From: jmb5b@newton.acc.Virginia.EDU (John M. Bozeman)
Subject: Re: SNOW WHITEI
Organization: University of Virginia
Ireallyam: jmb5b
Date: Sat, 11 Apr 1992 15:59:22 GMT

In article <1992Apr10.154707.14111@cs.rose-hulman.edu> cheesmna@HYDRA.ROSE-HULMAN.EDU writes:
>In article <1992Apr10.142557.19610@cis.ohio-state.edu>, fontana@honeydew.cis.ohio-state.edu (Mark Fontana) writes:
>>(W. Scott Radeker, IV) writes:
>>
>>   (Russell I. Dyreng) writes:
>>
>  [Russell I. Dyreng's stuff deleted]
>
>>
>>While I'm on Disney, let me ask if anyone besides me is disgusted with
>>the hyper-commercialization of the Disney empire... I mean, the "Disney
>>Afternoon", the cheap children's books with substandard illustrations,
>>the Disney stores bursting with "ancillary merchandise", etc.
>>It's turned into such a money machine, and it makes me sick.
>>
>>
>>Mark
>
>I'll raise my hand to that.  It seems every time you turn your head, Walt
>Disney is doing something spectacular.  I sometimes wonder when they'll start
>doing things like the EuroDisney 3rd and a half week Anniversary : Win a free
>loaf of french bread...  Where I really notice it is in the animated films.
>No sooner did Ariel walk off the screen then Belle danced on.  Though I haven't
>seen Beauty and the Beast yet, the immediate impressions I got from seeing the
>previews was that there was a VERY tangible similarity between the two movies,
>I think primarily in the style/feel/look of the artwork.  What I mean is that
>the animation in Snow White has a very different look than Cinderella (sorry if
>the difference in release times makes this an bad comparison, it's the first 
>that came to mind).  I'm thinking that Disney should take a little time out
>between big productions and take some time to do some really spectacular/unique
>work that can be really appreciated.
>
About all the marketing stuff, I kind of have to agreee.  I like all the books about technical stuff and a limited amount of film-themed merchandise, but there's a point where it goes too far.  I mean, I was in a Disney store a while
back and saw Beauty and the Beast underwear! That's a bit too much, I think.
  About the animation, however, I must disagree.  In terms of styles, maybe 
if all you see are posters and trailer, BatB and TLM might look a lot alike, butonce you see the movies, you might notice some very real differences.  For instance, BatB is, I think, much more subtle in terms of color and trying to
minimalize cartoonishness than the much more in-your-face, flashy approach
of LTM.  Even Be Our Guest would've looked strange if inlcuded in LTM, since
in terms of color and style it's darker-looking and less "hammy" than,say,
Under the Sea. Also, I even heard someone say once that if you took Belle,     
dyed her hair red and her eyes blue, you just have Ariel.  Again, this
is untrue.  What you would get is Belle with red hair and blue eyes. 
There eys are much different, and so  are the eyebrows, lips, hairstyles, and
even the shpes of there faces (Belle's is slightly more rounded than Ariel's).
BatB has it's dark moments that would not have fit in TLM.
My point is, that while the "Disney" style might be recognizable in both pictures, they each have a style of their own that sets the tone for the picture.  
It took something like three years (maybe more) to do all the work on 
BatB, and I don't know how long on TLM, but they don't seem like rush jobs to
me.
Oh well, I do not wish to start an argument, however. Just offering a few
defenses.
Michelle Carpick
University of Virginia



A


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