From: tanida@beno.CSS.GOV (Tom Tanida)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.disney
Subject: FAQ for rec.arts.disney (part 1a)
Date: 6 Apr 92 16:37:03 GMT
Followup-To: rec.arts.disney


(Since it is over 50K in length, part 1 is split into 'part 1a' and
'part 1b'.  This is temporary; I'll work out a better scheme when
I get the chance- all I know is this is the third time I've tried
to post it, but I'm not even seeing the article leave the news computer.
I apologize if this is a rerun.)

Here's the second 'alpha' copy of the rec.arts.disney FAQ.

I've decided to split it up into two parts (I'm only posting part 1 now
since I don't have anything substantial for part 2 yet):

   - Part 1: General Questions and Questions with Time-critical information
   - Part 2: General Theme Park Questions (with a list of what's in the
               Disneyland FAQ, but no duplicate answers),
             and Misc Disney facts

I hope to post part 2's questions early next week, so everybody out there
can make suggestions as to what I ought to add/delete/revise/etc.

In part 1, there are a few questions left for me to answer:
   13) Stockholder benefits  - I have a list compiled from answers posted
       to rec.arts.disney early last year, and before that.  I'm not sure
       if benefits have changed- if you have a current list, please send
       it to me.
   99) List of books and magazines.  I've listed some books briefly; I'll
       put in more complete information next.  Feel free to send me
       information about books you don't see listed.
   Timely information (Disneyana shows, animated projects).  I'm getting
       there- but again, feel free to send me any info - I have a short
       list of some auctions and the Disneyana show at the Contemporary
       Resort during the summer.

Send comments/info to tanida@esosun.css.gov.

Enjoy!
-Tom
tanida@esosun.css.gov

====================================================================

Frequently Asked Questions List For rec.arts.disney, part 1
Version x.x, last revised 4/2/92

     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.  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.
Although I have offered some information and advice in part two of
this list (the information here is that 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,
however, I hope that this list will reduce the amount of redundant
information posted to the net.  I also 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 sub-parts:
          1) A list of the questions in this part
          2) Answers to General Questions
          3) Answers to Questions with Time-critical information
          
     Send comments, corrections, suggestions, and inside information
to: tanida@esosun.css.gov.  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.  :-
)

     There is (will be) a PostScript version of this file.  Both the
PostScript and standard text versions of this file will be made
available via anonymous FTP when I find a good site (I'm always open
to suggestion).

Part I- Questions

General questions:
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)}?
3) Where can I get Disney-related GIF 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?
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?

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

Timely information:
1) What Disneyana shows are coming up?
2) What animated projects are the Walt Disney studios working on now?


Part II - Answers to General Questions

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.
2) Pinocchio (11/13/1940) - Released on video (US) in 1986.  Won the
          Oscar for Best Song ("When You Wish Upon a Star"), and Best
          Original Score.
3) Fantasia (02/07/1940) - Released on video and LaserDisc (US) in
          1991.  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 1987.  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.
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 (04/20/1946) - 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.
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 (06/22/1950) - 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) in 1988
          (?).  Also released on LD.
14) Peter Pan (02/05/1953) - Released on video (US) in 1989.  Also
          released on LD.
15) Lady and the Tramp (06/16/1955) - Released on video (US) in 1987.
16) Sleeping Beauty (01/29/1959) - Released on video (US)  in 1987.
17) 101 Dalmatians (01/25/1961) - Will be released on video 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 Aristocrats (12/24/1970)
21) Robin Hood (11/08/1973) - Released on video (US) for rental in
          1986; re-released on video and LD for sell-through in 1991.
22) The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (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 released on video.
23) The Rescuers (06/22/1977)- This film was very successful in Europe
          during it's initial release, and has been released on video
          there.
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 (07/25/1986) - Score by Henry Mancini.
27) Oliver and Company (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 (11/22/1989) - 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 release.
29) The Rescuers Down Under (11/23/1990) - Released on video and LD
          (US) in 1991.  Disney's first official animated sequel.
30) Beauty and the Beast (11/15/1991) - Was nationally released on
          11/23/91. 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.
31) Aladdin and the Magic Lamp (Nov/Dec 1992)
32) King of the Jungle (late 1993)

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.
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 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.
Lambert, the Sheepish Lion (1952) - Released on video with "Willie,
          the Operatic Whale."
Mary Poppins (08/29/64) - Nominated for Best Picture.  This was Julie
          Andrews' first movie, for which she won the Academy Award
          for Best Actress.  Mary Poppins also won for Best Song
          ("Chim-Chim-Cher-ee"), Best Score, Film Editing, and Special
          Visual Effects.
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.
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.
DuckTales: The Movie (1990) - Released on video.  Although full
          length, this isn't included because it did not meet
          "classic" animation standards (whatever that means).
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.

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; 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, Sleeping Beauty, Lady
and the Tramp, Cinderella, Fantasia (although this can still be easily
found).  I suspect that Peter Pan and The Little Mermaid will soon
disappear, although these are still in somewhat plentiful supply.
     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.  Only time will tell.

3) Where can I get Disney-related GIF pictures?

     This question is not as simple as it sounds.  There are plenty of
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 (e.g. wuarchive.wustl.edu) have some in their
          collection.  tezuka.rest.ri.cmu.edu (128.2.209.227) has
          quite a few GIFs dedicated to the Disney Afternoon.  Others
          include: garfield.catt.ncsu.edu (152.1.43.23; GIFs, Disney
          related text files); calvin.nmsu.edu (128.123.35.150; some
          questionable quality Disney Afternoon digitized music);
          emx.texas.edu (some GIFs).   There are also a few at
          wuarchive.wustl.edu, 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 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.  Others include the COMART
          (Computer Art), QPICS (Quick Pics), and GALLERY (Graphics
          Gallery) forums (type GO GRAPHICS to see them all).  The
          biggest problem with CompuServe is that connect time is
          $12.80/hour at 2400 baud, and $22.80/hour at 9600 baud.
          This can make the GIFs quite expensive.
               As a side note here, I'd like to mention that in early
          1990, all Disney GIFs were removed by CIS (CompuServe
          Information Services) due to legal concerns (they removed
          the GIFs voluntarily- not because Disney pressured them to
          do so).  After a period of time had gone by, Disney GIFs
          were allowed onto the forums again, as they had made an
          agreement with Disney that allowed CIS to carry GIFs of
          Disney characters, and gave Disney the right to disallow any
          given images at any time.  I have yet to witness a GIF be
          posted then pulled by Disney, but you never know.

America On-Line- AOL has quite a few GIFs that I haven't seen
          elsewhere, contributed by it's members.  This service is an
          "up-and-coming" alternative to Prodigy.  It costs $4.95/hour
          (with a $5.95 monthly minimum that includes one hour of free
          service).  The user interface is quite nice (based on the
          GEOS software), but the file transfer protocol looks like
          some kind of Kermit implementation or derivative (read:
          SLOW), and you don't get a choice of protocols to use (you
          have to run their proprietary software, like Prodigy).

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

     Serigraph cels are not real cels.  The serigraph process involves
creating a master cel by hand
and then using a serigraph machine, which lays down the colors, to
make copies.  It is a normal art process (meaning that serigraphs are
"art"), but in general, I wouldn't invest in serigraphs hoping to make
huge amounts of money like those who deal with real cels.  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, around the price of $2000-3000 each.  These too are NOT
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).
I believe only the cels are hand-painted; the backgrounds are
lithographed (reproduced).  There are others as well.

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 many people have echoed 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.
Shop around.  Negotiate.
     If you're interested in more advice, I'd recommend getting a copy
of Storyboard magazine.  For info about getting this magazine, see
question #99 below.
     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 I; 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.
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).  Most of these were obtained
from Storyboard magazine.  I welcome additions to this list.

     Gallery                     Phone
     All American Collectibles   (800)-872-8850  (Fair Lawn, NJ)
     Animation Alley             (800)-772-8666, (714)-776-8666 (Anaheim, CA)
     The Animation Celection     (416)-928-2357
     Animation Source            (203)-776-7111 (New Haven, CT)
     C.A. Brooks                 (516)-487-3556  (New York, NY)
     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)
     Gallery In Motion           (800)-788-0445  (Kansas City, MO)
     Howard Lowery               (818)-972-9080  (Burbank, CA)
     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)
     Mike Cluff's                (805)-927-1250  (Cambria, CA)
     M.j.Manfred                 (412)-561-6665  (Pittsburgh, PA)
     Mostly Art                  (203)-348-6270  (Stamford, CT)
     Phillips Collectibles       (212)-570-4830  (New York, NY)
     Russ Wolkoff                (818)-752-1755  (Los Angeles, CA)
     San Francisco Animated Art, Inc.   (800)-8DAFFY8, (415)-441-8900 (S.F., CA)
     Saturday Morning Animation  (518)-482-5405
     Scott & Leslie's            (714)-538-6893  (Orange, CA)
     Seaside Art                 (919)-441-5418  (Nags Head, NC)
     Silver Stone Gallery        (310)-598-7600  (Long Beach, CA)
     Stabur Corp.                (800)-346-8940, (313)-425-7940 (Livonia, MI)
     Toys To Go                  (215)-649-2555, (215)-649-8444 (Ardmore, PA)

     Cels are also sold at the Disney theme parks.  Serigraphs and
cels are sold at the Disney Stores (see question #14).  The Disney
Store is currently selling a line of cels with reproduced backgrounds
from The Little Mermaid.

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
     Much of the computer graphics 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.
     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 past, the animators would draw an
image on the cel, and 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.
     With modern computer graphics, this process can be eliminated,
speeding up the rate of output significantly.  The title for the new
system is CAPPS, which stands for "Computer Assisted Post-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.
This is *not* to say there is no coloring of cels; models are needed
for the computer.  In addition, there is still quite a bit of cleanup
work done by hand (though most of the final cleanup in done on
computer).
     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
CAPPS 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, multiplane techniques have improved, but none of these is
as easy as simply using a computer to move and blur images in pseudo-
3D space.  Other advantages of CAPPS 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? :-) ).
     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 CAPPS 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 CAPPS.  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 objects
such as the characters themselves.
     (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... :-) )

7) 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.
Newsgroups: rec.arts.disney