New ‘Pooh’ uplifting without being old hat
?If timing is everything, then a beloved animated bear is arriving at the perfect moment.
With “Winnie the Pooh,” the artists at Walt Disney Animation Studios were asked to bring the cuddly bear and his Hundred Acre Wood friends back to the big screen. The animators devoted themselves to creating an uplifting work that would be old-fashioned without ever being old hat.
“The (vintage) Pooh films were fun,” said Eric Goldberg, who animated Rabbit for the new “Winnie the Pooh,” which opens July 15. “This is very different than all the big action films coming this summer.
“This new Pooh provides a feel-good viewing experience, which is comforting in these uncertain times. It works at a slower pace, and I mean that in a good way.”
According to Goldberg, who was born in Levittown in Bucks County, Pa., and in 1961 moved to Cherry Hill, much of the visual beauty in “Winnie the Pooh” results from employing an artistic old-school process.
“The film features traditional hand-drawn animation,” Goldberg said. “It looks fresh and new.
“The Pooh films (1964’s “Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree’ 1968’s ‘Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day’ and 1977’s ‘The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh’) were fun.
“Taking on ‘Winnie the Pooh’ was exhilarating and daunting at the same time, and we set out to make it with the Disney ethos ingrained in us. We knew that audiences have an emotional engagement (with Pooh).”
In “Winnie the Pooh,” the classic characters Tigger, Rabbit, Piglet, Owl, Kanga, Roo and Eeyore prepare to leave their safe forest to save Christopher Robin from what turns out to be an imaginary culprit. Stephen Anderson and Don Hall co-directed, and Goldberg served as the supervising animator for Rabbit.
Goldberg moved to Los Angeles in 1982, a time when animators were having a tough time finding work.
“Three things changed that (the lack of jobs): the arrival of ‘Who Framed Roger Rabbit’ (1988) with its animated elements, the resurgence of Disney with ‘The Little Mermaid’ (1989), and ‘The Simpsons’ (1989) on television,” said Goldberg, who often works with his wife, Susan, a fellow animation artist.
His Mouse House credits include supervising the animation of Robin Williams’ wise-cracking Genie in “Aladdin”; co-directing “Pocahontas”; animating the Danny DeVito-voiced satyr Phil in “Hercules”; writing, animating and directing two sequences (“Carnival of the Animals” and “Rhapsody in Blue”) for “Fantasia/2000”; and being the supervising animator for the alligator Louis in the hand-drawn “The Princess and the Frog.”
And when asked his all-time favorite Disney animated jewel, he had an immediate answer.
“‘Dumbo,”‘ said Goldberg. “It’s fantastic because of the emotions it triggers. I can’t think of anyone who doesn’t mist up when Dumbo is reunited with his mother.
“I think it’s a masterpiece.”
Hi-def dinosaurs in ‘Park’
On Oct. 20, high-def dinosaurs will start rampaging in media rooms as “Jurassic Park Ultimate Trilogy” (Universal; $79.99, Blu-ray Disc) arrives in stores.
Steven Spielberg, who directed the first two installments (Joe Johnson helmed the third), gave permission for “Jurassic Park” (1993), “The Lost World: Jurassic Park” (1997) and “Jurassic Park III” (2001) to be released in digitally restored and remastered versions.
The franchise, based on the best-selling novel by the late Michael Crichton, generated nearly $2 billion in combined worldwide grosses.
The numerous extras will include a six-part making-of documentary (“Return to Jurassic Park”), making-of featurettes on the three titles, and much more.
For hard-core fans, the “Limited Edition Blu-ray Trilogy Gift Set” (Universal; $119.99) will be available.
The extras include a custom T-rex dinosaur statue.
Casting Calls
Liam Hemsworth, the brother of “Thor” star Chris Hemsworth, will display his flex appeal in “Arabian Nights,” a 3-D family adventure tale.
Chuck Russell (“The Mask”) is directing the picture about a young commander who teams with Sinbad, Aladdin and Genie to battle a sorcerer.
John C. Reilly, Sarah Silverman and Jane Lynch will lend their voice talents to Walt Disney Animation Studio’s “Wreck-It Ralph,” which will be presented in digital 3-D. The family film, which will feature computer-generated images, follows a plus-sized computer-game character who embarks on a quest to become a hero. The film is set for release on Nov. 2, 2012.