Disney &Frame Grabs 13 Jan 2009 09:18 am
Sw in St – sq.002
- I mentioned, several days ago, that Hans Perk is currently posting the drafts for Sword In The Stone on his blog, A Film LA. I also mentioned that I liked the opening sequence wherein Merlin and Wart meet. Without trying to do a mosaic for an entire film (as Mark Mayerson has done – I don’t have the fortitude), I have put together these frame grabs for that sequence and the song that follows. It gives me the opportunity and forces me to look at it a little closer.
Sq. 1.1 Sc 23 – Animator: Hal King
Sq. 1.1 Sc 24 – Animator: Hal King
Sq. 002 Sc 29 – Animator: Ollie Johnston
Sq. 002 Sc 30 – Animator: Ollie Johnston
Sq. 002 Sc 31 – Animator: Ollie Johnston
Sq. 002 Sc 32 – Animator: Ollie Johnston
Sq. 002 Sc 33 – Animator: Ollie Johnston
Sq. 002 Sc 34 – Animator: Ollie Johnston
Sq. 002 Sc 35 – Animator: Ollie Johnston
Sq. 002 Sc 36-37 – Animator: Ollie Johnston
Sq. 002 Sc 38 – Animator: Ollie Johnston
Sq. 002 Sc 39 – Animator: Ollie Johnston
Sq. 002 Sc 40 – Animator: Ollie Johnston
Sq. 002 Sc 41 – Animator: Ollie Johnston
Sq. 002 Sc 42 – Animator: Ollie Johnston
Sq. 002 Sc 43 – Animator: Ollie Johnston
Sq. 002 Sc 44 – Animator: Milt Kahl
Sq. 002 Sc 45 – Animator : Milt Kahl | Sq. 002 Sc 45.1 – Animator: Milt Kahl
Sq. 002 Sc 45.2 – Animator: Milt Kahl | Sq. 002 Sc 46 – Animator: Milt Kahl
Sq. 002 Sc 47 – Animator: Eric Cleworth
Sq. 002 Sc 48 – Animator: Milt Kahl | Sq. 002 Sc 49 – Animator: Eric Cleworth
Sq. 002 Sc 50 – Animator: Milt Kahl | Sq. 002 Sc 50.1 – Animator: Milt Kahl
Sq. 002 Sc 50.2 – Animator: Milt Kahl | Sq. 002 Sc 50.3 – Animator: Milt Kahl
Sq. 002 Sc 50.3 – Animator: Milt Kahl
Sq. 002 Sc 50.4 – Animator: Milt Kahl | Sq. 002 Sc 50.5 – Animator: Milt Kahl
Sq. 002 Sc 50.6 – Animator: Milt Kahl | Sq. 002 Sc 51 – Animator: Milt Kahl
Sq. 002 Sc 52 – Animator: Milt Kahl
Sq. 002 Sc 52.1 – Animator: Milt Kahl | Sq. 002 Sc 53 – Animator: Milt Kahl
Sq. 002 Sc 101 – Animator: Milt Kahl | Sq. 002 Sc 102 – Animator: Milt Kahl
Sq. 002 Sc 103 – Animator: Milt Kahl | Sq. 002 Sc 104 – Animator: Milt Kahl
Sq. 002 Sc 105 – Animator: Les Clark | Sq. 002 Sc 105.1 – Animator: Milt Kahl
Sq. 002 Sc 105.2 – Animator: Les Clark
Sq. 002 Sc 106 – Animator: Milt Kahl | Sq. 002 Sc 107 – Animator: Milt Kahl
Sq. 002 Sc 108 – Animator: Milt Kahl | Sq. 002 Sc 109 – Animator: Les Clark
Sq. 002 Sc 110 – Animator: Milt Kahl
Sq. 002 Sc 111 – Animator: Milt Kahl | Sq. 002 Sc 112 – Animator: Les Clark
Sq. 002 Sc 113 – Animator: Milt Kahl | Sq. 002 Sc 113.1 – Animator: Milt Kahl
Sq. 002 Sc 113.2 – Animator: Milt Kahl
Sq. 002 Sc 114 – Animator: Les Clark
Sq. 002 Sc 115 – Animator: Milt Kahl
Sq. 002 Sc 116 – Animator: Milt Kahl | Sq. 002 Sc 117 – Animator: Milt Kahl
Sq. 002 Sc 119 – Animator: Milt Kahl | Sq. 002 Sc 122 – Animator: Milt Kahl
Sq. 002 Sc 123 – Animator: John Lounsbery | Sq. 002 Sc 124 – Animator: Milt Kahl
I’ll continue with the song sequence (Higitus Figitus) tomorrow.
on 13 Jan 2009 at 1:42 pm 1.stephen said …
Merlin has always been the most appealing disney character to me. he’s got quite a range in the right hands. He’s just the best.
Arthur’s got some great reaction faces here too.
on 13 Jan 2009 at 5:42 pm 2.Jenny Lerew said …
I have a real affection for this film. The sequences you’ve mentioned before are my favorites, too–more than the wizard’s duel, which is great, no question, but just a different kind of thing. It’s the character details and handling I like about Sword In The Stone. I especially love Archimedes-every scene of him. His personality and the owlness of him is spot on, and very warm. Perfect fantasy.
One thing about this appealing sequence that bugged me watching it for the first time as a young adult, though, was the frequent drawing reuse. I’m just looking at the screen caps here, haven’t watched it in a while, but IIRC the footage by Milt of Wart staring and blinking is exactly the same, no less than three times in quick succession. It really sticks out and while the stare/fast blink might be gotten away with twice,to reuse it three times in row like that with no variation…was that just cost-cutting? I can’t imagine Milt standing for it–can anyone? I know the budget was small by Disney standards, but come on.
There are some other reuses and stuff lifted from other films in the rest of the film but in those cases I’m sure it was budgetary, and anyway most moviegoers(if not all) wouldn’t recall stuff from films of many years earlier in a slightly different guise. But…in the same sequence..!
on 13 Jan 2009 at 6:14 pm 3.Rudy Agresta said …
As far as reuse goes – blame it on “Woolie” – nuff said (but I love the film just the same). When I think “Disney”, I immediately think Sleeping Beauty and Sword In The Stone!
on 13 Jan 2009 at 6:17 pm 4.Michael said …
I was always aware of the reuse as well, and I’ve always thought it was a product of Woolie Reitherman’s direction. His style never appealed to me. Like any new animator, he was given action to direct, and he did a good job at it. Graduating to more sensitive material was beyond him, but no one challenged it as long as he came in on budget. (Note: this is just my opinion.)
Back then, as a kid, I was pleased to have noticed it. Today, to me, it’s just typical of Reitherman’s style.
However, we all have to recognize that other, earlier Disney films reused scenes as well. Just tonight I watched Alice In Wonderland on ToonzDisney. Within very few scenes there was a repeat of a distinctive move by the Queen as she wiped hair out of her face to look at Alice. It was obvious. There are other film repetitions not worth noting here.
Repetition is a recognized part of children’s literature and children’s films. It works. I, personally, believe it also works for the adults watching. There is something comforting in it. Except, of course, for professionals like us who recognize it as cheating.
on 13 Jan 2009 at 8:20 pm 5.Luke Farookhi said …
This was always one of my favorites. I credit it as the film that got me into fantasy. I remember being enthralled by Merlin’s hands waving about and gesticulating.
on 14 Jan 2009 at 2:12 am 6.eddie fitzgerald said …
I’m really glad to get these pictures! Thanks for putting them up! I’m afraid that I don’t like this film much, even though I’ve been influenced by some of the techniques here. What strikes me about it is the lack of imagination and solid storytelling. The Wizards’Duel is especially lacking in my opinion. Oh well, it’s stll worth studying!
on 14 Jan 2009 at 5:54 am 7.slowtiger said …
I always liked the rough line quality of this film (among “Robin Hood” and “Jungle Book” and “Aristocats”). Sometimes I wonder how Merlin would’ve looked like if Børge Ring animated him?
Years ago when I frequently gave introductions to animation to my workmates (graphic designers in multimedia) I always used the squirrel sequence to illustrate the point how animation could deliver emotion so very well. It never failed.
on 14 Jan 2009 at 4:38 pm 8.Jenny Lerew said …
Thanks, Michael for the further thoughts.
You’re likely right about the positive impressions repeats can have on an audience…now that you frame it that way I can even imagine Woolie (I figured the decision would be at his door but wasn’t sure) arguing that to have an exact reuse of Wart’s expression is necessary for a gag–and maybe he’s right. But even as an adolescent it stuck out to me in a jarring way. I still can’t believe that just making a small adjustment to the footage wouldn’t have been a good idea–even infintessimally small.
As for other reuses, I’m not such a purist that I care about, say, a deer showing up from Bambi, or even a flopped Kay or Wart walking around in a wide shot–heck, I really don’t care about Snow White turning into Maid Marian in Robin Hood. But as you say, thats the kid audience member speaking, not a professional which is another bailiwick. I’m sure the animation staff had mixed feelings about that production’s methods!
The squirrel thing is great: looks so appealing, “touchable” while still being very graphic, great acting, nice pacing and of course staging…and finally all staying true to the point of the story as well-teaching Wart life lessons. Archimedes, again, is a favorite for me because his handling is just right, especially for the sort-of third wheel he is in the story: he’s funny while not going OTT. He has a dignity about him that is played straight, and while he’s crotchety, he’s also smart and of course is shown to be quite a decent fellow–all this accomplished by wonderful animation. Here you have what could have been a minor character who fills out his role perfectly(the actor helped too, of course-he was great-Junius Matthews? is that right?).
In the Disney features of this latter-day period I find it’s the moments/sequences/details that I loved, rather than the overall film as a whole…but I sure did love them.