{"product_id":"directing-at-disney-isbn-9781484755747","title":"Directing at Disney","description":"\u003cb\u003eThis untold history collection chronicles the progression of the animation director role during the 1920s through the 1970s. For students of filmmaking and management, this book serves as go-to resource for a complex and sometimes technical role that demanded precision. For all Disney fans, these personal portraits of Walt’s closest creative leaders offer a fuller picture behind the stories, characters, and magical realms in Disney’s beloved and respected animated films.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWhen the very first animated films appeared, there were no directors. With no actors, sets, costumes, or sound, what appeared onscreen was simply decided and drawn by an animator. Since early films were usually made by only one or two artists, there was little need for planning. Organization was loose. When Walt Disney started animating on shorts and advertising projects in Kansas City, Missouri, he followed that process, along with fellow artist and friend Ub Iwerks. \u003cbr\u003eWalt found that his strength was in story and character. He began writing outlines, describing what would appear scene by scene. Soon the text was accompanied by a sketch previsualizing the layout, giving all animators working on a film a clear vision of how their parts fit into the whole. Ultimately, Walt shepherded stories from their inception through every revision and gag. He approved every camera angle. He dictated what happened in every shot, sometimes every frame, obsessing over every detail. While not credited as such onscreen, Walt was the first Disney director.\u003cbr\u003eAs the Disney studio grew, Walt organically evolved the role of director, reflecting the amount of trust he had in those he worked with, his interest in a specific project, and what other projects he had on his plate. Walt expected his directors to follow his instructions—and to improve the work at every turn. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eDirecting at Disney: The Original Directors of Walt's Animated Films\u003c\/i\u003e offers the little-known history behind Walt's foundational directors, such as Wilfred Jackson, Clyde Geronimi, and Dave Hand. These talents directed some of the most beloved films in existence—\u003ci\u003eSnow White and Seven Dwarfs\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003ePinocchio\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003ePeter Pan\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eOne Hundred and One Dalmatians\u003c\/i\u003e—yet virtually no one has heard of them . . . until now.The authors have been working on this hefty volume for more than a decade, and it shows. I never dreamt I could learn so much about a studio I thought I knew inside and out. By focusing on the forgotten men of Disney’s golden age they have not only brought to light the inner workings of that studio but shone a spotlight on men whose contributions to great animated films have never been fully appreciated. Figures who were just names in the credits—Ben Sharpsteen, David Hand, Burt Gillett, Hamilton Luske, Wilfred Jackson, to name a few—are made real and tangible through Peri and Docter’s exhaustive research and first-hand interviews. In the truest sense of the word, they are \u003ci\u003eanimated\u003c\/i\u003e and brought to life on the printed page. By scrupulously sifting through gossip and rumors to get to the nature of each individual Peri and Docter have done a great service to Disneyphiles for all time. I devoured this book and can’t praise it highly enough. — Leonard Maltin\u003cb\u003ePete Docter \u003c\/b\u003eis an American film director, animator, and screenwriter from Bloomington, Minnesota. He is best known for directing\u003ci\u003e Inside Out, Monsters, Inc.\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eUp\u003c\/i\u003e and as a key figure and collaborator in Pixar Animation Studios. \u003ci\u003eThe A.V. Club\u003c\/i\u003e has called him \"almost universally successful.\" He has been nominated for six Oscars (two wins thus far for \u003ci\u003eUp\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eInside Out—\u003c\/i\u003eBest Animated Feature), three Annie Awards (two wins), a BAFTA Children's Film Award (which he won), and a Hochi Film Award (which he won). He has described himself as a \"geeky kid from Minnesota who likes to draw cartoons.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eDon Peri\u003c\/b\u003e is the author of \u003ci\u003eWorking with Walt: Interviews with Disney Artists\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eWorking with Disney: Interviews with Animators, Producers, and Artists\u003c\/i\u003e.  In addition to nearly a hundred interviews with creative leaders of the Disney films, he assisted director Ben Sharpsteen in writing his memoirs, giving Don an inside look at what it took to direct films under Walt’s supervision.\u003cb\u003eINTRODUCTION\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003ePETE:\u003c\/b\u003e Some years ago, I was watching Peter Pan with my kids. As Peter, Wendy, Michael, and John leapt off Big Ben and flew over the clouds of London, I thought, Wow, what a great shot! I wonder who came up with that. Was it the director? Come to think of it, who was the director? As a huge fan of Disney films and history, I was embarrassed to admit I didn’t know.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e At the time, I was directing Up at Pixar Animation Studios. As with all my directorial efforts, I had come up with the core idea and worked with a small group to craft the story and characters. I worked with writers, guided designers, directed actors, and steered and approved every shot in the film through camera, editorial, animation, effects, lighting, and final sound. Was this true of directors who had worked with Walt Disney?\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e My embarrassingly large shelf of Disney books revealed precious few facts—and even scant mention—of directors or their job. Why was this key position so unsung? I knew one person who might know more: my friend and Disney historian Don Peri.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003eDON:\u003c\/b\u003e I have always been a “who” person, meaning that my interest in Disney has always centered on Walt Disney and the people who worked with and for him. Sure, I have loved the movies, the theme parks, some of the television shows, but I am not an artistic person, so the “how” of making films has been less a focus for me than who made them and their working relationships.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e My odyssey through Disney history really took flight fifty years ago when the cover art for a college magazine led to a meeting with Ben Sharpsteen, a retired Disney animator, director, and producer. Ben and I both lived in Northern California, so we easily developed a working relationship: I helped him record his memoirs and he helped me expand my knowledge of Disney history in general and particularly his history and the history of those in his orbit. We worked together for three years, and then I ventured out to conduct many more interviews and to teach courses on Disney history, all the while honing my skills and knowledge. One of my interviews, with director Wilfred Jackson, led to a meeting with director Pete Docter. We shared a love of Disney history, and Pete not only knew the “how” of animation, but also yearned to know more about the “who.” This was the beginning of a beautiful friendship.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003ePETE:\u003c\/b\u003e As Don and I researched and interviewed, we found Disney directors to be a bundle of contradictions. All artists they worked with saw directors as a central and powerful figure in the making of Disney films. But many directors were hated. Several were seen as having “failed up” into their position. \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e Even the job description was confusing. Some spoke of the role as glorified assistant to Walt, the real director; others spoke of directors being completely in charge, coming up with the concepts and dictating creative choices. We eventually found both to be true; the role changed over time and from project to project.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e Ultimately we discovered the directors to be a fascinating insight into Walt himself. As he expanded from personally drawing a handful of short films and advertisements in the early twenties to overseeing shorts, features, television shows, and theme parks in the fifties, Walt developed people and processes that still allowed him to achieve his vision. In many ways, the evolution of the role of the director reflected Disney’s own growth as a creative leader.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003eDON:\u003c\/b\u003e Walt Disney has always fascinated us, inspiring childhood wonder at the stories and worlds he introduced and then the more mature appreciation of the challenges he faced and the innovations in storytelling, animation, filmmaking, and technology he created with his dedicated team. It all came full circle when we watched Disney films or enjoyed his theme parks with our young families and relived his world through their lives.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e The dilemma we faced with this book is that while we have the greatest respect and admiration for Walt, he was a taskmaster, and he would be the first to admit it. So in telling the stories of his band of animation directors, we see how his drive and ambition both inspired them and stressed them.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003ePETE:\u003c\/b\u003e One quote that stuck with me was from a February 10, 1941, speech that Walt gave to his animation staff: “Those men who have worked closely with me in trying to organize and keep the studio rolling, and keep its chin above the water, should not be envied. Frankly, those fellows catch plenty of hell, and a lot of you can feel lucky that you don’t have too much contact with me.”\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003eDON:\u003c\/b\u003e But I think they would all say—were they still alive—that they would gladly do it again, because they believed strongly in his vision, were in awe of him personally, and readily attached themselves to his star for as long as they could hang on. His hold on their hearts and minds stayed long after his passing. I can remember interviewing many of them at the studio years later, and as we talked, they gradually shifted from the past tense to the present tense when speaking of him, and Walt was still alive for them. Swept up in their memories, I almost expected to hear his cough and see him come around the corner to join us.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e Walt was a different person to each of his directors, depending on his needs at the time and their skills at delivering what he needed. Over the years, as his world expanded beyond animated films, his attention divided, and he expected his directors to take up the slack.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e He often had an uneasy relationship with the role of director, which he virtually created within animation, and the men who filled that role. He was constantly changing the organization and studio process to fit his vision, and woe to the director who could not go with the flow.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e For this book, we have simplified the evolution of the director into six periods or stages. These designations were certainly not anything discussed during their time, but they seemed the best way to explain the changes in this complex and sometimes technical role. Each section begins with a simple explanation of the job at that time and place.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e But most of this book is devoted to the careers of the often unknown, unsung directors. Rising from the animation ranks, these men were a wide and varied group of characters. Capable of incredibly demanding precision, some delegated willingly, while others demanded meticulous control. They were boisterous, quiet, exacting, and creative. Some smoked and drank heavily. Some were hated, others revered. They all worked long hours. It was a highly stressful position, likely contributing to declining health for some in their later years.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e As generals of the small armies it took to make these animated films, directors had an unequalled view of the art, craft, and organization it took to make them. And as Walt’s closest creative partners, they saw a side of Walt seen by very few.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e We’re excited to introduce you to the talented but unknown people who directed some of the world’s favorite films.\u003cbr\u003e —Don Peri and Pete Docter\u003cbr\u003e February 2023\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003eP.S. Within these pages, you will not see a lot of diversity. While today this is slowly changing, the films and the processes discussed in this book are products of their time. With hope of a more diverse group of directors in the future, we feel these stories have plenty of lessons to offer all filmmakers and historians today.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003e—D.P. \u0026amp; P.D.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003ePART 1\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e“THERE WERE NO DIRECTORS AT FIRST”\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e1920–1931\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e Throughout time, the job of the director changed. In an attempt to show this, we have created a series of simplified flowcharts, based largely on graphs prepared in the late 1970s by Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston for use in their book \u003ci\u003eThe Illusion of Life\u003c\/i\u003e. Ultimately unused, they still provided a firsthand account of the evolving system. Please note these charts are simplified, especially as time goes on, and are focused on the director’s duties and jurisdiction rather than on details of the production process.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e\u003cu\u003e1920s\u003c\/u\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003eNEW YORK STUDIOS: \u003c\/b\u003eNo directors; animators do everything in making the film.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e • \u003cb\u003eSTUDIO OWNER:\u003c\/b\u003e The boss owns the studio, makes distribution deals with theater owners, and runs the business, largely leaving the making of cartoons up to the animator.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e • \u003cb\u003eANIMATOR:\u003c\/b\u003e Each short is divided among two to four animators. Each thinks up gags for their own section, stages them, makes the animation drawings, inks them, and inks a background on a cel to lay over the paper drawings of the character. With luck, the cameraman can draw, in case something doesn’t work or has been left out.\u003cbr\u003e - GAGS\u003cbr\u003e - LAYOUT\u003cbr\u003e - ANIMATION\u003cbr\u003e - INKING\u003cbr\u003e - BACKGROUNDS\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e • \u003cb\u003eCAMERA\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e • \u003cb\u003eFINAL FILM\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003eOutput: one short a week\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e\u003cu\u003e1920–1928\u003c\/u\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003eTHE EARLY DAYS AT DISNEY’S\u003c\/b\u003e: No directors; Walt determines what will end up on the screen, as well as the timing.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e • \u003cb\u003eWALT:\u003c\/b\u003e Walt oversees everything: the subject matter, the jokes, and the pacing of animation.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e• GAGS \u0026amp; STORY\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e• LAYOUT:\u003c\/b\u003e Illustrators are hired to draw layouts, design the compositions, and paint backgrounds.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e• ANIMATION:\u003c\/b\u003e Animators are now free to focus 100 percent on entertainment and character performances.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e• ANIMATION ASSISTANTS:\u003c\/b\u003e Animation assistants do over half the drawings, allowing animators to handle twice as many scenes.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e• INK \u0026amp; PAINT:\u003c\/b\u003e Characters are traced onto clear sheets of plastic, called cels, by “inkers” and filled in with opaque paint by “painters.”\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e• BACKGROUND:\u003c\/b\u003e Background is now a painting instead of a line drawing, requiring extra artists. (The animator is freed of this assignment.)\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e • \u003cb\u003eCAMERA\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e • \u003cb\u003eFINAL FILM\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003eOutput: one short every two weeks\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e\u003cu\u003e1929–1931\u003c\/u\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003eTHE PROTO-DIRECTOR:\u003c\/b\u003e The role of the Director (called the “Story Man” at this point) is created to make sure the gags come off as discussed in prior meetings, and alleviate Walt’s time spent on details.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e• WALT:\u003c\/b\u003e Walt oversees everything: the subject matter, the jokes, and the pacing of animation.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e• GAGS \u0026amp; STORY:\u003c\/b\u003e Someone better at gags than animation gets a full-time job thinking up funny business.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e• STORY MAN (aka Director):\u003c\/b\u003e The Story Man oversees the largely organizational issues complicated by sound while Walt makes most creative decisions.\u003cbr\u003e - ANIMATION\u003cbr\u003e - INK \u0026amp; PAINT\u003cbr\u003e - ASSISTANT\u003cbr\u003e - ANIMATION\u003cbr\u003e The Story Man’s job:\u003cbr\u003e • Hand out shots to animators with spoken description of what is expected\u003cbr\u003e • Review rough and cleaned-up animation\u003cbr\u003e • Time out drawings, often removing or revising instructions to camera how many frames each should be seen on-screen\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e - LAYOUT\u003cbr\u003e - ART DIRECTION\u003cbr\u003e - BACKGROUNDS\u003cbr\u003e Layout and background artists have the added responsibility of selecting colors.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e - MUSIC\u003cbr\u003e - SOUND EFFECTS\u003cbr\u003e - CUTTER\u003cbr\u003e The Director’s job includes the planning and recording of sound, usually done at the end of the picture. The inclusion of sound calls for a cutter (editor) to keep everything in sync.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e • \u003cb\u003eCAMERA\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e • \u003cb\u003eANSWER PRINT:\u003c\/b\u003e An answer print is now needed to check color corrections.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e • \u003cb\u003eFINAL FILM\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003eOutput: one short every four weeks\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003eCHAPTER 1\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003eTHE BIRTH OF THE DISNEY DIRECTOR\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003e“There were no directors at first. Disney produced directors—or rather, created them.”1\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003e—Animator\/Director Dick Huemer\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003eLIGHTS! CAMERA! ACTION! SOUND!\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e When Al Jolson tells a cabaret crowd in \u003ci\u003eThe Jazz Singer\u003c\/i\u003e, “You ain’t heard nothin’ yet,” he meant more than he could possibly know. The movie studios were initially dismissive of this film from the upstart Warner Bros. Studio, but the public enthusiastically embraced it. And what the industry hoped was a fad in fact changed movies forever.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e Sound meant big things for Walt Disney as well, establishing both him and Mickey Mouse as household names. It also ushered in a new position in the production of animated films: that of director.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003eBEFORE DIRECTORS\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e When the very first animated films appeared around the turn of the twentieth century, there were no directors. The position would have been superfluous; with no actors, sets, costumes, or sound, what appeared on-screen was simply decided and drawn by the animator. Since early films were usually made by one or two artists, there was very little need for planning.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e Even as small studios grew to churn out a more regular diet of cartoons, organization was loose. As then-animator Clyde “Gerry” Geronimi said of his work in New York around 1920, “There were no storyboards [visual scripts] in those days. We had just a typewritten sheet, with an outline of what we were going to do.” Animator Dick Huemer’s reference to his work at the Mintz Studio (Screen Gems) reflected a similar improvisational approach: “Sid [Marcus], Art [Davis], and myself each took a third of the picture, animated and amplified it on our own, with hardly any consultation with each other. We each considered our section our own private affair—gags, interpretation, and all.”\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e When he started in Kansas City, Walt Disney followed the same process. Along with fellow artist and friend Ub Iwerks, he animated on shorts and advertising products.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e The failure of Walt’s first two studios precipitated a move to California, where he and brother Roy again hired Iwerks, recognizing his amazing ability to animate fast and with high quality. At the same time, Walt found that his strength was in story and character. “I am in no sense of the word a great artist, not even a great animator; I have always had men working for me whose skills were greater than my own. I am an idea man. “It wasn’t that Walt couldn’t do it [animate], he could,” recalled Ub years later. “But since I had joined him in 1924, he found he could do more for his pictures with gags and doing writing than by sitting over a drawing board. I don’t think Walt made any drawings after 1924.”\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e Walt wanted stories that were cohesive, unlike the loose themes pieced together at other studios. He began writing outlines, describing what would appear scene by scene. Soon the text was accompanied by a sketch previsualizing the layout, giving all animators working on the film a clear vision of how their parts fit into the whole.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e Instead of just letting animators draw whatever they wanted, Walt and Ub now had a plan for their films, much like architectural blueprints for a building. While this planning took more time, it added immeasurably to the quality of the films, which seemed to be Walt’s single-minded goal.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e Walt shepherded the stories from their inception through every revision and gag. He approved every camera angle. He dictated what happened in every shot, sometimes every frame, obsessing over every detail. While not credited as such onscreen, Walt was the first Disney director.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e But it was sound that would really bring the position into focus.","brand":"Disney Editions","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46304209371365,"sku":"NP9781484755747","price":50.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9781484755747.jpg?v=1767725166","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/products\/directing-at-disney-isbn-9781484755747","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}