Eric Larson

Drawing by John MuskerThe previous post kept me thinking more about Eric Larson.He was the first Disney artist I wrote to, and we even met in Hamburg, Germany, where Eric and his girlfriend Hazel had a stopover during a Northern European Cruise. My English was pretty bad at the time, and during my conversation with Eric I understood  maybe half of what he was telling me.It was pretty darn frustrating. Words of wisdom lost in translation!I...

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Eric Larson's Burrito

In  February of 1945 Disney Studios released the feature "The Three Caballeros".The most charming sequence in the film is probably The Flying Gauchito. Frank Thomas did most of the animation of the two main characters, the Gauchito kid and the Burrito.But Eric Larson did significant scenes as well. I can see why he was cast on the flying donkey, after all Eric had done a beautiful job with the flying horses in Fantasia.These are his design sketches...

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Wilhelm M. Busch 1979

These marvelous life drawings and other doodles by Wilhelm M. Busch were published as a little sketchbook in Germany.The occasional sexually provocative quality in them makes me want to name him the German Frazetta.Busch's sense for anatomy with beautiful rhythm and composition is masterful, that's for sure. Every sketch is interesting, often the perspective is daring, and I don't see any drawing formulas here. No flashy shading or over confident...

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One More Jungle Book Post

Milt Kahl animated this Bagheera scene early on during production. There is still some experimentation going on here with facial features. The jaw line going to the ear is something Milt simplified later. I find the asymmetrical shapes of the panther's muzzle, nose and eyes just beautiful. Every expression is inventive and has the essence of a big cat.Incidentally, it is in THIS scene, when Bagheera asks Mowgl to get up the tree: "Go on,...

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Baloo and Bagheera, Hungover

Well, sort of.Baloo in particular partied a little too hard with King Louie and the monkeys. Ken Anderson came up with this beautiful sketch, which shows where Bagheera, Baloo and Mowgli are settling down after the rough encounter with the King of the Swingers.That sketch was the inspiration for the stunning production background.Ken also imagined what an "after party face" might look like on Baloo. Milt Kahl then did his version based...

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Jungle Wolves

There were four artists who were involved in creating the wolves for The Jungle Book.Story artist Bill Peet, who had boarded much of the film, before Walt Disney called for a much lighter tone for the whole project.Peet's wolves looked somewhat like coyotes, and there might be a reason for that. I know he must have encountered coyotes quite often, living in the Hollywood Hills. And they are STILL around here. I live near his old neighborhood,...

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