Dream On Silly Dreamer

Last updated
Dream On Silly Dreamer
Dream On Silly Dreamer.jpg
Film poster
Directed byDan Lund
Written byDan Lund
Produced byTony West
Starring Andreas Deja
Barry Cook
Carmen Sanderson
Dorse Lanpher
Jacqueline Sanchez
Narrated byRichard Cook
Edited byDan Lund
Music byMike Brassell
Kuno Schmid
Production
company
WestLund Productions
Distributed byWestLund Productions
Release dates
  • January 31, 2005 (2005-01-31)(Animex)
  • February 14, 2006 (2006-02-14)(DVD)
Running time
40 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Dream On Silly Dreamer is a 2005 American documentary film directed by Dan Lund and produced by Tony West. Lund and West were both special effects animators at Walt Disney Feature Animation, and the film chronicles the rise and fall of traditional animation at The Walt Disney Company from 1980 to 2005. [1] [2]

Contents

About the film

The film uses interviews from Disney animation personnel including lead animator Andreas Deja, animator/director Barry Cook, and longtime ink-and-paint artist Carmen Sanderson, among others. Most of these interviews were done following the layoff of most of Disney's traditional animation artists in March 2002. [3] The Disney corporate executives had decided to produce only computer-animated films following the underperformance of traditionally animated films such as The Emperor's New Groove (2000) and Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001) in the face of the successful output of Pixar. [3]

Dream On Silly Dreamer focuses on the effects of both the Disney studio's successes and failures on the Feature Animation employees, particularly their feelings on the competition from former Disney executive Jeffrey Katzenberg's establishment of DreamWorks Animation [4] and their feelings on the layoffs. The film uses animated bookends and interstitials, done in a format reminiscent of Disney's Winnie the Pooh short films, of a young "dreamer" who achieves his dream to be a Disney animator with the unexpected real-life results. [3]

The film's score was composed and produced by Mike Brassell and Kuno Schmid.

Release and reception

Produced and released independently by Lund and West's WestLund Productions, Dream On, Silly Dreamer debuted at the Animex International Festival of Animation in the United Kingdom in January 2005, [3] and played at other film festivals throughout the year. WestLund released the film on DVD the following year, along with extended versions of several of the film's scenes and footage of its premieres at several film festivals. A review by Steve Daily of Entertainment Weekly gave the film a B+ grade, likening it to "a real-life version of The Office . [5]

The film was produced and released in the midst of a public corporate battle between The Walt Disney Company's CEO Michael Eisner and Roy E. Disney, formerly a Disney board member and the chairman of Feature Animation. [6] Roy Disney, who was calling for Eisner's resignation in the face of a number of issues with his management, including laying off the traditional animation unit, praised Dream on Silly Dreamer, saying in a statement that "I have to say how very human a face it puts on an institutional tragedy." [7] [8]

Following Eisner's resignation in 2005, Roy E. Disney returned to the Disney board, and the studio reinstated a traditional feature animation unit following The Walt Disney Company's acquisition of Pixar in 2006. [9] It was eventually disbanded again after The Princess and the Frog and Winnie the Pooh underperformed at the box office.

See also

Notes

  1. "Holy Moley! Another Monday Mélange". 28 November 2004.
  2. Mussenden, Sean (January 31, 2005). "After the credits rolled; film documents the trials, triumphs of fired animators who had given their hearts to Disney". Orlando Sentinel . Archived from the original on July 13, 2012. Retrieved 2012-02-20.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Teesside Live: Number one for news, opinion, sport & celebrity gossip".
  4. "Movie Reviews, Trailers, Interviews, Wikis & Posters for Movies - IGN".
  5. "Movie Review: Dream On Silly Dreamer (DVD)". Entertainment Weekly. February 24, 2006. Archived from the original on October 12, 2008.
  6. McCarthy, Michael (December 2, 2003). "War of words erupts at Walt Disney". USA Today. Retrieved 2009-12-17.
  7. "Movie & TV News @ IMDb.com - Studio Briefing". IMDb . Archived from the original on 2005-09-02. Retrieved 2012-02-20.
  8. "NameBright - Coming Soon". Archived from the original on 2005-02-04.
  9. La Monica, Paul R. (January 24, 2006). "Disney buys Pixar". CNN. Retrieved April 22, 2008.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pixar</span> American computer animation studio (founded 1986)

Pixar Animation Studios, known simply as Pixar, is an American animation studio based in Emeryville, California, known for its critically and commercially successful computer-animated feature films. Since 2006, Pixar has been a subsidiary of Walt Disney Studios, a division of Disney Entertainment, a segment of the Walt Disney Company.

<i>The Tigger Movie</i> 2000 animated Disney film directed by Jun Falkenstein

The Tigger Movie is a 2000 American animated musical comedy-drama film produced by Walt Disney Television Animation with animation production by Walt Disney Animation (Japan), Inc., written and directed by Jun Falkenstein from a story by Eddie Guzelian, and released by Walt Disney Pictures on February 11, 2000. It is the second theatrical Winnie the Pooh film after The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh and features Pooh's sidekick Tigger as the main protagonist searching for his family tree and other Tiggers like himself. The film was the first feature-length theatrical Pooh film that was not a collection of previously released shorts.

Modern animation in the United States from the late 1980s to 2004 is frequently referred to as the renaissance age of American animation. During this period, many large American entertainment companies reformed and reinvigorated their animation departments, following the dark age, and the United States had an influence on global and worldwide animation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roy E. Disney</span> Senior executive for The Walt Disney Company (1930–2009)

Roy Edward Disney KCSG was an American businessman. He was the longtime senior executive for the Walt Disney Company, which was founded by his uncle, Walt Disney, and his father, Roy O. Disney. At the time of his death, he held more than 16 million shares, and served as a consultant for the company, as well as director emeritus for the board of directors. During his tenure, he organized ousting of the company's top two executives: Ron W. Miller in 1984 and Michael Eisner in 2005.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frank Thomas (animator)</span> American animator and writer (1912–2004)

Franklin Rosborough Thomas was an American animator and pianist. He was one of Walt Disney's leading team of animators known as the Nine Old Men.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Walt Disney Animation Studios</span> American animation studio

Walt Disney Animation Studios (WDAS), sometimes shortened to Disney Animation, is an American animation studio that creates animated features and short films for The Walt Disney Company. The studio's current production logo features a scene from its first synchronized sound cartoon, Steamboat Willie (1928). Founded on October 16, 1923, by brothers Walt Disney and Roy O. Disney after the closure of Laugh-O-Gram Studio, it is the oldest-running animation studio in the world. It is currently organized as a division of Walt Disney Studios and is headquartered at the Roy E. Disney Animation Building at the Walt Disney Studios lot in Burbank, California. Since its foundation, the studio has produced 62 feature films, from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) to Wish (2023), and hundreds of short films.

<i>The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh</i> 1977 American animated anthology film produced by Walt Disney Productions

The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh is a 1977 American animated musical anthology fantasy film produced by Walt Disney Productions and distributed by Buena Vista Distribution. It was first released on a double bill with The Littlest Horse Thieves on March 11, 1977.

The Computer Animation Production System (CAPS) was a proprietary collection of software, scanning camera systems, servers, networked computer workstations, and custom desks developed by The Walt Disney Company and Pixar in the late 1980s. Although outmoded by the mid-2000s, it succeeded in reducing labor costs for ink and paint and post-production processes of traditionally animated feature films produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios (WDAS). It also provided an entirely new palette of digital tools to the animation filmmakers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Disneytoon Studios</span> Former American animation studio

Disneytoon Studios (DTS), originally named Disney MovieToons and also formerly Walt Disney Video Premieres, was an American animation studio which created direct-to-video and occasional theatrical animated feature films. The studio was a division of Walt Disney Animation Studios, with both being part of The Walt Disney Studios, itself a division of The Walt Disney Company. The studio produced 44 feature films, beginning with DuckTales the Movie: Treasure of the Lost Lamp in 1990. Its final feature film was Tinker Bell and the Legend of the NeverBeast in 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Toon City</span> Filipino animation studio

Toon City is a Filipino animation studio located in Manila. They have produced animation for The Walt Disney Company, Nickelodeon, Universal, Warner Bros., HBO and Cinegroupe.

<i>Poohs Heffalump Halloween Movie</i> 2005 animated film by Saul Andrew Blinkoff, Elliot M. Bour

Pooh's Heffalump Halloween Movie is a 2005 American animated direct-to-video Halloween fantasy adventure comedy-drama film produced by DisneyToon Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures, featuring the characters from Disney's Winnie the Pooh franchise, and it was the sequel to Pooh's Heffalump Movie. This was the final Winnie the Pooh film to be produced by DisneyToon Studios before they moved to Tinker Bell films.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Winnie the Pooh (Disney character)</span> Fictional teddy bear created by A. A. Milne

Winnie the Pooh is a fictional bear and the main character in Disney's Winnie the Pooh franchise, based on the character Winnie-the-Pooh created by English author A. A. Milne and English artist and book illustrator E. H. Shepard, being one of the most popular characters adapted for film and television by The Walt Disney Company. Disney first received certain licensing rights to the Winnie-the-Pooh stories, characters, and trademarks from Stephen Slesinger, Inc. and the estate of A. A. Milne in 1961. Winnie the Pooh is one of the most popular characters adapted for film and one of Disney's most popular characters, especially in terms of merchandising.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Burny Mattinson</span> American animator (1935–2023)

Burnett Mattinson was an American animator, director, producer, and story artist for Walt Disney Animation Studios, where he was employed from 1953 until his death in 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Disney Renaissance</span> Period of Disney animated films, 1989–1999

The Disney Renaissance was a period from 1989 to 1999 during which Walt Disney Feature Animation returned to producing critically and commercially successful animated films. The films were The Little Mermaid (1989), The Rescuers Down Under (1990), Beauty and the Beast (1991), Aladdin (1992), The Lion King (1994), Pocahontas (1995), The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996), Hercules (1997), Mulan (1998), and Tarzan (1999).

<i>Winnie the Pooh</i> (2011 film) Disney animated film

Winnie the Pooh is a 2011 American animated musical comedy film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures. It is based on the book series of the same name written by A. A. Milne and illustrated by E. H. Shepard. The film is a revival of Disney's Winnie the Pooh franchise and the fifth theatrical Winnie the Pooh film released, and the second in the Disney Animated Canon. It was directed by Stephen Anderson and Don Hall and produced by Peter Del Vecho and Clark Spencer, based on a story that Anderson and Hall conceived with Clio Chiang, Don Dougherty, Kendelle Hoyer, Brian Kesinger, Nicole Mitchell, and Jeremy Spears.

<i>Waking Sleeping Beauty</i> 2009 American film

Waking Sleeping Beauty is a 2009 American documentary film directed by Disney film producer Don Hahn and produced by Hahn and former Disney executive Peter Schneider. The film documents the history of Walt Disney Feature Animation from 1984 to 1994, covering the rise of a period referred to as the Disney Renaissance.

The 39th Annual Annie Awards honoring the best in animation of 2011 were held on February 4, 2012, at Royce Hall in Los Angeles, California.

<i>Disneys Animated Storybook</i> Interactive storybook video game series

Disney's Animated Storybook is a point-and-click adventure interactive storybook video game series based on Walt Disney feature animations and Pixar films that were released throughout the 1990s. They were published by Disney Interactive for personal computers for children ages four to eight years old. Starting from 1994, most of the entries in the series were developed by Media Station. They have the same plots as their respective films, though abridged due to the limited medium.

<i>Winnie the Pooh</i> (franchise) Disney media franchise

Winnie the Pooh is a media franchise produced by The Walt Disney Company, based on A. A. Milne and E. H. Shepard's stories featuring Winnie-the-Pooh. It started in 1966 with the theatrical release of the short Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree.