Originally posted by Glasgow
Davis guy sounded like a real crybaby.
Hey, this was one of his personal dreams. And based on all that he did, I think he deserved to build it - and in tribute, I think that it should be built in honor! Here's a little info on Marc Davis, one of the most accomplished Imagineers of all time:
This man is QUITE responsible (in most cases, the chief Imagineer) for the following attractions:
The Jungle Cruise
The Haunted Mansion
Enchanted Tiki Room
Nature's Wonderland
The Mine Train Ride
The Country Bear Jamboree
Carousel of Progress
Magic Skyway
Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln
Adventures through Inner Space
Pirates of the Caribbean
Submarine Voyage
It's a Small World
America Sings
World of Motion
Western River Ride (never completed)
The Snow Palace (never completed)
Natures Wonderland (never completed)
And he didn't just 'work' on these. NONE of these attractions would be nearly as wonderful as they are today - if even
existing if it weren't for Davis.
But it's not only the attractions. For example, Cruella and Maleficent have become the two most collected and popular characters in Disney history. Who designed them? Davis.
(From
http://www.marcdavis.com/mdcs/featurefilms.asp )
Working on
Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs (1937) was Davis' first test as a professional animator, and he took full advantage of the opportunity. He learned everything he could from Natwick, whose professional credits included creating Betty Boop, among others. The training paid dividends, and Davis earned a reputation as the greatest animator of the female form.
Since Davis had experience drawing animals before he was hired by the studio, and with Snow White completed, Walt Disney asked him to work on
Bambi (1942). His main responsibility was to draw the character "Flower", but he also worked on pre-production development and the story line.
Davis then moved on to Disney's least known feature
Song of the South (1946). This predecessor of Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988) also combined animation with live action characters. Davis' drawing of Brer Fox about to roast Brer Rabbit still stands out as great animation to Disney fans everywhere. (there you go...Splash Mountain)
Davis' next triumph was
Cinderella (1950). Walt Disney's all-time personal favorite piece of animation was one of the sequences that Marc worked on -- Cinderella coming down the stairs wearing the dress the mice and birds created for her.
After Cinderella, Davis moved on to
Alice In Wonderland (1951). Working closely with Milt Kahl, he animated
Alice, the Mad Hatter and the March Hare. In
Peter Pan (1953), Davis brought both
Wendy and Tinkerbell to life. Over the years, "Tink" has been used as the silent hostess for Disneyland and many of Disney's television shows. Today, Tinkerbell cels are among the rarest and most collectible characters to come out of the Disney Studios.
Davis made his greatest mark on Disney's most expensive and last hand inked film
Sleeping Beauty (1959). Costing an unheard of amount of money for an animated film, $6 million, Sleeping Beauty was to be Walt Disney's most lavish film yet. Although Californian artist Eyvind Earle is generally given credit for the overall look and color styling for the film, Davis' expert ability to draw detail made him the obvious choice to do Sleeping Beauty's two main characters -- the lovely and dainty heroine
Briar Rose and the evil, foreboding villain
Maleficent. With consummate grace and skill, Davis created two of the most memorable characters of all time. In fact one of the greatest collections ever to come to the animation market contained the original production drawings of Briar Rose and Maleficent which were signed by Davis. They are incredibly collectable and range from $1200 to $3500. They are the epitome of Davis' achievement and should be included in any serious animation art collection. By comparison, original hand-painted cels of Maleficent used in the film and signed by Davis can exceed $7000.
With a malevolent blueprint behind him, Davis next tackled the character
Cruella DeVil in 101 Dalmatians (1961). Considering this was the first Xeroxed film, Cruella's demeanor and style turned out perfectly evil! She is such a memorable character that the popular actress Glenn Close beat out several others to win the role of Cruella DeVil in the live version of 101 Dalmatians. It is interesting to note that in animation art collecting, villains are considered the most collectible characters in Disney films. In fact Cruella and Maleficent have become the two most collected and popular characters in Disney history.
As a member of the Nine Old Men of Disney, Marc's work has become the embodiment of the company itself. When it comes to the history of Walt Disney animation, Davis is more than just a name, he is a Disney legend!
Other works:
Madcap Adventures of Mr. Toad, The (1975) (animator)
One Hundred and One Dalmatians (1961) (directing animator) Sleeping Beauty (1959) (directing animator)
Toot Whistle Plunk and Boom (1953) (animator)
... aka Adventures in Music: Toot Whistle Plunk and Boom (1953)
Melody (1953) (animator)
... aka Adventures in Music: Melody (1953) (USA: complete title)
Peter Pan (1953) (directing animator)
Alice in Wonderland (1951) (directing animator)
Cinderella (1950) (animator) (directing animator)
Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad, The (1949) (animator)
... aka Ichabod and Mr. Toad (1949) (USA: promotional title)
... aka Legend of Sleepy Hollow, The (1949) (USA: TV title)
... aka Madcap Adventures of Mr. Toad, The (1949)
Fun and Fancy Free (1947) (character animator)
Song of the South (1946) (directing animator)
African Diary (1945) (animator)
Bambi (1942) (animator) (as Fraser Davis)
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) (assistant animator) (uncredited)
So Dear to My Heart (1949) (cartoon story treatment)
Victory Through Air Power (1943) (storyboard artist)
Chanticleer and Reynard (film never completed)
That's right...Tink and the others would not be around today if it weren't for 'crybaby'! :lol: The films and parks would be
completely different.
Marc passed away on January 12, 2000
