General

Wednesdays with Wade: Christmas at Disneyland

Wade Sampson invites you to join Timmie and Taffy for a holiday trip (circa 1956) to the “Happiest Place on Earth”

Published

18 years ago

December 27, 2005

I don’t know if the Christmas season seemed to have come too quickly this year or if having Christmas on Sunday seems a little out of the ordinary but I am not quite ready to let the Christmas season pass before the New Year without at least one more column devoted to Disneyland and Christmas.

Back when I had more patience and more energy, I would actually spend Christmas Day in Disneyland. As I got older, I was content to merely visit Disneyland several times during the Christmas season to appreciate the decorations and the shows.

Another Christmas tradition I had was to pull out my DELL comic books that had a Christmas theme and curl up on the couch in the den during the holiday season and read some Christmas themed stories. In the days before videotape recorders, those of us who were Disney fans could only enjoy the adventures of Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck and relive the films like “Cinderella” by getting DELL comic books which featured these stories and anxiously awaiting the Disney television program to showcase some Disney cartoons. (At Christmas, it was always a joy to see “From All of Us to All of You” on Walt’s show.)

In 1937, Western Publishing took over publishing “Mickey Mouse Magazine.” Western started increasing the number of pages reprinting the classic Floyd Gottfredson “Mickey Mouse” comic strips. In 1939, Western decided to more actively compete in the new comic book industry and introduced the DELL “Four Color” series which was a series of one-shot comic books featuring a variety of newspaper strip material.

In 1940, the first all Disney comic book appeared in the “Four Color” series featuring reprints of “Donald Duck” comic strips. By October 1940, Western launched “Walt Disney’s Comics and Stories” and by 1942, Western Publisher Eleanor Packer decided that the resource of reprints was quickly running out and it was necessary to create new Disney comic book material.

This decision resulted in the production of the first all new Donald Duck comic book, “Donald Duck Finds Pirate’s Gold” by Carl Barks and Jack Hannah in “Four Color #9” and a slew of Disney comic books from continuing series to one-shots created by some outstanding craftsmen, including moonlighting animators like Barks and Hannah trying to get a few extra bucks to help pay bills.

I know this statement always irritates Animation Historian Michael Barrier (who I respect and will always appreciate for his groundbreaking magazine “Funnyworld” and make sure you visit his website at www.michaelbarrier.com) but for many of us kids we enjoyed the work of Tony Strobl, Al Hubbard, Paul Murry, Jack Bradbury as much as we enjoyed the work of Carl Barks. Barks was without question a genius when it came to recounting the adventures of the duck family (although his storytelling skill and artistic abilities could never make non-duck stories like those with Barney Bear and Benny the Burro memorable) but the concentration on his work has overshadowed the fine craftsmanship of others.

What does all of this have to do with Christmas? Well, starting in 1949, DELL started publishing a once a year annual of over one hundred pages for a quarter entitled “Christmas Parade.” Nine issues were published (or actually ten issues if you also count the DELL GIANT COMIC one shot in 1959 that was also titled “Christmas Parade”) and all of them featured Christmas themed stories showcasing a variety of popular Disney characters.

There was only one year when an issue was not published, 1957, when instead of publishing “Christmas Parade”, DELL decided to publish a one-shot entitled “Walt Disney’s Christmas in Disneyland.” The cover was pencilled by Tony Strobl and painted by Norm McGary had portraits of Mickey, Donald and the nephews, Scrooge and Chip’n’Dale surrounding a color photo of Disneyland featuring a bright red tree just to the left of the entrance to Sleeping Beauty’s Castle. The photo also clearly shows a small red fire hydrant there as well so I wonder if anyone has information about that oddity on the photo.

Anyway, the framing story pencilled by Tony Strobl and inked by Steve Steere has Santa appearing on Christmas night at the home of a sister and brother, Taffy and Timmie, who have left him a note reading “Dear Santa, Please no toys! What we want for Christmas is a trip to Disneyland! Pretty please! Love, Taffy and Timmie”.

Since Santa is going to drop off some gifts at Disneyland anyway that night, he decides to take Taffy and Timmie with him. If only it were that easy in real life. My brothers and I had to be especially good to get a trip to Disneyland, especially during the holiday season when the family finances were strapped. When Santa’s sleigh flies over Disneyland, the reader can clearly see the Christmas tree in the hub (not Main Street) and the Spaceship in Tomorrowland labelled “TWA”.

These annuals provided a framing story that allowed for various stories done by different artists that were themed to areas in Disneyland. As a kid and having actually gone to Disneyland, I found these stories to be a “cheat” since the adventures never really took place in Disneyland but Adventureland might be the cue for a story taking place in a jungle or Fantasyland might inspire a story of the Disney animated characters from the Seven Dwarfs to Peter Pan to Dumbo.

In this issue, Adventureland is the springboard for a story by Carl Barks of Scrooge, Donald and the nephews going to a Volcano Island to get Black Pearls but Scrooge has a special Christmas surprise even in this tropical location. In Frontierland, while Santa delivers presents to “friendly-type Indians” living in teepees, a DELL comic book falls out of his sack of Mickey Mouse and Goofy in “The Iron House of Lonsesome Gulch” illustrated by Paul Murry and recounting Mickey and Goofy trying to get a payroll to some miners before Christmas so they can celebrate and buy some presents for their children. Naturally, Black Pete robs the payroll but Mickey is falsely accused of staging the robbery.

A ride on the AstroJets in Tomorrowland oddly inspires a Paul Murry illustrated Chip’n’Dale story of Br’er Bear kidnapping Jiminy Cricket to teach him how to be Santa Claus so he can eat all the goodies left out for the jolly fellow. (The “Song of the South” characters must have been very popular with readers since they appear in many of the “Christmas Parade” annuals.) A trip on the Alpine skyway gives Santa the chance to share with Taffy and Timmie an Al Hubbard illustrated tale of Scamp trying to make Lady and the Tramp proud of him by becoming a “Scamp-Bernard” and in the process rescuing some Saint Bernards in the snowy mountains.

A ride on Casey Junior takes Santa and the children by the house of the Big Bad Wolf and sparks a story of a good deed the Wolf inadvertantly did for Santa. Br’er Bear is also in this Paul Murry illustrated story where he runs a second-hand story and it is revealed he has a son and daughter (Billie and Tillie….I am sure Uncle Remus is spinning in his grave….) lost in the snow.

Riding on the pirate ship in the “Peter Pan” atrraction causes Santa to remember in an Al Hubbard illustrated story the time Captain Hook kidnapped Santa to force Peter Pan to catch the crocodile and then leave Neverland forever. Of course, Peter and Tinker Bell outwit the pirate but are too exhausted Christmas morning when the other Lost Boys open the rescued toys. “They must be getting old or something” claims one of the Lost Boys.

Riding on a mine car through the “Snow White” attraction is the introduction to a Paul Murry illustrated story of the Seven Dwarfs trying to help Dopey do a good deed to write about to Santa. All the other dwarfs’ good deeds revolved around them helping Dopey throughout the year.

Finally Santa returns Taffy and Timmie to their home and leaves them lots of presents including some puzzles and games that we can play as well including decoding Morty and Ferdie’s letter to Santa, a game board of Santa’s journey to Li’l Wolf’s house, figuring out how Uncle Scrooge’s Christmas wish came true but not in the way he expected, identifying the animals in Goofy Claus’s Hodgepodge Team (composed of caribou, elk, gazelle, moose and more), how to make some gift tags as taught by Chip’n’Dale and…..well, lots more.

So on Christmas Day since I was celebrating the holiday this year without my family, I pulled out this classic comic book to re-read and remember happier holidays when I didn’t have to worry about mortgages and insurance payments and utility payments and how my body now creaks and squeaks when I try to get up off the couch and all I had to worry about was how to save money out of my lunch money to buy some new comic books each week and the Christmas holiday wasn’t just one or two days but two weeks away from the work of school.

As we enter a new year which I hope will be happier year for us all, I think it does us all good to look back on earlier, simpler times and treasure those things that warmed our hearts. Those memories are the true gifts of Christmas.

I hope one of the things that will warm my heart next Christmas is some publisher deciding to reprint those Disney Christmas comic strips that appeared in local newspapers for a few weeks before Christmas. (Actually, I’d also love to see some of those NEA limited Christmas strips like Wally Wood’s “Bucky Rufus” or a Jack Kent one I vaguely remember also reprinted.)

Jim Hill must love the “Christmas Parade” annuals because when I pulled them out this year, I noticed one of the back covers had Donald Duck on Santa’s lap. Donald had a huge list of “good boys and girls” to receive special presents and Donald is clearly pointing to the name “Jim” so I wonder what gift Jim got that year.

Happy New Year to You All and many thanks for the kind and generous words some of you have shared about my weekly contributions.

General

Seward Johnson bronzes add a surreal, artistic touch to NYC’s Garment District

Published

9 years ago

June 23, 2015

Jim Hill

Greetings from NYC. Nancy and I drove down from New
Hampshire yesterday because we'll be checking out
Disney Consumer Products' annual Holiday Showcase later today.

Anyway … After checking into our hotel (i.e., The Paul.
Which is located down in NYC's NoMad district), we decided to grab some dinner.
Which is how we wound up at the Melt Shop.

Photo by Jim Hill

Which is this restaurant that only sells grilled cheese sandwiches.
This comfort food was delicious, but kind of on the heavy side.

Photo by Jim Hill

Which is why — given that it was a beautiful summer night
— we'd then try and walk off our meals. We started our stroll down by the Empire
State Building
…

Photo by Jim Hill

… and eventually wound up just below Times
Square (right behind where the Waterford Crystal Times Square New
Year's Eve Ball is kept).

Photo by Jim Hill

But you know what we discovered en route? Right in the heart
of Manhattan's Garment District
along Broadway between 36th and 41st? This incredibly cool series of life-like
and life-sized sculptures that Seward
Johnson has created.

Photo by Jim Hill

And — yes — that is Abraham Lincoln (who seems to have
slipped out of WDW's Hall of Presidents when no one was looking and is now
leading tourists around Times Square). These 18 painted
bronze pieces (which were just installed late this past Sunday night / early
Monday morning) range from the surreal to the all-too-real.

Photo by Jim Hill

Some of these pieces look like typical New Yorkers. Like the
business woman planning out her day …

Photo by Jim Hill

… the postman delivering the mail …

Photo by Jim Hill

… the hot dog vendor working at his cart …

Photo by Jim Hill

… the street musician playing for tourists …

Photo by Jim Hill

Not to mention the tourists themselves.

Photo by Jim Hill

But right alongside the bronze businessmen …

Photo by Jim Hill

… and the tired grandmother hauling her groceries home …

Photo by Jim Hill

… there were also statues representing people who were
from out-of-town …

Photo by Jim Hill

… or — for that matter — out-of-time.

Photo by Jim Hill

These were the Seward Johnson pieces that genuinely beguiled. Famous impressionist paintings brought to life in three dimensions.

Note the out-of-period water bottle that some tourist left
behind. Photo by Jim Hill

Some of them so lifelike that you actually had to pause for
a moment (especially as day gave way to night in the city) and say to yourself
"Is that one of the bronzes? Or just someone pretending to be one of these
bronzes?"

Mind you, for those of you who aren't big fans of the
impressionists …

Photo by Jim Hill

… there's also an array of American icons. Among them
Marilyn Monroe …

Photo by Jim Hill

… and that farmer couple from Grant Wood's "American
Gothic."

Photo by Jim Hill

But for those of you who know your NYC history, it's hard to
beat that piece which recreates Alfred Eisenstaedt's famous photograph of V-J Day in Times Square.

Photo by Jim Hill

By the way, a 25-foot-tall version of this particular Seward
Johnson piece ( which — FYI — is entitled "Embracing Peace") will actually
be placed in Times Square for a few days on or around August 14th to commemorate the 70th
anniversary of Victory Over Japan Day (V-J Day).

Photo by Jim Hill

By the way, if you'd like to check these Seward Johnson bronzes in
person (which — it should be noted — are part of the part of the Garment
District Alliance's new public art offering) — you'd best schedule a trip to
the City sometime over the next three months. For these pieces will only be on
display now through September 15th.

General

Wondering what you should “Boldly Go” see at the movies next year? The 2015 Licensing Expo offers you some clues

Published

9 years ago

June 10, 2015

Jim Hill

Greeting from the 2015 Licensing Expo, which is being held
at the Mandalay Bay
Convention Center in Las
Vegas.

Photo by Jim Hill

I have to admit that I enjoy covering the Licensing Expo.
Mostly becomes it allows bloggers & entertainment writers like myself to
get a peek over the horizon. Scope out some of the major motion pictures &
TV shows that today's vertically integrated entertainment conglomerates
(Remember when these companies used to be called movie studios?) will be
sending our way over the next two years or so.

Photo by Jim Hill

Take — for example — all of "The Secret Life of
Pets" banners that greeted Expo attendees as they made their way to the
show floor today. I actually got to see some footage from this new Illumination
Entertainment production (which will hit theaters on July 8, 2016) the last time I was in Vegas. Which
was for CinemaCon back in April. And the five or so minutes of film that I viewed
suggested that "The Secret Life of Pets" will be a really funny
animated feature.

Photo by Jim Hill

Mind you, Universal Pictures wanted to make sure that Expo
attendees remembered that there was another Illumination Entertainment production
coming-to-a-theater-near-them before "The Secret Life of Pets" (And
that's "Minions," the "Despicable Me" prequel. Which
premieres at the Annecy International Animated Film Festival next week but
won't be screened stateside 'til July 10th of this year). Which is why they had
three minions who were made entirely out of LEGOS loitering out in the lobby.

Photo by Jim Hill

And Warner Bros. — because they wanted "Batman v
Superman: Dawn of Justice" to start trending on Twitter today — brought
the Batmobile to Las Vegas.

Photo by Jim Hill

Not to mention full-sized macquettes of Batman, Superman and
Wonder Woman. Just so conventioneers could then see what these DC superheroes
would actually look like in this eagerly anticipated, March 25, 2016 release.

Photo by Jim Hill

That's the thing that can sometimes be a wee bit frustrating
about the Licensing Expo. It's all about delayed gratification. You'll come
around a corner and see this 100 foot-long ad for "The Peanuts Movie"
and think "Hey, that looks great. I want to see that Blue Sky Studios production
right now." It's only then that you notice the fine print and realize that
"The Peanuts Movie" doesn't actually open in theaters 'til November
6th of this year.

Photo by Jim Hill

And fan of Blue Sky's "Ice Age" film franchise are in for an even
longer wait. Given that the latest installment in that top grossing series
doesn't arrive in theaters 'til July
15, 2016.

Photo by Jim Hill

Of course, if you're one of those people who needs immediate
gratification when it comes to your entertainment, there was stuff like that to
be found at this year's Licensing Expo. Take — for example — how the WWE
booth was actually shaped like a wrestling ring. Which — I'm guessing — meant
that if the executives of World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. didn't like
the offer that you were making, they were then allowed to toss you out over the
top rope, Royal Rumble-style.

Photo by Jim Hill

I also have to admit that — as a longtime Star Trek fan —
it was cool to see the enormous Starship Enterprise that hung in place over the
CBS booth. Not to mention getting a glimpse of the official Star Trek 50th
Anniversary logo.

Photo by Jim Hill

I was also pleased to see lots of activity in The Jim Henson
Company booth. Which suggests that JHC has actually finally carved out a
post-Muppets identity for itself.

Photo by Jim Hill

Likewise for all of us who were getting a little concerned
about DreamWorks Animation (what with all the layoffs & write-downs &
projects that were put into turnaround or outright cancelled last year), it was
nice to see that booth bustling.

Photo by Jim Hill

Every so often, you'd come across some people who were
promoting a movie that you weren't entirely sure that you actually wanted to
see (EX: "Angry Birds," which Sony Pictures Entertainment / Columbia
Pictures will be releasing to theaters on May 20, 2016). But then you remembered that Clay Kaytis —
who's this hugely talented former Walt Disney Animation Studios animator — is
riding herd on "Angry Birds" with Fergal Reilly. And you'd think
"Well, if Clay's working on 'Angry Birds,' I'm sure this animated feature
will turn out fine."

Photo by Jim Hill

Mind you, there were reminders at this year's Licensing Expo
of great animated features that we're never going to get to see now. I still
can't believe — especially after that brilliant proof-of-concept footage
popped up online last year — that Sony execs decided not to go forward
with production of Genndy Tartakovsky's
"Popeye" movie. But that's the
cruel thing about the entertainment business, folks. It will sometime break
your heart.

Photo by Jim Hill

And make no mistake about this. The Licensing Expo is all
about business. That point was clearly driven home at this year's show when —
as you walked through the doors of the Mandalay
Bay Convention Center
— the first thing that you saw was the Hasbros Booth. Which was this gleaming,
sleek two story-tall affair full of people who were negotiating deals &
signing contracts for all of the would-be summer blockbusters that have already
announced release dates for 2019 & beyond.

Photo by Jim Hill

"But what about The Walt Disney Company?," you
ask. "Weren't they represented on the show floor at this year's Licensing
Expo?" Not really, not. I mean, sure. There were a few companies there hyping
Disney-related products. Take — for example — the Disney Wikkeez people.

Photo by Jim Hill

I'm assuming that some Disney Consumer Products exec is
hoping that Wikkeez will eventually become the new Tsum Tsum. But to be blunt,
these little hard plastic figures don't seem to have the same huggable charm
that those stackable plush do. But I've been wrong before. So let's see what
happens with Disney Wikkeez once they start showing up on the shelves of the
Company's North American retail partners.

Photo by Jim Hill

And speaking of Disney's retail partners … They were
meeting with Mouse House executives behind closed doors one floor down from the
official show floor for this year's Licensing Expo.

Photo by Jim Hill

And the theme for this year's invitation-only Disney shindig? "Timeless
Stories" involving the Disney, Pixar, Marvel & Lucasfilm brands that
would then appeal to "tomorrow's consumer."

Photo by Jim Hill

And just to sort of hammer home the idea that Disney is no
longer the Company which cornered the market when it comes to little girls
(i.e., its Disney Princess and Disney Fairies franchises), check out this
wall-sized Star Wars-related image that DCP put up just outside of one of its
many private meeting rooms. "See?," this carefully crafted photo
screams. "It isn't just little boys who want to wield the Force. Little
girls also want to grow up and be Lords of the Sith."

Photo by Jim Hill

One final, kind-of-ironic note: According to this banner,
Paramount Pictures will be releasing a movie called "Amusement Park"
to theaters sometime in 2017.

Photo by Jim Hill

Well, given all the "Blackfish" -related issues
that have been dogged SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment over the past two years, I'm
just hoping that they'll still be in the amusement park business come 2017.

Your thoughts?

General

It takes more than three circles to craft a Classic version of Mickey Mouse

Published

9 years ago

June 9, 2015

Jim Hill

You know what Mickey Mouse looks like, right? Little guy,
big ears?

Truth be told, Disney's corporate symbol has a lot of
different looks. If Mickey's interacting with Guests at Disneyland
Park (especially this summer, when
the Happiest Place on Earth
is celebrating its 60th anniversary), he looks & dresses like this.

Or when he's appearing in one of those Emmy Award-winning shorts that Disney
Television Animation has produced (EX: "Bronco Busted," which debuts
on the Disney Channel tonight at 8 p.m. ET / PT), Mickey is drawn in a such a
way that he looks hip, cool, edgy & retro all at the same time.

Looking ahead to 2017 now, when Disney Junior rolls out "Mickey and the
Roadster Racers," this brand-new animated series will feature a sportier version
of Disney's corporate symbol. One that Mouse House managers hope will persuade
preschool boys to more fully embrace this now 86 year-old character.

That's what most people don't realize about the Mouse. The
Walt Disney Company deliberately tailors Mickey's look, even his style of
movement, depending on what sort of project / production he's appearing in.

Take — for example — Disney
California Adventure
Park's "World of Color:
Celebrate!" Because Disney's main mouse would be co-hosting this new
nighttime lagoon show with ace emcee Neil Patrick Harris, Eric Goldberg really had
to step up Mickey's game. Which is why this master Disney animator created
several minutes of all-new Mouse animation which then showed that Mickey was
just as skilled a showman as Neil was.

Better yet, let's take a look at what the folks at Avalanche Studios just went
through as they attempted to create a Classic version of Mickey & Minnie.
One that would then allow this popular pair to become part of Disney Infinity
3.0.

"I won't lie to you. We were under a lot of pressure to
get the look of this particular version of Mickey — he's called Red Pants
Mickey around here — just right," said Jeff Bunker, the VP of Art
Development at Avalanche Studios, during a recent phone interview. "When
we brought Sorcerer Mickey into Disney Infinity 1.0 back in January of 2014,
that one was relatively easy because … Well, everyone knows what Mickey Mouse
looked like when he appeared in 'Fantasia.' "

"But this time around, we were being asked to design
THE Mickey & Minnie," Bunker continued. "And given that these Classic
Disney characters have been around in various different forms for the better
part of the last century … Well, which look was the right look?"

Which is why Jeff and his team at Avalanche Studios began watching hours &
hours of Mickey Mouse shorts. As they tried to get a handle on which look would
work best for these characters in Disney Infinity 3.0.

"And we went all the way back to the very start of Mickey's career. We began
with 'Steamboat Willie' and then watched all of those black & white Mickey shorts
that Walt made back in the late 1920s & early 1930s. From there, we
transitioned to his Technicolor shorts. Which is when Mickey went from being
this pie-eyed, really feisty character to more of a well-behaved leading
man," Bunker recalled. "We then finished out our Mouse marathon by
watching all of those new Mickey shorts that Paul Rudish & his team have
been creating for Disney Television Animation. Those cartoons really recapture
a lot of the spirit and wild slapstick fun that Mickey's early, black &
white shorts had."

But given that the specific assignment that Avalanche Studios had been handed
was to create the most appealing looking, likeable version of Mickey Mouse
possible … In the end, Jeff and his team wound up borrowing bits & pieces
from a lot of different versions of the world's most famous mouse. So that
Classic Mickey would then look & move in a way that best fit the sort of
gameplay which people would soon be able to experience with Disney Infinity
3.0.

"That — in a lot of ways — was actually the toughest
part of the Classic Mickey design project. You have to remember that one of the
key creative conceits of Disney Infinity
is that all the characters which appear in this game are toys," Bunker
stated. "Okay. So they're beautifully detailed, highly stylized toy
versions of beloved Disney, Pixar, Marvel & Lucasfilm characters. But
they're still supposed to be toys. So our Classic versions of Mickey &
Minnie have the same sort of thickness & sturdiness to them that toys have.
So that they'll then be able to fit right in with all of the rest of the
characters that Avalanche Studios had previously designed for Disney Infinity."

And then there was the matter of coming up with just the
right pose for Classic Mickey & Minnie. Which — to hear Jeff tell the
story — involved input from a lot of Disney upper management.

"Everyone within the Company seemed to have an opinion
about how Mickey & Minnie should be posed. More to the point, if you Google
Mickey, you then discover that there are literally thousands of poses out there
for these two. Though — truth be told — a lot of those kind of play off the
way Mickey poses when he's being Disney's corporate symbol," Bunker said.
"But what I was most concerned about was that Mickey's pose had to work
with Minnie's pose. Because we were bringing the Classic versions of these
characters up into Disney Infinity 3.0 at the exact same time. And we wanted to
make sure — especially for those fans who like to put their Disney Infinity
figures on display — that Mickey's pose would then complement Minnie.

Which is why Jeff & the crew at Avalanche Studios
decided — when it came to Classic Mickey & Minnie's pose — that they
should go all the way back to the beginning. Which is why these two Disney icons
are sculpted in such a way that it almost seems as though you're witnessing the
very first time Mickey set eyes on Minnie.

"And what was really great about that was — as soon as
we began showing people within the Company this pose — everyone at Disney
quickly got on board with the idea. I mean, the Classic Mickey that we sculpted
for Disney Infinity 3.0 is clearly a very playful, spunky character. But at the
same time, he's obviously got eyes for Minnie," Bunker concluded. "So
in the end, we were able to come up with Classic versions of these characters
that will work well within the creative confines of Disney Infinity 3.0 but at
the same time please those Disney fans who just collect these figures because
they like the way the Disney Infinity characters look."

So now that this particular design project is over, does
Jeff regret that Mouse House upper management was so hands-on when it came to
making sure that the Classic versions of Mickey & Minnie were specifically
tailored to fit the look & style of gameplay found in Disney Infinity 3.0?

"To be blunt, we go through this every time we add a new character to the
game. The folks at Lucasfilm were just as hands-on when we were designing the
versions of Darth Vader and Yoda that will also soon be appearing in Disney
Infinity 3.0," Bunker laughed. "So in the end, if the character's
creators AND the fans are happy, then I'm happy."

This article was originally posted on the Huffington Post's Entertainment page on Tuesday, June 9, 2015