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Tag Archives: Animated Feature Film

April 26

April 26, 1916 – Artist and Illustrator Eyvind Earle is Born

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“Eyvind had done something that Walt loved on Lady and the Tramp: Walt wanted Eyvind to paint one background where when you saw that small American town, you wanted to live there forever. But if you looked up to the horizon, you saw adventure, and you wanted to get out of town.” – Animation historian John Culhane

On April 26, 1916, artist and illustrator Eyvind Earle was born in New York. As a child, his family moved to California, and at one point, his parents divorced. As a child, Earle suffered from polio, which killed his brother and paralyzed part of his face. At one point, Earle’s father gave him a command: every day, paint a picture and read fifty pages of a book. His father took him on a tour of Europe for three years, though the experience was less than ideal, as his father was a difficult man who beat his son. After three years, he headed back to his mother back in California. Although he didn’t want to paint anymore, he discovered he actually had a talent for it, and continued to do so during the Great Depression. In 1951, Earle was hired as an assistant background painter at the Disney Studios, with his first assignment being The Little House. He continued to work on animated features and short films, notably Melody and Toot, Whistle, Plunk, and Boom with Ward Kimball. When working on Sleeping Beauty, he worked on all the key backgrounds for the film, with many of the animators praising his work and sneaking up to see his paint in his office. To this day, Earle’s backgrounds have been praised for providing an unforgettable look to the film. In 1966, Earle left Disney and returned to painting full time. He was honored with a Winsor McCay Award in 1998 for a lifetime of achievement in the art of animation. He passed away in 2001.

April 24

April 24, 2013 – The Monsters University Themed Monorail Launches

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“There’s a new monorail in town here at Walt Disney World Resort that you’ve just gotta see!”

On April 24, 2013, as part of the promotions for the Disney-Pixar film Monsters University, a Monsters University themed monorail launched in Walt Disney World. The monorail was covered in images of the characters from the film, with each car featuring a different fraternity or sorority. This monorail was the second in the line of advertising monorails for the year, with the first being one advertising Marvel’s Iron Man 3. The monorail was around long enough to be present at the “Monstrous All-Nighter” 24-hour event at the park.

April 23

April 23, 1954 – The Special Cartoon Two for the Record Premieres in Theaters

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“Hop in the old jalop and head for the malted shop and all the cats join in.”

On April 23, 1954, the special cartoon Two for the Record premiered in theaters. The special consisted of two segments from the 1946 package film Make Mine Music: “After You’ve Gone” and “All the Cats Join In.” Both segments heavily feature the work of Benny Goodman, bandleader and jazz musician: “After You’ve Gone” features the music of the Goodman Quartet, set to a scene of dancing instruments, while “All the Cats Join In” features Benny Goodman and his orchestra accompanying a living sketch of a dance party taking place at a nearby malt shop. Although this is one of many specials featuring the segments from Make Mine Music, the film has not been theatrically reissued in its entirety.

April 11

April 11, 2003 – The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh Attraction Opens in Disneyland

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“Travel through Hundred Acre Wood in an oversized beehive and immerse yourself in the stories of Winnie the Pooh.”

On April 11, 2003, the dark ride attraction The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh opened in Disneyland’s Critter Country. The attraction is similar to the Walt Disney World version (which opened in 1999), with a few noticeable changes. Guests board giant beehives which takes them through several scenes of the well-beloved stories from the 1977 animated feature film. The attraction features all the characters from the film, and some of the songs, culminating in a four minute ride that is perfect for little kids. After exiting the ride, guests have the opportunity to get their picture taken with Pooh, Eeyore, or Tigger.

April 9

April 9, 1938 – Snow White and Dopey Appear on the Cover of Liberty Magazine

“Walt isn’t a bit surprised. He’s known all along bow marvelously he could, in his own way, make that story.”

On April 9, 1938, Liberty Magazine published an issue with a cover story about the success of the animated feature film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, four months after the film’s release. The cover featured an illustration of Snow White kissing Dopey on the head as he heads off to work, mimicking one of the iconic scenes of the film. The article itself, titled “The Story Behind Snow White’s $10,000,000 Surprise Party,” touches on the modesty of Walt Disney, as well as his unwavering belief in the film’s success. There are also some interesting facts about the challenges bringing the film to the silver screen, as the British Board of Film Censors “declared the film was harmful for children,” and speculation on how Dopey was the driving force for the success of the film, as Dopey “proceeded to steal the show and come to life.”

April 2

April 2, 1993 – The Daytime Parade Aladdin’s Royal Caravan Begins its Run at Disneyland

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“Genuflect, show some respect, down on one knee.”

On April 2, 1993, the daytime parade Aladdin’s Royal Caravan began its run at Disneyland, several months after the parade’s beginning in Walt Disney World’s Disney-MGM Studios in December, 1992. The parade was based on the song “Prince Ali” from the animated feature film, with it being played throughout the parade run. The genie was featured in every float in the parade, including a 32-foot-tall Genie and a waving Genie puppet. This was the first parade to be based on a single animated feature film. The parade ended its run in June, 1994, and was replaced with The Lion King Celebration.

April 1

April 1, 1955 – The Segment Blame it on the Samba Released to Theaters as a Short Film

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“So if three boisterous birds of a feather fall under the influence of this torrid tropical tempo, don’t blame them; blame it on the rhythm of the samba.”

On April 1, 1955, Blame it on the Samba was released to theaters as a short film. The short was originally a segment of the 10th animated feature film Melody Time, and stars classic Disney character Donald Duck, as well as José Carioca and the Aracuan Bird from The Three Caballeros. The segment also features Ethel Smith and the Dinning Sisters singing the titular song.

The segment begins with Donald and José trudging along in a blue world, when they come across the Café do Samba, run by the Aracuan Bird. He quickly gives them a table, though they are less than enthused. To cheer their spirits, the Aracuan Bird starts playing the samba, cheering them up and having them cling to the rhythm of the samba. The Aracuan then creates a special drink of the ingredients needed to create the samba and dives in, where Jose and Donad are seen dancing on the organ of Ethel Smith. When brought back to their world, the samba continues, with the rhythm having taken over everything. Pleased with his work, the Aracuan Bird puts on a top hat and pulls out a cane as the scene fades away.

March 30

March 30, 1913 – Animator, Imagineer, Member of the Nine Old Men, and Disney Legend Marc Davis is Born

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“When I then came to the studio and met Marc Davis…he was the total opposite of Cruella de Vil in figure, but the sense of taste, that was a guy who really savored life, and you can see it in his animation.” – Animator Glen Keane

On March 30, 1913, Marc Fraser Davis was born in Bakersfield, California. After moving around several times due to his father’s job in oil fields, Davis enrolled in the Kansas City Art Institute after high school, which was followed by enrollments in the California School of Fine Arts and the Otis Art Institute. In 1935, Davis was hired by Disney as an apprentice for Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. He soon rose through the animator ranks, working as a story sketch and character designer for Bambi and Victory Through Air Power. He continued to work on Disney animated features as a character designer, and is particularly known for creating the looks for Tinker Bell from Peter Pan, Alice from Alice in Wonderland, and Cruella de Vil from 101 Dalmatians, among others. Davis was also an animator for several key short films, including Duck Pimples and Toot, Whistle, Plunk and Boom. In the mid-50s, Davis began working for Walt Disney Imagineering, working as one of the original Imagineers on such attractions as it’s a small world, Pirates of the Caribbean, and The Haunted Mansion. His wife and fellow Disney Legend Alice also worked with Disney park attractions, creating costumes for the audio-animatronic characters. In 1978, Davis retired after 43 years at Disney, but continued to work in a consulting role. He and Alice continued to support the California Institute of the Arts. In 1989, Davis was honored with the other Nine Old Men as Disney Legends. In 2000, Davis passed away at the age of 86.

March 25

March 25, 1947 – Singer, Songwriter, and Disney Legend Sir Elton John is Born

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“I sat there with a line of lyrics that began, ‘When I was a young warthog,’ and I thought, ‘Has it come to this?’”

On March 25, 1947, Sir Elton John (born as Reginald Kenneth Dwight) was born in Pinner, Middlesex, England. As a young boy, John showed great promise for music, being able to play the piano starting at the age of three. After taking formal lessons at the age of seven, he was awarded a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Music at the age of 11. A keen composer, John met lyricist Bernie Taupin in 1967, and the two collaborated on several hit songs for other artists. John’s first album Empty Sky was released in 1969, but it was the second album Elton John in 1970 that established John as an artist with the top ten hit single “Your Song.” Between the years 1970 and 1982, Elton had 30 hits under his belt from 15 albums. In the early 1990s, John was asked to work with lyricist Tim Rice (known for his work with Andrew Lloyd Weber) for a new Disney animated feature, The Lion King. The film was a smashing success, with John and Rice earning three Academy Award nominations for “Circle of Life,” “Hakuna Matata,” and “Can You Feel the Love Tonight,” with the latter winning the award. In 1997, the film was then translated to the Broadway stage, with most of the songs intact. John and Rice collaborated again for Disney with the creation of the 2000 Broadway Musical Aida, which would go on to win three Tony Awards, including Best Original Musical Score. John has continued to stay busy in many areas, including theater, charity, and of course, music. He was knighted in 1998 to become Sir Elton John, CBE, for his humanitarian efforts in fighting against AIDS, and was further honored in 2004 with a Kennedy Center Honor. He was honored as a Disney Legend in 2006.

February 28

February 28, 2014 – The Tinker Bell Animated Film The Pirate Fairy Premieres at the El Capitan Theater

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“Let me be absolutely clear, Zarina: Dust Keepers are forbidden to tamper with pixie dust.”

On February 28, 2014, the sixth film in the Tinker Bell franchise, The Pirate Fairy, premiered with a special limited-time engagement at the El Capitan Theater in Hollywood, California. It was later released on Blu-ray and DVD on April 1 of the same year. The film was written by Jeffrey M. Howard and Kate Kondell, and directed by Peggy Holmes. It starred Mae Whitman as Tinker Bell, Christina Hendricks as Zarina, Tom Hiddleston as James Hook, Lucy Liu as Silvermist, Raven-Symone as Iridessa, Megan Hilty as Rosetta, Pamela Adlon as Vidia, and Angela Bartys as Fawn.

It’s a busy day in Pixie Hollow, and a fairy named Zarina is walking to her job, making the other fairies think she is out of pixie dust. The other fairies are curious as to how she keeps running low, as she is a dust keeper Fairy. She heads to work wrapping the packages of dust for the other fairies, but the other fairies are confused at Zarina’s questions about how pixie dust works. Zarina is placed on Blue Dust duty, much to the worry of the other fairies, as Zarina has gotten into a bit of trouble with dust before. Once again, Fairy Gary is vexed at how inquisitive Zarina is, comparing her to Tinker Bell. Zarina is curious about creating other colors of dust, but Fairy Gary tells her they can’t tamper with pixie dust, as it’s too powerful. What he doesn’t know, however, is that Zarina is conducting her own pixie duet experiments at her home. She accidentally takes home a speck of blue dust, and uses that to create her experiments again, and finally finds success. She rushes over to Tinker Bell’s house to tell her the news, and takes her back to her lab to show her what she’s found. Tinker Bell is shocked when Zarina is able to create purple pixie dust. Tinker Bell is surprised, but warns her that she seems to be going too fast. Things get worse when Zarina spills her pink pixie dust, creating a giant beanstalk that sweeps through Pixie Hollow. Gary finds the pink pixie dust on the stalk, and knows that Zarina has been experimenting. He then tells her that she’s no longer a dust keeper fairy, as it’s just too dangerous. Dismayed, Zarina packs up her belongings and leaves Pixie Hollow.

Zarina admires her handiwork as she puts all of the fairies to sleep after using her pink fairy dust

Zarina admires her handiwork as she puts all of the fairies to sleep after using her pink fairy dust

A year later at the Four Seasons Festival, Tinker Bell and her friends are preparing for their act at the show. The winter fairies begin with a special ice skating routine, and Tinker Bell is excited that Perriwinkle is there. While everyone enjoys the show, a mysterious fairy hides in the shadows, before using pink pixie dust to grow flowers around the edge of the arena. The fairies watch in amazement as the flowers are set off like fireworks, and Rosetta warns her friends to hide, as the flowers Zarina created are poppies, which put all the other fairies to sleep. While the fairies are sleeping, Zarina sneaks into the depot and steals the blue dust. Tinker Bell and her friends are worried about the lack of pixie dust, and they decide to set off after Zarina. As they follow the trail, they are shocked to find that Zarina has ended up with a band of pirates. Thinking she might have been kidnapped, they head over to rescue her; unfortunately, they find that Zarina is actually the Pirate Captain. The fairies fight the pirates and retrieve the blue dust from Zarina, but Zarina follows them to get it back. She offers them mercy if they give back the dust, but after they refuse, she throws a multicolored stream of pixie dust at the group, sending them flying to the ground and leaving her the blue dust.

The next morning, the fairies wake up to find their clothes multicolored, affected by the dust. They soon realize that they’ve all had their powers switched thanks to the dust, and have a very difficult time adjusting. Silvermist, now a fast flying fairy is able to find the ship, and Vidia, now a tinker fairy, creates a ship for the group to sail on with Silvermist pulling the way. The fairies are able to land inside a cannon on the ship, but quickly escape being shot out. They watch as the pirate crew toasts to the captain, thanks to the cabin boy, who can understand her. One year prior, Zarina saved the pirates, becoming their captain and promising that she will make their ship fly. They arrive at their hideout at Skull Rock, and the fairies are terrified, especially when they see that Zarina recreated the Pixie Hollow tree, which will allow her to create pixie dust. As the fairies try to enter Zarina’s cabin when the cabin boy opens the door, only Tink, Silvermist, and Vidia manage to make it inside. The cabin boy helps Zarina in her pixie dust experiments, while the three fairies work on retrieving the dust. Unfortunately, they are unable to retrieve it once again, but do discover her plans of taking it to the tree to create more dust.

The fairies watch as the pirates prepare the pixie dust tree according to Zarina's instructions

The fairies watch as the pirates prepare the pixie dust tree according to Zarina’s instructions

The fairies head over to the tree, and formulate a plan to get the dust when Zarina leaves. Unfortunately, their plans are interrupted when Iridessa’s new garden fairy powers cause a tree branch to grow right toward Zarina, bringing the fairies with it. She has the fairies captured, and when Tinker Bell tells her to go back home, Zarina refuses to go. The cabin boy tells them that they treasure Zarina’s powers, and the fairies are taken away. Zarina releases the blue dust, and it successfully creates pixie dust. As the cabin boy asks Zarina questions about flying, she decides to teach him, making him able to fly using the pixie dust. Unfortunately, after being given all the secrets, cabin boy James reveals his true colors, and locks Zarina away in a lantern, having no more use for her. It is also revealed that James is the Captain, not the cabin boy. Meanwhile, the fairies are arguing amongst themselves, but are rescued when a baby crocodile that is attached to Rosetta appears and sets them free. Vidia comes up with some camouflage for the group, as they dress up like a pirate and sneak off the ship. They manage to steal back the blue dust, but are caught by James, who threatens to kill Zarina unless they return the dust. The dust is then used to make the ship fly, and the pirates celebrate. As James boards the ship, he throws Zarina into the ocean, but the fairies manage to save her just in time. She tearfully apologizes, but warns them that the pirates are on the way to the Second Star, and the blue dust will be gone forever, and the entire team sets off.

The pirates sail off through the clouds, and Zarina orders the fairies to turn the ship around while she gets the blue dust back. A battle ensues between the pirates and the fairies, with Zarina taking on James personally. The fairies manage to use their new gifts to take on the pirates and pull them away from the Second Star. However, James manages to stop them and get the ship back on course, trapping Zarina by a sword and the rest in a bag. Zarina frees herself and manages to take back the dust and turn the ship around once again, sending the pirates falling into the ocean. James manages to save himself using pixie dust, and he and Zarina fight over the blue dust. As it looks like James has won, Zarina manages to get one speck of blue dust, which reacts badly to the dust covering James, sending him flying out of control. The fairies retrieve the dust, and Zarina gives it to Tinker Bell to take back to Pixie Hollow. Tinker Bell tells her that they came to take her home too, and Zarina agrees to head back, using the flying ship. Using Zarina’s pixie dust collections, she manages to wake the fairies, and everyone is amazed to see the ship in the sky. Gary is relieved to see Zarina again, and accepts her skill of pixie dust alchemy. Tinker Bell and the other fairies convince Gary to let Zarina perform her alchemy, which also returns the fairies back to their original skills to put on the best finale ever.