They Drew as They Pleased Vol. 3: The Hidden Art of Disney’s Late Golden Age (The 1940s — Part Two)

309 Pages·2017·60.53 MB·English

by  Didier Ghez

Concept painting for “The Dance of the Hours” featuring Hyacinth Hippo and Ben Ali Gator. Courtesy: Hake’s
Americana & Collectibles.

Copyright © 2017 by Disney Enterprises, Inc.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form
without written permission from the publisher.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data available.
ISBN: 978-1-4521-5193-9 (hc)
ISBN: 978-1-45216407-6 (epub, mobi) Written by Didier Ghez
Design by Cat Grishaver
Chronicle Books LLC
680 Second Street
San Francisco, California 94107
www.chroniclebooks.com
Character design for a Lost Boy in Peter Pan. Courtesy: Heritage Auctions.
All of the artwork featured in this volume comes from the Walt Disney Animation Research Library or the Walt
Disney Archives, unless specified otherwise in the captions.
To my wife, Rita Holanda Ghez:
I wished upon a star and met the fairest one of all.
Tinker Bell from an early model sheet for Peter Pan by Jack Miller.
Storyboard sketch by James Bodrero. The elaborate Dumbo sequence “The Mouse’s Tale” did not make it to the
screen.
CONTENTS
Foreword by Andreas Deja 8
The Storytellers 10
1. Eduardo Solá Franco 23
2. Johnny Walbridge 55
3. Jack Miller 85
4. Campbell Grant 131
5. James Bodrero 159
6. Martin Provensen 201
Acknowledgments 241
Notes 243
Index 247
About the Author 242
FOREWORD
During the golden age of animation, Walt Disney asked for the formation
of an in-house branch that would be responsible for all sorts of preparatory
artwork in support of his animated features as well as short films.
Some of Disney’s animators felt a sense of jealousy toward other studio artists
who were part of a group working in the newly created Character Model
Department. While the animators’ main drawing tool was only a pencil,
members of the Character Model Department were free to use any artistic
medium they desired, from pastels to watercolors, from pen and ink to the
creation of three-dimensional character sculptures. Self-expression was
encouraged, as is evident in the pages of Didier Ghez’s third beautiful volume of
They Drew as They Pleased. Individual personal styles emerge with each chapter.
Eduardo Solá Franco created rich Dali-esque watercolors for an unproduced
Don Quixote project. Johnny Walbridge’s surreal sense of humor comes through
in his experimental designs as well as actual story work involving the clowns
from Dumbo. Jack Miller had an extraordinary feel for clear staging, as is evident
in his masterful story drawings for “Baby Weems.” Campbell Grant invented
whimsical gag drawings for some of Snow White’s Dwarfs and model sheets
featuring lively poses of ostrich dancers, inspired by Edgar Degas’s work. James
Bodrero’s expertise in depicting horses led to assignments for Fantasia’s
“Pastoral” sequence, which included groups of centaurs. He also provided unique
character development for a screwy horse in El Gaucho Goofy. Martin Provensen’s
graphic range is evident in his cheerful sketches of circus animals for Dumbo and
in the influence of Russian folklore illustration for Peter and the Wolf.
Within the confinements of an increasingly specialized animation studio,
these artists expressed themselves freely and individually. The search for new
looks and fresh designs was paramount during the 1930s and ’40s, as long as the
art represented the overall vision for the film’s story.
Yet animators like Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston used to complain about
the fact that the work done by the Character Model Department couldn’t be
applied to their character animation. The animator’s craft dealt with lines and
shapes, and for the most part the characters’ final look on film represented that
aesthetic. Nuanced shading or bold sketchy lines were almost impossible to
replicate on painted cels. And even though films like Pinocchio and Fantasia
included various dry-and airbrush techniques, these procedures occasionally
resulted in unintentional flickering when projected onto the screen. They were
also very costly.
Sketches from an early model sheet from Peter Pan by Jack Miller.
Thankfully, Disney supported the idea of thinking “outside of the box,”
particularly during the preliminary stages of production. A forceful pastel sketch
or a soft watercolor painting just might trigger a new way of looking at the
production’s design and characters.
During my tenure at Disney I had the good fortune to work and interact with
the former head of the Character Model Department, Joe Grant, who had
returned to the studio after several decades of absence. At that time, Joe
contributed unique visual ideas for stories and characters. He worked on such
films as Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, and The Lion King. I once asked him how