Walt Disney’s Animation studios are onto there next animation movie. After completing the tale of the "Princess and the Frog", Disney is coming along with another famous tale, one that has a lot of hair. A spin off of the older tale of “Rapunzel” the Disney Studio’s new computer animated movie “Tangled”, is set to hit the theaters on November 24th with new and surprising twists and turns. The ramped story of Rapunzel, takes place in a far away kingdom where she is locked away in her tower and is suddenly intruded by a bandit by the name of Flynn who tries to hide himself by climbing up the walls. Little does he know, someone is already hiding up there, and she is armed with 70 feet of blonde hair. The movie is going to be a fast paced adventure, including other characters such as a horse and chameleon to liven up the mood. The animation is going to be unlike any other movie as it is digitally computerized to look like hand drawn animation and resemble many Disney classics. The colors and the backdrop of the unknown world the two are living in, is beautifully drawn and portrayed. The colors in the movie are very pastel and display a real fairytale look that is going to be amazing in 3D.
"Tangled" is directed by Byron Howard and Nathan Greno who were also directors of the animation feature “Bolt”. The leading voice of Rapunzel is done by Mandy Moore and Flynn’s voice will be played by Zackary Levi who both seem to portray their characters very well. The animation in this film is one that will start a new phase in cartoons and I am sure it will please many crowds with its look. Be sure to check out this movie in the fall and be ready for a hair raising experience!
References:
Walt Disney Animation Studios. (2010). Tangled. Retrieved at http://www.disneyanimation.com/projects/tangled/visdev/visdev05.html
The Disney Company. (2010). Disney’s Tangled. Retrieved at http://disney.go.com/disneypictures/tangled/#/home/
Slashfilm. (2010). Disney’s Rapunzel retitled Tangled. Retrieved at http://www.slashfilm.com/2010/02/12/disneys-rapunzel-retitled-tangled/
Walt Disney wanted his guests to have the experience of a lifetime when entering his theme parks. When drawing the plans for the Florida project, Walt Disney World, he knew the changes he had to make from the first construction of the Disneyland Park. He knew in the second park that he had to purchase a great amount of land so that it could forever be expanded upon.
He had also envisioned a multi-layered city, where ground level would actually be underground and where guest would actually be entertained on the second and third levels. Walt Disney had so much in store for his knew project that guests will never understand the lengths of his dreams and most importantly, a day’s work behind the roller-coasters and fantasy rides.
Do you wish you knew more about how the behind the scenes work goes on throughout the parks? Well next time you are visiting Walt Disney World, reserve a spot in one of their behind the scenes tours that they host daily. When I first realized that Disney offered such tours where you are assigned a tour guide who teaches you all about the backstage work, I thought that it wouldn’t be worthwhile. You go to Walt Disney World for the endless dreams and magical atmosphere, don’t you? I thought to myself, why would I want to ruin the magic of the Disney experience? If I learn all about how everything is operated and specially taken care of, then maybe it just might be less magical.
With some later thinking and opinion, I realized there are advantages for taking these types of tours. For Disney fanatics like me, they are a way to learn something new and exciting and a break from the normal routine from the parks. Also, Walt Disney’s design is unlike any other. To have the chance to learn about his plans, his dreams and how he wanted the park to tick, is only a once in a lifetime chance.
Walt Disney World offers many different tours all ranging in different prices, times and age groups. Some even include a private lunch in an upstairs room. Tours vary in length, with many lasting as long as seven hours. The “Keys to the Kingdom Tour” gives a private look at Disney’s underground “utilidors” and the day to day behind the scenes of the park. The “Mickey’s Magical Milestones Tour” gives you insight on the making of Mickey Mouse and how his character evolved over the years. The “Disney's Magic behind Our Steam Trains Tour” invites guest to see how the steam engines are controlled and operated throughout the park. The “Holiday D-Lights” tour takes you behind the scenes on how Disney transforms their park into a holiday extravaganza. The “Behind the Seed’s Tour” at Epcot gives you the chance to get up-close with the greenhouses at Walt Disney World as well as to learn how their crops grow to perfection. There are also many tours that allow guest to get personal with the sea life of the park. Swimming with dolphins or inside a giant tank of rare fish is enjoyed by many animal lovers.
With the many different types of tours, you can learn information that is secret to many. On my next trip I plan to try one of the tours for the first time and hope to be amazed by every little detail. If you want to learn more about the parks after riding all of the attractions, then this could be a great thing for you too!
When you see a picture of Mickey Mouse, what do you think of ? For most, the answer to this question is easy.This mouse face is still the most iconic symbol of all of Disney’s work and at Disney’s theme parks, Mickey Mouse represents it all. Walt Disney’s animation is obviously one of the biggest advances to ever come across our television screens, but his dream went way beyond that.
Sitting on a bench at a local amusement park, Disney watched from afar as his two daughters enjoyed the rides. He took in the parks sights and sounds as he began formulating his thoughts.As the park was crowded and not properly well kept, he noticed the parents seemed pretty bored and eager to go home.Right then and there, Disney knew of his next big project. He so desperately wanted to create a place where children and adults could have fun together.He wanted a clean and well kept place where people who entered through the gates were suddenly greeted as guests and amazed at all of the great sights. He knew he also wanted a place to represent his animation, characters and famous stories that everyone had come to love. It was a huge and costly investment, but Disney’s determination could have never been doubted.
After working hard to find the right land in California large enough to build all that he envisioned, the construction of “Disneyland” began. Purchasing a 160 acre orange grove in the middle of Anaheim, California, Walt still needed financial support and could not convince the bank that his dream really would come true. To keep the project going, Walt turned to television and his show “Walt Disney’s Disneyland” financially supported his big projects as well as giving the people a first hand glimpse into the magical world.
The Disneyland design was something no creator had ever done before.Creating giant castles and elephants that flew in a series of different “lands” was something totally new and astounding to all those working on the project. Disney created five different lands at which guest could explore.These lands represented his different movies, cartoons and famous icons including "Davie Crockett". Adventure land, Frontierland, Fantasyland and Tomorrowland would all branch off of the famous Sleeping Beauty’s Castle and Main Street USA, which was modeled after his hometown of Marceline, Missouri.Walt, with his fascination with trains, included them in the park as well.
As opening day came on July, 17th, 1955, Disney opened the 17,000,000 dollar “MagicKingdom” for selected friends and family.As he dedicated the park to his guests in an opening ceremony, Walt at age 52 was able to look around and visualize his great accomplishments.Later he realized that his purchased land just wasn’t enough to expand on the park. His now famous Disneyland started to be smothered by many cheap resorts and California businesses.Walt still dreamed of a place where he would have land to expand forever and would be remote enough to support his magical theme.
Walt decided to create “Walt Disney World”, in Orlando, Florida on 43 miles of land where his dream could forever be carried out.His next big project was the construction of “ProgressCity” now known as "EPCOT" where guest could explore the future world along with the cultures of the current world.
As Walt passed away before the creation of EPCOT was completed, his brother Roy took over to make sure all of Walt’s dreams came true. Walt had no idea at the time that he was building what was soon to be the most visited theme park and vacation destination in the world.Today millions of people come through the gates and are still revisited by most of Walt Disney’s earliest work. Walt knew he had a dream and knew he could make it happen.From past, present and future generations to come, Disney’s parks will forever be a childhood staple and a lifelong dream.
"To all who come to this happy place – welcome. Disneyland is your land. Here age relives fond memories of the past and here youth may savor the challenge and promise of the future. Disneyland is dedicated to the ideals, dreams and the hard facts that have created America… with the hope that it will be a source of joy and inspiration to all the world."
Walter E. Disney, July 17, 1955
Resources:
Disney Mouse Links. (2004) History of Disneyland. Retrieved from http://www.disneymouselinks.com/DisneyLandHistory.aspx
Walt Disney's passion for hand drawing started a legacy for greatly told stories. His stories weren’t just about happy endings and villains that were put in there place, they were more about the realness of characters and the childhood aspirations that each one of us will hold on to forever. The thing that makes the classic Disney films so captivating is the sense of simplicity that is displayed on screen. Walt took what he saw in his head and drew it out on paper, bottom line. His stories and characters were exactly the way he envisioned them, nothing more, nothing less. Disney's first full animated production was the tale of the famous Disney princess “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs”. Disney knew he wanted to take his talents of art animation to a whole new level. Working diligently by hand Disney along with his crew created the first full length animation film ever using simple 2D animation. As Snow White was released on December 21, 1937, people flocked to the theaters for the cost of a dime to view this now timely classic. It was Disney’s 2D animation that started it all. From "Snow White", "Bambi", and "Cinderella" to "The Little Mermaid" and "Beauty and the Beast", his pen and paper brought them all to life.
As the years went by, the Disney Company started to take advantage of the digital world. Partnering with the Pixar Company, they took the Disney animation to brand new highs. They together created movies such as "Toy Story" and "Monsters Inc." which use computers and digital animation to create the characters. As Disney movies evolve, they continue to amaze audiences with their loveable characters and stories.
As I am always up for new and the updating of old ways, sometimes it is nice to revisit how original things once made me feel. It warms my heart when I hear a favorite song from the past or watch a television show that I used to watch over and over again. In 2009, Disney gave their fans a small treat as they returned to the famous 2D animation that originally started the company.
I was thrilled to hear that Disney was going back to drawing by hand for the fairytale “The Princess and the Frog". This decision was made by the Disney Company as a way of coming in touch with their roots. They wanted to bring back the magic that started it all. From the characters to the old style music, Walt Disney would have been extremely proud of this film. All of the artists felt as though they were giving back to Walt himself, as they designed their characters with pencil and eraser.
I thought I would share this story not only because of the current film but because this shows that the Disney Company has yet to forget where they came from. Making a movie that brings back those heart filled memories that were there as a child, is one of the things that keep people coming back. It shows that yes, the Disney Company does care about their viewers and fans and that recreating these memories is only the
beginning.
As the beginning road of animation was a rough start for Disney, his dream of a well known name for himself was never far from his mind.I believe Walt knew the moment he sketched that little live mouse, that there was a reason all of his other projects never seemed to work in his favor. But after the previous failures Disney endured, was it such a good idea to push forward with such a risky business proposition? As his first animation feature of Mickey was set out to entertain millions of families in and around the time of the great stock market crash of 1929, I often wonder if Walt could have set himself up for an even larger business disaster. With the time period’s economy in the mist of spilling over, was it smart to continue chasing his dreams?
I think it was mostly Walt’s immense determination and strive for greatness that saved him from ever thinking twice. I think a little part of him knew that this time it was going to work, that this cartoon was unlike the others and that it was going to take him places.
Walt continued not to let his financial issues get him down. Walt took his cartoon character to work as he began creating simple sketches of the mouse. With his animation partner, Ub Iwerks, the two took the many different sketches of Mickey and created the first cartoon titled “Plane Crazy”. With absolutely no luck selling the first cartoon, I admire his strength to keep on working. They produced a second cartoon titled “Gallopin' Gaucho” but since both were silent cartoons, they were just not marketable due to the newly created “talkie” cartoon films that became the newest type of animation in 1927. Walt decided to start work on a new Mickey Mouse cartoon, this time a “talkie”, including sound and music.He even took a special trip to New York City because the east coast was the only place with this new found technology to enhance his work. Walt put all of his time, money and energy into this film and was given the chance to display it on exhibit in New York and the rest was history.
A manager liked his production and decided to show it at his theater. In 1928 the premiere of Walt Disney’s first production titled “Steamboat Willie” hit the screen. It was soon a complete success and often people went to the movies only to see if they were “showing a Mickey”. Sometimes I wish I was back in the 20’s and able to sit in a theater through this golden piece of history. Even through the great depression and the 1930’s, people young and old flocked to the theater to see the latest Mickey adventure. Walt created many more characters for his short cartoons and the popular characters you and I know today such as Minnie, Pluto, Goofy and Donald Duck.
After years of tremendous success living side by side with a mouse, Walt Disney received his first Oscar in 1932 for his then famous Mickey Mouse creation. I bet Walt Disney never dreamed of success as big as this, little did he know he wasn’t yet touching the surface.
Thanks to one man, a small mouse, and a big dream, being a child at heart is never erasable. For me, there is no better feeling then being in a Disney moment. Whether its watching your favorite Disney classic for the hundredth time or seeing the fireworks finale light up the night sky over Cinderella's Castle, it is nothing but pure magic and childhood spirit that creates such a love for all things Disney. I decided to create this blog for my writing, research and technology class at Rowan University because of my passion and heart for Walt Disney World. As I love everything about Disney, I thought this blog would give me the chance to learn more about the man behind the magic, Walt Disney himself. As i fall a little more in love with his creations each time i visit the parks or watch a new Disney production, I often find myself wanted to learn more from behind the scenes like his struggles,triumphs, and dream ideas. This blog will do just that as i dig deep into the life of Walt Disney and the history of his legacy, as well as current projects of the company. Be sure to enjoy and don't forget.."always let your conscience be your guide"!
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