Internet Info 1994 March/Internet Info CD-ROM (Walnut Creek) (March 1994).iso/answers/rec/disney-faq/part02

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Subject: rec.arts.disney FAQ, part 02/03
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Archive-name: disney-faq/part02
Last-modified: 20 Mar 1994


7) 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... :-) )

7b) Since computers are being used quite a bit in Disney films now, does
     that mean there are no "genuine" cels from the movies?

     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 Mermaid auction, it is advertised as a background
auction, not a cel auction).  For the Sotheby's auction for Beauty and the
Beast and for Aladdin, Disney auctioned genuine backgrounds used in the
production with one-of-a-kind cels created by hand by Disney artists.
These cels were based on the directing animator's drawings.  See also
question #4 for a discussion of cel types.

8) I heard that Walt Disney is "cryopreserved"/"in cryogenic suspension."
     Is this true?

     No, this is an "urban legend," although a joke goes "Yes- he's in
suspended animation" :-).  Walt Disney died at 9:35 am on December 15,
1966, of lung cancer.  He was cremated (quite the opposite of being frozen,
ironically) and is buried at the Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, CA.
His parents are buried there as well.
     This rumor did not come about completely out of the blue, however.
Some of the reasons this rumor started were: there was a small time period
between the time of Walt Disney's death and the public announcement of his
death; Walt himself is said to have shown an interest in cryogenics in his
final years (ref. the book Disney's World, see "Books" in question #99,
below); and even his animators have been quoted to say that it's an
interesting thought that Walt might someday return to "set things straight"
in the company.
     Incidentally, Walt was born on December 5, 1901, in Chicago, IL,
making him just over the age of 65 when he passed away.

9) Who did the voice of {Ariel, Belle, my favorite Disney character}?

     I can't include the voice of *every* Disney character here, but here
is a comprehensive list of the most popular characters.   One good
reference to the Disney movies is The Disney Studio Story, by Richard
Holliss and Brian Sibley, Crown Publishers, Inc., New York, NY, 1988, ISBN
#0-517-57078-5.   The most complete list, however, is the Encyclopedia of
Walt Disney's Animated Characters, by John Grant, ISBN 1-56282-904-1.  (See
"Books", in question #99, below.)  If you're looking for the voice of a
more obscure character, drop me a line, or just post.

This list is in approximate chronological order (by appearance).

Mickey Mouse: Walt Disney himself did the voices of both Mickey and Minnie
          in the early cartoons, including "Steamboat Willie."
          (Incidentally, "Plane Crazy" was Mickey's first cartoon,
          "Steamboat Willie" was Mickey's first cartoon with sound, and the
          first put into widespread release.)  By World War II, Disney had
          fully trained and then turned over the task to Jimmy MacDonald,
          who in turn trained Wayne Allwine, the current voice of Mickey.
Minnie Mouse:  Currently voiced by Russi Taylor.
Donald Duck: Initially voiced by Clarence Nash.  First appeared in "The
          Wise Little Hen."  Nash also voiced Donald in Mickey's Christmas
          Carol (1983).  He is currently voiced by Tony Anselmo, as Nash
          later passed away in the late '80s.
Goofy: Originally voiced by Pinto Colvig.  He is currently voiced by Bill
          Farmer.
Chip and Dale: Currently voiced by Tress MacNeille and Corey Burton,
          respectively.
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs - Snow White: Adriana Caselotti; Prince:
          Harry Stockwell; Wicked Stepmother: Lucille La Verne; Grumpy:
          Pinto Colvig
Pinocchio - Pinocchio: Dickie Jones; Jiminy Cricket: Cliff Edwards
Dumbo - Timothy: Edward Brophy; Stork: Sterling Holloway; Jim Crow: Cliff
          Edwards
Bambi - Thumper: Peter Behn; Bambi's Mother: Paula Winslowe; Flower:
          Sterling Holloway
Saludos Amigos, The Three Caballeros - Joe Carioca: Jose Oliveira
Make Mine Music - Willie the Whale: Nelson Eddy
Song of the South - Brer Rabbit: Johnny Lee; Brer Bear: Nicodemus Stewart;
          Uncle Remus/Brer Fox: James Baskett.  The boy (Johnny) was played
          by a young Bobby Driscoll.
Fun and Fancy Free - ("Mickey and the Beanstalk")- Giant: Billy Gilbert
The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad - Ichabod was narrated and sung by
          Bing Crosby.  Toad: Eric Blore; Cyril (the horse): Pat O'Malley
Cinderella - Cinderella: Ilene Woods; Prince Charming: Mike Douglas (the TV
          personality/talk show host); Stepmother: Eleanor Audley; Fairy
          Godmother: Verna Felton.
Alice in Wonderland - Alice: Kathryn Beaumont; White Rabbit: Bill Thompson;
          Cheshire Cat: Sterling Holloway; Queen of Hearts: Verna Felton
Lambert, the Sheepish Lion (short)- Narrated by Sterling Holloway (Dumbo,
          Alice In Wonderland, Jungle Book).
Peter Pan - Peter: Bobby Driscoll; Wendy: Kathryn Beaumont; Captain
          Hook/Wendy's Father: Hans Conried; Mr. Smee: Bill Thompson
Lady and the Tramp - Lady: Barbara Luddy; Tramp: Larry Roberts;
          Peg/Darling/Siamese Cats: Peggy Lee
Sleeping Beauty - Aurora: Mary Costa; Phillip: Bill Shirley; Maleficent:
          Eleanor Audley
101 Dalmatians - Cruella DeVille: Betty Lou Gerson; Pongo: Rod Taylor;
          Perdita: Cate Bauer; Roger: Ben Wright; Colonel: J.Pat O'Malley
The Sword in the Stone -Wart: Ricky Sorenson; Archimedes: Junius Matthews;
          Merlin: Karl Swenson; Madame Mim: Martha Wentworth
Winnie the Pooh: Initially voiced by Sterling Holloway (who you'll see pop
          up quite a bit in this list of Disney voices), who passed away in
          late 1992.  The first two Pooh stories (Winnie the Pooh and the
          Honey Tree and Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day) were
          narrated by Sebastian Cabot (The Jungle Book).  Other voices:
          Christopher Robin: Jon Walmsley; Tigger: Paul Winchell
The Jungle Book - Mowgli: Bruce Reitherman (son of the director, Wolfgang);
          Baloo: Phil Harris; Bagheera: Sebastian Cabot; Kaa: Sterling
          Holloway; King Louis: Louis Prima; Shere Khan: George Sanders;
          Colonel Hathi: J. Pat O'Malley
The Aristocats - Duchess: Eva Gabor; Thomas O'Malley: Phil Harris;
          Roquefort (mouse): Sterling Holloway: Scat Cat: Scatman Crothers;
          title song sung by Maurice Chevalier
Robin Hood - Robin: Brian Bedford; Little John: Phil Harris (The Jungle
          Book, The Aristocats); Prince John: Peter Ustinov; Sir Hiss:
          Terry Thomas; Allan-a-Dale (rooster): Roger Miller; Maid Marian:
          Monica Evans: Sheriff: Pat Buttram; Friar Tuck: Andy Devine; Lady
          Kluck: Carole Shelley
The Rescuers - Bernard: Bob Newhart; Bianca: Eva Gabor; Madame Medusa:
          Geraldine Page; Penny: Michelle Stacy; Mr. Snoops: Joe Flynn;
          Orville: Jim Jordan
The Fox and the Hound -Tod: Mickey Rooney; Copper: Kurt Russell; Big Mama
          (owl): Pearl Bailey
The Black Cauldron - Taran: Grant Bardsley; Eilonwy: Susan Sheridan;
          Dallben: Freddie Jones; Fflewddur Fflam: Nigel Hawthorne; the
          Horned King: John Hurt; Gurgi, Doli: John Byner
The Great Mouse Detective - Basil: Barrie Ingham; Dr. Dawson: Val Bettin;
          Ratigan: Vincent Price
Oliver and Company - Dodger: Billy Joel; Tito (Chihuahua): Cheech Marin;
          Georgette (poodle): Bette Midler; Einstein: Richard Mulligan
The Little Mermaid - Ariel: Jodi Benson; Sebastian: Samuel E. Wright;
          Ursula: Pat Carroll; Eric: Christopher Barnes; Scuttle: Buddy
          Hackett
The Rescuers Down Under - Bernard: Bob Newhart; Bianca: Eva Gabor; McLeach:
          (the) George C. Scott; Wilbur: John Candy; Jake: Tristan Rogers;
          Cody: Adam Ryen; Joanna: Frank Welker
Beauty and the Beast - Belle: Paige O'Hara; Beast: Robby Benson; Mrs.
          Potts: Angela Lansbury; Luminere: Jerry Orbach; Cogsworth: David
          Ogden Stiers; Gaston: Richard White; Lefou: Jesse Corti; Maurice:
          Rex Everhardt; Chip: Bradley Pierce; Wardrobe: JoAnne Worley
Aladdin- Aladdin: (speaking) Scott Weinger, (singing) Brad Kane;
          Genie/Trader: Robin Williams; Trader (singing): Bruce Adler;
          Princess Jasmine: (speaking) Linda Larkin, (singing) Lea Salonga;
          Abu, the monkey: Frank Welker; Jafar: Jonathan Freeman; Iago:
          Gilbert Gottfried; Sultan: Douglas Seal
The Lion King- Simba (young): Jonathan Taylor Thomas; Simba (adult):
          Matthew Broderick; Nala (young): Nikita Calame; Nala (adult):
          Moira Kelly; Musafa: James Earl Jones; Scar: Jeremy Irons;
          Sarabi: Madge Sinclair; Zazu: Rowan Atkinson; Rafiki: Robert
          Guillaume; Timon: Nathan Lane; Pumbaa: Ernie Sabella; Shenzi:
          Whoopi Goldberg; Banzai: Cheech Marin; Ed: Jim Cummings

Other voices:
Huey, Dewey, and Louie, and Webbigail  (DuckTales)- Russi Taylor
Darkwing Duck- Jim Cummings
Gosalyn (Darkwing Duck)- Christine Cavanaugh
Winnie the Pooh, Tigger (New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh)- Jim Cummings
Uncle Scrooge (Mickey's Christmas Carol, DuckTales): Alan Young
Roger Rabbit: Charles Fleischer

Theme parks:
Sam the Eagle (from "America Sings"): Burl Ives
Robot-Pilot from "Star Tours": Paul Reubens ("Pee-Wee Herman")
Ghost Host ("Haunted Mansion"), narrator from "Adventure Through Inner
          Space": Paul Frees
Singing Statue in Haunted Mansion Graveyard (among others at Disneyland):
          Thurl Ravenscroft

10) How do I get a job working for Disney?

     Of course, the answer to this depends on what you want to do.
     All Disney employees go through a training program which introduces
them to the Disney philosophy and some of the history of the company.
     If you're looking for a summer job at Walt Disney World, consult with
"Central Casting," located near the Disney Village, where you can get an
application.  Or you can write to "Professional Staffing", c/o WDW, at the
address in question #99 below.  At Disneyland, go to the customer relations
desk near the fire station on Main Street.  If you do get a summer job,
you'll probably be making minimum wage (and regularly shaving and getting a
hair cut if you're male, since facial hair is not allowed if you're in the
public eye- although animators at WDW seem to be an exception).
     WDW and DL have "College Programs," for which Disney actively sends
recruiters to colleges around the country to recruit students to work at
the parks for a semester.  Minimum work hours are about 30 hours per week,
starting around $5.60/hour.  Thanks to Ben Scripps for this info; if you
want additional info, send me a line at [e-mail].
     To get a job at the Disney Store, simply request a job application,
preferably from the store manager.  They aren't always hiring, but like
most retailers, will hire more employees for the Christmas season.  When a
new Disney Store is opened, a "Casting Call" advertisement is placed in the
local paper, and they will interview 300-400 people for 20-25 positions.
When a position becomes available, the hiring ratio is 15-20 interviews for
one Cast Member position.  If you would like to work at an existing Disney
Store, ask for an "interest card," which lets the store know when you are
available for work and an interview.  If you are called for an interview,
you will fill out a full application at that time.  For more information on
what's it's like to work at the Disney Store, see question #16, below.
     If you're interested in animation, you need to be talented and lucky.
It helps if you attended the California Institute of the Arts ("CalArts"),
which Walt Disney helped found, and currently has 900 students and five
schools (art, dance, music, film video, theater).  I suspect Disney
currently helps to fund CalArts.  (The address and phone information is
given in question #99.)  If you didn't attend CalArts, some other
prestigious school of art with some animation training will probably do
(some of the animators were hired out of the University of California at
Los Angeles, the University of Southern California, and the Art Center at
Pasadena).  If you do get a job as an animator, you'll probably start out
by working on "tweening" (i.e. drawing cels that lie in sequence between
the cels produced by the primary animators), so you won't have a lot of
creative freedom, and you'll probably be quite busy (i.e. working longer
than 8 hour days on a regular basis).  Show promise, get noticed, and the
sky's the limit.  At the very least, you get your name in the credits.  :-)

     Some notes about the structure of the Walt Disney Company:
     There are three top-level divisions: Movies & Television (Media
Entertainment), Merchandise, and the Theme Parks.  The Movies & Television
division, run primarily by Jeffrey Katzenberg, is sub-divided into the
Feature Animation department, the Television Animation department, and the
main studios (e.g. live films, Touchstone, and Hollywood Pictures).  The
Merchandise division includes sub-divisions for the video releases (Buena
Vista Home Video), music releases (Buena Vista or Disneyland Records)
general merchandise management (including creation and licensing), etc.
The Theme Parks, of course, include Disneyland, Walt Disney World,
EuroDisney (the Disney Company does not own EuroDisney in its entirety, by
the way), and Tokyo Disneyland.  The Theme Parks division is run primarily
by Michael Eisner, who is also CEO of the Company.  Each of these smaller
divisions might be subdivided; for example, the Feature Animation
department includes the Engineering division (e.g. CAPS), CGI (Computer
Generated Imagery- e.g. special effects), and the actual Animation units
themselves.

     An address to write to regarding employment opportunities with the
studios would be:
          Walt Disney Studios
          500 S. Buena Vista St.
          Burbank, CA  91521-7320
     (The Walt Disney Company receives thousands of (solicited and
          unsolicited) resumes per month, but they do keep track of all of
          them.)
     Job hotlines at the Walt Disney Company:
          (818)-560-1811:  General Employment
          (818)-560-6335:  Film Industry Opportunities
     If you would like to submit your resume to Walt Disney Imagineering
via e-mail, send it to:
          [e-mail]
     Disney uses the Resumix database system to track the resumes they
receive.  I believe you can submit PostScript versions as well as standard
text (ASCII).

11) Is Goofy a dog, a horse, or what?

     Goofy is a dog.  He originally started life as "Dippy Dawg" early in
the history of the Disney studios, in both comic strips and short films,
but evolved into "Goofy" by 1934.  He first appeared in film in 1932 (as
Dippy Dawg) in Mickey's Revue.
     This begs the question "well, if Pluto is a dog too, then why don't
they act the same (e.g. why does Pluto not talk, why doesn't Goofy walk on
all fours, etc.)?"  My answer to that is because that's the way Walt wanted
it.  :-) Pluto is more of a pet to Mickey; Goofy is simply more
individualistic and anthropomorphised.  In addition, they're both different
breeds of dog. :-)  (I won't even get into the thread about how Goofy dated
Clarabelle Cow.)

12) How can I get the song lyrics to {The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the
     Beast, etc}?

     Disney song lyrics can be found via anonymous FTP on cco.caltech.edu
(pub/disney/rec.arts.disney/lyrics) or yoyo.cc.monash.edu.au (in
pub/rec.arts.disney/lyrics).  Lyrics to some Disney songs are also
available at ftp.uwp.edu, in pub/music/lyrics/m/misc.musical.  If you can't
FTP, send me e-mail ([e-mail]) and I can mail lyrics for The
Little Mermaid or Beauty and the Beast to you.
     Otherwise, you can order the sheet music from the Hal Leonard
Publishing Corporation, 7777 West Bluemound Road, P.O. Box 13819,
Milwaukee, WI 53213.  There is also The Illustrated Disney Song Book which
is published by Random House, Inc., of New York, NY, with the ISBN #0-394-
50745-2.  It contains the lyrics (and piano music) to many of the most
popular Disney songs.  There is a "New" Illustrated Disney Song Book as
well (bibliographical reference at the end of this question).  Sam Goody's
Musicland tends to carry a decent selection of sheet music.  The address to
the Walt Disney Music Company is given in question #99, below.
     There is quite a bit of Disney music available on CD and cassette; if
there is a demand for it, I'll add a list of Disney music to this list.
Disneyland/Buena Vista Records and Tapes (Burbank, CA 92521) is the
"official" label that distributes the majority of the music.

The New Illustrated Disney Songbook, introduction by Steven Spielberg
     Abrams, New York, 1986
     ISBN 0-810-90846-8 (Abrams)
     ISBN 0-881-88467-7 (Hal Leonard)
Notes: For voice and piano; includes chord symbols and guitar chord
diagrams.  Presents in sheet music format about eighty songs from such Walt
Disney movies as "Cinderella," "Dumbo," and "Mary Poppins."  215 pages.

13) What are the Magic Kingdom Club benefits?

     As a Magic Kingdom Club (MKC) member, you receive the following
benefits:
     - Special offers on Theme Park admission (usually 10%- there's a price
          guide), including EuroDisney and Tokyo Disneyland
     - 10-30% discount on WDW resort accommodations
     - Ability to take advantage of special vacation packages
     - 10% discount on merchandise at The Disney Stores
     - Reduced admission to Pleasure Island, Typhoon Lagoon, River Country,
          and Discovery Island (at WDW)
     - Free membership in Entertainment Publications' "Travel America for
          Half Price"
     - Up to 30% discounts with National Car Rental
     - 10% discount on Delta Air Lines tickets when traveling to the theme
          parks
     - 10% discount on Premier's Caribbean Cruise and Walt Disney World
          Week
     - 15% discount on cruises aboard the Royal Caribbean Cruise Line
     - 10% discount on the Norwegian Cruise Line
     - 20% nightly discounts at The Hotel Queen Mary
     - 10% discount at the Paradise Guest Ranch in Wyoming
     - 10% discount on Broadway at the Top and the Polynesian Luau
     - 10% seasonal discount on golf
     - Special Club Vacations in San Diego, CA

     There are a wide variety of vacation packages to choose from, with the
prices depending on where you stay and for how long, and what time of year
you visit the theme parks.
     I believe there is no charge for joining the MKC if your employer has
a group number.

     You can also join as a MKC Gold Card member.  You receive a
personalized, embossed Gold Card, a two-year subscription to Disney News
magazine (8 issues, worth $14.95), and a membership kit, containing a tote
bag, key chain, travel video, and 5 Disney Dollars.  The price for joining
is $49 for two years, which can be discounted $10 if you are a shareholder.
You also receive a list of toll free numbers to call to make travel
reservations.
     There is also a Magic Years Club for those over 60 years of age.  It
costs $35 for a 5-year membership, and has the same benefits as the
standard MKC, plus a few extras (an embossed card, tote bag, key chain,
bumper sticker, Magic Key newsletter).
     The phone numbers for the MKC, MKC Gold Card, and Magic Years Club are
given in question #99, below.

14) What are the stockholder benefits?

     The stockholder benefits have been discontinued for 1993.   As a
stockholder, you can obtain an Magic Kingdom Club Gold Card membership for
$10 off the normal rate (see also question #12, above).

Here is the body of a letter received by Michael R. Johnston
([e-mail]), from Jennifer LaGrow, Manager of Shareholder
Services, regarding this issue.

     ***** Begin quote *****

     May 10, 1993

     Due to the tremendous growth in our shareholder base of almost 100
     percent over the last year, and the substantially lower stock price
     resulting from the four for one stock split in April 1992, it is no
     longer economical for the Company to continue providing free
     memberships to approximately 800,000 shareholders.

     It is important that the Company be run as efficiently as possible so
     that it can offer stockholders and above-average rate of return.
     Disney stockholders have enjoyed a 28 percent annualized return over
     the last ten years ending December 31, 1992.  Over the same timeframe,
     the Standard & Poor's 500 has returned just 16 percent.  The Company
     recently increased its quarterly cash dividend by 19 percent -- from
     5.25 to 6.25 cents per share, beginning with the dividend which will
     be paid on May 20, 1993.

     There was a 100% increase in total shareholders, with approximately
     430,000 new Disney stockholders in calendar year 1992.  When we
     reviewed the costs involved in providing complimentary Magic Kingdom
     Club membership to these new stockholders, we determined that it would
     cost close to $3 million to service these new accounts in fiscal year
     1993.  We estimated that is would cost the Company an additional
     $600,000 in material and postage costs to provide complimentary MKC
     membership in 1993 to all the Company's record and beneficial owners.
     These figures do not even include the cost the Company incurs from the
     various discounts given to Magic Kingdom Club members.

     We also discovered that 30 percent of the Company's new 1992 record
     owners (as opposed to beneficial owners of stock held in "street
     name," for whom the Company does not have records) purchased only a
     single share of Disney stock. We estimate that it will cost the
     Company approximately $500,000 to service these one-share accounts in
     fiscal year 1993.  In a recent survey, approximately 10 percent of the
     stockholders surveyed said that they purchased Disney stock solely to
     receive shareholder benefits such as MKC membership. Since the hotel
     discount offered to shareholders through the MKC membership can be as
     high as $100 per night, you can see why the Company determined that it
     was not economical to offer complimentary membership to its
     stockholders.

     Magic Kingdom Club does provide membership programs to eligible
     corporations, firms and associations, although this is a separate
     program and does not have any impact on the shareholder benefit
     program.

     ***** End quote *****

If you'd like an annual report, write to:
     Walt Disney Company
     Shareholder Services
     4130 Cahuenga, Suite 310
     N.Hollywood, CA  91602
or call: (818)-505-7040.

15) What is Club 33?

     Club 33 is a somewhat exclusive club located in Disneyland.  It's not
really *exclusive* in the sense that anybody who is willing to wait 2-3
years on the waiting list and can afford the membership fee and annual dues
can join.  To get more information, you can write to Club 33, c/o
Disneyland (Disneyland's full address is included in question #99).
     Club 33 is located in New Orleans Square at Disneyland. It occupies
most of the upstairs of the buildings in that area.  As you exit from
Pirates of the Caribbean, turn left.  Just beyond the Blue Bayou restaurant
is a green door with the address 33.  In the atrium between the One of a
Kind shop and the pirate shop is a large staircase and an elevator (behind
a door) which serve as alternate entrances.  (These directions were taken
from the Disneyland FAQ.)
     If you'd like a copy of the text of the brochures, which includes the
membership fees (if you have to ask, you probably can't afford it), drop me
e-mail at [e-mail].

16) What are the names of Ariel's sisters in The Little Mermaid?

     Ariel's sisters are: Aquata; Andrina; Arista; Atina; Adella; Allana.
(Note the second sister is "Andrina," not "Adrina.")  This information was
verified using both the songbook lyrics and the book The Little Mermaid:
Tales From Under the Sea.  There has been a debate over whether or not the
spelling of Ariel's last sister is "Allana" or "Alana."  The sheet music
and most of the books give it as "Allana," but the new Encyclopedia of Walt
Disney's Animated Characters lists it as "Alana."  "Allana" is most likely
correct.  It is not a credited voice in the movie.

17) What are the Disney Stores?

     The Disney Stores are a chain of retail stores dedicated entirely to
Disney merchandise.  They are located throughout the US and UK, and will
soon be opening in Japan and Europe; for the location of the one nearest
you, try calling the Disney Catalog at (800)-237-5751- there is a list in
the Disney Catalog itself.  The first Disney Store opened on May 28, 1987
in Glendale, CA.  As of May 1, 1993, there were 208 stores in operation,
with plans to open over 60 new stores total by the end of 1993.  I've found
that the prices of certain merchandise at the stores are lower than the
prices of the same items at the theme parks.
     The Disney Store model is different than an average retail store.  As
you enter, the Disney Store logo is large and prevalent, usually overhead.
There are two glass cases to either side of the entrance one of which is
used for seasonal features, and the other a Disney scene portrayed by
plastic or wooden models.  There are other exterior decorations, including
a line of "film" which has in each frame a Disney character, being animated
from one frame to the next.  At the entrance of each store there is a
"greeter" who stands and greets entering guests (customers), and says good-
bye to departing guests.
     Inside the store, around the perimeter and overhead, are various
scenes (called "Animations") which differ from store to store throughout
the country.  Some scenes are from the movies; most are from cartoon shorts
or are original.  Which scenes appear in which Disney Store is dependent
upon the year in which the store opened.  Stores opened between 1987 and
1991 have unique combinations of scenes; stores opened during or after 1992
will have the same scene as other stores opened in the same year.  There
are usually two cash register locations, behind which hang Disney art
(cels, serigraphs, etc.).  At the back of the store is a large,
laserdisc-based projection screen for playing scenes from movies, cartoons,
music videos, etc., for the purpose of entertainment (and marketing Disney
videos and soundtracks).  The stores are kept well stocked and well
organized.
     The Disney Store receives entirely new merchandise on a regular basis
(on average about every two to three weeks).  There is a shipment of
general merchandise every week.  Every couple of months or so a new
promotion with a different theme is emphasized, sometimes based on the
season, other times based on the current movie in the theaters, etc.
     The employees, called Cast Members (like all Disney employees), are
trained in Disney culture, and are routinely kept up to date with current
activities at the theme parks, new programs on the Disney Channel, when new
movies and videocassettes will become available, etc.  This training
program is called "Traditions," and (usually) takes place at the store,
consisting of some videos and forms, which takes several four hour days
(two days of company history and info, plus 5 days of Guest Service
training).  There is an internal newsletter, called The Disney Store Scoop,
and award programs for Guest Courtesy, Teamwork, etc. that are reflected in
pins.  One Cast Member told me that he has received some rather substantial
offers on his pins (which are not for sale).  Cast Members also attend
fully paid Disney Store trips to see the latest animated film release twice
a year.
     The address of the "home base" of the Disney Stores is:
          101 N. Brand Blvd.  Suite 500
          Glendale, CA 91203
     (If you have a favorite Cast Member who you think shows performance
above and beyond the call of duty, send in a letter saying why.  It should
make them really happy. :-) )
     See also question #9.

18) Who were the "nine old men"?

     The "nine old men" were the group of lead animators who worked closely
with Walt Disney and the Disney studios from around the mid 1940's to the
mid 1980's.  The term "nine old men" was a takeoff from President Franklin
Delano Roosevelt's term for the U.S. Supreme Court justices.
     The nine old men, in alphabetical order with a fraction of some of the
notable characters and movies that they contributed to, are:
     Les Clark - Minnie Mouse, Mickey in Fantasia
     Marc Davis - Bambi, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Cruella in 101
          Dalmatians
     Ollie Johnston - Dopey in Snow White, Mowgli in The Jungle Book,
          Bambi, Mr. Smee from Peter Pan
     Milt Kahl - Pinocchio, Robin Hood, Medusa in The Rescuers, Shere Khan
          in The Jungle Book
     Ward Kimball - Jiminy Cricket in Pinocchio, The Three Caballeros,
          Captain Hook (Peter Pan) Lucifer in Cinderella, Dwarfs in Snow
          White
     Eric Larson - Figaro in Pinocchio, horses in Beethoven's 6th in
          Fantasia
     John Lounsbery - Ben Ali Gator in Fantasia, Bambi, Victory Through Air
          Power, the wolf in Sword In the Stone
     Wolfgang Reitherman - Goofy, Cinderella, Rite of Spring in Fantasia,
          The Aristocats
     Frank Thomas - Bambi, Monstro the Whale from Pinocchio, Lady and Tramp
          from Lady  and the Tramp, Lady Tremaine from Cinderella, Dwarfs
          mourning in Snow White, Captain Hook (Peter Pan)

     These nine men worked on many of the Disney classics, from Snow White
to The Rescuers.  Not all of the nine men worked on all of the movies
(although there were some movies that all of them participated in,
including Cinderella).  Some of the other major animators at the Disney
studios included Ub Iwerks, Norman Ferguson, Ken Anderson, Mary Blair, Bill
Justice, Vladimir (Bill) Tytla, William Peet, and Wilfred Jackson (who was
the first director for Walt Disney), Hamilton Luske, and Freddy Moore.

19) Who are the current Disney animators?

     Robert Cook ([e-mail]) and Tim Pickett
([e-mail]) have created a comprehensive list of all of
the animators who have worked for Disney over the years.  These Cast and
Crew lists are available via anonymous FTP at cco.caltech.edu (if you're in
the US) in pub/disney/rec.arts.disney, or yoyo.cc.monash.edu.au in
pub/rec.arts.disney.  Please use yoyo outside normal business hours (the
site is 10 hours ahead of GMT- use the UNIX command "date -u" to get the
current GMT time), namely before noon US time, or on a Friday or Saturday.
Contact Tim Pickett ([e-mail]) for more info.

     Some (but certainly not all) of the lead animators in the recent films
include:

     Ruben Aquino - Ursula (The Little Mermaid); Maurice (Beauty and the
          Beast)
     James Baxter - Belle (Beauty and the Beast)
     Randy Cartwright- Magic Carpet (Aladdin)
     Lorna Cook - Contributed to Belle (Beauty and the Beast)
     Andreas Deja - Mickey Mouse (Prince and the Pauper); Triton (The
          Little Mermaid); Gaston (Beauty and the Beast); Jafar (Aladdin)
     Russ Edmonds- Max the dog (The Little Mermaid); Cody (The Rescuers
          Down Under); Philippe the horse (Beauty and the Beast)
     Eric Goldberg- Genie (Aladdin); directing Pocahontas with Mike Gabriel
     Will Finn- Grimsby (The Little Mermaid); Cogsworth (Beauty and the
          Beast); Iago the Parrot (Aladdin)
     Mark Henn - Stationed in Florida.  Contributed heavily to the
          character development of Belle and Mrs. Potts/Chip.  Was the lead
          animator on Jasmine (Aladdin).
     Glen Keane - Supervised The Fox and the Hound; characters include
          Ratigan (The Great Mouse Detective); Ariel (The Little Mermaid);
          Marahute (the Eagle) (The Rescuers Down Under); Beast (Beauty and
          the Beast); Aladdin (Aladdin).  Glen Keane is the son of Bil
          Keane, artist of the Family Circus comic strip.
     Lisa Keene - Background artist/supervisor
     Duncan Marjoribanks- Sebastian (The Little Mermaid), Abu (Aladdin)
     Tom Sito - Worked on layout and animated the Gaston wrestling scene in
          the pub (Beauty and the Beast)
     Dave Pruiksma- Bernard (The Rescuers Down Under); Mrs. Potts and Chip
          (Beauty and the Beast); Sultan (Aladdin)
     Nik Ranieri- Ursula (The Little Mermaid); Wilbur (The Rescuers Down
          Under); Luminere (Beauty and the Beast)
     Chris Wahl - Lefou (Beauty and the Beast), multiple characters
          (Aladdin)

     These animators led the teams that animated the characters they are
credited with.  Lead animators provide many of the story and character
ideas, but I am sure that many other ideas (and a lot of hard work) come
from the animators who work for the lead animator.

20) Where can I get the movie poster for {Beauty and the Beast, other
     Disney movie}?

     You can try just about any movie poster dealer that deals in current
posters.  Prices will vary.
Some things to know:  Posters aren't easy to mail.  You may need to send
the seller a mailing tube in which to hold the rolled poster.
     The following list was compiled from the periodical Movie Collector's
World, published at P.O. Box 309, Fraser, MI  48026.  Phone: (313)-774-
4311.  You might want to get a copy (published bi-weekly at a cover price
of $2.50) to see all the ads for yourself.  All of those listed here had at
least one Disney title in their advertisements.  Disclaimer: I can't vouch
for any of these places personally, since I have not ordered from any of
them.  As always, additions to this list are welcome.

     Comic Castle        3148 Midway Drive #113, San Diego, CA  92110
                         (619)-222-3302  (Tu, W, Th only, 11-6 PST)
     Mike Kinder         P.O. Box 772198, Winter Garden, FL  34777
                         (904)-394-3569, after 5 PM
     Mark J. Myler       3300 S. Tamarac #N101, Denver, CO 80231
                         (303)-368-1306
     The Movie Gallery   2072 Front Street, East Meadow, NY  11554
                         (516)-794-0294
     Pamela Banner       3409 Lake Montebello Dr., Baltimore, MD  21218-3151
                         (410)-235-7427  (10-6 EST M-Sa)
     Poster Emporium     P.O. Box 16681, Raytown, MO  64133-6681
                         (800)-877-7860
     Richard Hubel       549 88th Avenue North, St. Petersburg, FL 33702
                         (813)-578-1236
     Walls of Fame       2798 Nostrand Ave., Brooklyn, NY  11229
                         (718)-692-3200

     If you do order from any of these (or other) places, I'd like to know
about your experiences (positive or negative).

21) Where can I find a particular Disney book?  How can I find an original
     version of a book that Disney adapted into a movie?

     One way is to consult your local big-chain bookseller (B. Dalton,
Waldenbooks, BookStop, Bookstar, Crown Books, etc.).  Many have listings,
although many Disney books are out of print.  If the book you are looking
for is indeed out of print, your best hope is to search local used book
resellers in your area.  Otherwise, the best you can do is your local
library.  Incidentally, Hyperion Press is owned by Disney.
     A good place to get information about books of any subject without
leaving the comfort of your UNIX machine is via the online Melvyl Catalog.
The Melvyl Catalog, accessible via Telnet, is an online card catalog
listing for every book in the vast University of California library system.
To access, try the following at your favorite UNIX prompt:
     unix%  telnet melvyl.ucop.edu
(You can substitute 192.35.222.222 for melvyl.ucop.edu if you don't have
domain name resolution.)
If you can FTP, you should be able to telnet.  If you get a "network
inaccessible error", you probably don't have the proper access to the
outside world.  If you have trouble, feel free to send me e-mail
([e-mail]) and I can try to find the book you want for you.
If you can telnet, you'll be prompted for a terminal type.  Use "Z99" (w/o
the quotes) as your terminal type.  Then press return. From here, you can
use the online help by typing "help <subject>".
     Some useful commands:
     find su Disney = Finds "subject" Disney = any book with Disney as a
          subject word
     find pa Christopher Finch = Finds "personal author" Christopher Finch
          = books written by author Christopher Finch
     find tw Magic Kingdom = Finds "title words" Magic Kingdom = any books
          with the words "Magic Kingdom"

     Upon retrieving your results, you can use the display command:
     display all review = Display all in a review format
     display 10 long = Displays entry #10 in a long format (all the info-
          author, title, etc.)
     display 10 ISBN = Displays the ISBN number for entry #10

22) 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?

     This scene never existed in the Disney version of Peter Pan.  It did,
however, exist in the Mary Martin stage version, which is also available on
videocassette.  The videocassette was released at about the same time the
Disney version was released, so if you don't believe me, you can rent the
play and see for yourself. :-)

23) What was the first Disney film ever to receive a PG rating?

     The first film was The Black Hole, on December 21, 1979.  The first
(and so far only) animated feature film to receive a PG rating was The
Black Cauldron, on July 24, 1985.