Tinkering With a Dream

(Originally published on March 27, 2010)

        Bringing life to imagination has been synonymous with the name Walt Disney for the last 85 years.  No one formula can reproduce the art and richness of his studio’s work.  His never-ending curiosity kept his artists on their feet, and in some instances, initially left them in the dark.  Walt’s mind ran constantly in motion, and it wouldn’t be unusual for him to attempt the creation of two ideas at once.

"Project Little Man"

        After World War II, many have assumed that Disney lost interest in animation.  This is a more than reasonable assumption considering the effect the war had on the Studio.  During those four years, Disney was forced to shelf many of his animated projects; several that had even made it through the preliminary stages.  In exchange, his creative forces were instead spent on making training and propaganda films for the United States military.  Despite all this, to say that Disney lost complete interest in animation doesn’t seem like a fair assessment to me.  The war indeed had a draining effect on him personally and professionally, yet he came out with his creativity intact and his curiosity yearning to be satisfied.  Disney still played a very active part in his films, but his animators’ skills and expertise had gained his trust, and deep down Walt probably knew his future films were in good hands.  The new ideas he was gathering would eventually take his studio to the next level, and animation, or in other words, the way things moved, was still at the forefront of Walt’s mind.

        In Michael Broggie’s wonderful book focusing on Walt’s love for trains, he does an incredible job of highlighting Disney’s inner passion for collecting mechanized and miniature toys; especially during the late 1940’s and early 1950’s.  During his many trips to Europe, Disney sought out local toy and antique shops in search of these scaled-down treasures (Broggie, 1997).  In actuality, the gears inside those toys were not the only ones in motion.  Walt’s return from across seas often led straight to his studio’s machine shop located directly behind the studio’s Ink and Paint building, to consult with two of his first Imagineers, Roger Broggie and Wathel Rogers.  The roles they played were pinnacle to Disney understanding how these toys moved and what made them tick.  On one such occasion, Walt had purchased a mechanical-talking bird while on a trip to New Orleans and handed it over to his master machinists.  Roger Broggie recalled, “That was the bird in the cage.  He wanted Sam Slyfield [head of the] Sound Department and myself to take a look at it and, and find out how it works (Kurtti, 2008).”  To be a fly on the wall while Broggie and Slyfield disassembled that bird and explained its source of movement and sound to Walt would have been magical.  Though they didn’t realize it at the time, Walt was already dreaming of what he could do with this newly acquired information.

                        
        It’s important to understand that Walt not only collected these tiny treasures, but he was rather skilled at crafting them himself in his free time.  In late 1949, Disney literally converted his Southern California backyard into his own personal scaled-down railroad; train and all!  The caboose to his 1/8th scaled train, lovingly christened with the name “Lilly Belle” after his wife, was built and designed solely by Disney.  When Walt wasn’t working on his Carolwood Pacific Railroad, the new official name of his backyard paradise, he also spent time constructing miniatures and dioramas.  One such project by Walt reproduced the cozy and warm inner cabin belonging to Granny Kincaid from Disney’s 1949 classic, So Dear to My Heart.  In Bob Thomas' biography on Walt Disney, Disney Legend Ken Anderson recalls the time when Walt told him about this idea: 

 I’m [Walt] tired of having everybody else around here do the drawing and painting:  I’m going to do something creative myself.  I’m going to put you on my personal payroll, and I want you to draw twenty-four scenes of life in an old Western town.  Then I’ll carve the figures and make the scenes in miniature.  When we get enough of them made, we’ll send them out as a traveling exhibit (Thomas, 1976).

Walt Disney's Granny Kincaid miniature display.

        The traveling attraction, which at the time was coined “Disneylandia”, never came true, but Walt’s miniature Kincaid cabin was successfully put on exhibit at the Festival of California-Living in 1952 (Barrier, 2007).  “The next step was to build a kindly looking 1/8th scale grandmother who would be animated to rock back-and-forth in her chair knitting” shares Michael Broggie in his Walt Disney's Railroad Story (Broggie, 1997). Even though this feature never reached fruition, the germ was spreading.    

        A phone call to the late actor and dancer Buddy Ebsen (famously known for his appearances in Disney’s Davy Crockett and The Beverly Hillbillies series) was a pinnacle moment for Walt.  Sourced from Katherine and Richard Greene’s Inside the Dream:  The Personal Story of Walt Disney, the following dialogue is Ebsen’s recollection of the phone call and the experience that came after:

After I got out of the service, I needed a job.  Out of the blue I got a call from Walt Disney, who invited me to his studio for lunch.  He took me to a small workroom, where some folks were fiddling around with a little wooden man that had wires coming out of his bottom and was connected to a wheel with cams on it.  As the wheel turned, the little man’s arms and legs moved.  Walt looked at me and said, 'I want you to do a corny soft-shoe dance for us, which we’re going to photograph.'  So while they photographed me dancing they rigged cams and wires in such a way that the little man moved as I moved.  Meanwhile, Walt was off to the side showing me how he wanted me to move by doing little steps and telling me to repeat the steps.  This became the beginning of Audio-Animatronics (Greene, & Greene, 2001).

        As described by master Imagineer Martin A. Sklar, “In simplest terms, Audio-Animatronics combines and synchronizes sound and animation with the electronics of the space age (Sklar, 1969).”  Walt ran with the information he acquired from “Project Little Man”, and went on to create WED Enterprises around 1952.  The talented artists and craftsmen who went on to work for WED became responsible for bringing Walt’s dream of Disneyland to physical life.  From the theme park’s 1955 opening on, Walt’s new team applied their new knowledge and skill to create legendary Disneyland attractions utilizing the invention of Audio-Animatronics.  The most famous (several that had been showcased at the 1964 New York World’s Fair) became Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room, Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln, “it’s a small world”, Pirates of the Caribbean, and The Haunted Mansion.    

        Even though technology has come a long way since the space age, and the name WED Enterprises has been changed to Walt Disney Imagineering, it’s still important to remember the past.  Walt Disney was a man who was always looking to the future, but he never forgot what the past had taught him.  I’d like to think he would be thrilled with the new technology his Audio-Animatronics paved the way for.  The mysterious Yeti that lurks in the dark caverns of EPCOT’s Expedition Everest I’m sure would have brought a smile to his face.  To think it was all started with a man’s interest in a little toy bird.

Walt Disney directs Buddy Ebsen on "Project Little Man."

Our Friend, Ron Dias

        It has taken me a few days to muster up the courage to write this article. For everyone out there who does not know, veteran animation artist and storybook illustrator, Ron Dias, passed away this past Tuesday.

        I will never forget when I first spoke with Ron. It was August of 2010 when I anxiously received his voice message on my cell phone (I still have it on file today). He had responded to a letter I wrote to him on July 28 of that year. I called Ron back instantly and found him to be so welcoming and warm right from the start. That first call led to a second, and a third, and so many more over the next three years. We became very close, and in time, met in person this time last year. In fact, you can read about that visit HERE if you'd like. What a special day it was!

        I had always been an admirer of Ron's art from a far as a child, not knowing that this gem of an artist even existed. It wasn't until I became seriously interested in the art of Disney animation, as an adult, when I discovered who Ron Dias was. And then BOOM! I realized that he had always been a part of my life.

        Who knew that this man was lurking in the backgrounds of The Secret of NIMH or hiding within the forest of Sleeping Beauty? And who knew that this wonderful man would someday open up his world to me and become such a dear friend over such a short period of time? I know I'm not alone in this. There are so many others out there, reading this now with tears in their eyes, nodding their heads.

        Through Ron, I gained a whole new appreciation not only for animation, but for his art. I never fully realized how much he accomplished in his lifetime until getting to know him. Believe it when I say that Ron is all around us. He's made his mark on children's books, background art, movie posters, puzzles, video games, Blu-ray menus, comic books, record covers, television, magazines....the list goes on and on!

        It was the fall of 2012 when he and I decided to talk in depth about his life and art. With his kind permission, I started to record our sessions in mid-September. Between then and early November I interviewed and recorded Ron on consecutive Saturdays. The interviews would range anywhere from an hour to two hours each. In the end, we had over 12 hours of recordings, divided into eight sessions.

        Two weeks before Ron passed away, I began transcribing our first interview together. It's really funny how time works that way. I never thought he'd be gone shortly thereafter. I spoke with him for the last time on July 17 while he was in the hospital. He shared with me that he and his lifelong partner, Howard, we're finally getting married that day. Before hanging up, it dawned on me that it was not only my own wedding anniversary, but Disneyland's birthday, too! I could tell he just loved that. Without even knowing it, that was our final goodbye.

        Although Ron is no longer with us, his legacy lives on. He has touched so many lives through his art and friendship, and that alone makes him immortal. I know many others out there have a story to tell too.

        I've been building up quite an extensive file on Ron since we began talking, with the hopes of someday writing a biography about him. The recordings cemented that, and with Ron's blessing, I knew it was something I was determined to do. Now that he is gone, it makes it so much more real, and so much more important to me that his story be told.

        With that said, if you have any information about Ron, whether you were a friend, family member, or coworker, and would like to share your experiences, please feel free to send them to me, Vince, at vrand83@gmail.com. Anything you can send is much appreciated and will be included in my files on Ron.

        Ron was known for inscribing in his children's books that "Art is Magic!" Well, I think we can all safely agree that Ron Dias was magic. And he is sorely missed.

My thoughts and prayers go out to Howard and Ron's family.

Return to Sleepy Hollow

        Every year in October since starting this blog, I've tried my best to post an article about Disney's The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. It remains a personal and timeless favorite of mine, and this time of the year always adds to its appeal.

        Last Christmas, Ron Dias sent me a very special package in the mail - a present that Santa Claus himself could not have given! Ron drew and colored for me the framed picture that you see below. I was flabbergasted upon opening it. Not only had I obtained a Ron Dias original, but a recreated piece of Sleepy Hollow art.

    The figures that show off the piece are from the Walt Disney Classics Collection line of figurines. I've had my eye on them for quite a while, and finally purchased them for what I thought to be a fair price. I think they are a spooktacular choice for spotlighting Ron's art. Don't you?

Happy Halloween, Disney Lovers!

Would You Like Figaro With Your Coffee?

        For anyone who considers themselves a collector of something, you live for those rare moments when you uncover a true treasure. Today, was one of those days.

        A few months back at Jake's Flea Market in Barto, Pennsylvania, I ran into my old friend and fellow dealer, Bob - whom I've obtained some of my most prized Disney collectibles from. We struck up a rather casual conversation about our latest flea market adventures and then proceeded on our way. At the last minute, Bob turned to me and remembered that he had a Figaro piece on his workbench at home that I might be interested in. I knew Figaro collectibles of any kind, whether vintage or new, were few and far between, so I was very interested. But, when he described it to me in detail, I began to feel that little charge of electricity within me when I know I'm close to striking gold.

        The scent of excitement that had wafted into my nose on that day lingered for three solid months while I waited for Bob to call me. Just when I was about to give up hope, I was pleasantly surprised to hear a message from him on my voicemail while driving home from work last week. We made the arrangements and met at Jake's this morning past.

        All I kept picturing in my head this morning while driving to the flea market, was the image of a 1940 Figaro piece made by Brayton Laguna Pottery that I had seen in a book on collecting Disneyana. Bob initially described the figure as a ceramic creamer, green in color, with a little Figaro dangling from the lip. I knew exactly what he meant as soon as he began describing it, and had been looking to add it to my other Brayton Laguna Figaro figurines for some time now (incidentally, the three other Figaros in my possession were purchased from Bob too a few years back).

        It didn't take me long to find Bob's van after parking, and upon seeing him, his smile revealed to me that he was just as excited to see me. He popped his trunk, pulled out an old shoebox, and removed the contents within. To my surprise, Bob unwrapped not only the creamer piece he had described, but a matching sugar bowl with Figaro as its lid to boot! I had never seen this piece before, and knew I had to have them both. After declining Bob's rather low offer for the both, I gave him what I felt they were worth to me.

        As is often times seen on the History Channel's American Pickers, it's not always about finding a rare and valuable item. From the time I met Bob at Jake's a few years back, I knew I had found a treasure in him. Nearly forty years my senior, he feels like that distant uncle that I rarely see, but always look forward to talking to again. The initial set of Figaro pieces that I bought from Bob were my first serious purchases as a Disney collector. It's only fitting that these two new additions came from him too. They will always be special to me because of that.

A Day With Ron Dias

        Dreams, sometimes, do come true, and one of mine did last Wednesday. After nearly two years of telephone conversations, Disney artist, Ron Dias, and I finally got to meet.

        Shannon and I were staying in San Francisco for the week, and visiting Ron and his partner Howard two-and-a-half hours to the south was a big part of our itinerary. The day was filled with hugs, laughter, and ART! Ron and Howard not only opened up their home to us (greeted by their lovable cat, Travis), but shared their passion for fantasy.

        Stepping into Ron's studio was like walking into a living mini-museum and workshop at the same time. The scent of creation and talent was in the air, and the soft lighting spotlighted samples of Ron's original works on the surrounding four walls. His massive easel stationed to the far center of the room immediately drew by attention, and to stand before it was to catch a glimpse of Ron's creative process.

        Ron's career at Disney began in 1956 with in-between and clean-up work on Sleeping Beauty. He was only eighteen years old. Remember the scene when Briar Rose dips her foot in the water while in the forest? Ron worked on that scene. He was assigned with the assistants in Marc Davis' unit.

        It was Sleeping Beauty that opened up Ron's eyes to the art of Eyvind Earle. Ron got to see many of Earle's conceptual and background pieces first-hand, and since then has never been the same. The art on Ron's easel above displays his personal tributes to the decorative artist. Ron's expertise at recreating the style of Earle can even be seen in the introduction to the interactive menu of the Sleeping Beauty Blu-ray release. He created four different pieces of the landscape that surrounds King Stefan's castle; each representing a season of the year.

        After a generous tour of his home, the four of us carpooled together to the local Black Bear Diner. Shannon and I enjoyed the cabin-like atmosphere of the restaurant, and found it to be a surprising treat since we don't have one out east. As we talked and dined on our delicious lunch, Ron doodled pictures of Tinker Bell and Mickey Mouse on napkins for Shannon and I to keep.

        The conclusion of our trip led us to Ron's art gallery in the local Artistic HangUps in Salinas. Sprinkled throughout the building's back room is the Disney and fantasy art that makes up Ron's "A Summer Fantasy" show. Beginning Friday, August 10, 2012, one can have the chance to view and even purchase many of Ron's magical pieces. The art on display ranges from many different themes; from Disney to Greek Mythology and sorcery to fairies.

        With the tour of the gallery over, it was time for our bittersweet return to San Francisco. No longer strangers to each other, we hugged and said our good byes back at Ron's house. It's a trip that Shannon and I will never forget, and we hope that Ron and Howard feel the same way. The magic of Disney has become even more important to me thanks to Ron, and the power behind it was what initially brought us together. I'm happy to call him my friend.

Little Golden Secrets Revealed

        Go to the children's section of any used bookstore, and one will find a plethora of Disney Little Golden Books waiting to be taken home. These "little" gems can be cheaply obtained, but their value (if in good condition) is priceless. Like many creative processes, the behind the scenes work of these golden treasures is relatively unknown to its intended audience. Disney artist, Ron Dias, has shared his experiences with me on illustrating many of the Disney Little Golden classics of the 1980s and 1990s. In a package that he sent me not too long ago, he included some documents that revealed one aspect of this creative process. Much like the character development that goes into making an animated film, I was rather surprised to see the amount of work that goes into transferring the many Disney characters into storybook form. Part of the illustration process on Ron's part consisted of color-keying each character. He has emphasized to me on many occasions that the character depictions from his storybooks, and how they appeared in their respective films, should be seamless and true to their original form. Below are character-model sheets color-keyed for his Sleeping Beauty and Dumbo Little Golden Books. 

Dumbo Coloring Contest

        I can honestly say that the last couple weeks have been extremely productive; with the exception of updating this website. A large portion of my time has been spent researching Dick Kelsey, and I must say it has been a most enjoyable experience. I'm certainly new to the interviewing process and establishing connections with individuals who have information on his life, but I'm learning as I go. I'm beginning to draft my writing as I type up this post, and I feel the facts provided will make for an interesting narrative. Considering the information that has been found, I think many will be interested to find out what I have.

        As I was perusing through various newspaper articles from the early 1940s, I came across a February 23, 1942 article from a paper in Uniontown, Pennsylvania. It offered kids of the time a chance to win tickets to see Dumbo for free at the local theater. The catch? They had to neatly color a picture of Dumbo (seen above) and mail it out to be judged for a coloring contest. The article read:

Meet Dumbo. Dumbo is the famous elephant with ears so big he flies like a bird. Dumbo is a creation of Walt Disney who made Donald Duck and Mickey Mouse famous.

Dumbo's new feature picture, all in technicolor, opens this Wednesday at the Manos Theater in Uniontown. And to celebrate this event we are having a coloring contest.

Simply color the cartoon above. Put as many different colors on it as you wish. Use any kinds of colors you want.

Ten free passes to see the new picture Dumbo for the ten best coloring jobs sent in. Color yours now and mail or bring it to "Color Contest," care of The Junior Reporters Club, Standard office, Uniontown, Pa.

Tomorrow and Wednesday we will have a different cartoon from this picture. Ten more passes will be given for the best color jobs on each of these cartoons. Enter every day if you wish. Or enter just one cartoon. It's easy!

Don't miss this chance to see the grand new feature length cartoon. Color this cartoon and rush it in now! Winners of this cartoon's coloring will be announced Thursday.

For those who are now scrambling for their Crayola box, I'm sorry. The contest is over.