Category Archives: Disney

Walt’s Original Animators ~ Disney’s First Firehouse Band

15 Monday Aug 2016

Posted by in Disney, Disneyland, Music

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Animation … and All that Jazz

Linger long enough in front of the Firehouse on Disneyland’s Main Street, and you’re FullSizeRenderbound to hear a Dixieland jazz band playing old-time favorites. Few people realize that the first Disney firehouse band was made up of Walt Disney’s original animators. These were the guys who animated Snow White, Pinocchio, Bambi, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Lady and the Tramp, and more…the classics.

There were seven members in the original band, and they called themselves the Firehouse Five Plus Two.

I took this photo on a recent trip to Disneyland. But this band only has six members, not seven like the original firehouse band.

The Firehouse Five Plus Two

The Firehouse Five Plus Two was a hot ticket in the 1950’s. They played around town at night, as well as appearing in several Disney television specials, including the very first special in 1950, One Hour In Wonderland.

I had the opportunity to talk with Frank Thomas, the piano player in the original band. He thought their music caught on, because they played for the sheer joy of it. I don’t doubt that’s true. The band was active from 1949 to 1972, playing and recording while never giving up their day jobs as animators and artists with the Walt Disney Studios. Their more than a dozen records are still available in digital formats today, standing the test of time.

The following image is from their appearance with Bing Crosby on his CBS radio program. [PC: Wikipedia]

Firehouse Five Plus Two with Bing Crosby

Their joyful energy is infectious in the following 1951 recording of “Brass Bell Blues”, featuring Ward Kimball (tb), Danny Alguire (tp), Clarke Mallery (cl), Frank Thomas (p), Harper Goff (bjo), Ed Penner (tu), and Monte Mountjoy (d). Google their names. You might be surprised by the classic Disney magic they each had a hand in creating.

 

The Story Behind Mary Poppins ~ “Saving Mr. Banks”

25 Thursday Jul 2013

Posted by in Disney, Disneyland, Movies, Walt Disney

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The Trailer That Stormed the Twitterverse

Mary Poppins book coverA couple of weeks ago, news of the just-released trailer for a new movie about Walt Disney stormed the Twitterverse. That’s how I first heard about “Saving Mr. Banks”, the untold story behind Walt Disney’s acquisition of the rights for “Mary Poppins” — the much-loved children’s book by P.L. Traverse.

P.L. Traverse’s Mary Poppins books were loved by many, well before Walt Disney turned the first book in the series into a major motion picture in 1963.

But the whole world fell in love with Mary Poppins,Mary Poppins movie poster when Julie Andrews starred in the leading role opposite Dick Van Dyke. The Sherman Brothers’ musical score had everyone singing the hit songs Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious, Spoon Full of Sugar, Step in Time, and Feed the Birds, to name a few.

Maybe it’s because so many of us grew up loving this story and its characters (even the dancing penguins!), that the trailer about the untold story behind the personalities that brought this story and film to life sparked a reaction similar “the tweet heard round the world.”

Characters Need To Be Larger Than Life

Anyone who’s seen Walt Disney’s Wonderful World of Color on TV (or Tom Hanks as Walt Disneybecame addicted to the reruns), is familiar with Walt Disney, the man: his voice, his mannerisms, and demeanor.  So, it would be a hard-sell for any actor to fill those shoes. The same could be said for P.L. Traverse, if we were as familiar with her as we are with “Uncle Walt.”

Emma Thompson as P.L. TraverseI admit, that at first I was taken aback by Tom Hanks‘ impersonation of Walt Disney. My internal editor said things like, “Walt Disney didn’t talk like that” and “Walt Disney wasn’t that demonstrative.”

Then I took a step back and realized that P.L. Traverse probably wasn’t as pinched and twitchy as Emma Thompson‘s impersonation either. I finally realized that, much like the characters in the stories we write, the characters in movies have to be larger than life to be interesting.

Along with the characterizations of Walt Disney and P.L. Traverse … I’m sure embellishments were added and (or left out), to make the “story” screen-worthy. I’m OK with that, for the sake of an engaging (based-on a true) “story”. How about you?

A Sneak Peak at “Saving Mr. Banks”

To Learn More About the REAL Walt Disney…

If you are captivated by Walt Disney (the man) and all he accomplished, you should most definitely visit the Walt Disney Family Museum (WDFM) in the San Francisco Presidio. Trust me. It’s not like any museum you’ve ever been to. You will be amazed. You can find out more on my blog post about the WDFM here.

A Day of Magic at The Walt Disney Family Museum

19 Wednesday Jun 2013

Posted by in Animation, Disney, Disneyland, Walt Disney

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I admit it. I’m an animation geek. And I’m particularly geeky when it comes to Walt Disney feature-length animated films that were produced when Walt Disney was alive. So you can understand why I was shocked to hear that some young people today think “Walt Disney” is a made up brand name. Like Captain Crunch, or something.

Diane Disney Miller, the daughter of Walt and Lillian Disney, was shocked too. So much so, she and her family went to an enormous effort (and a heck of a lot of expense) to preserve the history and imagination of her father’s legacy by founding The Walt Disney Family Museum.

Front of the Walt Disney Family Museum

It took seven years of planning, designing, and construction before the museum opened in San Francisco’s Presidio on October 1, 2009.  [photo by moi]

The Walt Disney Family Museum

Walt Disney Family Museum logoWARNING! This is no ordinary museum. Be prepared to be amazed! [WDFM logo, Wikipedia]

The moment you step inside the first interactive gallery, you are walking in Walt’s footsteps, with his voice narrating his story. The journey starts with Walt’s ancestors immigrating to America, and shows you their humble beginnings on a farm in Missouri. From there you join Walt’s adventures selling papers, working on a train, enlisting in the army as an ambulance driver, cartooning, and creating his first animated films.

Not all of his early endeavors paid off. After a bankruptcy and losing the rights to his first animated character, Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, Walt was on a train when he got the idea for Mickey Mouse. When you step into the elevator to go up the second floor of the museum, you step onto that train car with Walt, as he tells you the story.

When you get off the car, you’re in Hollywood!

As you walk through the galleries, you witness the development of a new animated art form, and the plethora of products and technologies that followed. The men who worked with Walt share their stories at the touch of a finger, on interactive consoles throughout the galleries. It’s amazing that one man could assemble such talented teams — artists and engineers — and inspire their genius to create all that they did.

I could ramble on and on about the live-action films, nature documentaries, audio animatronics, and other technologies Walt Disney inspired. And don’t even get me started on Disneyland. But that would be boring. It’s much more fun if you sneak a peek at the Interactive Galleries on the Walt Disney Family Museum website! And while you’re over there, check out the Special Exhibitions, Classes and Workshops, and Special Programs for the whole family.

I was having a cup of coffee in the museum cafe after my last visit, when I overheard a teenager at the next table talking on her cell phone…

I just walked through Walt Disney’s life, and it was so cool!

That simple statement — made by someone who wasn’t alive during Walt Disney’s lifetime — proves the timelessness of Disney magic. Forty-seven years after his death, Walt is still creating magic …  for young and old alike.

In the following video Diane Disney Miller announces the museum’s opening on October 1, 2009.

Preview of the Walt Disney Family Museum on CBS

If you’re planning on visiting the museum, be sure to check the Walt Disney Family Museum web site for Hours, Location, and Directions. There’s ample parking directly across from the museum too!

WDFM Calendar of Events
The museum is closed EVERY Tuesday,
New Year’s Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas Day.

Hakuna Matata Dance-Party Friday

17 Friday May 2013

Posted by in Animation, Dancing, Disney, Funny Videos, Movies, Music

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I don’t know about you, but it’s been a long week for me. I met a huge deadline and it went well, but now it’s time to embrace a little Hakuna Matata.

Hakuna Matata

You know the song…

It means no worries for the rest of your days… It’s a problem free philosophy…

WARNING! Fart jokes ahead.
But seriously, what do you expect from a warthog?

Hakuna Matata

[From The Lion King, by Walt Disney Studios]

Well, you’ve got to get in the Dance-Party mood somehow.

But if that’s too much, too soon… Maybe a reminder about what’s really important is in order …  just the bare necessities…

This bear’ll get you dancing in no time…

[From The Jungle Book, by Walt Disney Studios]

That beat had to put a sway in those hips. No, I’m not inferring they are as big as Baloo’s! Chill, will ya?

Now go get your boogie boots. And make John Travolta wish he were like you-hoo-hoo! Note: Hula skirt, headdress, and coconut face mask are optional.