I'm always pleased to see an episode of the old DISNEYWORLD TV series in which Walt Disney explains how his wizards accomplished some of the amazing effects in his cartoons. In this one, we get to see his animators studying how raindrops fall, how fat men dance, and how pretty girls dance ballet, so they can be turned into scrawny ostriches. Well, that last one was obviously staged. Some of the jokes were pretty silly, but so were the ballet-dancing ostriches, hippos and crocodiles in FANTASIA.
Best of all was the Multi-Plane Camera. It's one of those mysterious devices used to make cartoons more realistic, by making them look more three-dimensional, and for all my life, I have been unable to understand what one looks like, or how it works. It made me feel stupid. Thanks to Uncle Walt showing me the blueprints and one in operation, I don't feel so stupid. It's very complicated!
Best of all was the Multi-Plane Camera. It's one of those mysterious devices used to make cartoons more realistic, by making them look more three-dimensional, and for all my life, I have been unable to understand what one looks like, or how it works. It made me feel stupid. Thanks to Uncle Walt showing me the blueprints and one in operation, I don't feel so stupid. It's very complicated!
