By Lubna Abdel-Aziz Baffled and befuddled by all that Computer Graphic Imaging? That new computer technology has revolutionized every aspect of our lives, our business, particularly, show business. Is there any stopping it? Can we get enough of it? The answer is a resounding' 'Yes', at least from the Disney Animation Studios. Hard to believe, but the very studio that first introduced the CGI animation craze, is now the first studio to return to ancient hand-drawn techniques, used almost a century ago. Moreover, the studio is re-introducing the enchanting fairy-tale musical to the enchantment of children everywhere.. The latest Disney production of "The Princess and the Frog" .found the Disney artists back at their old drawing- boards, proof that the world still hungers for the traditional, the familiar, the eternal vintage classic. Loosely based on E.D.Baker's. "The Frog Princess", which in turn was loosely based on the original Grimm Brothers fairy-tale, "The Frog Prince", is a beloved story familiar to all children. This Disney adaptation has been a long time in the making. It was originally planned to follow the production of " Beauty and the Beast" but was side- tracked for over a decade. Now it is here in splendid form, though it may not greatly resemble the familiar tale. Desiring to Americanise the story, the writers chose the exotic setting of the city of New Orleans, in the state of Louisiana, so named after King Louis V of France. New Orleans is like no other city in America, or even the world. Reminiscent of an old European city, it has a strong mix of French and Spanish flavour with a walloping dollop of African influence . Its style, language, music and cuisine are incomparable, its culture, customs and traditions indigenous to the city. Often depicted in many films, a visit to New Orleans is a memorable experience, and Disney did well to select it as backdrop to its new/old fairy-tale. New Orleans lends itself to dreams and fairy-tales,.to white devils and black demons, to mystery and magic, The studio opted for a black family which many critics insist is based on the Obama family, despite the studios strong denials; The all black cast is headed by the likes of Oprah Winfrey . John Goodman.and Anika Noni Rose, and the film has already received praise, accolades and awards galore. More important is lts apparent appeal to children, which is immediately transformed to big bucks at the box-office. So far it has grossed $170 million world-wide. . The new Disney release returns us to the Broadway-style musical. . A pioneer in animation production, Disney continues to lead the way, create and inspire. The directorial task of their new production went to the talented duo John Musker and Ron Clements, who entertained us with their innovative style in such popular productions as Aladin, The Little Mermaid, Hercules and Treasure Planet. The songs and score were entrusted to no other than Disney favourite and Oscar-winning composer Randy Newman. Most likely another Oscar nomination awaits this musical powerhouse. Animation is the technique of making motion picture cartoons from a series of hand drawn pictures. At least a million separate drawings are required for a feature-length movie, which may take up to three years to complete. After the choice of a story, a "story-board" is prepared by the artist/ writer, which serves as a script, consisting of rough sketches, the action and the dialogue printed on each sketch. Once that is approved by the director, the music and the dialogue are recorded. The composer matches the music with each sequence of the action. Three groups of artists then take over. 'Lay-out ' artists work with the director to determine the settings ,the individual traits of each character, and how they will look and act, as well as how the story can best be broken into settings, They then proceed to prepare the necessary drawings to guide two other groups of artists--'Background artists' and'Animators'. The background artists will draw all the background of the film---that is everything on the screen., except the characters. The animators work from a timing-chart which indicates the number of frames needed to express each word of the recorded dialogue. They must create the exact number of drawings required by the dialogue. Once the animators work is done. another group of artists traces them unto sheets of transparent celluloid called eels. The eels go to painters who apply colour on the reverse of the eels. Technicians sort them out into scenes which are then sent to the camera department to be photographed frame by frame. After the photography is completed, the sound track is added, prints are made, the picture is complete. And you thought cartoons were easy! No one has done more for the animated film than Walt Disney .,the quintessential American king of the cartoon. He joined the Kansas City Film Advertising Company in 1920, where he made crude advertisement cartoons for movie theatres. In 1923 he moved to Los Angeles and set up his first studio in his garage. Success came in 1928 when he released the first short Mickey Mouse cartoons. In 1937 he produced his first full- length feature cartoon, Snow White, which to this day remains a children's favourite, showing no signs of aging. Most cartoons wear well, defying time and technology, as do most fairy- tales. Disney breathed new life into the old-fashioned fairy tale, making it alive and new for each generation. It is only befitting that the studio that practically invented hand-drawn animation , would be the one responsible for its rebirth in the third millennium. "There is something special about hand-drawn animation, about a fairy-tale and about a musical,."said John Lasseter, head of Disney. He put all these elements in "The Princess and the Frog" producing a magic potion that will not fail to bewitch viewers of all ages. Those well familiar with the classic fairy-tale of "The Frog Prince" had better be prepared for a whole new experience. The major classic elements are there, the Frog, the Prince, the Princess and the kiss, but everything else is jazzed up to the tune of the Roaring Twenties, the Jazz age, the French Quarter of that city of bayous and beignets, of gumbo and pralinées, of Mardi-gras and witchcraft, of unrivaled character and colour, of heavenly aromas , exquisite sights, and exotic sounds. Ninety years of Disney enchantment, and the legacy of the endurance of the classic remains unblemished .Children everywhere still clamour for more of the same, reassuring us that,"all's well with the world". Thank you Disney, wherever you are!.. "Study the past, if you would divine the future" Confucuis (551- 479B)
