Animation

[Goofster]

You know, I really want to be an animator for Disney, but, I was talking to my friends about well, the Little Mermaid recalled cover and Aladdin (teenagers), and Lion King (dust), etc. If you don't know what im getting at, be glad you don't know. But im sure mostly all of you Disney Fans know what I'm talking about.

I just need to know, since im gonna be working there
WHY?
Why does Walt Disney Feature animation stick these things into their movies?

I mean, what would/does Walt think about it?
I mean, Im amazed at how little talk there is of all this, I just mostly learned about it like this year.

 

[WDW-Imagineer]

If I remember correctly, of course this may be a rumor, the Mermaid cover was made by departing animator... but I am really not sure about that. If you ask me, it probably wasn't intentional.

If Walt were still around, I doubt any of that would be happening, although you know Walt was accused of some "subliminal-animation" in his day. I'm sure everybody is aware of Walt's nazi accusations and in one of his cartoons, a musical note looks like a swastika.

Why does animation put these things in? If I sat around all day drawing the same picture with the only difference moving a persons arm an inch, I would get pretty bored. Although since this is your dream, I won't insult you.

Also, I'm not familar with the "teenagers" in Aladdin... (if it shouldn't be posted on the board, PM me )

Anyway, again I'm really not an expert on these subjects, so please excuse any bad information I have posted.

 

[Goofster]

Well, no its not like terrible, It's just not something you'd expect.

Aladdin is on the carpet and lands at the palace to see jasmine, and the tiger sort of attacks him. Turn up the volume and you'll hear "Good Teenagers, take off your clo" and I've heard it myself, its no rumor. I think there's an interruption and he doesn't finish. But if your just listening casually, it sounds like mumbling.

Well, we know this stuff happens. It's not just rumors.

 

[Tramp]

Most of this 'crap' is unintentional....and then blown way out of proportion. 99.9% of the people couldn't care less about subliminal messaging and kids have no idea what it would mean even if they saw it. Only when it's pointed out to people do people take notice of it.

Walt would never approve of this stupidity and these employees would be looking for work at a hamburger joint where they can wield their creativity more effectively. I have no tolerance for this type of 'bs.'

 

[sillyspook13]

Most of the time, the *ahem* odd things that people see or hear are not really there. When a person is told to look for something, their imagination makes it true. For example, in Aladdin. The script called for him to say, "Good tiger, take off and go". The editing of this scene caused that line to come out slightly off. Some sicko thought they heard something else, thus you have people believing the Disney animation team is a bunch of perverts. For more information on these rumors see the Disney urban legends website at http://www.snopes2.com/disney/disney.htm

 

[kevlightyear]

Good Luck on the Animation gig goofster!

I think most of these rumors are exagerated and blown way out of proportion. For the ones that are real, I would say Walt would be very dissapointed.

 

[NowInc]

O goodie..finally a topic I can ramble on about endlessly...YaY!!!

Ok....did you ever ask anyone who has ever actually WORKED for DFA (Disney Feature Animation) about their jobs? If so you would find out that its the WORST possible job you could ever get. They really dont treat their animators with respect, and whats worse...you cant quit. You are signed to a contract..so the only way to get out is to get FIRED.

And this is why u find all those little "hidden" things in the movies. Peolpe adding things to get fired. Also not all of it is true..but a good deal of it IS real and intentional (the Mermaid cover for example)

There is a whole book dedicated to these sort of things called "Mouse under glass"...you can find it on amazon.com ...it is one of my all time favorite books (along with the Mouse tales series)...


So why do people actually go to work for DFA in the first place? Well..having that on your resume is pretty darn impressive. I myself got accepted into their computer animation department but turned it down for a more interesting job that had a less strict contract.

If you want some tips on how to get hired by disney...here are some pointers::

First off all...decide what kind of disney productions you want to be working on. MOST disney full length films are done in California and overseas...so if you were thinking florida...you are out of luck. Recently more and more movies are passing thru the florida studios for touch up/tweening..but most of what is done there are commercials and TV spots etc.

Once you decide on that, you need to know HOW to get hired. This is actually easier than you would expect. First rule is NEVER show disney a sketch book full of cartoon characters. They dont want to see it, and wont hire you if thats what you do. They much prefer seeing Life drawings and especially dynamic poses in your figures. They dont want you to have your own drawing "style" when you work for them...they will teach you THEIR style. You have to somehow convey a mentality of "willingness to learn" to them during the interview, which will make them more enthusiastic about hireing you.

Just remember...that IF you do get hired by them...you are stuck at the job for at LEAST 5 years bound by contract. They are much more strict now a days as to what you can "slip" into a movie. Also, keep in mind that they still make you follow a strict dress/image code that could get you fired if broken. Thats at least in the 2D department. Luckily for me they are much more leniant with the 3D guys because we are harder to come by. (I myself have long hair and was offered the job without them mentioning the grooming specs).

It is however a very hard job but will almost definatally help you land a job anywhere else. (as we say in the industry..."If you can survive DFA...you can survive anything). Just remember that when you get hired you will most likley be a "tweening" guy...drawing the same character over and over with almost NO variation in movement (disney draws all cartoons at 72 frames a second even tho standard film is 24 and video is 30)...so it can get tedious and redundant. They do have these overly happy guys called "motivators" walking aroudn trying to keep you happy...whatever you do...don't give them the finger (that got my friend fired while working on the little mermaid cartoon series).

Hope it works out...and i hope i didnt scare you too much!

 

[Brett]

This is a great topic, as the animators are known for slipping unquestionable material. I checked the website that sillyspook posted and you see that some of these facts are true, aka the material in the Rescuers. I just hope that the Goofster will have more ethics than some of the Disney animators..

 

[Goofster]

Wow, thanks a lot Now Inc! Thats some sweet advice! Cool. Don't worry when (be optimistic) I get hired I'll do my job well and do it to make people happy no matter how I feel, if I'm upset or incredibly bored, just the way Walt wants me to.