Unsung Disney Legends: Glen Keane

We all know the characters, the movies and the songs but it is easy to forget that we are not watching actual characters.  Many people designed and worked on them.  Todays retrospective is on Annie Award and Winsor McCay Award winning industry icon: Glen Keane.

The Bear

Keane's first work in animation was as a layout artist on TV series such as Star Trek: The Animated Series.  For Disney he was a character animator for Penny and Bernard in The Rescuers and Elliot the Dragon in Pete's Dragon.  He also did models and animation on A Family Circus Christmas, which is significant because his father was the creator of Family Circus.

But the scene where Keane made his mark was when he was supervising animator on The Bear in Fox and the Hound.  While the movie is lovingly remembered by those who grew up with the film it is not well regarded by animation critics.  Fox and the Hound has many story problems and the animation is not the best, however every thing I have read on the film praises Keane's animation.  Back in 1981 Disney animation was in a rut and this scene was the highlight that took many by surprise.

I grew up with Fox and the Hound and I vividly remember The Bear and the emotions I felt seeing this realistic, relentless force of nature who was a threat to the main characters.  Those eyes and that snarl are extremely terrifying and emotional.  A great start to a great career.

Where the Wild Things Are

Animation in the early eighties was not in good shape and Disney animation was not taking any risks.  When Keane saw 1983's Tron he was amazed by the revolutionary use of computer animation and could not understand why Disney animation could not experiment with it.  Keane collaborated with John Lasseter who would clearly go on to do great things with CGI on a short animation test based on Where the Wild Things Are.  Disney did not move forward with the project although they owned the rights (although I wished they had since it would have been much better than the live-action version we finally got in 2009).  Nevertheless this test was revolutionary at the time.

Professor Ratigan

Keane had been a character animator on the character of Gurgi in The Black Cauldron, but he really stole the show oin what is considered a comeback for the cartoon studio when he was supervising animator on the villain of The Great Mouse Detective.  The world's greatest criminal mind is a clear cartoon creation, acting larger than life in every frame.

Ariel

When Glen Keane heard the song Part of Your World he demanded to work on Ariel.  Other animators asked why, because pretty girls were not his thing.  Keane responded that he had to.  He had an emotional connection to that song and wanted to bring it to life.  His love for this character is really a large part of what makes The Little Mermaid work.  Ariel is a character of passion and love, emotions that the audience completely buys into.  This was Keane's first real gracefully moving character, which the rest of his characters would become known for.

Marahute

What is unquestionably the highlight of the underrated movie The Rescuers Down Under is the opening flying sequence.  It is absolutely breathtaking and a great first use for the CAPS computer animation system.  Keane did the supervising animation for the eagle Marahute.  Keane animates this character with such majesty and gives it the perfect balance between realistic and fantastic.

Beast

Keane showcases his incredible range on the character of the Beast from the Academy Award nominated Beauty and the Beast.  The creature could be more menacing than The Bear from Fox and the Hound and yet more heartfelt than Ariel.  The most loved sequence is the ballroom scene which is just lovely to be hold and also fascinating to watch when you realize how graceful this beast is moving.

Aladdin

The next title character Keane animated was in Aladdin based on a Tom Cruise type persona Keane adds depth and emotion to an action star.  Much like with Ariel, it is heartbreaking to see Aladdin sing about wanting something more.  The character works in broad physical comedy, serious actions and more intimate character scenes.

Pocahontas

In my review of Pocahontas I named Keane's animation as the thing that makes the main character work.  Story wise there is not much to relate to, but the strength that Keane gifts her with makes her very compelling.  She is not a showcase of an ideal of female beauty, but rather she has an intimidating posture and strong movements.  Seeing this character run and jump or even just stand in the mist is a great experience.

Tarzan

I remember seeing Glen Keane on the Movie Surfers before on the video of Mulan discussing the upcoming movie Tarzan and how he was inspired by seeing his son do extreme sports.  The influence of skateboarding and snowboarding seems like an odd fit for a classic jungle character but it is just the kind of new thing that the story needed.  Keane's animation of the muscular dreadlocked lead is thrilling.  Naturally Keane is able to give the character strong emotions and use the character arc.

Long John Silver

Silver in Treasure Planet is very different from most of Keane's work.  This character is sloppy, overweight and at times unlikable.  But Keane was the perfect choice to animate this classic character as he was able to make his fatherlike connection with Jim, two-faced nature and conflicted emotions seem natural.  This is an underrated feature and while not Disney's best there is so much to like, Keane's work on Silver being one of them.

Tangled

Glen Keane was originally the director on Tangled (known as Rapunzel at the time).  But he had to step aside due to health reasons but he did stay on as a producer.  He also had designed the characters for the film.  Keane worked on combining traditional animation and computer animation styles.  His process was the inspiration for the Oscar winning short Paperman.  Tangled was the last Disney feature that Keane worked on as he has since left the company, but hopefully we will see the legend work on something very soon.

Unsung Disney Legends: Eric Goldberg

We all know the characters, the movies and the songs but it is easy to forget that we are not watching actual characters.  Many people designed and worked on them.  Todays retrospective is on my personal favorite animator: Eric Goldberg.

Genie

Goldberg’s first notable animation credit is easily his crowning achievement.  Robin Williams is often credited with bringing life to this endearing scene-stealer, but it is the cooperation between the voice actor and supervising animator that gifted The Genie with his heart and personality.  Goldberg’s lively and wacky sensibilities really made The Genie a standout.

Co-Director of Pocahontas

The success of The Genie was followed by Goldberg’s directorial debut: Pocahontas, which he directed with Mike Gabriel.  Goldberg has said that this is not a perfect movie but he is proud of what was accomplished artistically and stands by the message of peace and coexistence as an important one.

Goldberg has very broad comedic sensibilities and he had to tone those down here to give Katzenberg the serious movie he was looking for. However humor needed to be added in to broaden the audience. Goldberg has stated that he was not a fan of the film’s comic relief as the movie worked without it.  One of Goldberg’s strengths in movies such as Aladdin, Hercules and Princess and the Frog, is that his comic relief characters are an integral part of the story.

Phil

Goldberg returned as a supervising animator in Hercules.  Although Philoctetes is not the scene-stealer that the Genie was he is still a great character in the fine movie.  In animating the character Goldberg walked a very fine line between goofy comic relief and dramatic sincerity.  The short funny-looking guy had some real depth and investment in the lead, which really benefited the story.  Animating subtlety is very difficult, but Goldberg does it perfectly here.

Fantasia 2000

Eric Goldberg did not only direct the best short in Fantasia 2000, he directed the film's two best shorts.  The first one is an adaptation of Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue, styled after the work of Al Hirschfeld (who also had a clear influence on the Genie).  Goldberg used the animators of Emperor's New Groove on the film while that movie was being reworked and the segment was deemed strong enough for inclusion in the updated concert feature.  The style, personality and heart makes Rhapsody a classic.

The second short was the wacky, cartoony Carnival of the Animals.  The one with a Flamingo with a yo-yo.  This was very different from Fantasia's more pretentious goals, but the humor is so precise and animation so good that it fits naturally in the film.  Goldberg himself also had a cameo in the film's live-action transition as the animator who hands a note to James Earl Jones.

Animation Director of Looney Tunes: Back in Action

Goldberg had left Disney in 2000.  At which time he was hired by Universal to direct a computer animated adaptation of Where the Wild Things Are.  The film languished in development hell until 2009 and Goldberg found directing work at another studio.

There is a clear Warner Bros. influence in Goldberg's Disney work so his involvement as the animation director of Looney Tunes: Back in Action seems perfect.  Back in Action follows the Roger Rabbit model of using an animation live-action director (Joe Dante being comparable to Robert Zemeckis) and having the animation be directed by one of the world's best (Eric Goldberg having learned from Richard Williams onRaggedy Ann and Andy: A Musical Adventure back in 1977).  Although this movie often gets overlooked and bombed at the box-office it is still the best feature outing of the Looney Tunes gang.  Also in the film Goldberg voices Marvin the Martian, Speedy Gonzales and Tweety.

Goldberg updated another favorite from classic animation when he directed the opening titles to the 2006 Steve Martin Pink Panther.  Other notable non-Disney work was the 12 minute A Monkey's Tale at the Buddhist center in Hong Kong.

Gran Fiesta Tour Starring the Three Caballeros

The classic Disney animator that is most comparable to Goldberg was member of the Nine Old Men: Ward Kimball.  Both tend to be wackier and able to cut loose.  So it is very fitting that Goldberg did the animation on the EPCOT ride based around Kimball's musical number.  Goldberg has also done animation for several other theme park attractions including The Magic Lamp Theatre, a 3D attraction featuring The Genie at Tokyo Disney Sea.

Almost There and Louis

I love traditional animation because there is much more personality and a personal stamp to it.  As soon as I saw the character of Louis inPrincess and the Frog propelling himself through the bayou with his tail I knew he was animated by Eric Goldberg.  Nobody else is capable of animating a character that lively.  Louis is another in Goldberg's long line of perfect comic relief.

Another highlight of the film was the stylized musical fantasy sequence Almost There, which Goldberg supervised the animation for.  The look is based on Harlem Renaissance painter Aaron Douglas and the limited animation style is a fun, surprising break from the normal Disney style.

Rabbit and The Backson

For 2011's Winnie the Pooh Goldberg found new levels of neuroses in the character of Rabbit.  The expressions Goldberg gifts the character with are among the best in the film.

As with Princess and the Frog, Goldberg also animated the most visually satisfying scene in this traditionally animated feature: The Backson Song.  The song features the characters all imagined as chalk drawings and is extremely stylized.  The humor and action literally follows every lyric of the song, akin to the titular number in Three Caballeros.

Get a Horse!

Goldberg is still working at Disney.  He worked on the recent Goofy shortHow to Hook Up Your Home Theatre.  Even though Disney has abandoned traditional animated features once again they still utilize the art form to create computer animated films.  Goldberg did pencil tests forWreck-It Ralph before the characters where animated by computer.  A pencil test of King Candy can be found on YouTube.  And coming soon (hopefully in a wide release) is a new theatrical Mickey Mouse short Get a Horse! all styled to harken back to early black and white Mickey Mouse.  Goldberg is of course supervising animation on it.