Fun with Mr. Future

Last updated
Fun with Mr. Future
Fun with Mr. Future.jpg
Directed by Darrell Van Citters
Written by
Starring
Production
company
Distributed by Buena Vista Distribution
Release dates
  • October 27, 1982 (1982-10-27)(Los Angeles, California) [1]
Running time
8 minutes [2]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Fun with Mr. Future is a 1982 live-action/animated short film from Walt Disney Productions directed by Darrell Van Citters. [3]

Contents

Plot

An audio-animatronic talking-head replica of Abraham Lincoln (voiced by Phil Proctor) hosts a tour of what the future will look like via retro-style animation. [4] [5]

Production

Fun with Mr. Future originally began development as an Epcot television special, whose crew included Darrell Van Citters, Mike Giamo, Joe Ranft, Mike Gabriel, [6] Tad Stones, and Brian McEntee. [2] [7] [8] At the time, this team was also involved in the development stages of what would become Sport Goofy in Soccermania (1987) and Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988). [7] After Disney shelved the Epcot special, [2] Tom Wilhite allowed them to use footage from the project and edit it into a new animated short. [7] The resulting work marked the directorial debut of animator Darrell Van Citters, who began his career at the Disney studios. [9]

Release

Disney released the film in Los Angeles on October 27, 1982. [1] No other public screenings took place until October 2010, when New York's Museum of Modern Art featured it in a program commemorating the publication of John Canemaker's book, Two Guys Named Joe. [2] [10] According to Tad Stones: "[Working on it] was a lot of fun but I couldn't even tell you where you find it now. It's one of those gems even Disney doesn't know it has. I went to a comic convention and was surprised to see its cels for sale". [4]

See also

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References

  1. 1 2 "It Happened Today: October 27". This Day in Disney History. Tony J. Tallarico. Retrieved January 5, 2013.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Film Screenings and Events: "Fun with Mr. Future" / "Luxo Jr." / "Tin Toy" / "Toy Story'". Museum of Modern Art (MoMA). October 2, 2010. Retrieved January 5, 2013.
  3. Letterboxd
  4. 1 2 Strike, Joe (July 12, 2004). "The Tad Stones Interview — Part 2". Animation World Network (AWN). Retrieved January 5, 2013.
  5. Perk, Hans (April 30, 2009). "Report of the Disney Rarities Event". A. Film L.A., Inc. Retrieved January 5, 2013.
  6. BCDB.com [ dead link ]
  7. 1 2 3 Strike, Joe (June 9, 2004). "The Tad Stones Interview — Part 1". Animation World Network (AWN). Retrieved January 5, 2013.
  8. Lenburg, Jeff (2006). "Gabriel, Michael (Mike)". Who's Who in Animated Cartoons. Hal Leonard Corporation. p. Books. ISBN   1-55783-671-X . Retrieved January 5, 2013.
  9. "Renegade Animation". Creative Talent Network (CTN). 2010. Retrieved January 5, 2013.
  10. MoMA Department of Communications (October 1–2, 2010). "MoMa Presents John Canemaker's Two Guys Named Joe: Master Animation Storytellers Joe Grant and Joe Ranft" (Press release). Museum of Modern Art (MoMA). Retrieved January 5, 2013.