I saw this Disney movie when I was a kid, but over the years, I came across some short clips once in a while and one thing I noticed was that rough look of the linework but I never thought or read about this anywhere. Thanks for this review, it was very interesting.
Great drawings of Severance, by the way. You capture the likeness so well while keeping your style.
Big animation fan, still loving cartoons to this day, and hand drawn in particular fascinates me, so this is right up my alley. Its been a long time since I've seen this movie but it's probably time for a revisit. Another movie that has this lost to time scratchy, fluid animation is the rescuers, which is one of my favorite classic Disney joints. You can occasionally see the pencils poke through for frames at a time
Its a sort of bygone type of old animated movie. Adventure, terror and romance, but its kinda all... relaxing to watch. The music is especially nice, and if you ask me, it features the ACTUAL best mouse couple Disney has...
Thanks for this piece, Jason! You really did your research for this one! The post-Walt films are interesting, they don't all hit the target in terms of story (for all his faults, I think Disney truly was an excellent story man and did a masterful job guiding his crew when he was alive, especially pre-Disneyland era) but in terms of animation artistry, they really are unparalleled. His animators were at the height of their powers at this time, they'd all been working together, perfecting their craft for 20-odd years at this point. There are just some absolutely cracking examples of character animation in Dalmatians, Jungle Book, Rescuers, Robin Hood, so if you haven't seen them, I recommend checking them out, if only to look at the animation.
I am LOVING Severance season 2! The episodes are so well photographed, such beautiful compositions throughout every episode. Your drawings are great as always, I especially love the one of Dylan!
Hey thanks, Matthew! — I agree with all your points. I’m not a big Walt fan, but i do respect his vision and the risks he took to achieve it. The guy knew what kind of stories he was telling and why, they’re just not all for me. The post Walt era stories are as slight as advertised— but they are interesting because those animators get to do their thing unshackled (well except for budget). Robin Hood is such a great example of that.
Another brilliant and fascinating piece (so well written) about a subject I'd normally skip (the Dalmatians flick) not the ART of animation! Severance pics are phenomenal, just to get that out of the way.
As good as your piece is, I still don't think I'm going to watch the flick. This period of Disney all came out before I was born and by the time the re-issues swung into the cinemas of Ireland I'd already been corrupted by the stylings of 2000AD, Bakshi's 'LOTR' & 'Watership Down' which my folks thought was a kids film so it was a little to twee for me. That never really changed; outside of Fantasia I don't think I've seen any Disney flick before 'Tarzan', despite their availability on Streaming.
I can see the appeal of the art & design to yourself but as a kid I always thought it was echoing the cheaper faster shorts of Warners & Hanna Barbera rather than a deliberate 'style' choice & as 'style' went I was innundated with that 'style' in old sixties UK Books & Magazines & never liked the charicaturey figures that took up the foreground. I don't think I appreciated that 'style' until I saw it employed by artists I liked, like Sienkicwicz , Kyle Baker et al. Love it now; yourself & Brunner are to blame for that but I'll still hold the likes of Greg Smallwood's brilliant work in 'Human Target' over whatever Disney did in the Sixties (though the chances are they were influenced by the same US Illustrators?).
Hearing great things about Severance, but don't have the channel however; based on how your brain works YOU should check out the far less stylish BUT great storytelling of 'Paradise'; I think based on this article that you'd dig it.
Hey thanks, Mikey. I get you about not being a Disney guy. It’s usually too saccharine or forcibly escapist for me. But art wise there’s a lot of power in these rawer ones. Especially Robin Hood. Just ask Jamie Hewlett! Will try to check out that show..
love this piece
Thank you, Sean!
great writeup. had NO idea about the cars. fascinating.
Thanks, Kevin. Appreciate you, bud.
I saw this Disney movie when I was a kid, but over the years, I came across some short clips once in a while and one thing I noticed was that rough look of the linework but I never thought or read about this anywhere. Thanks for this review, it was very interesting.
Great drawings of Severance, by the way. You capture the likeness so well while keeping your style.
Thank you, I’m really glad it sparked your curiosity. Hope you enjoy the art in it and thanks for being kind to mine.
101 Dalmatians is the only one that I like for the style of the drawing, maybe also the Aristocats.
I might have to glance at Aristocats sometime. I’ve never seen it.
Big animation fan, still loving cartoons to this day, and hand drawn in particular fascinates me, so this is right up my alley. Its been a long time since I've seen this movie but it's probably time for a revisit. Another movie that has this lost to time scratchy, fluid animation is the rescuers, which is one of my favorite classic Disney joints. You can occasionally see the pencils poke through for frames at a time
Thanks, Josh! I’ll definitely watch the rescuers sometime, as I’ve never seen it. Right after Robin Hood…
Its a sort of bygone type of old animated movie. Adventure, terror and romance, but its kinda all... relaxing to watch. The music is especially nice, and if you ask me, it features the ACTUAL best mouse couple Disney has...
Thanks for this piece, Jason! You really did your research for this one! The post-Walt films are interesting, they don't all hit the target in terms of story (for all his faults, I think Disney truly was an excellent story man and did a masterful job guiding his crew when he was alive, especially pre-Disneyland era) but in terms of animation artistry, they really are unparalleled. His animators were at the height of their powers at this time, they'd all been working together, perfecting their craft for 20-odd years at this point. There are just some absolutely cracking examples of character animation in Dalmatians, Jungle Book, Rescuers, Robin Hood, so if you haven't seen them, I recommend checking them out, if only to look at the animation.
I am LOVING Severance season 2! The episodes are so well photographed, such beautiful compositions throughout every episode. Your drawings are great as always, I especially love the one of Dylan!
Cheers!
Hey thanks, Matthew! — I agree with all your points. I’m not a big Walt fan, but i do respect his vision and the risks he took to achieve it. The guy knew what kind of stories he was telling and why, they’re just not all for me. The post Walt era stories are as slight as advertised— but they are interesting because those animators get to do their thing unshackled (well except for budget). Robin Hood is such a great example of that.
Another brilliant and fascinating piece (so well written) about a subject I'd normally skip (the Dalmatians flick) not the ART of animation! Severance pics are phenomenal, just to get that out of the way.
As good as your piece is, I still don't think I'm going to watch the flick. This period of Disney all came out before I was born and by the time the re-issues swung into the cinemas of Ireland I'd already been corrupted by the stylings of 2000AD, Bakshi's 'LOTR' & 'Watership Down' which my folks thought was a kids film so it was a little to twee for me. That never really changed; outside of Fantasia I don't think I've seen any Disney flick before 'Tarzan', despite their availability on Streaming.
I can see the appeal of the art & design to yourself but as a kid I always thought it was echoing the cheaper faster shorts of Warners & Hanna Barbera rather than a deliberate 'style' choice & as 'style' went I was innundated with that 'style' in old sixties UK Books & Magazines & never liked the charicaturey figures that took up the foreground. I don't think I appreciated that 'style' until I saw it employed by artists I liked, like Sienkicwicz , Kyle Baker et al. Love it now; yourself & Brunner are to blame for that but I'll still hold the likes of Greg Smallwood's brilliant work in 'Human Target' over whatever Disney did in the Sixties (though the chances are they were influenced by the same US Illustrators?).
Hearing great things about Severance, but don't have the channel however; based on how your brain works YOU should check out the far less stylish BUT great storytelling of 'Paradise'; I think based on this article that you'd dig it.
Hey thanks, Mikey. I get you about not being a Disney guy. It’s usually too saccharine or forcibly escapist for me. But art wise there’s a lot of power in these rawer ones. Especially Robin Hood. Just ask Jamie Hewlett! Will try to check out that show..