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By Michael - November 30th, 2009  It’s a Disney family two-fer today, as the Walt Disney Family Museum has released its schedule for January. Coming off of the holiday-themed events of December, January finds the Museum delving into the deep with a number of events centered on the theme of undersea exploration.
This is an interesting and unexpected slate, but I have to say they’ve missed the chance to screen some aquatic True-Life Adventures! We also need some Harper Goff fanboys there to discuss the Nautilus, and Tony Baxter to do a presentation about Discovery Bay. And Kym Murphy talking about The Living Seas and Port Disney! And instead of doing it at the Museum, they need to come do it all at my house!
Oh well, if wishes were fishes. The schedule:
The Walt Disney Family Museum
January 2010 Events Calendar
FILM
Film of the Month: 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
1:00pm, 4:00pm, Theater
(Every day except Tuesdays and January 23)
tickets available online at www.waltdisney.org
Dive into 2010 with Walt Disney and Jules Verne. Explore the ocean with two of the world’s most imaginative visionaries in this incredible underwater film.
PUBLIC PROGRAMMING
January 9 – Disney Discoveries: Underwater Creatures
1:00-3:00pm, Learning Center: Art Studio
Imaginations and creativity will soar with our new Disney Discoveries! The second Saturday of each month, join us for family fun and activities in the Learning Center. The activities planned by our education staff will inspire the hidden artist in elementary school children while learning about the life and work of Walt Disney.
The Disney Discoveries! activities are free with paid admission to the Museum. No ticket is needed for members—just show your membership card.
January 29 & 30 – Look Closer: The Underwater Camera and 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
11:00am and 3:00pm, Gallery 7 at The Walt Disney Family Museum
Would you like to know more about one of the artifacts in the galleries? Our Look Closer series will give you that opportunity—staff will reveal little known facts, behind the scenes information, or just additional information that does not fit on a label during the 30-minute gallery talk.
The Look Closer series is free with paid admission or paid membership.
LECTURE
January 23 – Under the Sea: Discussion with Renowned Ocean Engineer Graham Hawkes
3:00pm, Theater
tickets available online at www.waltdisney.org
Discover the mysteries of the deep sea and learn about Walt Disney’s scientific and cultural contributions to society. Celebrated ocean engineer Graham Hawkes will discuss how imagination initiates exploration and leads to discovery. Graham will take you on a journey to the bottom of the ocean and show you the next generation of vehicles he is building to open the oceans for all to explore.
January 1st – New Year’s Day
Museum is closed
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By Michael - November 30th, 2009 The Walt Disney Family Museum has released a short tease of the 51-minute film Christmas with Walt Disney, which recently premiered at the Museum’s own theater. Produced by Don Hahn, who seems to be everywhere these days, the film provides a look at Christmas through Walt’s eyes, with a mix of Disney family home movies and clips from Disney films and television specials.
The film will play daily at the Walt Disney Family Museum in San Francisco from November 27th, 2009 until January 4th, 2010. There are multiple showtimes daily; details can be found at the Museum’s website.
The mix of Disney + Christmas is quite a cocktail of My Favorite Things, so I’m sad I won’t be able to make it to the Presidio to catch the film. Those of you who have a chance to make it, don’t miss out!
The clip is below. It’s fun, but I have to say – more clip, less watermark!
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By Michael - November 28th, 2009  “Actress Sophia Loren and producer Walt Disney are all smiles in New York City, Oct. 1, 1966 as they hold the silver trays presented to them at the convention banquet of the National Association of Theater Owners. Disney was honored as Showman of the World; Miss Loren as Star of the Year.” (AP Photo) Walt you old dog! I don’t doubt that he was all smiles! With ciggy in hand, too – didn’t he ever put that down?
Walt and Ms. Loren were in New York to accept awards from National Association of Theater Owners, or NATO. During a banquet on the night of October 1st (always an auspicious date!), NATO named Sophia their Star of the Year. Walt had a slightly higher honor; he was presented an award invented specifically for him – the “Showman of the World”.
Walt’s appearance and speech that night would be one of his last; he would, of course, pass away two months later. But it’s great to see him having a blast in the Big Apple; his speech that night was very funny and a nice little history of his career from his point of view. I highly recommend you take a moment and read it.
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By Michael - November 27th, 2009 Early last month, the first five minutes of The Princess and the Frog appeared online. You’ve most likely seen it already, but I’m excited about the impending release so I don’t care. Early reviews have been overwhelmingly positive, and the fact that merchandise has been selling out for weeks now despite the fact that the film isn’t a sequel or “franchise” picture is a hopeful sign. I want this movie to be huge. I want this to be a smack in the face to every idiotic suit who thought that earlier, lesser films from previous years failed because they were traditionally animated.
I want this movie – a traditionally animated film that’s actually good – to make such a sickening amount of money that every studio starts scrambling to start up their shuttered animation units and every animator in New York and L.A. has as much work as they can stand. I want this project-to-project hiring and firing mindset to stop, and for people to sign fat, long-term contracts. Without those animators on contract but between projects, we’ll never get those inspired make-work projects like Goldberg’s Rhapsody in Blue.
Anyway, this is the first sequence of the film. It introduces us to Tiana and her friend Charlotte as children; soon after this clip ends, we transition to characters as adults. This was part of the film that was shown at D23, and it cracked me up because it seems to be taking a direct jab at the “princess” phenomenon and mindset.
One last note: while some of the animation in this clip is complete, some shots are still rough animation. That being said, here you go:
And it might be just me, but young Charlotte is reminiscent of Darla from Mark Dindal’s sadly unappreciated 1997 film Cats Don’t Dance. And her cat reminds me of the feline Yzma from Mark Dindal’s slightly less unappreciated 2000 film The Emperor’s New Groove.
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By Michael - November 26th, 2009  Cover of Eyes & Ears of Walt Disney World, Thanksgiving 1981 We here at Progress City would like to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving. Hopefully everyone’s having a peaceful and relaxing holiday, and your dinner gatherings don’t have the odd and slightly upsetting undertones as Thanksgiving in Wonderland.
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