As evening rolled around I decided I wanted to see the documentary “Waking Sleeping Beauty” directed by Don Hahn. This film is about the rise of Disney animation in the 1980’s and then its fall because of executive infighting. Having lived through that decade I was more than a little curious about this film. I arrived more than an hour early from another screening and decided to pass the time with a sketch. The screening was at the Regal Park Cinemas of Winter Park and the Festival staff had this makeshift table set up outside to sell tickets for the festival shows. As I was sketching the volunteers at the table people slowly drifted in and picked up tickets. I recognized the person I sketched buying his tickets as Bryan Brinkman an animator who had spoken at the animated shorts program the night before. Brian and his girlfriend Ashley Culver sat on the wicker bench next to me. I stopped sketching long enough to tell Brian how much I had enjoyed his animated short, Circlepic, from the previous night. To make this film Brian has put out a request on twitter for photos of anything circular people found around their house. He instantly had hundreds of photos to work with and he played with the motion and animation in Adobe After Effects. He tried to explain all the technical points of how he animated the hundreds of layers, masks and compositions but most of the information flew over my head. I actually had checked out his website and had admired a short he did called Gordy which was based on the turn of the century vaudeville show Winsor McCay had once performed with an animated dinosaur. I found it very funny but Brian said non animation types don’t get the references and are confused. he and his girlfriend were also going to see “Waking Sleeping Beauty” and so I told him about my ten years of experiences at the Disney Studio. Several times former Disney Coworkers walked up to the ticket line to pick up tickets. Each time I saw someone I got up to say hello and talk for a bit. Needless to say this sketch took quite a while to finish. Brian told me that there were only ten tickets left for the showing of the film and that the previous showing had sold out. I got nervous and got one of the last tickets. As it turns out I could have gotten in on stand by but I wasn’t willing to take that risk.
The film itself was really enlightening to me. It first and foremost is a story of how a group of artists hit rock bottom and then over the next decade created a series of animated hits. Finally I understood all the executive infighting that had resulted in the collapse of the Florida Studio. Jeffery Katzenburg and Michael Eisner all wanted to be viewed as the next Walt Disney and that battle of egos helped bring down the house the mouse built. The early history of the studios rise from the ashes in the early eighty’s was fascinating and it goes to show that when the right mix of creative individuals get together that kind of magic can always happen. The film left me proud to have been a part of that golden tradition of animation magic and that animation is far from dead.

High on my priority list was getting out to the Florida Film Festival animated shorts screening. When I was ushered inside my first instinct was to search for a place at the very back of the theater. On the way there I bumped into Anna McCambridge, Dina Mac and friends. I sat at a table next to them and talked for a while while munching on some of the free cranberry Raisinettes on the table. I started to wonder what I would draw or even if I could draw when the shorts started. I got up and wandered around looking for a subject and then found a seat way up front that was unoccupied. The seat overlooked the couches and seats in the front rows. I got my art supplies and moved. I had the sketch blocked in and was starting to ink it when the lights went down and the theater went black. I waited. There was some problem with the projector so we all continued to wait. Someone shouted out, “Well, I guess it’s time for the question and answer session!” Everyone laughed. After a few more awkward moments, the lights came back up. Everyone groaned by I started sketching frantically. Once the films started I simply sketched anytime the screen was bright enough to light up the front rows. If there was an animated film that was literally on the dark side, I didn’t see it.
One of my favorite films was “The Mouse that Soared” directed by Kyle L. Bell. This Computer animated short had beautiful art direction and was funny as hell. I didn’t sketch the whole time it was on the screen, I was transfixed. Another of my favorites was from a filmmaker I had admired at last years film festival. Lev Yilmaz showed two shorts from his ongoing series of shorts called “Tales of Mere Existence.” His Woddy Allenish dry humor is contagious. His inner monologue presented in a flat monotone voice is hilarious. I got the feeling he doesn’t have much luck with any lasting relationship but I didn’t have the nerve to ask him about it in the question and answer session. Bill Plimpton presented his new short “The Cow Who Wanted to be a Hamburger“. This very funny short has a bold new look that Bill attributed by a Kandinsky show he had seen. The film was drawn with sharpies. The idea for the film came to him as he was driving through farm country and he saw huge fat cows eating as fast as they could as if they were training to become the perfect steak or burger. He said he had some of the production drawings and that everyone could have a free cow drawing after the screening. For once I stood in the long line of people waiting to get a free cow drawing. I am usually above standing in line for a signature, I can draw my own cow, thank you very much. He quickly drew the cow on a postcard with about ten well placed lines. I wasn’t satisfied. I asked, “How large were the production cells?” I then started thinking to myself, “He didn’t use cells you dope. Why didn’t you say drawings?” Bill said” Oh, yes I have some original work right here.” He reached back and got out a large manila envelope. I apologized to the people behind me for holding up the line. In the envelope was a pile of signed drawings from the movie. He offered me one for a very reasonable price. At least, that is what I’ll tell Terry. There was one drawing of a cow screaming that I kept returning to. I remarked, “This looks like Picasso’s Guernica.” He said, “You know, I hadn’t thought of that, it does.” Was this a smooth sales pitch, or had we just made a connection? I didn’t care, I had to have it. He had to reach across the table to get the bill out of my hand because I was busy admiring the drawing. I had just bought a drawing from a long time animation idol and I was giddy! I had fallen to the level of an animation fan boy, but I didn’t care.

I finally made my way over to the Enzian Theater to enjoy the Florida Film Festival. This event has been going on all week and this was my first chance to stop over. I decided to view the animated shorts #5. I left the studio with the assumption that I would sketch the theater building but the radio on the drive over kept squawking tornado warnings. However when I got to the theater the sun burst threw the clouds. I arrived 2 hours early to give me time to sketch prior to my screening. After I got my tickets I walked around the building trying to find the perfect angle, but the theater is dwarfed by huge Live Oak trees which hide much of the architecture from a distance, so I started walking toward the entrance. I stopped in my tracks when I came across the Eden Bar.
The Eden Bar has murals painted by Oscar nominated animator Bill Plimpton. I sat at a table and ordered a glass of white wine and started to sketch. About midway through the sketch a fellow stumbled up to my left side and stared at what I was doing for a while. He leaned in towards me and wavered a bit then blurted out “Heyyyy!” He continued to watch my hand waving across the page and then he said “Get OUT! He then jerked forward and stomped towards the entrance of the theater swaying from side to side. Later another fellow approached me on my right. I braced myself. He said “Hey, are you that fellow that has a blog?” I said “Yes?” He said “What is it called?” I told him. And he explained that he has been following it for some time. He disappeared and came back later and said “Look, I am the Director of Operations, I have a proposition. I would like you to come to the Revel 18 Party on the final evening of the Festival to cover it in your blog.” He then gave me two complimentary tickets. Jana has agreed to find the human interest story while I sketch. Yet another curve ball that proves the arts are alive in Orlando!
Post Script: I just found out from an anonymous reader that Bill Plimpton is in the sketch I did of the Eden Bar. He is in the foreground with the high rise red socks and a green shirt. Apparently this was the first time Bill had seen his mural since it had been completed. I never even saw his face at the time. Did you hear me! I got to draw the back of Bill Plimpton’s head!!! How wonderful! How amazing! What a small world! Oh god, he must think I was staking him that night.