WDW Radio Show Disney Podcast #160 - Mar. 7, 2010 - Don Hahn & Peter Schneider The WDW Radio Show Disney Podcast Discuss WDW Radio Show Disney Podcast #160 - Mar. 7, 2010 - Don Hahn & Peter Schneider in the The WDW Radio Show forums; Hello and welcome to The WDW Radio Show - Your Walt Disney World Information Station. I am your host, Lou Mongello and this is show #160 for the week of ...

[Lou Mongello]

Hello and welcome to The WDW Radio Show - Your Walt Disney World Information Station. I am your host, Lou Mongello and this is show #160 for the week of March 7, 2010.

With the Academy Awards having honored the very best in the film-making industry recently, it's appropriate that this week I'm joined by two legends of Disney feature film animation. Don Hahn, animator, director and producer of such films as Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Beauty and the Beast and The Lion King talks with me about his career at Disney including being trained by Disney's Nine Old Men, creating Roger Rabbit, and his hand in the renaissance of Disney animation that began in the mid-80's. We also talk about his newest project, Waking Sleeping Beauty, a documentary chronicling and celebrating that time, and one that he produced with my next guest, Peter Schneider. The former President of the Walt Disney Studios talks about the rise and fall of animation during Disney's second golden age, as well as working with people like Michael Eisner, John Lasseter, Roy Disney and Jerry Katzenberg. We discuss the new film and how it tells the stories never before told, from the creative minds that actually lived it.

I'll have some announcements at the end of the show before playing more of your voicemails, so sit back, relax, and enjoy this week's episode of the WDW Radio Show.


You can email the show or call the voicemail TOLL FREE at 888-703-2171.

Thanks for listening! Be sure to tune in next week!

[DAR]

I haven't listened yet but when I heard about Waking Sleepy Beauty I immediately became very excited over seeing this film.

[Disney05]

Really enjoyed the interviews. Can't wait to see this movie. Hopefully it comes out on DVD soon.

[cjswitzerland]

I found this podcast extraordinary. Thanks so much Lou.

I happen to be passing through New York City at the end of March and I would love to see Waking Sleeping Beauty if possible while I am there.

Does anyone know where it will be playing in Manhattan? If this information is not known yet, if any of you New Yorkers would be willing to post the information as soon as you hear anything that would be great.

Christopher in Switzerland

[TiggerRPh]

Just starting the show….Jerry Katzenberg??

[GrumpyFan]

Listening to it now.

I know this is a topic of discussion that's been raised before, but I must respectfully disagree with Don's comments about the public having a "love affair with the computer". I really don't get this. I know it's something that started with Michael Eisner when he was in charge of Disney, and he pretty much phased out traditional animation because of a similar belief. But, everybody I talk to, who enjoys animation all seem to agree that it's not about the medium in which it was created that matters, it's the story. It's the story that matters, NOT how it was created. Do they not see that there have been plenty of bad CG movies that have come out in the past few years, that the public DIDN'T like or embrace. So, why do some think that they have to do the movies in CG for the public to accept them? It just sounds like an excuse to me.

The odd part about his statement though, was that he started shortly after talking about the style not being created by the pencil or the pixel, but by the animator, and that people go to the movies to see a good story. It was like he was contradicting himself.

[Minniegirl1995]

Great Podcast Lou!
This podcast was really cool because I LOVE Disney Animation. I have always wanted to be a Disney Animator and talking to other animators on other shows was especially cool, but getting people like Don Hahn and Peter Shneider is amazing! I have also enjoyed your past podcasts with you interviewing the other animator whose name I forget. His first name was Ron, but I forget his last name. It is so cool he worked on Mulan and I love that movie. Then Don Hahn with Beauty and the Beast, I watch that movie quite often because its so good. It is just so cool! Great job!

[DRC2]

Being an animation nut, I put this in your top 5 shows! Loved the interviews and look forward to seeing the film!

Thanks Lou!

[disneyfun55]

Hello all! I just discovered that there is a screening of Waking Sleeping Beauty at the National Museum of American History in the Carmichael Auditorium on March March 18th at 7PM! Tickets are $20 and can be purchased online at Smithsonian Resident Associates Program - Waking Sleeping Beauty

I didn't know if anyone wanted to get together for a mini meet for the event, but thought that it might be fun!

[disneyfun55]

I cant believe no one is interested??? I thought that there would be a bunch of people in the area that would want to attend....oh, well...I guess I'll have to tell you all about it when I get back.

Did I mention that after the screening, director Don Hahn and producer Peter Schneider are going to speak?

[disneyfun55]

Showing is tomorrow - and there are still tickets!!!! Speak up if you want to meet up! I'ld love to meet up with some fellow WDW Radio fans!

[DRC2]

Hey disneyfun55! How was it?

[disneyfun55]

It was absolutely unbelievable!!! I loved all 3 hours!!! Both Don Hahn and Peter Schneider could not have been more personable, down to earth, and forth coming as they fielded questions from the audience for about 45 minutes after the film.

The film itself is a treasure! There are so many great and candid moments with the animators and great shots of the different executives including Jeffery Katzenburg getting playfully mauled by a lion (he was fine) and Michael Eisner getting a pie in the face by Goofy that he didn't know was coming. It also highlighted a lot of the bad blood that was bringing down the Animation department including Roy E. Disney asking Michael Eisner for a second introduction during Frank Wells' memorial service - talk about awkward!!!

The film is very honest. The only thing that I thought was a little biased was the light that it painted Jeffery Katzenburg was pretty negative, but it also threw Peter Schneider under the bus as well - and he was producing the movie!

Don and Peter hired a journalist to conduct the interviews that you hear narrating the vintage footage (which was mostly taped by animators against company policy) as to lessen any bias that they may have had.

One of the things that I really enjoyed were the constant showing of charactitures that the animators did of the different individuals in the company. Don and Peter explained that the charactitures were back handed compliments that were displayed once a year at an event. They said that you didn't want to see too many as that would indicate a problem, but you didn't want to be absent either.

My DW and I had a blast. I only wish that I could see it again soon. If you have the ability to see this film, especially with a crowd of Disney fans, I highly recommend it! It was well worth the $20/tix that we paid.