Hook and Smee

What a terrific photostat!

The actors are Hans Conried as Hook and Don Barcley as Mr Smee.

This is an absolutely crazy scene. Smee believes that he cut off Hook's head while giving him a shave. Then, when he finds the head under the chair, he tries to pick it up while informing Hook's body toward screen right about his luck. 

Character animation doesn't get any better than this! This stuff is right up there with Chaplin and Marcel Marceau. A nutty situation performed in a completely believable way. You don't even sense any live action reference, because the broad animation totally stands on its own. 

Here's to Frank and Ollie!!

They went back and forth animating this scene. Frank started out by staging Hook. He threw in a few poses for Smee, but Ollie did his own acting for that character.

These clean up keys are scans from "The Illusion of Life". 

I just love the fact that while Smee tries to pull out Hook's head, his attention is toward screen right, because that's where he last saw Hook's body.

One of my favorite animated scenes, Animation Gold!!!
Drawings from right to left:

More on the second half of the scene in the next post.