Click on the thumbnail for a larger image.
Above, a drawing from Disney's Ichabod and Mr. Toad (1949), as animated by Woolie Reitherman, whose key assistant was Amby Paliwoda.
In the upper right hand corner is Amby's note to his breakdown artist Don Hillary; it reads:
B. D. Note: Hillery [sic]: I'm going to give you an opportunity to make good in Hollywood -- Make this *&#$%! Br.down on Matilda! P.S. Then write your girl and tell her to watch for it on the screen! -- Amby
Three years later, Amby Paliwoda was a charter member of Local 839 ... and Don Hillary was our first business representative.
Woolie Reitherman, the lead animator of the above, was in 1948 freshly returned to Disney from wartime duty as the Vice Commander of the Burmese Air Lift, also a (relatively brief) stint as an airline pilot.
Word was that Woolie visited the studio one day after the war, and Walt talked him into returning, which he did.
Prior to John Lasseter, Woolie -- animator and feature director -- was the last artist to run Disney Feature Animation.
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9 comments:
"B. D. Note: Hillery [sic]: I'm going to give you an opportunity to make good in Hollywood -- Make this *&#$%! Br.down on Matilda! P.S. Then write your girl and tell her to watch for it on the screen! -- Amby"
Thank you , thank you, thank you for posting the drawing and pointing out the comment from Paliowda to his breakdown man Don Hillary . That made me laugh out loud . (and I mean really, truly laugh out loud, not just the internet cliche of "LOL" ) .
I miss drawing....
rufus
Ah, those were the good old days.
I miss Woolie. One of the best directors I ever worked for. He never bothered us, and didn't change stuff to show how smart he was.
If only today's directors had the same confidence.
I miss drawing....
Me too! Thats why I cant wait for PATF...even if the story sucks, I really wanna watch some masterful 2D animation. Enchanted whet my whistle, but I need a full feature to satisfy me!
Dude--I don't wanna know about your whistle.
"and didn't change stuff to show how smart he was."
Too bad he didn't change stuff to tell better stories and make better films. Walt judgement was sorely missing in those times.
Woolfgang had strengths and weaknesses. But he was one of the tryo animators and action specialists (he realy plussed the climax of "Sleeping Beauty.")
He made films of varying quality. Like every other director.
Scoobie-Doobie Doobie Doo, Let your Body Goo, err...Go
Amby...wherever you are, thanks for your wisdom and time you spent teaching me how to inbetween at Duck Soup in the mid 70's, with Corny Cole in the other room animating between his knees with a lamp on the floor yelling at the top of his voice how Warner Bros. was better than Disney, and Duane coming in and complaining that my inbetween lessons from Amby was taking up the whole day...those were precious and golden days I will never forget. Let's toast to the good old days of 2D animation, when you would draw until the pencil stubs hit the eraser nub.
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