lot of private notes, cartoons and comments by some of the upper echelon, and I have all the production charts and drafts (which I’ll spare you) so that I can verify any info I’m sharing. I’ve chosen a couple of items to post today just as curiosity pieces.
Part of my job on the film was overseeing special effects (shadows, stars, etc.).
Dick gave an improvised storyboard, during one of our meetings, in which he detailed
all the combination live action/animation shots. Listed to receive this item are Al Rezek,
our camera supervisor, and Cosmo Anzilotti, the Asst. Director of the film.
About six months into animation, crisis mode started to set into the production. It was w a y behind schedule, and they were constantly searching for ways to move things along. At one point it was decided that more clarification was essential so that everyone would share in the same knowledge. Dick Williams prepared the following document to define what the animators would be doing for the remainder of the project.
Needless to say things changed from this plan.
The animators listed in order are:
Tissa David, Art Babbitt, Spencer Peel, Hal Ambro, Charlie Downs, Gerry Chiniquy, John Kimball, Warren Batchelder, Tom Roth, Dick Williams, Emery Hawkins, John Bruno, Gerry Potterton, Crystal Russell, George Bakes, Willis Pyle, Doug Crane, Jack Schnerk, Corny Cole, Grim Natwick, Cosmo Anzilotti, and Art Vitello.
To my knowledge, Jerry Hathcock, Jan Svochak, Bill Hudson, Jack Stokes, Terry Harrison, and Michael Lah didn’t work on the film even though they were all approached.
Not listed here is Irv Spence who did quite a bit of animation.
Grim Natwick wrote a note to Dick a couple of months after the start of animation commenting on some of the animation problems he saw. It was done very large on
16 fld animation paper. (Grim always seemed to write LARGE.)
Grim’s note ends with a personal comment to Tissa David. A note from mentor to student.
It just goes to show you can always get animation lessons no matter how old or important you are.
Stay humble.
Happy Birthday, George Herriman
on 22 Aug 2007 at 10:43 am 1.David Nethery said …
Fascinating stuff . I always enjoy reading about who-did-what and the
behind-the-scenes minutia .
How much of No Girl’s Toy did Dick re-animate ? I got the impression from the Canemaker book that he animated most of it himself . The document you posted above makes it sound like he was initially just going to do a “fix-it” pass on the work already done, but I’m guessing he got into it and decided to do more . (?)
on 22 Aug 2007 at 11:30 am 2.Steve said …
The version in the finished Raggedy Ann picture certainly looks like the work of Dick Williams. Fred Hellmich’s style was softer, less dynamic and flashy. The film “9 to 5″ contains some of Hellmich’s animation, in the Lily Tomlin Snow White live action/animation fantasy sequence, which he did with partner Lee Mishkin.
on 22 Aug 2007 at 3:22 pm 3.Michael said …
Fred Helmich animated the entire “No Girl’s Toy” number. Dick was going to clean up & inbetween the sequence. However, Dick completely reworked it, and I’m not sure how much he actually used of Helmich’s work. I saw the drawings, but I think they were completely ignored. The sequence was slow in coming since Dick had other work to do.
on 24 Aug 2007 at 3:28 am 4.Tom Sito said …
In the dim mists of my memory I recall doing some inbetweens on No Girl’s Toy for John Celestri’s cleanups, I think John even got to animate a scene or two. Dick did a lot of that Andy running up the wall and falling on his face. I remember Grim animated the contortionist stuff where Andy is twisting his limbs around in a bizarre manner.
When Dick told Natwick he was violating the laws of human anatomy, Grim responded ” But they’re not humans, Dick, their ragdolls! So I can bend them as I please!”
on 24 Aug 2007 at 9:44 pm 5.David Nethery said …
“I remember Grim animated the contortionist stuff where Andy is twisting his limbs around in a bizarre manner.”
Tom,
Wow, so Grim Natwick did that stuff ? That’s some of my favorite animation in the sequence !
This is the bit you’re talking about , right ? —
http://inklingstudio.typepad.com/NoGirlsToy_Grim.mov