Allah v. Disney in the South China Sea

Dr. Timothy White (National University of Singapore) and Mr. Emmeff Winn (Auburn University) presented a thought-provoking paper at Farnham, which went a long way to explaining the reception of Disney’s latest feature Aladdin in those parts of the world with significantly high Muslim populations. These parts include Indonesia, which has the largest Muslim population in … Read more

In memory of Ken Anderson: Disney Artist

By Robin Allan. Sketch artist of genius who became Art Director and later Production Supervisor for some of the Studio’s finest animated feature films. Anderson’s architectural training and graphic skills enabled him to place characters against convincing backgrounds and he could also tell a story in pictures. His contribution to the collective art that was … Read more

Designer dominated Disney books

It should be said at once that two books from Hyperion, the Disney company’s new publishing house, Disney’s Art of Animation by Bob Thomas and The Art of Mickey Mouse, editors Craig Yoe & Janet Morra-Yoe, are disappointing and overpriced for what they purport to offer, writes Robin Allan. It is sad to be unenthusiastic … Read more

Whatever happened to Sunflower?

It was the intention of the 50th Anniversary re-release of Fantasia to restore the film to its full original form. However, a subtle form of censorship has been used to remove a potentially embarrassing character, reports David Williams. The new print of the Disney film Fantasia, which has been meticulously restored to bring back the … Read more

A reappraisal of Disney’s Melody Time

Time for Melody by Robin Allan The fortieth anniversary of Melody Time (1948) serves as an opportunity – and much more than an excuse – to reassess one of Walt Disney’s neglected animated feature films; it was not a success either critically or commercially, and like its predecessor Make Mine Music (1946) with which it … Read more

A reappraisal of Disney’s Melody Time – Page 2

There were more package films to follow: Song of the South (1946), Fun and Fancy Free (1947), Melody Time (1948), and The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr Toad (1949). All these films are interesting, but for experiment and adventure in animation Melody Time is the most rewarding. It lacks The musical quality of Make Mine … Read more

A reappraisal of Disney’s Melody Time – Page 5

Trees (Director Hamilton Luske) This is a visualisation of Joyce Kilmer’s famous poem, with Oscar Rasbach’s music, sung by Fred Waring’s Pennsylvanians. The music is too lush and we are subjected to one of those lapses in taste to which Disney is prone, but otherwise, this little section is a gem. It is the direct … Read more