John Pilger on the "Murdochracy"

In an op-ed for Truthout entitled, "Welcome to the World's First Murdochracy," London-based, Australian-born journalist, John Pilger, describes a sphere of political influence created by News Corp.'s biracial boss (half-human/half-goblin), Rupert Murdoch.  Highlights include:

Dominant themes in the Australian murdochracy, sport and celebrity gossip aside, are the promotion of war and jingoism, American foreign policy, Israel and a paternalism toward Aborigines, the world's most impoverished indigenous people, according to the UN. This antiquated cold warring is not due entirely to the Murdoch press, of course, but the agenda is. When the Indonesian tyrant General Suharto was about to be overthrown by his own people, the Editor in Chief of The Australian, Paul Kelly, led a delegation of editors of most of Australia's principal newspapers to Jakarta. With Kelly at his side, the mass murderer, whom the Murdoch papers promoted as a "moderate," accepted the tribute of each.

As always, Truthout's writers offer insight with surgical precision.

VIZ Anime Offers Anime like Naruto and Bleach for Free

VIZ MEDIA LAUNCHES VIZ ANIME - A NEW OFFICAL WEB DESTINATION FOR SOME OF THE HOTTEST ANIME CONTENT

Optimized Technology Allows Fans To Connect And Interact And Spend Less Time Looking For The Latest Anime Episodes And More Time Enjoying Them

In a significant news announcement, VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), one of the entertainment industry’s most innovative and comprehensive publishing, animation and licensing companies, has detailed the launch of VIZ Anime – a brand new, free-to-use interactive web destination that will become a permanent home to some of the company’s best-loved animated series as well as new content which will be added on a weekly basis. VIZ Anime is accessible at: www.VIZAnime.com.

VIZ Anime kicks off with more than 400 episodes from hit series such as BLEACH, BUSO RENKIN, DEATH NOTE (complete series), HIKARU NO GO, HONEY & CLOVER, INUYASHA (complete series) and INUYASHA: THE FINAL ACT, NANA, NARUTO (complete series) and NARUTO SHIPPUDEN as well as THE PRINCE OF TENNIS. The site will also be the future web home for many other eagerly anticipated anime series set to launch later this year!

Episodes can be streamed for free with new ones being added weekly. A variety of interactive social networking tools and features also help foster an official online home and community for VIZ Media anime fans allowing them to connect on and discuss favorite shows, and offer ratings and opinions of various episodes. New functionalities will be added regularly.

• Users can “follow” as many series as they like and choose to be notified each time a new episode is released, as well as keep track of the last episode they’ve watched. This makes it easy to stay current on series like INUYASHA or NARUTO, which feature more than 100 episodes.

• Users can comment on individual episodes and also meet and interact with other fans, invite friends to join, ask questions and debate plot twists and characters, voice their opinion on what’s happening in a particular series, and also find out what else is going on across the anime and manga spectrums.

• Users can rate their favorite episodes by using a “Like” button on each episode page. They can quickly access a list of all the episodes they’ve similarly liked to compare how other users have liked an episode.

• Users can make a personalized profile page to keep track of the episodes they’ve watched and enjoyed, the series they’re currently following, and comments they’ve made. Mail tools can also be used to send private messages between individual users. Privacy controls let users decide what information is shared publicly and who is able to send them messages.

“We’re committed to developing VIZ Anime as a premiere online destination, and hope to offer a real community for VIZ Media fans to interact with each other and share their love of anime,” says Ken Sasaki, Senior Vice President & General Manager of VIZ Media. “We will also utilize the site as a means of two-way communication to better understand what our fans enjoy most and want, and how they engage with anime and manga online. With a lot of content to select from, VIZ Anime will become a favorite site to visit again and again!”

For more information on VIZ Media or VIZ Anime, please visit www.VIZAnime.com.

"Home on the Range" Thankfully was not the End of Disney Hand Drawn Animation

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 49 (of 2004) by Leroy Douresseaux


Home on the Range (2004) – animated film
Running time: 76 minutes (1 hour 16 minutes)
MPAA – PG for brief mild rude humor
DIRECTORS: Will Finn and John Sanford
WRITERS: Will Finn and John Sanford; from a story by Will Finn, John Sanford, Michael LaBash, Sam Levine, Mark Kennedy, and Robert Lence; with additional material from Shirley Pierce, Keith Baxter, Mike Kunkel, Jason Lethcoe, Davy Liu, Donnie Long, Brian Pimental, David Moses Pimentel, Ralph Zondag
PRODUCER: Alice Dewey Goldstone
EDITOR: H. Lee Petersen
COMPOSER: Alan Menken

ANIMATION/COMEDY/FAMILY with some elements of Musical and Western

Starring: (voices) Roseanne Barr, Judi Dench, Jennifer Tilly, Cuba Gooding, Jr., Randy Quaid, Steve Buscemi, Ja’net DuBois, G.W. Bailey, Carole Cook, Charles Dennis, Joe Flaherty, Estelle Harris, Lance LeGault, Charles Haid, Richard Riehle, Mark Walton, Patrick Warburton, Dennis Weaver, and Governor Ann Richards

When Maggie the Cow’s (Roseanne Barr) owner looses his farm after all of his cows (except Maggie) are stolen, Maggie becomes the newest resident of Pearl Gesner’s (Carole Cook) farm, A Patch of Heaven. But Cooke is in debt to the local bank, and the county is foreclosing the farm. It seems, however, Pearl isn’t the only farm in financial dire straights. The bandit, Alameda Slim (Randy Quaid), he of the yodeling voice that hypnotizes cows, is rustling all the cattle in the territory. When the farms and ranches go belly up, in swoops Mr. Y O’Dell to win the auctions on the foreclosed properties.

Maggie joins two other cows, the dour and proper Mrs. Calloway (Judi Dench) and the sweet-natured cow with a poor singing voice Grace (Jennifer Tilly) save the A Patch of Heaven. They resolve to catch Alameda Slim and earn the $750 bounty on his head, just enough to save the farm. But joining in on the bounty hunting fun is Buck (Cuba Gooding, Jr.), a hyperactive horse who wants to be a hero, and Rico (Charles Dennis), a tall and dark bounty hunter with his own nefarious plans.

Home on the Range is reported to be The Walt Disney Company’s Feature Animation unit’s final full-length animated feature done in traditional 2-D or hand drawn animation for the foreseeable future. That ends a 44-year tradition that began with Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, but Disney’s Australian unit will reportedly continued to produce low budget feature length animation for theatrical and straight to video/DVD release.  [Since I wrote this review back in 2004, the management of Walt Disney Animation Studios changed, and 2D animation is alive an well at the house of mouse.]

If it is, Home on the Range is the wrong way to go out. It has a few good moments, and some standout voice performances, especially by Cuba Gooding, Jr., Judi Dench, and Jennifer Tilly. There are plenty of interesting or, at least, humorous and likeable characters. I liked Alameda Slim’s three, goofy, identical nephews.

But Home on the Range is mainly bad or mostly mediocre. Roseanne’s voiceovers are too up and down – really good or really dull. The art direction is nice but not exceptional, and the color palette is garish and flat. The film story and the pace drag from the beginning, gaining life only in the last quarter hour or so. Alan Menken’s score is also flat and barely alive, unlike his Oscar-winning efforts for such films as Beauty and the Beast and Aladdin. Having Bonnie Raitt, k.d. lang, and Tim McGraw give voice to the film’s songs don’t help.

Home on the Range is still a decent trip to the movies for (small) kids, but otherwise, this movie is best treated like a direct-to-video release and seen at home.

4 of 10
C

Disney Princess Royal Court Welcomes Princess Tiana

From Disney:

PRINCESS TIANA OFFICIALLY JOINS THE DISNEY PRINCESS ROYAL COURT AT STAR-STUDDED CROWNING EVENT IN NEW YORK CITY


Celebrating the Release of "The Princess and the Frog" on Disney Blu-ray

Sunday, March 14th, 2010 – New York - The court of Disney Princesses was joined by Anika Noni Rose (“Tiana”) and a host of celebrity guests as Tiana was officially crowned the ninth member of the beloved Disney Princess Royal Court. A magical ceremony took place in the Grand Ballroom at the historic New York Palace in Manhattan. As the newest Disney Princess, Tiana will forever be celebrated and recognized as a Disney Princess across all divisions of the Walt Disney Company and will be included in all Disney Princess merchandise featuring multiple Disney Princess characters.

Joining Anika Noni Rose in celebration of the coronation was Tina Fey, Melissa Joan Hart, Kelly Rutherford, Audra McDonald, Nigel Barker, Brent Zachary, Alesandra Ambrosio, Matt Walton, Amy Landecker, additional voice talent from the film Jenifer Lewis (“Mama Odie”), Jennifer Cody (“Charlotte”) and Michael Leon Wooley (“Louis”) along with Disney Princess cast members Ariel, Aurora, Belle, Cinderella, Jasmine, Mulan, Pocahontas, and Snow White, and Prince Naveen!

The event celebrated the arrival of The Princess and the Frog on Disney Blu-Ray and DVD, which releases March 16th. As Disney’s newest Disney Princess character, Tiana will forever be celebrated as a Disney Princess across all divisions of the Walt Disney Company, and will be included in all Disney Princess merchandise programs featuring multiple Disney Princess characters.

Nominated for three Academy Awards®, The Princess and the Frog transports audiences to glorious, glamorous New Orleans as Tiana, the newest Disney Princess meets her frog prince and gives him the fateful kiss that leads them both on a hilarious adventure through the mystical, magical bayous of Louisiana.

Review: Leonardo DiCaprio Elevates "Shutter Island"

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 14 (of 2010) by Leroy Douresseaux

Shutter Island (2010)
Running time: 138 minutes (2 hours, 18 minutes)
MPAA – R for disturbing violent content, language and some nudity
DIRECTOR: Martin Scorsese
WRITER: Laeta Kalogridis (based on the novel by Dennis Lehane)
PRODUCERS: Mike Medavoy, Arnold W. Messer, Bradley J. Fischer and Martin Scorsese
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Robert Richardson, ASC (D.o.P)
EDITOR: Thelma Schoonmaker
DRAMA/MYSTERY/SUSPENSE/THRILLER

Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Ruffalo, Ben Kingsley, Michelle Williams, Emily Mortimer, Patricia Clarkson, Max von Sydow, Jackie Earle Haley, Ted Levine, John Carroll Lynch, Elias Koteas, and Curtiss Cook

Shutter Island is the fourth film uniting Oscar-winning director Martin Scorsese (The Departed) and multiple Oscar-nominated actor, Leonardo DiCaprio (The Aviator). Based on the best-selling novel by Dennis Lehane (Mystic River and Gone, Baby, Gone), Shutter Island is a psychological-mystery thriller set entirely on a fortress-like island housing a hospital for the criminally insane. As I watched this engaging, haunting tale, I certainly understood what the term, “riveting” means when applied to movies. I also watched an outstanding actor take a good film and make the story work on so many more levels than it could have without him.

Shutter Island is set in the year 1954. U.S. Marshal Teddy Daniels (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his new partner Chuck Aule (Mark Ruffalo) are summoned to Shutter Island to investigate the disappearance of Rachel Solando. Solando, who drowned her three children, disappeared from a locked room within the impenetrable Ashecliffe Hospital. Teddy and Chuck arrive at the remote, windswept isle and find the situation tense, and an eerie, volatile atmosphere suggests nothing is quite what it seems. Psychopathic patients surround them and the brilliant Dr. Cawley (Ben Kingsley) psychoanalyzes Teddy and Chuck’s every move, even as he presses them to find Solando.

As the investigation moves forward, a hurricane bearing down on the island escalates. Teddy’s suspicions about both the facility and the investigation begin to grow as he uncovers hints and rumors of sordid medical experiments and secret wards within the hospital. But the more he digs into this mystery, the more Teddy realizes that he may never leave Shutter Island alive.

Without giving too much more about Shutter Island, I can say that both Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio deliver their usual high quality work. For Scorsese, Shutter Island is a chance to make an existential terror film in the tradition of the films of producer Val Lewton (Cat People). In a way, Shutter Island is less about story and more about genre. This movie is an exploration of the conventions of genres like Film-Noir and the detective thriller, and it also plays on the styles and themes of old Hollywood thrillers that focus on the psychology of the characters.

As good as Shutter Island is, what makes it a great film is Leonardo DiCaprio’s performance. DiCaprio sells the viewer on everything about Teddy Daniels, his habits, facial ticks, demeanor, belief system, conflicts, dilemmas, struggles, and even Teddy’s sharp, off-kilter sense of humor, founded in part on a world view shaped by his time as a serviceman during World War II. I am not trying to diminish Scorsese’s contribution; it is no coincidence that DiCaprio has delivered great performances in all four of the movies that he has made with Scorsese. Whatever one might say about Scorsese, he is an actor’s director, and he finds ways to get intense, terrific performances from all his actors – from the most talented to the ordinary.

But Shutter Island is ultimately all about Teddy Daniels. Its success as a taut, riveting thriller that grabs the viewer and holds him until the very end rests in DiCaprio. Because he has us enthralled by his performance, DiCaprio also has us as engrossed with this mystery and as we are absorbed with Teddy. Shutter Island’s resolution will no doubt leave many viewers with questions, but there is also no doubt that this is one of those occasions when the lead actor is so good that he makes even a terrific movie unforgettable and special.

9 of 10
A

Monday, March 15, 2010

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The Princess and the Frog's Supervising Animators Discuss the Film

From Disney:

ROUNDTABLE INTERVIEWS – "The Princess and the Frog" Supervising Animators (Group 1)


Walt Disney Animation Studio’s upcoming animated musical, THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG, celebrates the art form that launched the Walt Disney Studios with Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937). Along with this came the participation of some of classic animation’s ‘super stars.’ We were lucky enough to nab a few of these artists and sit down to discuss exactly what it means to be a supervising animator on the latest Disney musical fairy tale, THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG. With us were: Andreas Deja (supervising animator, Mama Odie), Randy Haycock (supervising animator, Prince Naveen, human and frog) and Mike Surrey (supervising animator, Ray, the Cajun firefly).

Q: So, Randy, what did you prefer, animating the frog version or the human version of Prince Naveen?

RANDY HAYCOCK: The human was probably more challenging. I enjoyed the challenge of making this handsome, gregarious prince, and giving him a real personality. But, I did enjoy the frog quite a bit. I thought he was a lot of fun. I had a good time with that.

Q: here is a new, gorgeous, animated fairy tale film in the tradition of classic Disney storytelling. Do you feel the burden of responsibility?

RANDY HAYCOCK: There was some sense on this film, but, we all believe in animation as an entertainment art form. And we felt like we had something to prove to those people who don’t believe in it. We’re not talking about the public. We’re talking about those people in the industry that maybe didn’t give it a fair shake in the past. We knew that we were going to make a great movie. And we knew that we could make a beautiful movie. And we all felt like we really had something to prove with that. So, I think it gave us a sense of purpose that was maybe even stronger than we normally have on a movie. And we were very, very determined and excited to do a great film.

Q: Are there still naysayers?

RANDY HAYCOCK: Not as many. When people see the movie, they love it. Once they started testing the film with audiences, suddenly, they were saying exactly what we’ve been saying. It’s all about the story and characters, and giving audiences real entertainment.

Q: On what grounds were the naysayers saying “No”?

RANDY HAYCOCK: Well, because our films weren’t making as much money for the theaters. It was mostly commercial.

ANDREAS DEJA: You look at the Pixar box office or DreamWorks or the others, and they were gigantic. So, from a business point of view, it seems logical to think, “Ah, the audience doesn’t like those films anymore.” But we all knew that that wasn’t the case. That it was about stories.

RANDY HAYCOCK: We understood that we weren’t really making films like the great ones in the past. We didn’t necessarily have control over the material all the time as much as we would have liked.

ANDREAS DEJA: In other words, it wasn’t our film.

RANDY HAYCOCK: The difference in this film, is that I think everybody was in agreement—that this is exactly the kind of film that Disney should be doing. It’s something that Disney always did best. Nobody else was able to do these kinds of stories the way Disney did. And, so, we needed to show everyone—the public and the industry—that we could still make the kind of movies that people grew up loving. Those characters became endearing and immortal for them. I think that’s definitely the purpose behind these films.

MIKE SURREY: For the audience members, when they see these films, they just feel really attached, and with a good, warm, loving feeling towards the kind of films we’re trying to make.

Q: What is it like for you guys when you watch one of your movies with an audience?

ANDREAS DEJA: It’s the best part. That’s the best, to see it with an audience. When we had our cast and crew screening, it went really well, we all enjoyed it—but we look at the stuff once it’s all finalized and think, “We can’t change a thing anymore. Maybe that should be a little slower. And maybe, we should have done that another way.” We’re very critical towards what we do and what we see. But once you see it with an audience, you tune in to what they’re thinking—whether they are laughing, or crying, or reacting with the characters. It’s just great. That’s the big payoff. All the hard work, really.

RANDY HAYCOCK: At the [Disney convention] D23, they showed the first 30 minutes of the film to the audience there. They are huge Disney fans that come to this. But I was sitting in the audience when they showed it. It’s a singular experience to sit there, while I had the whole audience laughing at the scenes that I animated. And I’m crying, because I’m so touched that they love it so much. That’s why we do it. We don’t do it because we love our own drawings so much. We do it because we want to move an audience. And when we see the audience affected by our artwork, then that’s the real reward. That’s the final payoff for what we do. That’s really the reason.

ANDREAS DEJA: And also, when your peers or people you have admired in the past, like the film. “I like your work.” In this D23 screening, they had some Disney VIPs. The voice of Sleeping Beauty is still alive, Mary Costa. She’s 80-years-old, and a beautiful lady still. So she saw the first 30 minutes. So, you kind of wonder, “Oh, my God, she was Sleeping Beauty. What does she think?” And she adored our film. She is from the South, and she identified with Charlotte right away. She said, “That was me when I was young.” And I said, “You were man crazy?” [LAUGH] But, it’s fun to get that kind of feedback from people whom you really admire.

MIKE SURREY: We do get to do test screenings while we are working on the movie. They’ll show the movie, maybe once every three months, to people who work in the building. Now, the first few times you see the movie, people laugh at jokes and cry at the right moments. And then, the next screenings, people aren’t laughing as much, because they have seen the jokes numerous times. I just remember, we were about three-quarters of the way through animating the film. We were tired, and we had to go to another screening of it. So I’m sitting there, and the same jokes were coming up but, but everybody was laughing or getting really quiet. And I heard people sniffling. And I’m thinking, “Haven’t these people all seen this movie multiple times?” But it turned out that it was an audience of Disney employees from outside of Animation, who had not seen the film at all. And they were seeing it for the first time. When you get to see that reaction, you kind of forget that you are used to seeing the joke. Okay, here’s the funny part. There’s a joke. Okay go. All right. But then, when people are reacting and laughing and clapping—it gets you going again.

ANDREAS DEJA: You’re seeing a fresh perspective.

MIKE SURREY: Yes, it helps you to get to the finish line a little bit. It is a little jolt of energy.

RANDY HAYCOCK: It helped us appreciate the film on a deeper level. We understood that we had made something, to see the audience reacting so positively to the film.

ANDREAS DEJA: I haven’t been in one test screening where people around me didn’t cry.

Q: Oh, really?

ANDREAS DEJA: All the time. Even in a really early screening of story sketches, Lisa Keen, a background painter, was just bawling and bawling. But people reacted that way early on.

Q: Do you see any of yourselves in the characters you animate?

RANDY HAYCOCK: That’s a good question.

ANDREAS DEJA: I see other people. But when we’re creating our characters, other people tell us, “Oh, I see your way of gesturing in your character.” I don’t think we see it ourselves.

Q: How do you determine which character you will animate? I mean, is it by personality? Or more like a skill or technique that you’re particularly good at?

MIKE SURREY: Actually, it’s a lot like casting a live-action film. We’ve all worked with [directors] Ron Clements and John Musker on numerous films. So, they know our work. They know what our strengths are. And they have an idea right from the beginning whom they would like to animate which character. But they do leave it up to us a little bit. We all got to read the script early on, and then, when we spoke with them, they would ask us, “Which character stood out for you? What did you find interesting? What would you like to do?” But they really look at our particular talents. Take, for example, Nik Ranieri, who did Charlotte. We wanted Charlotte to be very funny. And they knew Nik is really good with funny characters. So, they definitely wanted Nik to do Charlotte, because they thought that he could do something special with her. Nik, on the other hand, was saying, “Oh, I don’t know. I don’t do humans.” He did Meeko in Pocahontas, and I don’t think he’s ever created a female. Unless you count Ursula [from The Little Mermaid].

RANDY HAYCOCK: He was scared.

ANDREAS DEJA: No, he was panicking. He would talk to everybody in the hallway, “I don’t know. I haven’t done this.” And, “She has to be so beautiful!” I said, “Nik, you’ll do fine. You can always ask Mark [Henn, supervisor for Princess Tiana] for help.” [LAUGHS] And he did well.

RANDY HAYCOCK: I think we perform better when we’re a little worried. We can’t rest on our laurels. And I think that was what we felt making this movie—we all knew we had to make something really great. And maybe Nik being a little worried about it made his work that much better. Because she’s a delightful character. She’s hilarious. That is the genius of Ron and John—their ability to recognize what animators will bring. They have a clear vision of what they want from the character, and they’re able to match the character with the animator, and say, “He’s the right one to do this character justice.” Casting Charlotte to Nik was really the right thing. When you watch the film, you can’t imagine anybody else doing the character.

MIKE SURREY: Ron and John know that this is only going to help the character, because they know that Nik is not going to let Charlotte go by without her being right.

Q: You aren’t known as special “go to” guys for particular types of characters—like Mark Henn is “the Princess guy”?

MIKE SURREY: Well, I’ve done my share of—

ANDREAS DEJA: June bugs, ladybugs…[LAUGHS]

MIKE SURREY: I was going to say sidekicks—Timon in The Lion King. Terk, Tarzan. So, I’ve done the funny characters before. The last time I worked with Ron and John was Aladdin. So, I went to them to said, “I’d love to work on this movie.” And then, a week later, they said, “Well, we’d like you to do this character, Ray. Go to the [early story reel] screenings. Tell us if you think it’s something that you would want to do.” And as soon as Ray came onscreen, I thought, “Oh my God. Of course, I’d like to do the character.” Then, it just becomes a challenge of doing something you’ve never done before. But that’s what keeps it exciting and fun.

ANDREAS DEJA: We’ve been giving Mike a hard time throughout the movie, because we spend all this time, creating these old ladies and beautiful girls. And then Mike comes in—works a little—and done. Footage done for the week.

RANDY HAYCOCK: We all, I think, have certain challenges. Andreas had never done an old Bayou lady before.

AS: Not that I remember…

MIKE SURREY: Neither have I.

RANDY HAYCOCK: Neither have I. And, Mike, you’ve never done a bug before. And I’ve never done a frog before. And even Mark Henn, who did Princess Tiana, had to animate her as a frog as well. So there is always something we’re trying to learn and figure out. I think anyone who’s in a creative field—actually, I think most everybody—I think they’re interested in doing better than they have before. This is the best character I’ve ever gotten to do. So while I’m doing it, I’m thinking, “I really want to shine on this. I really want to be a better artist, a better entertainer. What can I do to make this character the best it can be?”

Q: What other projects did you do before this and how did that help you with THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG?

RANDY HAYCOCK: I worked on Chicken Little and Meet the Robinsons in between. I really had to rethink why I was doing what I do. But what I realized is that animation is more than just drawing. Animation is about creating a performance. Creating a character. Bringing a character to life. Your ultimate goal is to bring a character to life, and to entertain an audience.

Q: Are you afraid to work in a film that deals with things like black magic?

RANDY HAYCOCK: Nah, not for me.

ANDREAS DEJA: There’s always been magic…I mean, Snow White and the witch, way back in 1937. It goes all the way back to that. That was really scary magic. Scarier than ours.

MIKE SURREY: It is. It’s just that, for us and our film, it’s a fantasy element. It’s the magic element. We don’t treat it like a religion, or anything like that. It’s the rules of magic of our fairytale world. So, there’s good and there’s bad magic—in any fairy tale, there are evil characters that are magical. And there are good characters that are magical. But setting it in New Orleans, it is a part of that city’s culture. So it helped us to make it specific to our world of New Orleans.

ANDREAS DEJA: And we balance it with good magic, which is where my character, Mama Odie, comes in. And before this, I didn’t know about good magic. I always thought it was things like sticking a doll with needles, and then terrible things happen. But there is good magic as well, and that’s what I did.

Q: And a nice snake for once. Is it a reference to Shere Kahn from “The Jungle Book”?

ANDREAS DEJA: It’s so funny when people tell me this. “This snake reminds me of Shere Kahn!” I wish I had a sheet of paper to show you. Kahn looks completely different from my snake, Juju. I mean, not even close. But, because it’s a snake, you think of Kahn because he is so famous, you know? But I gave Juju these big eyes, bigger than Kahn, along with very small snouts. So, when you put them next to each other, they’re very, very different. But I accept the comparison. It’s a Disney snake. [LAUGHS]

Q: It was meant as a compliment.

ANDREAS DEJA: Thank you. Thank you very much. It’s one of those sensitive areas for me, but it was fun. I hadn’t ever done a snake. And, I remember, the first scene I did was the first scene with Juju. Mama Odie is in her boat, and she screams, “Juju!” And then, the snake kind of pops out of the sky and rubs up to her cheek. Their connection was really important to me. We have a few scenes where they connect and touch, and we see that they like each other. Maybe they’re like The Odd Couple, or mismatched roommates, but they also like each other.

Q: A bit like [directors] Ron Clements and John Musker when they’re working together?

ANDREAS DEJA: Yeah, it is. [LAUGHS] Mama Odie and Juju are based on Ron and John.

RANDY HAYCOCK: Now, which is Ron and which is John?

ANDREAS DEJA: Well, Juju is Ron. If given a choice.

Q: Andreas and Mike, what did you do prior to PRINCESS?

ANDREAS DEJA: I did a job for Disney Tunes Studio, they were called at the time. It was a sequel to Bambi. So, I went down to Sydney, Australia, and helped them out for six months. I was able to find odd jobs. But then that ran out, and I was going to leave the company. And then, we had the management change. I mean, the timing was really close. Perfect, yet. I was packing.

MIKE SURREY: I left and worked at DreamWorks—I animated, just as an animator. I didn’t want to supervise. I worked there for about a year-and-a-half. Then, I had the opportunity to come back and work here in story on Rapunzel, for about two years. It was great. I thought it was nice to come back into the studio again—and times had changed. John Lasseter and Pixar, and everything was coming together then. And Ron and John were back. The energy here started to feel more positive. The challenge of animating after not animating for five years…then, having John Musker tell you that the scene you’re going to do as a test scene will be going into the movie!—that was a bit jarring. The scene where Ray says, “Let me shine a little light on the situation”—that was the first scene I had done in five years.

RANDY HAYCOCK: It all comes back, doesn’t it? It all really comes back.

MKE SURREY: Yeah. It was more enjoyable, I think.

ANDREAS DEJA: Now you treasure it more.

MIKE SURREY: Yeah. I did with every scene.
RANDY HAYCOCK: Well, we certainly appreciate it more.

Q: It’s a beautiful film.

RANDY HAYCOCK: Thank you very much. I’m glad you enjoyed it.

MIKE SURREY: Yeah, thank you.

RANDY HAYCOCK: We had a great time working on it.

MIKE SURREY: It’s great for us…I mean, we see the funniest things. What [art director] Ian Gooding did with color, just unbelievable. We’re working in pencil lines and then, to see your character realized in color, oh, my God. He did an amazing job.

RANDY HAYCOCK: Every step of the way, it just got better and better—from script, to story, to animation, to color, to music and voice and sound effects… Every step of the way, the film just got better and better. That’s such a rewarding thing. When we got to see the film finally finished for the first time, people said, “Oh, you’ve probably seen this film a million times, right?” “No, I’ve only seen it once, finished!” But it’s like seeing it for the first time, really, when everything comes together. Watching everything working for the first time—that was really a great experience.

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Disney Princesses and Their Kissing

A Disney Princess Kiss Montage:




Disney's The Princess and the Frog arrives on DVD and Blu-ray on Tuesday, March 16, 2010.