Published between 1982 and 1995
A reappraisal of Disney’s Melody Time Robin Allan reassesses one of Walt Disney’s neglected animated feature films; it was not a success either critically or commercially, and like its predecessor Make Mine Music (1946) with which it is often confused, it has never been reissued as a whole, nor has it been given the critical … Read more
Animator. Summer 1990. Issue number 27. Front cover illustration: Rolf Harris on the set of Rolf’s Cartoon Club. See the article The Rolf Harris Cartoon Club.
Time for Melody by Robin Allan The fortieth anniversary of Melody Time (1948) serves as an opportunity – and much more than an excuse – to reassess one of Walt Disney’s neglected animated feature films; it was not a success either critically or commercially, and like its predecessor Make Mine Music (1946) with which it … Read more
There were more package films to follow: Song of the South (1946), Fun and Fancy Free (1947), Melody Time (1948), and The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr Toad (1949). All these films are interesting, but for experiment and adventure in animation Melody Time is the most rewarding. It lacks The musical quality of Make Mine … Read more
Once Upon a Wintertime (Director Hamilton Luske) This is a stylised story, sung by Frances Langford, of boy and girl romance on the ice, the human lovers echoed by two rabbits who travel to a frozen river on the young couple’s sleigh. The girl and her rabbit counterpart are trapped on an ice floe (one … Read more
Johnny Appleseed (Director Wilfred Jackson) This is the story of “a real life pioneer” called John Chapman (1776 – 1847) who, “with a tin pot hat, a bag of apple seed and a holy book.., all alone set out to meet the great unknown… without no knife, without no gun”. The film chronicles his courage … Read more
Trees (Director Hamilton Luske) This is a visualisation of Joyce Kilmer’s famous poem, with Oscar Rasbach’s music, sung by Fred Waring’s Pennsylvanians. The music is too lush and we are subjected to one of those lapses in taste to which Disney is prone, but otherwise, this little section is a gem. It is the direct … Read more
No strings attached! Martin Cheek Puppet Animation has specialised in stop-frame puppet animation films since 1982. Martin Cheek is a puppet maker and animator who works on commercials while developing children’s programmes for television from his own and other ideas through a new company called “Cheeky Films”, reports David Jefferson. Martin Cheek has a studio … Read more
The Portland Bill scripts were storyboarded and then animated to a pre-recorded sound track. Martin explained this was not as restricting as it sounds because there were plenty of pauses in-between which could be varied in length to suit the action. “John was brilliant, if we had ideas we could ring him up and he’d … Read more
“We started doing models and animation for The Film Garage in 1987 and we have done almost all of their stop-frame model animation since. We did the dreaded Star Trekkin pop video with them, which we can’t say is one of our best things at all but it is one of those quirks of fate, … Read more