Animalympics (film)

***Animalympics*** is a 1980 animated film directed by Steven Lisberger and produced by Lisberger Studios, Inc. for NBC. Originally commissioned as two separate specials, it spoofs the Summer and Winter Olympic games with anthropomorphic animals.

## Cast

* Gilda Radner as Barbra Warblers/Brenda Springer/Cora Lee Perrier/Tatyana Tushenko/Dorrie Turnell/The Contessa
* Billy Crystal as Rugs Turkell/Joey Gongolong/Art Antica/Bruce Kwakimoto
* Harry Shearer as Keen Hacksaw/Mayor of Animalympic Island/Burnt Woody/Mark Spritz
* Michael Fremer as Henry Hummel/René Fromage/Kit Mambo/Bolt Jenkins/Kurt Wuffner/Dean Wilson/Melé/Count Maurice Boar-Deaux/Jackie Fuelit/Bear McLane/Gui Lafluke/Bjorn Freeborg/Mamo Ululu

## Production

What would become *Animalympics* commenced production in 1976, originally conceived as a 7-minute animated short utilizing animal characters to parody the Olympic Games and its media coverage. During production, Steven Lisberger and his staff at Lisberger Studios' Boston, Massachusetts-based studio realized that the concept demanded a more extensive format to achieve proper execution, not only extending it to half an hour but also committing themselves to an extra hour. To meet the new production demands, Lisberger opened a second, larger studio in Venice California and moved some of the Boston-based staff there, along with hiring 40 new artists, animators, and editors.

*Animalympics* was commissioned by NBC in 1978, intending for Lisberger Studios to create it as two hour-long specials to be paired alongside their coverage of both the 1980 Winter Olympics and the 1980 Summer Olympics then held in Moscow. However, after the Soviet Union invaded and took control of Afghanistan, then-U.S. President Jimmy Carter decided to boycott the Moscow Summer Olympics. This led to NBC canceling their Olympic coverage and the *Animalympics* Summer special.

From its conception, however, producer Donald Kushner and director Steven Lisberger intended for the project to be a feature-length theatrical release (complete with Dolby surround sound via 35mm film), even though the Winter Olympics special was considered for an Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film nomination.

Within the crew that worked on the film were art director/animator Roger Allers, animation director Bill Kroyer, and animator Brad Bird. Allers, who animated Kit Mambo, went on to direct *The Lion King*. Kroyer wrote and directed the Oscar-nominated short *Technological Threat* and *FernGully: The Last Rainforest*. Bird went on to work as story editor for *The Simpsons*, later achieving even greater success writing and directing *The Iron Giant*, *The Incredibles* and *Ratatouille*. Director Steven Lisberger went on to conceive, co-write and direct the science-fiction cult classic *Tron*, alongside some of the *Animalympics* crew. Michael Fremer, who voiced several characters in *Animalympics* and was also co-writer, dialogue/music track editor, and sound mix supervisor for the film, went on to supervise the Oscar-nominated soundtrack for *Tron*.

## Soundtrack

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A&M Records in the US, and Mercury Records in Europe released an Animalympics soundtrack album, which has long been out of print. The music on this soundtrack was written and produced by Graham Gouldman, who performed the tracks himself along with other members of 10cc (Gouldman is the bassist and co-founder of the band). The soundtrack was recorded primarily in Strawberry Studios North and South, used extensively by 10cc, as well as in Los Angeles.

Pieces of classical music play in the film. "The Hut on Hen's Legs (Baba Yaga)" from *Pictures at an Exhibition* by Modest Mussorgsky plays during Tatyana Tushenko's floor exercises. "March to the Scaffold" from *Symphonie fantastique* by Hector Berlioz plays during the couple's figure skating. The 3rd movement from Symphony No. 4 by Johannes Brahms plays during Dorie Turnell's skating performance.

### Track listing

All tracks are written by Graham Gouldman

**Side 1**
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**Side 2**
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### Personnel

Per vinyl liner notes

* Graham Gouldman – lead and backing vocals, bass, guitar, percussion, arrangements, production
* Rick Fenn – guitar, backing vocals
* Duncan Mackay – keyboards, clavinet, backing vocals
* Paul Burgess – drums, percussion
* Stuart Tosh – backing vocals
* Mike Timony – accordion on "Love's Not For Me (Rene's Song)"
* Jimmie Haskell – orchestral arrangements
* Sid Sharp – concertmaster
* Joel Sill – coordinator
* Alan Barson, Chris Nagle, Larry Forkner – engineering
* Tony Spath – engineering, mix-down engineer
* Melvyn Abrahams – mastering and half speed mastering at Strawberry Mastering and Sheffield Lab Matrix

## References

1. ↑ https://the10ccfanclub.com/presskits/anima004.jpg
2. ↑ SoundtrackCollector.com
3. ↑ Graham Gouldman – *Animalympics – Music from the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack* LP. Retrieved on January 1, 2018.
4. ↑ Graham Gouldman- *Animalympics- Music from the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack* LP @Discogs.com
5. ↑ Animalympics.
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