You’re going to have to forgive me for not putting together a proper story today for JimHillMedia.com. But — in the aftermath of Monday’s announced closing of Feature Animation-Florida — things have gone a little bit crazy here. By that I mean: The phone has been ringing off the hook. With reporters constantly calling me, looking for comments and/or asking for my help with their research.
And the e-mail! The e-mail just keeps on pouring in. From people who are writing to thank me for doing all these stories these past 10 days about the WDFA-F situation. Or from people who are just looking for Michael Eisner’s address (so that they can lodge an angry protest against the closing of the Disney-MGM facility).
But it’s the notes from the Feature Animation-Florida employees themselves that have really been getting to me. These poor people who’ve just their lives turned upside down taking time out to drop me a line. These incredibly gracious e-mails, thanking me for at least trying to get the word out. For battling on their behalf. These e-mails just kill me.
“What do I mean by that?” you ask. Well, if I had happen to me what just happened to this 200 dedicated, extremely talented artists and technicians at Feature Animation-Florida — that a job I loved, a job that I was really good at, just taken away from me for no good reason — I’d still be in a fetal ball somewhere, weeping softly.
But here these people are, in the middle of their misery, taking time out to sending me “Thank You” notes. I don’t think that I could ever be that gracious in this sort of horrible situation.
Here, let me show you what I mean. The following is fairly typical of the e-mails that I received over the past 24 hours.
Jim –
Well, at least you tried.
In retrospect, it was a really good run. There’s so much work that we all have to be proud of. So many lives that have touched and grown because of our experiences at Feature Animation-Florida. While it was all happening, it was wonderful. We got some really good pictures under our belt and we take away nothing but fond memories of friends and family that will forever affect the directions of our lives.
Yes, we truly were a family, Jim. With WDFAF’s intern program bringing so many of us to the studio right out of college, we literally grew up together over the years. We watched each other get married. We watched each other give birth. We were a pretty young group with something to prove.
I remember being handed my first drawing for the first picture I worked on and praying that I wouldn’t screw it up. I remember being in a fishbowl with all those tourists looking in at us. I remember being stuck in these tiny, tiny trailers. That was the time when the studio was really tight. The big building? It kind of segregated us a bit.
“Mulan” was a special highlight for the crew. Back then, it was like we were this ragtag team of artists who just happened to be making a movie that was going to be released by Disney.
“John Henry” was really special too. Quality feature animated shorts are so rare these days. It was nice to be a part of it. The free scratchy quality of that short’s drawings felt so good after the crisp, crisp line of “Mulan.”
“Lilo and Stitch” was an absolute pleasure to work on. Feature Animation-Florida really found its stride during that production. The studio’s leadership was so strong on that picture. And its subject matter was so interesting, friendly and creative. We could tell from the first day that Chris pitched “Lilo and Stitch” to us that it was going to be a great picture.
“Brother Bear” was a little more taxing because we could all sense what was on the horizon. That film baked in story too long … and the general anxiety that we all felt about the future made many WDFAF staffers think it might be time to move on.
“My Peoples” …. our little aborted child. Ironic that we’re now the ones who are “A Few Good Ghosts” … That film actually would’ve been a nice little romantic romp. If we’d been allowed to finish it. Just say the word, “tractor” like an inbred redneck (ala “Sling Blade”) to anyone from Feature Animation-Florida and you’ll be sure to get a giggle.
I have so many fond memories of my time at the studio. The elaborate Halloween costumes people put together every year were amazing. Life size Barbie Dolls. Exact replicas of Planet of the Apes costumes. Captain America. Oogie Boogie. Jellie-Bean man. Moving Box Man. All classics.
And I’ll never forget being at the studio on September 11th. I remember watching the towers fall as we worked on “Lilo and Stitch.” (By the way, Jim. The rumors are true. We actually did have to make some pretty drastic changes to the movie because the original ending of the film involved Stitch hijacking a large commercial plane.) Whenever I see the scene I was working on at the time of that dreadful morning, I’m reminded of the tragedy. Not to mention the fact that shortly afterwards, all of Disney World was evacuated in the matter of 2 hours.
Getting back to happier stories now … It was a real pleasure to grow up with this crew. There was laughter, fighting, envy, joy, tragedy, death, births (oh so many births), romance (so many people got married to each other), and food (being in the Nature’s Table line was always a good way to see people you didn’t directly work with) … all traits found in a family. Mind you, a family comprised of members from Ireland, China, the Phillippines, Croatia, Australia, the United States, England, Ireland, Russia, Canada, Thailand and many more. I’ll never have that many talented artists surrounding me to inspire me to become a better artist.
Imagine a place you can go where you can work with peers that come from such widely diverse backgrounds. A place you can work with them and learn from not just their techniques, but their temperments and philosophies. I’m definitely a better artist now because of this experience. Some people felt that Orlando was a cultural black hole because it was just theme parks and rides and no museums, but I always felt like I was surrounded by more real “culture” than anywhere else I had ever been. And I come from a pretty big city.
However, the firing squad is over and we’re all still standing. There’s something to be said for that. The schmaltzy part of me will miss working on movies that are so widely seen and respected. To be part of whatever magic that affects the lives of so many children and adults worldwide was an honor. It was a lifelong dream to do this, and now it’s gone. I’ll just have to pursue the many other dreams I’ve made over the years now.
But I’ll still have those friends. Disney can’t take that away from me. I just won’t see them as often.
Jim, thank you for your efforts, even if they fell short of saving us. Nothing could’ve saved the Florida crew. When it comes to big business, it’s the equivalent of being swept away by a tidal wave …. Nature runs its course. Some things die too early and this was one of them. But, hey, that’s life, right?
Well … I guess I’ll sign off. I’ve got some job hunting to do.
Wasn’t that a great letter?
Mind you, if any other members of the Feature Animation-Florida team have stories that they’d like to share, we’d be happy to run them here at JimHillMedia.com. Just lob those e-mails toward stadlerhill@mindspring.com.
Just be aware that — over the next day or two — we’ll be wrapping up our WDFA-F closure coverage. At least for a while. Why for? Because — as Brother Bri said — “Nature runs its course.” And this story — as sad and moving as it’s actually been — has kind of run its course too.
Mind you, in the weeks ahead, I’m sure JHM will revisit the Feature Animation-Florida situation. Particularly if the studio staff really does have that one final get-together that WDFA-F head Andrew Millstein said that he would try and set up. But — beyond that — I’m thinking that tomorrow’s article may be JimHillMedia.com’s last Central Florida studio closure story for a while.
I hope you folks can understand why. I’m not abandoning the cause. It’s just that … I don’t want JHM to be thought of as a one note website. And there ARE other things going on in the entertainment world these days. Stories that also need covering. Again, I hope you can understand.
Your thoughts?