Learn about all the artistic preparation that went into Disney’s “Prep & Landing”

Jim Hill

14 years ago

Just in case you hadn't already noticed, tonight is your very last chance (for the 2010 holiday season, anyway) to catch what is rapidly becoming a real Christmas classic, Disney's "Prep & Landing" on ABC.

So if you haven't already seen this charming Walt Disney Animation Studios production, be sure and tune into the Alphabet network tonight at 8 p.m. ET / PT to watch this Emmy Award-winner.

And while you're watching Wayne & Lanny make sure that Timmy Terwelp gets the Merry Christmas that he deserves, keep a sharp eye for some of the more intriguing production design choices that WDAS artists made on this holiday special. Which "Prep & Landing" 's award-winning art director, Andy Harkness told me about when we spoke earlier this month.

"I'll have a Blue Christmas" – According to Harkness, WDAS's design team was looking for a way to clearly differentiate between the human world and the North Pole (i.e. where Santa, Wayne and Lanny work). Which is why they decided to use color.

"If you pay close attention during 'Prep & Landing,' you'll notice that blue is the dominant color in the human world. Whereas whenever we have scenes set at the North Pole, green is then the dominant color," Andy explained.

"Whose woods these are, I think I know" – Just as they did with color, the "Prep & Landing" design team used wood – to be specific, that wood's grain and texture – as a way to visually separate Timmy's house and the North Pole.

"If you look carefully, you'll notice that all of the wood that's used in the Terwelp household is finished, manufactured, faux veneer," Harkness continues. "On the other hand, all of the wood that's used at the North Pole and in Santa's workshop is real wood. Real old wood too. Which is why it has a clear grain and rough edges."

"It's Not Easy Being Green … and Red" – "Prep & Landing" 's "Dash Away" sequence (i.e. where Magee and her North Pole Christmas Eve Command Center team clear the Big Guy for launch) is pretty exciting, don't you think. But did you also notice how subliminally festive it is as well?

"Every time we show a scene with Santa, the dominant color is red. Whereas every time we cut back to Magee and her crew in the control tower, the dominant color is green," Andy said. "As we get closer to "Ho Ho Go," the cutting in this sequence gets faster and more frantic. Red, green, red, green. Which we hopes makes this sequence extra Christmas-y as well as really exciting."

"Let it show, let it show, let it show" – One of the comments that consistently came up last year whenever reviewers wrote about "Prep & Landing" was … Well, how remarkable it was that Walt Disney Animation Studios' first-ever Christmas special was so entertaining.

Truth to be told, though, this 22-minute long TV show wasn't the very first time that the "Prep & Landing" production team had worked together.

"A lot of the 'Prep & Landing' crew had first worked together on 'Glago's Guest.' Which was one of the very first shorts that Disney Animation Studios put together when we were getting our new shorts program up out of the ground," Harkness said. "Given that we'd all previously worked together on 'Glago,' we were already a well-oiled machine by the time we started working on 'Prep and Landing.' So we could really hit the ground running with this holiday special.

Sadly, other than for a few screenings out on the festival circuit, "Glago's Guest" (which tells the story one lonely Siberian border guard's far-too-close encounter with an extraterrestrial) hasn't been widely seen. Not yet, anyway. Though one wonders what might happen if Disney Animation fans made enough noise. Maybe this 2008 Chris Williams film would then be released to theaters. Or – at the very least – be folded in as a Special Feature on some upcoming Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment release.

And speaking of WDSHE … A lot of Disney Animation fans have been asking where the DVD & Blu-ray version of "Prep & Landing" is. Well, it's obviously too late to do anything about the 2010 holiday season. But from what WDAS staffers have told me recently, Disney is toying with the idea of releasing a "Prep & Landing" disc in 2011.

Now what would be intriguing about the DVD & Blu-ray version of Disney's "Prep & Landing" is that this disc would not only include the original Emmy Award-winning holiday special but also its sequel, "Naughty vs. Nice" (which is supposed to premiere on ABC next holiday season) as well as this year's "stocking stuffer," "Operation Secret Santa."

I've also heard talk that the DVD & Blu-ray version of "Prep & Landing" could include some of the original online content that Disney had created to help this holiday special. Which would (hopefully) include that great Disney digital short, "Tiny's Adventure."

So be sure and put this upcoming WDSHE release on next year's holiday shopping list. Just be aware that the DVD & Blu-ray version of "Prep & Landing" could be put off 'til 2013. Why For? Well, did I mention that WDAS is thinking about turning this new Christmas classic into a trilogy?

That's right. A third "Prep & Landing" installment. And what would this still-far-from-becoming-a-reality holiday special possibly be about? Well, I could offer up a few theories. Point out a few story threads from the original TV show that haven't yet been fully explored. But given that I don't want Thrasher to threaten to turn me into a myth either … Well, to quote Wayne: "Does the phrase 'Silent Night' mean anything to you?"

Anyway … That's a few behind-the-scenes stories that (I'm hoping) will make tonight's viewing of Disney's "Prep & Landing" that much more enjoyable for all you animation fans out there. But given that WDAS' first-ever holiday special is pretty darn entertaining all by itself, there's really no need to put any extra tinsel on this particular Christmas tree.

FYI: If you do – in fact – miss this year's final airing of Disney's "Prep & Landing" on ABC tonight, not to worry: This holiday special – along with "Operation Secret Santa" – continues to stream over at Disney.com. So just "Ho Ho Go" watch it, okay?

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Thanks and Happy Holidays!