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From: tanida@beno.css.gov (Tom Tanida)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.disney,rec.answers,news.answers
Subject: rec.arts.disney FAQ, part 1a
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Summary: FAQ for rec.arts.disney
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Archive-name: disney-faq/part1a
Last-modified: 18 Oct 1993


Frequently Asked Questions List For rec.arts.disney, part 1
Version 2.4, last revised October 18, 1993

     This document is Copyright (c) 1993, by Tom Tanida.  It is intended
for public use, and may be redistributed freely in its original form.
     This is part one of the FAQ file for rec.arts.disney.  I have tried to
include the questions and threads which arise most often, as well as some
interesting facts.  Most of the information came from articles posted to
rec.arts.disney since July 1990, about the time the group was started,
although I'm missing quite a few articles from early on.  Other information
came from various books and magazines.  Your input to this list is highly
appreciated.
     The purpose of this list is to reduce the number of redundant
questions posted to rec.arts.disney and to provide a source of information
to Disney fans worldwide.  Personally, however, I would invite discussion
of questions included in this list if this list is not complete enough.
For example, one of the questions lists the voices of popular Disney
characters and where to find more info, but if the character is not listed
here, I would still encourage you to post and ask, especially if the
character is more obscure.  Also, I couldn't possibly write the "complete
guide to taking kids to the Disney Theme Parks" because there is no truly
complete guide (not to mention the fact that there are many good guide
books out there).  So although I have offered some information and advice
in part two of this list (the information which is most commonly
suggested), I would still welcome discussion of the topic since everybody
has their own opinions about what rides to go on, what to see, when to go,
what restaurants to eat at in the area, etc.
     Again, I hope that this list will reduce the amount of redundant
information posted to the net.  Even more strongly, I hope this list will
provide a unified source of information about Disney related material and
provide a valuable reference for all.

     This is part one of the list, consisting of general topics and
questions, as well as some time critical information.  Part two of the
list, which is contained in a separate article, contains topics and
questions related to the theme parks, as well as miscellaneous trivia.

     There are three sections:
         I. A list of the questions in this part
        II. Answers to General Questions
       III. Answers to Questions with Time-critical
            Information
          
     Send comments, corrections, suggestions, and inside information to:
tanida@gso.saic.com.  I am sure that no matter how long I work on this that
it will never be perfect, but it doesn't hurt to try.  :-)  If you prefer
Compuserve access, I'm at 76655,344.  On Prodigy I'm xgsn74a.  On America
Online, I'm TomTanida.  On the Sierra Network, I'm at mailbox 2173.  If you
would like to reach me by phone, my day number is (619)-546-6118.  The most
reliable way to reach me is via Internet, then Compuserve (especially if
the date on this document is many months old).

     If you would like a PostScript version of this document, which has
much better formatting, feel free to send me a request; I can either mail
it to you, or we can find a mutual FTP site.  The standard text version of
this FAQ, like all FAQs cross-posted to news.answers, is archived at
rtfm.mit.edu.  For information regarding how to FTP to rtfm.mit.edu, send
me e-mail; I've written a quick tutorial.  This document is maintained in
MS Word For Windows 2.0.
     Note: the Disneyland FAQ is available from me or its maintainer, Walt
Hoffman (whoffman@ganymede.jpl.nasa.gov), and via FTP from rtfm.mit.edu in
pub/usenet/news.answers/disney-faq.

Section I- Questions

General questions:
0) Some information about rec.arts.disney
1) What are the Disney animated feature films?   Which of the films have
     been released on videocassette?
2) Where can I get a copy of {Cinderella, Lady and the Tramp, other hard to
     find video(s)}?
2b) Can I get Song of the South in the US?  Why doesn't Disney release this
     in the US?
3) Where can I get Disney-related GIF (JPEG, etc.) pictures?
4) What are serigraph cels?  Are they "real" cels?
5) What art galleries sell Disney cels?
6) To what degree are computers being used in Disney animated films today?
6b) Since computers are being used quite a bit in Disney films now, does
     that mean there are no "genuine" cels from the movies?
7) I heard that Walt Disney is in cryogenic suspension.  Is this true?
8) Who did the voice of {Ariel, Belle, my favorite Disney character}?
9) How do I get a job working for Disney?
10) Is Goofy a dog, a horse, or what?
11) How can I get the song lyrics to {The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the
     Beast, etc.}?
12) What are the Magic Kingdom Club benefits?
13) What are the stockholder benefits?
14) What is Club 33?
15) What are the names of Ariel's sisters in The Little Mermaid?
16) What are the Disney Stores?
17) Who are the "nine old men"?
18) Who are the current Disney animators?
19) Where can I get the movie poster for {Beauty and the Beast, other
     Disney movie}?
20) Where can I find a particular Disney book?  How can I find an original
     version of a book that Disney adapted into a movie?
21) I remember a scene from Peter Pan where Tinkerbell is dying (having
     borne the brunt of the explosion from Captain Hook's trick present to
     Peter), and the audience is asked to clap to bring her back to life.
     Why isn't it on the Disney video?
22) What was the first Disney film ever to receive a PG rating?
23) What are some "in-jokes" in the Disney films?
24) Commonly used Disney terms and abbreviations on the Internet
25) Who does the voice of the singing merchant at the beginning of the film
     Aladdin?

99) Where can I get more Disney info?
     - Includes books, publications, computer services, phone numbers, and
     addresses

Timely information:
1) What Disney shows/auctions/events are coming up?
2) What are some of the upcoming movie and video releases from the Walt
     Disney Studios?
Section II - Answers to General Questions

0) Some information about rec.arts.disney

     rec.arts.disney is a Usenet newsgroup, distributed via the Internet
worldwide to an estimated 60,000 readers.  It is for the discussion of all
things Disney-related, including the movies, the theme parks, books, and
television shows.  The group was created around May 1990, and the traffic
has gradually increased to around 3 Mb of articles per month.

1) What are the Disney animated feature films?  Which of the films have
     been released on videocassette?

     Here is the *official* list, numbered and listed in chronological
order.  Other notable Disney films with Disney animation are included after
the list.  The factors in what constitutes an "animated feature film" are
the amount of screen time with animation on it, the total length of the
film, the quality of the animation, and what kind of a mood the person at
the Disney studios is in when they make the decision.  With each film, I
have made some notes regarding video release, Academy Awards, and other
trivia.

1) Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (12/21/1937) - Granted a special Academy
          Award for screen innovation in 1938.  This is going to be
          re-released into the theaters in the U.S. in the summer of 1993.
          This film also has the distinction of being the only animated
          feature film owned by Walt Disney's family, not by the Company,
          which could impede its release on video.
2) Pinocchio (02/07/1940) - Released on video (US) in 1986, and re-released
          in the US in early 1993.  Won the Oscar for Best Song ("When You
          Wish Upon a Star"), and Best Original Score.
3) Fantasia (11/13/1940) - Released on video and LaserDisc (US) in 1991 and
          will not be re-released on video in its original form.  The
          Academy granted a special award to Leopold Stokowski for
          "widening the scope of the motion picture as entertainment and as
          an art form" in 1941.  The music was conducted by Leopold
          Stokowski, and the narrator was Deems Taylor.  Fantasia was
          re-released in 1982 with an Irwin Kostal conducted soundtrack and
          narration by Hugh Douglas, but was subsequently restored.
4) Dumbo (10/23/1941) - Released on video (US) in 1986.  Based upon the
          serial number on the cassette, this was the first of the animated
          films to have been released on video.  It was originally released
          in 1980 for rental (as opposed to sell-through).  It won an Oscar
          for "Scoring of a Musical Picture" in 1941.
5) Bambi (08/13/1942) - Released on video (US) in 1988.  Also released on
          LaserDisc.  (This is the animated with the fewest lines of
          dialog.)
6) Saludos Amigos (02/06/1943)
7) The Three Caballeros (02/03/1945) - Released on video (US) in 1988 (?).
          This is somewhat of a sequel to Saludos Amigos.
8) Make Mine Music (08/15/1946) - Almost like a second Fantasia, but
          featuring more popular music in 10 shorter sequences, which lack
          the depth that Fantasia had.  The excellent 'Clair De Lune'
          sequence in this film was originally intended to be included in
          Fantasia.  It also included "Casey at the Bat."  Parts of this
          film have been released separately on video, under the titles
          "Willie, the Operatic Whale" and "Peter and the Wolf".  This film
          was never reissued in its original form.
9) Fun and Fancy Free (09/27/1947) - Contained the two stories "Mickey and
          the Beanstalk" and "Bongo," each of which have been recently
          released on video.  This will air on the Disney Channel in
          October and November 1993 (see also the Disney Film Availability
          List).
10) Melody Time (05/27/1948) - Some miscellaneous stories, including:  a
          story based on Johnny Appleseed; "Little Toot" (a tugboat);
          "Blame It On the Samba", featuring Donald Duck and Jose Carioca
          from The Three Caballeros; and "Bumble-Boogie," a jazz version of
          Flight of the Bumblebee.  This film was somewhat of a sequel to
          Make Mine Music, and also was never re-released in its original
          form.
11) The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad (10/05/1949) - Released on video
          as separate short films, under the titles "The Legend of Sleepy
          Hollow" and "The Wind in the Willows."
12) Cinderella (02/15/1950) - Released on video (US) in 1988.  It has been
          said that this was Walt Disney's favorite film.
13) Alice in Wonderland (07/28/1951) - Released on video (US) for
          sell-through in 1988, and for rental only in 1980 (like Dumbo).
          Also released on LD, in an original and a digitally restored
          form.
14) Peter Pan (02/05/1953) - Released on video (US) in 1989.  Also released
          on LD.
15) Lady and the Tramp (06/22/1955) - Released on video (US) in 1987.
16) Sleeping Beauty (01/29/1959) - Released on video (US)  in 1987.
17) 101 Dalmatians (01/25/1961) - Released on video (US) in April, 1992.
18) The Sword in the Stone (12/25/1963) - Released on video (US) in 1988
          (?).
19) The Jungle Book (10/18/1967) - Released on video (US) in 1991.  Also
          released on LD.  This was the last film that Walt Disney worked
          on, as he died prior to its release.
20) The Aristocats (12/24/1970)- Never released on video.
21) Robin Hood (11/08/1973) - Released on video (US) in 1986; re-released
          on video and LD in 1991.
22) The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (03/11/1977) - This was a
          compilation of the three stories "Winnie the Pooh and the Honey
          Tree" (1966), "Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day" (1969), and
          "Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too" (1974).  All of these have been
          individually released on video.
23) The Rescuers (06/22/1977)- This film was the last that was developed by
          the original (Walt) generation of Disney lead animators.  It was
          very successful in Europe during it's initial release.  It is
          currently available on video, and should be out on LD
          (non-letterboxed) shortly.
24) The Fox and the Hound (07/10/1981)- At one time the film was stated by
          Disney publicists to be the 20th, then the 25th animated feature
          film.  The first major effort by the "new generation" of Disney
          artists.
25) The Black Cauldron (07/24/1985)- This was the first film to be released
          in 70mm since Sleeping Beauty.  Roy E. Disney, Walt's nephew,
          returned to the studios to contribute to the screenplay.  The
          film suffered from delays and a then record-cost of $25 million.
26) The Great Mouse Detective (07/02/1986) - Score by Henry Mancini.  This
          was released on video during the summer of 1992.
27) Oliver and Company (11/18/1988)- Made $54M in it's initial release,
          which at the time was the highest box-office gross of any
          animated film in its first theatrical run.
28) The Little Mermaid (11/17/1989) - Released on video (US)  in 1990; also
          available on LD.  Won the Academy Awards for Best Original Score,
          and Best Song ("Under the Sea").  Grossed $89M in its initial US
          release.
29) The Rescuers Down Under (11/10/1990) - Nationally released on 11/23/90.
          Released on video and LD (US) in 1991.  Disney's first official
          animated sequel.  Grossed around $28M in its initial US release.
30) Beauty and the Beast (11/15/1991) - Was nationally released on 11/23/91
          and was released on video in the US at the end of October, 1992.
          Cost $30 million to produce.  It won the Academy Awards for Best
          Original Score, and Best Song (title track), and was the first
          animated film to be nominated for Best Picture.  In the first 42
          weeks of its US release, this film grossed $144.725 million, and
          sold 1 million copies of the video nationwide by the end of its
          first day of release (10/30/92).  A letterboxed LD version of
          this is due September 25, 1993.
31) Aladdin (11/11/1992).  Was nationally released on 11/25/92.  This
          features songs by the late Howard Ashman.  The score was done by
          Alan Menken.  Since Ashman passed away before this film was
          completed, Tony Award winner Tim Rice was hired to complete some
          songs for the film.  Ashman wrote the lyrics to the songs Arabian
          Nights, Friend Like Me, and Prince Ali.  Rice wrote the lyrics to
          One Jump Ahead, A Whole New World, and Prince Ali (reprise).
          This film reportedly cost $35 million to produce.  Aladdin won
          two Academy Awards, one for Best Song (A Whole New World) and one
          for Best Original Score.
32) The Lion King (summer 1994)- Tim Rice and Elton John are working on the
          soundtrack for this film, set in Africa and telling the story of
          a young lion cub who finds himself awkwardly thrown into a new
          role as "king" of the jungle.
33) Pocahontas (late 1994)- Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz are working on
          the soundtrack for this film.

Here are some notable films and shorts that didn't make the Disney studio's
official list.  Because of space constraints, many shorts have been
omitted.

Ferdinand the Bull (1938) - Released on video with "Willie, the Operatic
          Whale."
The Reluctant Dragon (06/20/1941) - Released on video.  This title was
          originally conceived and released as a feature length film with a
          combination of live-action and animated sequences including a
          short story called "Baby Weems."  The video version includes just
          the sequences related to the Reluctant Dragon story.
Victory Through Air Power (07/17/1943)
Song of the South (11/02/1946) - This has been released on video in Europe
          and Japan.  It won an Oscar for Best Song ("Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah").
          In addition, a special award was given to James Baskett for his
          role as Uncle Remus.
So Dear To My Heart (01/19/49) - Features Bobby Driscoll, who was the child
          actor in Song of the South, and who had provided the voice of
          Peter Pan.  Set in 1903, it has much of the style of Song of the
          South in its mix of live-action and animation.  It was released
          on video in the US in early October, 1992.
Lambert, the Sheepish Lion (1952) - Released on video as a Mini-Classic
          with "Willie, the Operatic Whale."
Mary Poppins (08/27/64) - Nominated for Best Picture.  An interesting and
          ironic story is that Julie Andrews originated the lead role in
          the Broadway version of My Fair Lady, but lost the part to Audrey
          Hepburn for the 1964 screen version.  Andrews was subsequently
          cast as the lead in Mary Poppins, her first movie, for which she
          won Best Actress.   Audrey Hepburn was not even nominated that
          year, although My Fair Lady won 8 Oscars that year, including
          Best Picture, beating out Mary Poppins for that award.  Mary
          Poppins also won for Best Song ("Chim-Chim-Cher-ee"), Best Score,
          Film Editing, and Special Visual Effects.  This was released on
          video in 1986.
Bedknobs and Broomsticks (10/07/71) - Won an Oscar for Special Visual
          Effects.  This has been released on video.
Pete's Dragon (11/03/77) - Released on video in 1991.
The Small One (1978) - A short film directed by Don Bluth.
Tron (1982)- Significant for its use of computer graphics and effects.
          This was released to the rental markets on video some time ago
          (early '80s).
Mickey's Christmas Carol (1983) - Available on video.
Winnie the Pooh and a Day for Eeyore (1983) - Available on video.
The Brave Little Toaster (1988) - Released on video in 1991.  The animation
          for this was done by Hyperion Pictures, not Disney.
DuckTales: The Movie (1990) - Released on video.  Although full length,
          this isn't included because it did not meet "classic" animation
          standards (it was produced/animated outside the Disney Studios),
          and was released under the "Disney MovieToons" label.
The Prince and the Pauper (11/23/1990) - This was released in the theaters
          with The Rescuers Down Under.  It was released on video in 1991.

     Many films have been released in Japan and elsewhere on LaserDisc, and
such versions can be obtained via US dealers.  Films in this category
include: Lady and the Tramp, Song of the South, Dumbo, Sword in the Stone,
Peter Pan, and Mary Poppins (in letterboxed format).  Here are a couple of
dealers who may carry these titles:
     Laser Land
     1035 S. Saratoga-Sunnyvale Rd.
     Campbell, CA
     (408)-253-3733  (San Francisco Bay Area)

     Laser & Video
     8780 Warner Avenue #9
     Fountain Valley, CA  92708
     (800)-342-9715  (mention you're looking for an import disc)

     Ken Crane's
     (714)-892-2283

2) Where can I get a copy of {Cinderella, Lady and the Tramp, other hard to
     find video(s)}?

     In general, the "premium" Disney animated feature films are released
for a limited time.  Like The Little Mermaid, that "limited time" may be a
matter of two years and 8.5 million copies, but after Disney decides to
stop taking orders and all the copies are sold, they are not replenished.
The only way to get the videos are: to search smaller, more obscure video
stores that might have some left over; to buy from somebody who has one and
is willing to sell (check out your favorite Disneyana convention- there are
often sellers there); to buy one from a used video store where somebody, by
some offbeat chance, has sold it to the store; to buy one from a place that
rents videos, and has multiple copies of the video you want (you might have
to negotiate with the owner); or to rent it and keep it and take the
extraordinarily high charge and whatever other penalty video stores dole
out for people who don't return their videos.  It might be hard to find a
good copy of an older film.
     Films known to be out of print: Pinocchio (1984 edition), Robin Hood
(1985 edition), Sleeping Beauty, Lady and the Tramp, Cinderella, Fantasia
(which is getting scarce), Peter Pan, and The Little Mermaid.  The Jungle
Book, Beauty and the Beast, 101 Dalmatians, The Rescuers, The Rescuers Down
Under, and The Great Mouse Detective are also no longer being produced,
though you can still find these (in NTSC format).
     In the January 22, 1993 issue of Entertainment Weekly, on page 65
there is an article about out of print cartoon videos.  Mentioned in the
article is Norman Scherer, owner of the Video Oyster in New York, who finds
hard to find videos for you.  He has a catalog; call (212)-480-2440.  He is
quotes as saying that some parents paid up to $200 for a copy of The Little
Mermaid, and the article gives $85 as the going rate for Lady and the
Tramp.  The Little Mermaid can be found at most Disneyana collectors shows
for around $50.
     Will Disney re-release the movies?  It's all up to speculation.  Some
contemplate a video re-release every 7 years or so, like the movies
themselves into the theaters; I've heard "official" Disney sources say
"never again," but similar sources have said that Fantasia would never be
released onto video, and that became the best selling video and LaserDisc
of all time.  Pinocchio has been re-released onto video after a seven to
eight year wait.  Only time will tell.

2b) Can I get Song of the South in the US?  Why doesn't Disney release this
     in the US?

     Song of the South is not available in standard, NTSC VHS format in the
US.  You can obtain it in the US as a Japanese import LD from any LD dealer
that sells imported LDs, or as a PAL VHS tape overseas.
     It is widely believed that the primary reason Disney will not release
the film in the US is their concern over the racial stereotyping of blacks
as slaves in the film.  This policy could change in the future.

3) Where can I get Disney-related GIF (JPEG, etc.) pictures?

     Disney considers it a violation of copyright to distribute images into
a publicly accessible place.  It is legal, however, to create images for
your own personal use.
     There are many Disney GIFs floating around, but there isn't any
official way to get them.  Here are some common methods, however:

Internet FTP-  There isn't any "official" site for Disney GIFs.  Many GIFs
          sites have some in their collection.  tezuka.rest.ri.cmu.edu
          (128.2.209.227) has quite a few GIFs dedicated to the Disney
          Afternoon.  garfield.catt.ncsu.edu (152.1.43.23; GIFs, Disney
          related text files) is a good source for other Disney GIFs.
          There are also a few at wuarchive.wustl.edu (128.252.135.4),
          although you might have to search.  If you know of others, please
          send me their name (and IP address, if you have it), and I'll
          mention them here.

alt.binaries.pictures - This newsgroup will carry uuencoded versions of
          GIFs.  The biggest problem with finding and distributing via this
          method is that not all news sites carry this group.

Compuserve- Compuserve has several graphics forums that carry Disney GIFs.
          One is the FLORIDA forum, which has a couple of Disney-dedicated
          sections.  Use the Graphics File finder (go GRAPHFF) to find any
          others in the Graphics forums.  Connect time on Compuserve is
          $8.00/hour at 2400 baud, and $16.00/hour at 9600 baud.   Any
          images on Compuserve must have approval from the Walt Disney
          Company before they can be made available for download.
               Disney Software has a section in GAMBPUB.  In their library,
          they have software demos and pictures.

America On-Line- On March 4, AOL pulled its Disney GIFs after being
          contacted by a Disney representative.

The Disney Software BBS - The Disney Software bulletin board, run by
          Disney.  It's number is: (818)-567-4027.  There are some images
          and animations available there.  This BBS is primarily for the
          support of Disney Software, but also includes general Disney
          info.  Settings are N81, 300-9600 bps.  It supports the ANSI BBS
          protocol.

Some online contacts to Disney Software include:
          America Online: DisneySoft
          CompuServe: 71333,14
          Delphi: DISNEYSOFT
          Disney BBS: Disney SYSOP
          FIDONet: Disney SYSOP (in the Disney Conference)
          GEnie: DISNEY
          Internet: DisneySoft@aol.com (effectively the America Online
          address)
          Prodigy: BWBF40A

4) What are serigraph cels?  Are they "real" cels?

     Serigraph cels (also called "sericels") are not "real" cels, meaning
that although they are printed on an acetate cel, they are not actually
used in the production of an animated film or short.  The serigraph process
involves creating a master cel by hand, usually based on an image from a
film or from animator's drawings.  A serigraph machine, which lays down the
colors, is then used to make copies.  It is a normal art process (meaning
that serigraphs are truly "art"), but in general, I wouldn't invest in
serigraphs hoping to make huge amounts of money like those who deal with
actual production cels.  In fact, the Dec/Jan 1993 issue of Storyboard
mentions that people who have tried to sell their serigraphs and other
limited editions find that galleries typically offer around half of the
original retail price.  The current rate for Disney serigraphs is $250 for
"limited-editions" of 2500 pieces.  They are generally unnumbered.
     Disney has also released a line of hand-painted cels and backgrounds,
most around the price of $2000-3000 each.  They have also released some in
the range of $4000-5000 each (e.g. the Beauty and the Beast ballroom scene,
at $3800, and the Seven Dwarfs image, at $5200).  These too are not
production cels- they are painted by artists in the Disney Studio Art
Program.  These are *numbered*- i.e. you can see a number on the cel that
looks like "322/500", which means that the one you are looking at is number
322 out of an edition size of 500.  Some of the releases in this program
include:  a scene from Fantasia (Ben Ali Gator holding the Hyacinth Hippo
aloft); a excellent Lady and the Tramp (Lady and the Tramp at the spaghetti
table); a scene from Pinocchio (the Blue Fairy looking at both Jiminy
Cricket and Pinocchio on Gepetto's bench); a scene from 101 Dalmatians
(Pongo, Perdita, and puppies watching TV).  Only the cels are hand-painted;
the backgrounds are lithographed (reproduced).  There are others as well.
     The Walt Disney Company is also selling cels directly from the
following movies: The Little Mermaid, Oliver & Company, The Great Mouse
Detective, The Black Cauldron, The Fox and the Hound, and The Rescuers.
You should also be able to find cels from most, if not all, of the
television series.
     Here is a description of the different cel types sold by the Disney
Art Program taken from a brochure on Disney animation art from the
Disneyana store on Main Street at Disneyland:
     Production Cels - Original production cels are colorful paintings on
acetate, created by studio artists, then photographed and actually used in
a film or television program action sequence.  Disney Art Editions offers
these one-of-a-kind cels taken from more recent feature films and
television programs.
     Hand-Inked-Line Limited-Edition Cels - Since few production cels from
earlier animated features and shorts exist, Disney recreates cels of the
most classic moments in limited editions.  Hand-inked-line cels are made
using traditional animation techniques, exactly as the production cels were
originally made for so many classic Disney films. This includes tracing an
animation drawing onto acetate by hand with different color inks and hand-
painting it with gum or acrylic-based colors formulated exclusively in
Disney laboratories.  The work is done by a small cadre of Disney artists
who have kept this almost-forgotten art alive.  Some hand-inked-line cels
are also combined with backgrounds.
     Xerographic-Line Limited-Edition Cels - Xerographic-line cels, instead
of being hand-inked, are created by transferring the original animation
drawing to the acetate cels by a special six-step xerographic process, a
refinement pioneered by Walt Disney Studios in the late 1950s.  101
Dalmatians was the first feature film to be created entirely with this
revolutionary process.  Many of the cels are then enhanced with hand-inked
lines before being painted with Disney colors and combined with a
lithographic background.
     Serigraph Cels - Serigraph cels, or sericels, recreate images of
Disney's famed cast of characters.  To produce a sericel, Disney artists
create a hand-inked, hand-colored painting or model of Disney characters,
which is then transferred to the acetate cel by a silk-screen printing
process known as serigraphy.
     Notes from the brochure glossary:
     Cel:  An outline, or line drawing, of a character and sometimes
certain special effects, either hand-inked or xerographically transferred
onto a clear sheet of cellulose acetate.  The image is then painted on the
back side of the sheet.  Cels are mostly in two standard sizes: a 12-field,
about 12 by 10 inches; or 16-field, approximately 16 by 12 inches.
     Background:  A painting of a scene to be used as a background for the
animated action.  Thousands of cels may be photographed over a single
background to create one scene in an animated film.  A production
background is one actually used in a film.
     Cel Set-Up:  One or more cels overlaid on a background.
     Animation Drawing:  A pencil drawing on animation paper, created by
the animator and used as the basis for an image on a cel.
     Storyboard Drawing:  A drawing or story sketch made for the
storyboard, which conveys visually the original plot and action.  The
storyboard serves as a preliminary guide for those working on the film.
     Publicity Cel:  A cel not actually used in a film, but created instead
solely for publicity or promotional purposes.
     Limited-Edition Cel:  A cel created specifically for the collector
market in a pre-determined quantity.
     Model Sheets:  Drawings of a grouping of characters or a single
character in a variety of attitudes and expressions, create as a reference
guide for animators.

5) What art galleries sell Disney cels?

     Before I give you the list, I'll say a few words of advice about cel
collecting that echoes what many people have said on rec.arts.disney over
the years (or months):   Buy only what you like.  Don't get caught up in
"auction fever."  Many cels may not be worth close to their asking price.
Make sure you check the condition of the cel closely.  Cels that involve
popular scenes and characters, and have good views of the characters (e.g.
frontal view, both eyes showing) will be worth more.  Buy only genuine
production cels if you are interested in investor value, otherwise forget
about the resale value and look for what you like.  Shop around.
Negotiate.
     There are several types of cel set-ups available (listed here in rough
order of cost, from cheapest to most expensive): Full reproductions (e.g.
serigraphs, or hand-painted reproductions, such as those discussed in
question #3); actual movie cels with no backgrounds; actual movie cels with
lithographed (reproduced backgrounds); and actual movie cels with real
backgrounds.
     Some galleries also carry drawings, storyboards, etc.
     There are actually quite a few galleries.  Many are owned by people
who are simply interested in the field, like you and me; they're not
necessarily "big time" operations.  Here is a list I've drawn up (by no
means complete).  I've only listed phone numbers so that you can call and
get information regarding addresses/catalog pricing/etc.  Many places have
free catalogs.  I personally can't vouch for any of them, as I haven't
ordered anything except catalogs from any of these places (you might just
want to post to rec.arts.disney, and see what others who have had
experience buying cels might suggest).  I welcome additions to this list.

     Gallery               Phone
     All American          (800)-872-8850  (Fair Lawn, NJ)
          Collectibles
     Animation Alley       (800)-772-8666, (714)-776-8666  (Anaheim, CA)
     Animation Art         (215)-925-2009  (Philadelphia, PA)
          Resources
     The Animation         (416)-928-2357
          Celection
     Animation             (818)-988-7706  (Los Angeles, CA)
          Collectible
          Center
     Animation Source      (203)-776-7111  (New Haven, CT)
     ArtWorks              (800)-535-5070  (Alexandria, VA)
     C.A. Brooks           (516)-487-3556  (New York, NY)
          Animation Art
     The Cartoon Art       (800)-245-6633  (Indian Wells, CA)
          Store
     Cartoon Galleria      (800)-767-0928  (Sacramento, CA)
     Cartoon Kingdom       (609)-243-9960  (Princeton, NJ)
     The Cel Block         (800)-334-8799  (New Hope, PA)
     Circle Gallery        (several branches, including the Disneyland Hotel
                           complex)
     Cricket Gallery       (800)-BUY-CELS  (Atlanta, GA)
     Collector's           (818)-785-4080  (Studio City, CA)
          Paradise
     Film Art Galleries    (516)-935-8493  (Old Bethpage, NY)
     Gallery C             (919)-828-3165  (Raleigh, NC)
     Gallery In Motion     (800)-788-0445  (Kansas City, MO)
     Gallery Lainzberg     (800)-553-9995  (Cedar Rapids, IA)
     Howard Lowery         (818)-972-9080  (Burbank, CA)
     Leslie Brooks         (718)-279-3861  (Little Neck, NY)
     Lewis Gallery         (805)-584-8462  (Simi Valley, CA)
     Lynne Novick          (609)-653-0770  (Linwood, NJ)
     Magic Moments         (603)-883-9770, (603)-888-3457  (Nashua, NH)
     Marina Fine Arts      (310)-305-7678  (Marina Del Rey, CA)
     Mike Cluff's          (805)-927-1250  (Cambria, CA)
     M.j.Manfred           (412)-561-6665  (Pittsburgh, PA)
     Mostly Art            (203)-348-6270  (Stamford, CT)
     One-Of-A-Kind         (404)-377-3333  (Decatur, GA)
          Cartoon Art
     Optimum Arts          (707)-864-5709 (event recording), (707)-864-2132
                           (voice)
     Phillips              (212)-570-4830  (New York, NY)
          Collectibles
     Reel Characters       (201)-628-8714  (Wayne, NJ)
          Gallery
     Russ Wolkoff          (818)-752-1755  (Los Angeles, CA)
     San Francisco         (800)-8DAFFY8, (415)-441-8900  (S.F., CA)
          Animated Art,
          Inc.
     Saturday Morning      (518)-482-5405
          Animation
     Scott & Leslie's      (714)-538-6893  (Orange, CA)
     Seaside Art           (919)-441-5418  (Nags Head, NC)
     Silver Stone          (310)-598-7600  (Long Beach, CA)
          Gallery
     Sir Issac Gallery     (703)-834-1288  (Herndon, VA)
     Stabur Corp.          (800)-346-8940, (313)-425-7940  (Livonia, MI)
     Stay Tooned Gallery   (708)-382-2357  (Barrington, IL), (708)-234-3231
                           (Lake Forest, IL)
     Suspended Animation   (407)-934-7683  (Walt Disney World Vacation Village)
     Sweatbox Art          (408)-225-9698  (San Jose, CA)
     Toon Dude             (818)-883-9056  (Tarzana, CA)
     Toys To Go            (215)-649-2555, (215)-649-8444  (Ardmore, PA)
     Vintage Animation     (213)-393-8666  (Santa Monica, CA)
          Gallery

     Cels are also sold at the Disney theme parks.  Serigraphs and cels are
sold at the Disney Stores (see question #14).  The Disney Store has twice
offered a line of production cels with reproduced backgrounds from The
Little Mermaid.  Each Disney Store should have a special order book that
will allow you to examine limited edition, production cel, and serigraph
images for purchase.

6) To what degree are computers being used in Disney animated films today?

     There seems to be a lot of confusion on this issue, partly because
Disney seems to be trying to remain at least a little secretive about the
exact processes they use.  But here's some information obtained and
consolidated from various sources, including the periodical Computer
Graphics World and some reference books on Disney animation and computer
graphics.  By far, CAPS holds the greatest mystery; it has won awards for
its innovative capabilities, yet nobody except Disney knows a lot about it
(and they aren't talking).
     Much of the computer graphics rendering work is done by the artists at
Disney's Computer Generated Imagery (CGI) department in Glendale, CA.
There were 14 animators and software engineers there for the production of
Beauty and the Beast (they're listed in the credits).
     Computers are used for several different purposes in Disney animation.
One purpose is to process the colorization of the "cels" (I put that in
quotes because while there still are pre-production cels, they don't look
like the final product- more on this in a moment).  Another purpose for
computers is for the generation of backgrounds.  A third purpose is for the
generation of certain types of animated objects.  A fourth purpose is for
simple modeling.  There are probably others.  Remember that the ultimate
goal of any computer system, of course, is to increase the efficiency and
creativity of its users by reducing or eliminating as much of the
redundant, "grunt" work as possible.
     The colorization and compositing of the characters is the most notable
use, as it represents the biggest change in the state of the art of Disney
animation.  In the original process, the animators would draw an image on
paper to be transferred onto a cel by an inker, who would pass the cel on
to be carefully colored by hand.  In general, consecutive cels would use
the same colors (i.e. although a particular character wouldn't always be
the same color during the entire film depending on light and shadow, or
other Disney magic, the next frame of animation is often times very similar
to the frame before it).  This represented a lot of redundancy.
     An aside:  note that after Sleeping Beauty, however, Disney animators
drew on paper, frame by frame, and had their drawings transferred to cels
via a xerography process (rather than via an inker) to be individually
colored.  Also note that cel coloring was applied to the back of the cel,
not the front, although the cels themselves were still inked on the front.
     With modern computer graphics, this process can be eliminated,
speeding up the rate of output significantly.  The title for the new system
is CAPS, which stands for "Computerized Animation Production System."
Animators' drawings are transferred directly to a computer, where the
computer colors the image based on color models.  This is not an automatic
process, but a given palette can be repeatedly applied by the computer
artist far more quickly than an artist can color a bunch of cels by hand.
The last scene from The Little Mermaid (Ariel and Eric kissing) used the
process.  Most, if not all, of The Rescuers Down Under, and all of Beauty
and the Beast used the process.  In addition, there is still quite a bit of
cleanup work done by hand- including the process of transferring animators'
original drawings onto clean sheets of paper to be scanned into the CAPS
system.  There is some final cleanup that is done via computer to make sure
all is well and perfect with each individual image.
     There are other advantages of the process as well.  Since the images
are effectively digitized in a computer, they can be manipulated and merged
at will.  The impressive multiplane (3D) effect at the opening of Beauty
and the Beast, where the camera travels through a forest past an animated
waterfall took advantage of the CAPS process; in the past, a multiplane
effect would be difficult at best.  For example, the final scene in the
"Ave Maria" sequence from Fantasia, involved building a horizontal camera
crane, moving the camera along a track "through" panes of glass on which
the images of the forest, cathedral, and sunburst at the end, with the
panes of glass being yanked out of the way when they became out of focus.
Since then, alternative techniques were used, but none of these is as easy
as simply using a computer to move and blur images in pseudo-3D space.
     Other advantages of CAPS include:  the ability to easily blur images
that are "out of focus" relative to the camera position, to blend (e.g. the
blush on Belle's cheeks) and to intricately shade the characters (e.g.
Belle and the Beast dancing in the ballroom- you were watching them, not
the spinning background, right? :-) ); and to combine images of different
sizes seamlessly (i.e. you can draw the image at any size and
enlarge/shrink to fit as necessary).
     Other miscellaneous benefits include access to a wider range of
colors (if you've used any 24-bit color computer paint/DTP program on a
Mac or PC, you can see how this works- you get 16.7 million exact colors
versus whatever number you can come up with just mixing paint), and the
coloring of the lines that border the characters.  Note the black lines
that border the characters in films after Sleeping Beauty:  a Xerox
process was used that introduced this.  This was something that annoyed
Walt Disney when it was introduced, but it helped speed up the production
rate.  Later, the studio experimented with different toner types, and was
able to reduce the boldness of the lines.  Also, exact color matching can
be easily achieved, as a color is represented by a 24 or 32-bit recordable
numeric value.  An example of this would be how Jasmine's shadow matches
the non-moving shadows of the trees in her garden, in Aladdin.
     Another significant use of computers is the generation of backgrounds.
Although 99% of the backgrounds are painted (and colored) by hand (and then
entered into the CAPS system), there are some notable exceptions.  (Note
that for a background, it's not necessarily better to color by computer
since an artist can paint with a brush just as well, if not better, and
there isn't a lot of redundancy since the same background is repeatedly
used; incidentally, there were 1300 background created by 14 artists for
Beauty and the Beast.)  The most notable exception to date is probably the
ballroom in Beauty and the Beast.  The spinning ballroom sequence was first
choreographed using Wavefront Technologies software on an SGI machine, then
modeled in 3D using the Alias software and finally rendered frame by frame
using the Renderman software (probably using some form of distributed
processing, or at least rendering different images on different computers).
The animators' drawings of Belle and the Beast were then merged normally
using CAPS.  In addition, a computer-rendered table was used in the "Be Our
Guest" sequence (the scene where Mrs. Potts is singing, with little tea-
cups circling her).  The staircase that Ariel runs down before first seeing
Eric with Vanessa in The Little Mermaid also was generated via computer.
     Yet another use of computers is for certain types of 3D objects.  The
modeling and rendering process is similar to that of the Beauty and the
Beast ballroom.  Some examples include: the gears in The Great Mouse
Detective during the chase scene at the climax; the carriage in The Little
Mermaid, external views of the villain's vehicle, and the Sydney opera
house in The Rescuers Down Under; the dancing forks on the cake chandeliers
in the "Be Our Guest" sequence in Beauty and the Beast.
     A final, minor use of computers, would be for simple modeling.  For
example, the ship at the beginning of The Little Mermaid was wireframe
modeled on computers, but was drawn by hand.  I'm sure the Disney artists
have found other ways to use computers to assist them, much in the same way
they might use clay models to visualize various objects (such as the
characters themselves).

     Aside from using computers to produce the films, the digital domain
offers some advantages to the older films as well.  For example, the recent
release of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs has been digitally restored
("cleaned-up") by Imagineers working with Kodak using a process developed
in 1989 at the Kodak Cinesite digital film center in Burbank called
"Cineon" technology.  Snow White was originally restored in 1987 by YCM
Laboratories, but the restoration was not as good as Disney had hoped.
(YCM also restored Fantasia.)  In the process, each frame of the film is
digitized into the computer system and restored by hand.  The computer aids
the human restorer by remembering what was corrected and how it was
corrected and can apply that knowledge to other frames or other areas of
the same frame.  The entire process is designed to remove flaws from the
animated feature, such as color loss caused by the decay of the nitrate
based film or dust particles (even as they were photographed onto the film
itself way back in 1937 when the film was made).  The process is not
designed to remove animation errors.  At the peak of the project, 2000
frames per day were being cleaned, which occupied 15 terabytes of disk
space.  The sound was restored separately, using a software-based DSP and
editor to remove hisses and pops.  The soundtrack, although mono, was
slightly "stereo-ized" to give it more depth.
     (I'd be interested in hearing about other uses, by the way.  In fact,
if there's a Disney artist out there reading this who has anything to add
to this description in general... :-) )

6b) Since computers are being used quite a bit in Disney films now, does
     that mean there are no "genuine" cels from the movies?

     Unfortunately, the answer is that there are no more original
production cels that were used directly for on-screen images in any Disney
animated feature film after The Little Mermaid.  Hand-inked cels are
created as color models during the production process, and hand-inked cels
will probably be created for the purpose of auctioning backgrounds (note:
if you look closely through the Sotheby's catalogue for the recent Mermaid
auction, it is advertised as a background auction, not a cel auction).  For
the Sotheby's auction for Beauty and the Beast, Disney auctioned genuine
backgrounds with one-of-a-kind cels created by hand by Disney artists based
on the directing animator's drawings.  See also question #4 for a
discussion of cel types.

