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Tag Archives: Frank Thomas

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

15 Monday Aug 2016

Posted by Elizabeth Fais in Disney, Disneyland, Music

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Tags

Animation, Brass Bell Blues, Clarke Mallery, Danny Alguire, Disneyland, Dixieland Jazz, Ed Penner, Firehouse 5 + 2, Firehouse Five Plus Two, Firehouse Stomp, Frank Thomas, Harper Goff, Jazz, Walt Disney Studios, Ward Kimball

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.


 


Who’s Your Yoda?

05 Thursday Jun 2014

Posted by Elizabeth Fais in Animation, Inspiration, Writing

≈ 8 Comments

Tags

Animation, computer animation, Elizabeth Fais, Frank Thomas, mentor, Star Wars, Walt Disney Studios, Writing, Yoda

The Magic of a Mentor

YodaI used to believe that I had do everything on my own. If I didn’t, then I couldn’t take credit for the results. Luckily, I met someone who clued me in on an insider secret of the successful:

If you want to be successful at anything, apprentice yourself to someone who’s mastered the art.

Kind of like Yoda, the little green guy from Stars Wars with the pointy ears. Without Yoda mentoring him, Luke Skywalker never would’ve become a Jedi.

I’ll be straight up honest. I didn’t go looking for a mentor. I kinda sorta just bumped into him. By accident. It was one of those serendipitous meetings that changed your life. I wish I could say  that over a few short months I became a shining success in my area of study. But that would be a flat out lie.

The reality took a whole lot longer, and turned out to be better than anything I ever could have imagined. At the time, I wanted to become a computer animator—back when the industry was in its infancy. Along the way, I discovered my passion for writing for young people. Sometimes the wrong path brings you to the right place. And it was my mentor who paved the way for that transition through the (snail mail) letters we exchanged over the years.

The magic of the written word ~ Letters from Frank

I met my mentor, Frank Thomas, in 1983 at a glitzy computer graphics symposium at UCLA. I wandered up to the tradeshow area after one of the panel discussions, and ended up standing next to an old man. I overheard him telling the young woman demonstrating one product that he’d worked at Walt Disney Studios as an animator. He looked pretty old (ancient to a twenty-something-year-old), so I asked, “Did you know Walt?”

“Yes,” he replied. “If he were alive today this is where he’d be”

Me, to myself: You’re my new best friend.

At the time, I didn’t know that Frank Thomas had joined The Walt Disney Company in 1934 as employee number 224. Or that he had animated dozens of animated Frank and Jeanette Thomasfeatures and shorts, including The Brave Little Taylor, Bambi, Lady and the Tramp, Sleeping Beauty, 101 Dalmatians, to name a few. I knew he worked with Walt, and that was good enough for me. Our 21 year conversation started with a single handwritten letter that I sent to Frank, care of the Walt Disney Studios in Burbank.

Over the years, I continued to pursue computer animation, and worked on projects with Silicon Graphics and Dreamworks. Through it all, I  exchanged letters with Frank, and came to  meet his lovely, and amazing wife Jeanette. In a sense, they became like family.

Frank was generous in his letters with his expertise in traditional animation, as well as what he was learning about applying that knowledge to new technology. But it was the “storytelling style” of Frank’s letters that made the biggest impact on me. Early on, I realized I couldn’t write just anything in a letter to him. I had to write a story. I worked to make my letters as entertaining as the ones Frank always sent. He was teaching me about story structure and humor, without realizing it.

Tips on stalking a mentor

If you think “a successful person would never want to help me”, you’re wrong. Not everyone may be as accommodating as Frank Thomas, but if you have a genuine passion for their field and show an enthusiasm for learning, your mentor-of-choice will most likely take you under their wing.

FACT: People like to talk about their passion with others who share their enthusiasm.

Here are a few guidelines you might want to follow:

  • Call to ask for an “informational interview”. This works especially well for high school and college students.
  • Or, write a letter (yes, on paper) stating your purpose and why you chose them a your hero. You can include an email address as a convenience for a return reply.
  • Always be polite and courteous of their time.
  • Be professional (in accordance with industry standards) in dress and speech.
  • If they do meet with you, follow-up with a thank you letter (on paper) expressing an appreciation for their time.
  • If you want to continue working with a mentor, always bring something of interest, such as information about the industry they might not know. Anything that *shows them* you are actively working toward attaining your goal.

Have you Ever worked with a mentor?


 

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A First-Draft Mad Dash ~ And the Not-So-Pretty Truth

20 Thursday Mar 2014

Posted by Elizabeth Fais in Fiction, Perspective, Writing

≈ 9 Comments

Tags

Disney animation, Elizabeth Fais, First Draft, Frank Thomas, Goals, running of the bulls

The one thing I have to accomplish—or I won’t be able to live with myself—is to be a traditionally published author. I know. It makes no sense in so many ways. Yet this is the rainbow bridge of my dreams.

Rainbow Bridge

Because life isn’t always about making sense. It’s about living without regrets.

I came close to my goal with the book I queried late last year.  But close isn’t good enough. I realized a little (?) too late that the story, while good, wasn’t unique enough for a debut author. No worries. I’ve heard of a number of now-published authors who didn’t make it out of the gate with their first book. Then when they sold their second book, the first was sold too. That’s the success scenario I choose to believe in.

So…  Now it’s time to kick up my game with a new project that has a unique concept. It’s time to dig in and get serious with the infamous First Draft.

First Draft ~ Fact and Fiction

Pounding out a first draft is different for every author. For some,  the words flow out of their fingers like milk and honey in the promised land. Yeah, right. So. Not. Me.

For me, a  first draft is all-consuming. It’s when the characters blossom to life in my head, transforming into three-dimensional people. Usually with a healthy dose of attitude. Story wrinkles slap me in the face—plot pits big enough to swallow a T-Rex whole—I didn’t foresee in the initial planning phase. It’s a fictional wrestling match and dance party rolled into one, an oxymoronic medely of inspiration, frustration, and a high flying creative dopamine rush.

Yes, folks. The writer’s high is real. And it’s free for anyone crazy enough to venture down this path.

I’d like you to think that my First Draft Dash is as fluid as an Olympian going for the gold. But let’s be real. My first draft process looks a lot more like this…

Running of the bulls in Arizona

In the race to keep the momentum flowing, real-life stuff falls off the truck, only to be trampled beneath the hooves of those bulls.

Dust, dishes, and laundry be damned… and the better part of social media too.

Ready…Set…Go!

Starting lineThe good new is, first drafts don’t last forever. In fact, this is going to be a relatively short sprint.

Head down and fingers to the keyboard on March 21st.

Crossing the deadline finish line on June 21st.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch…

Yeah… about this blog…

During the first draft dash, I won’t have the bandwidth to come up with thought-provoking posts on a regular basis. In February, when I was plotting out the new project, I did Zip. Zero. Zilch blog posts.

I didn’t want this blog to go dark for the next three months, so I’m bringing out a series I’ve been thinking about for some time. It will be based on a series of letters written to me by legendary Disney animator Frank Thomas over a number of years. The correspondence originated out of my love of animation and computer graphics, but ultimately brought me to the path of writing fiction for young readers.

Coming up next:
“Letters from Frank ~ Insights on Animation, Computers, and Elephants”


WAnt to share your First Draft process?


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Animated Storytelling: The Character of a Walk

10 Saturday Nov 2012

Posted by Elizabeth Fais in Animation, Character, Story, Writing

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Animated Storytelling, Disney's Nine Old Men, Elizabeth Fais, Frank and Ollie, Frank Thomas, Ichabod Crane, Legend of Sleepy Hollow, Ollie Johnston, Pinocchio, Stacy Stokes, Walt Disney

Good animation is based on good storytelling, conveying thoughts, feelings, and emotions by showing rather than telling. One of the principle ways of defining character in animation is “the walk”.

It’s All About the Walk

In animation, “the walk” of a character is everything. That’s because a simple walk isn’t … well … simple. Visually, it is one of the most defining parts of a character. A walk reveals personality and telegraphs mood. You can tell how someone feels by the way they carry themselves, move their arms, and by the quickness or slowness of their step.

Ichabod Crane, in Walt Disney’s “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow”

Walking With Emotion

In short, a walk conveys character and emotion without saying a word, for example:

  • Depressed, discouraged: Head down, shoulders slumped, hands in pockets, slow steps, dragging their feet
  • Happy, elated: Head high, shoulders back, arms swinging, bouncy steps
  • Angry, determined: Leaning forward, chin jutting out, brisk pace
  • In love: Ambling stroll, relaxed, distracted gaze, blissful smile

An extensive resource for conveying emotion through action is The Emotion Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to Character Expression. Keep a copy by your side while you are writing and revising. You won’t regret it!

Walk in Your Character’s Shoes … Literally

A great way to internalize a character’s mood is to imitate their walk. The old saying “walk a mile in someone else’s shoes” is too true. Which is why mimicking character movements is a common practice for animators. They physically act out scenes as their character, to study action and emotion.

Savvy writers do this too. Stacy Stokes,  took an improv class to study character first-hand. You can read about her experience in Walking Game (Things I Learned in Improv Class, Volume 4: Getting Into Character).

Tips From a Pro

Ollie Johnston, one of Walt Disney’s “Nine Old Men“, shared the following insights for enhancing character through motion:

  • Show ideas or thoughts, with the attitudes and actions.
  • Let the body attitude echo the facial expression.
  • Show what your character is thinking.
  • The thought and circumstances behind the action are what make the action interesting.  Here’s an example: A man walks up to a mailbox, drops in his letter and walks away. … OR … A man desperately in love with a girl far away rushes to the mailbox, then carefully drops the letter, into which he has poured his heart out, into the mailbox with a sigh.

For more tips on showing emotion through movement, visit the Frank and Ollie web site.

Contrasting Characters and Their Walks

Theory is all well and good, but I’m one of those people who need examples in order to learn. The following two clips show the walks of two opposite-poles characters, Ichabod Crane and Pinocchio. See how much of their characters you can discern just from studying how they walk.

  • Ichabod Crane in Walt Disney’s “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow”…  Ichabod has a walk like no other. It’s one of the most distinctive walks in Disney animation, thanks to legendary animator Frank Thomas. I’d apologize for the “White and Nerdy” song this is set to, if it weren’t so fitting for the character!


  • Then there’s Walt Disney’s “Pinocchio”… You couldn’t find a more different character from ol’ Ichabod, and it’s immediately apparent from Pinocchio’s walk. There’s no music, but something “Short and Bouncy” would have been fun.



What do you notice most about the way someone walks?


Animated Storytelling

17 Sunday Jun 2012

Posted by Elizabeth Fais in Animation, Characters, Story

≈ 7 Comments

Tags

Animation, Bambi, Elizabeth Fais, Emotion Thesaurus, Frank Thomas, Lady and the Tramp, Ollie Johnston, Walt Disney

What animation taught me about storytelling…

I came to writing fiction through animation. Yep, I’m an animation geek, and proud of it! And as circuitous as my journey might sound … it’s not.

Good animation tells a story by showing emotion, the same as fiction. This image of Thumper (from Walt Disney’s “Bambi”) is a perfect example. You can tell Thumper’s been reprimanded by his slumped posture, his paws held behind his back, his ears laid back, and his head tilted downward.

Likewise, in this next image (also from Bambi) it’s obvious the two skunks are infatuated with each other by  their posture, how they hold their hands and look at one another. Good storytelling immerses you in the lives of the characters, so that you feel what they are feeling.

The Walt Disney Studios developed the 12 principles of realistic character-driven animation back in the 1930’s. Those principles are still considered “standard” today. The Illusion of Life, by Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston, is an insightful read on the history of how these principles were developed.

Writing with Emotional Impact

Writing fiction is not the same medium as animation (duh!), so the techniques a writer must use to immerse an audience are slightly different from the keys to invoking emotion in animation. But not so different. Really. I ask myself the following questions when I begin a  scene. These questions are surprisingly similar to the questions an animator must resolve when animating a scene:

  1. What is the character thinking, and why?
  2. What is the character feeling, and why?
  3. How does the character express their feelings, and how does that vary with the different people in the scene?
  4. What is the arc of the character’s reaction to the circumstances?
  5. What are the character’s strengths and faults, and how do they manifest as a result of the circumstances?

When I understand what’s motivating a character and why, I can figure out how the character will react and what their feeling. I keep a copy of the Emotion Thesaurus handy to prevent myself from using worn out descriptions, or reusing the same ones over and over.

The Bella Note “Spaghetti Scene” in Walt Disney’s Lady and the Tramp is  probably the best-loved scene in animation of all time. It became famous, because we relate to the characters’ feelings (even though they’re dogs). We feel their love for each other through their nuanced looks, expressions, and gestures. Magical storytelling in action! You can watch this remarkable scene here.

Bella Note Lady & the Tramp


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