TAG Interview with Linda Miller
Find all TAG Interviews on the TAG website at this link
While animating on the sparrow and Widow Tweed in The Fox and the Hound at Disney, director Don Bluth abruptly resigned his position at the studio. Animators John Pomeroy and Gary Goldman quit Disney's at the same time, and the following day, Linda Miller was the first of a dozen animation employees to tender resignations and join Mr. Bluth on the independent animated feature The Secret of NIMH. ...
Afther NIMH, Ms. Miller spent a decade working as directing animator and story artist/writer on a half-dozen animated features including An American Tail, The Land Before Time, All Dogs Go To Heaven and Rockadoodle.
In the early nineties, Linda departed Bluth-Sullivan before it went out of business to work in other parts of Cartoonland. She is today a designer for Disney Television Animation.
Posts
6 comments:
That was great to hear from Linda. Good job!
Glad you liked it.
They are fun to do, although with everything else going on around here, ramping up an interview every week is ... challenging.
I'm sure it is Steve!
Hearing Linda talk about what killed Rock-a-Doodle for her, it reminded me greatly of something an animator once told me of Bluth's integrity many years back when it comes to what stories appeal to him. It seems the one common theme present in many of his projects often involve a lost child finding his way home. This happens in Banjo, it happens in An American Tail, it happens somewhat in Land Before Time and it certainly happens in Rock-a-Doodle. It was certainly an eye-opener for me not ever realizing that pattern and I'm sure Rock-a-Doodle would be fine to watch without the addition of the boy character that Bluth wanted so much.
Linda is one of the finest animators I have ever worked with. She is sweet natured , funny and blazingly fast . I wonder if she still has DRMAD :)
"Rock-a-Doodle would be fine to watch without the addition of the boy character that Bluth wanted so much"
No.
Just no.
Rockadoodle is the epitome of TRULY bad film making. No wonder it's used in many animation classes as an example of how NOT to make a film.
And another running theme in every one of bluth's cartoons is that whenever a character confronts an issue or problem, the character runs away from it. Just like don.
Thanks for reminding me why these things exist "Anonymous". I also forgot the "runs away" bit too. Certainly films like this are good examples to show in any class' "How NOT" sections.
Post a Comment