Layout Drawing for Deleted Soup-Eating Scene

Currently up for sale at Heritage Auctions is a rare layout drawing from the deleted "soup-eating" scene. Snow White covers her ears as the dwarfs slurp their soup. Graphite on 12 field 5-peghole animation paper. Dates from circa 1936-37.

Most of the work completed by animator Ward Kimball was cut from the final Snow White film--including the soup-eating sequence. This was not because it wasn't good, it was. The scenes just didn't fit with the overall timing of the movie. Walt Disney made the difficult decision to axe them well into the project. After working for months on the animation, Kimball was crestfallen. So much so that he planned to quit the studio. Walt, however, talked him into staying by offering Ward the Jiminy Cricket character in Pinocchio.

1938 Snow White Wrap Party - Part 1 (day)

The Daytime Activities...

It was seventy-eight years ago, on June 4-5, 1938, that the Disney Studio held its Snow White wrap party. Also known as Walt's Field Day, it was meant to be a reward to his staff (and their spouses) for their dedication to the film project. For three and a half years, they worked tirelessly, often under intense and stressful circumstances--putting in more hours than they were paid--just to see Walt's vision reach fruition. So by mid 1938, Snow White was raking in the bucks, and it was time to give back to his employees as a whole.

Ward and Betty Kimball having a grand old time at the wrap party.

Image via Cartoon Brew.

The two-day event took place at the Lake Norconian Resort in Norco, California. Food and activity expenses were on the Disney Studio tab, though guests had to pay for their own alcohol and hotel rooms. Much has been written, blogged, and published about this weekend, though little of it coming directly from the Walt Disney Company itself.

Thanks to Hans Perk's A. Film L.A. site, we get a look at a Walt's Field Day program that lists the daytime activities--including badminton, ping pong, horseshoes, swimming, and more. (The cover art reveals a Mickey Mouse with pupils in his eyes, said to be the first time he was ever drawn this way. Artist: Ward Kimball.)

The program booklet measures 5.75" x 8.5". Textured stiff paper covers, eight glossy pages. Green text.

A couple of photos from the day via the BabbittBlog.

More information on the event and its participants is found in these pages, courtesy of Mike Van Eaton (via A. Film L.A.). It indicates the staff members who reserved rooms. Interestingly, the individual who took down the names made a number of spelling errors, e.g., Ollie Johnson, Chuck Otterstrom...

Engraved metal trophies were given out to the winners of nine of the events, including the Boating Race. This cup was won by Douglas "Bud" Rickert, a Disney background painter. It measures 6.25" tall and was up for auction at Hakes back in 2006.

The infamous nighttime activities at Walt's Filed Day will be covered in the next Archive entry.

Harry Rasmussen - 1938 Movie Experience of Snow White

Born in Denmark in 1929, Harry Rasmussen first saw Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs on Christmas Day in 1938 when he was 9 years old. The event would have such a lasting effect that animation would become his life's work.

As a 14-year young man, Harry became an apprentice animator on the first Danish animated feature, The Tinderbox (Fyrtøjet). And as an adult, he was employed with Nordic Cartoon Films in Copenhagen.












Being in the "biz" allowed him some special opportunities, like the day back in 1959 when he got to meet Walt Disney who was traveling in Europe and visited the studio.

That's Harry's hand in the lower left of the photo below...To the left of Walt Disney is animator Anton Fredsøe. On the right is the director of the Metropol Theatre and Mickey Mouse Corporation of Denmark, Jørgen Jørgensen, and the Director of Nordisk Film Junior, Ove Sevel. Behind Jørgen Jørgensen (in dark shirt) is Ib Steinaa. Photo © 1959 Paul Dupont and and Dansk Tegnefilm Historie/Harry Rasmussen.

____

Ward Kimball with his wife Betty visited in 1965...In the courtyard at Nordisk Film in Valby, Ward behind the wheel, beside him Walther Lehmann. Rear passengers from left: Flemming Jensen, Kirsten Steinaa and Betty Kimball. Standing beside the car (which had been used in the filming of the 1962 movie "The Dear Family") are Harry Rasmussen and Anne Lise Andersen. Photo taken by Henning Bahs with Kimball’s camera.

____

In 1977 while on vacation in the States, Harry received an invite to The Walt Disney Studios in Burbank where he met Frank Thomas, Ollie Johnston, Eric Larson, Woolie Reitherman, Ken Anderson and Vance Gerry. They even asked Harry to come work for the Disney Studio, but he had to decline because it would mean uprooting his family from Denmark.

____

Harry first heard the name of Walt Disney when Snehvide og de syv Dværge (Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs) officially premiered in Denmark on September 29, 1938. But he would not have an opportunity to see the film until nearly three months later when the movie was shown simultaneously on Christmas Day in major provincial towns, and later also in the small town cinemas.

His family was living in the city of Nakskov, about 2 km outside of the town center. One day, he happened to be passing the local theatre, and to his great surprise and excited joy...

I saw the film publicized on the cinema facade, and when I looked beyond the iron grid that sealed off the entrance, I caught a glimpse of some life-sized figures of dwarfs. They were cut from plywood and installed in the hall and partly overhanging the cabinets on either side of the entrance, where behind the glass windows were suspended a number of pictures with scenes from the movie, as was common at that time.

It was so breathtaking, that on the following day after school, I rushed back to the cinema hoping to see more of the images in the showcases. But since it was outside of the opening hours, the iron front gate was closed and locked. Yet by pushing my head close to the bars, I managed to get even more of a glimpse of film images that enthralled me.

The theatre was located on the corner of Railway Street (Jernbanegade) and Dana Street (Danagade). The entrance was under the red canopy where now there is a pizzeria. The dark building that can be seen at the left rear of the picture is the old cinema. This photo was taken during a visit to Nakskov in the summer of 2001, © Harry Rasmussen.

Christmas Day 1938. With his father staying home with the two younger siblings, Harry was accompanied by his mother as they headed off to see Snow White for the first time.

Mother could not at that time have done me no greater joy or service than when she took me into the KINO to see Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. The film was a great and profound experience, indeed, a revelation for me, and probably for many others that were there for the sold out performances. My concern was whether there were any tickets left when we reached the ticket sales, as we stood in a long queue, which went right into the street and around the corner of the cinema building.

When the queue would slowly move forward, I have an opportunity to revisit the exhibited frames in one showcase, which we came close to during the excruciatingly long wait. And when we at last reached into the hall, I saw some of the great figures of dwarfs, cut into plywood and painted in vibrant colors, which were placed around the room, and mom and I passed close to two of the characters, “Dopey” and "Doc". I was almost feverish with excitement at the sight which imprinted itself deeply and unforgettable in my highly susceptible child's mind.

The curtain slowly and almost ceremoniously opened while the musical overture came from the big speakers. My eyes were immersed in the vividly drawn shapes, the brilliant colors, and the glorious scenes on the silver screen. And my ears on the beautiful music and the most catchy tunes one could imagine. They were quite familiar by this time, being played almost daily on the radio.

Harry shares some insight into the Danish voice actors and singers that were apart of this original release.

Operetta singer Annie Jessen (1915-1993) and Marius Jacobsen (1894-1961) laid the Danish voices and singing respectively for Snow White and Prince. I will never forget, because they were part of the first spell of the film. Many years later, the film's Danish soundtrack would be re-recorded with different and new actors. Although the result was good, it can never really measure up to the original Danish version, at least not seen with my nostalgic eyes.

As a boy I did not know the Danish actors who voiced the Wicked Queen, Witch or dwarfs. But many years later, I managed to find out it was none other than Clara Pontoppidan, who placed her wonderful voice to both the Queen and the Witch. For the dwarfs: Alfred Arnbak (Happy), Carl Fischer (Bashful), Aage Foss (Sneezy), Sigurd Langberg (Grumpy), Valdemar Lund (Sleepy), Victor Montell (Doc). One source believes, however, that Svend Bille, Rasmus Christiansen and Albert Luther also did dwarfs voice work, but I have not managed to verify this.

A lasting impression...

The music and action were so well planned that you were left feeling quite happy and pleased when the curtain was slowly drawn and the lights were lit in the hall. Mother and I had to trudge the relatively long way home in the semi-darkness and cold of the night, but I barely noticed. I was so filled with thinking about the film that I almost felt like I was in another world, or more precisely, in Snow White’s adventure world.

And to think, this world still lives in me, even now as an 84-year-old writer of these lines. It most surely is due to having retained a childlike spirit in spite of all the less pleasant and evil that has happened in the world since that time in 1938, which of course should not be ignored. But one should not forget to remember all the good things that have occurred too.

The fairytale of Snow White and the Witch or the real-life light and dark constitute the larger LIFE ADVENTURE, which we ourselves all play and have a role in.

Harry retired from his career as an animator in 1991. Here he is today, holding a Snow White shirt that was purchased while visiting Disneyland in 1977 with his daughter. It's never been worn but instead has been saved as a remembrance from his trip.

Harry with a set of Snow White figures that were a gift from his wife some years ago.

Photos courtesy of Harry Rasmussen.

Special thanks to Harry for sharing these Snow White memories with us. Harry's website can be viewed at Dansk Tegnefilms Historie 1919-2000 (The History of Danish Animated Cartoons 1919 - 2000).

Ward Kimball - Disney's Nine Old Men

Ward Kimball (March 4, 1914 - July 8, 2002) joined the Disney team on April 2, 1934. He spent about 6 months in the studio basement as an in-betweener before being promoted. When fellow "old man" Eric Larson moved up in the animation hierarchy, Ward took his place as assistant to Ham Luske. Here he honed his skills as Luske would often leave substantial bits of animation unfinished for him to complete. Kimball's first assignment as a solo animator was the Silly Symphony Woodland Cafe.














His skillful drawing along with his humorous personality seemed a perfect fit for the studio, although not all of the other animators appreciated his keen wit. "He was colorful, eccentric and inventive."

It was 1935 when work on Snow White began. It "was sort of a shock to all of us," he recalled about Walt Disney's decision to go forward with his first feature-length project, "because we knew how hard it was to do a seven-minute short." By 1936, Kimball was well into his animation on the film. What happened to his end product is well documented.

The bulk of his assignment was cut from the final movie. Two musical numbers with the dwarfs--the bed-building sequence and soup-eating scene--were both dropped late in the game. The animation for the soup-eating, in particular, was quite far along.

When all the sequences were put together and Walt saw the overall timing of the show, he could see that we didn't need those sequences 'cause they held up the progress of the story. [I was] not bitter, but discouraged because I had worked so hard. Ward Kimball via John Canemaker's Nine Old Men, p.101

Soup Eating scene

Some of Kimball's animation did make it into the movie...Snow White walking in the forest, the vultures that trail behind the witch, and the sequence with the nose of each dwarf appearing over the edge of the bed when Snow White is sleeping.

Vultures

Dwarf Noses

Kimball took the deletions hard, so much so that he decided to quit the studio. He made an appointment with Walt to tell him of his disappointment and to resign. Disney sensed what might be coming, but not wanting to loose one of his top animators, he...

...waxed eloquent about the next project. Pinocchio was going to be a wonderful picture, said Walt, and he wanted Ward to personally take charge of this cricket character. From Nine Old Men, p.101

"God, he did such a wonderful job," Kimball recalled, "that I walked out very happily and said, 'What a wonderful place this is!'"

Ward Kimball photos via John Canemaker's book, Walt Disney's Nine Old Men and the Art of Animation, 2001.

Image scans copyright Disney

Ward would go on to become one of the most distinctive animators at the studio as well as director of such Disney television episodes as Man in Space; Man and the Moon; and Mars and Beyond.

The Nine Old Men

1958 Photo: left to right, Kimball, Larson, Thomas, Davis, Johnston, Clark, Kahl, Lounsbery, Reitherman

Much has been written about the Nine Old Men and their larger-than-life animation achievements. These were not the first talented artists to work for the Disney Studio, yet they certainly became it's creative core for more than 40 years.

Probably the most definitive work on these 'conquistadors' of the Golden Age is John Canemaker's book, Walt Disney's Nine Old Men and the Art of Animation (Disney Editions, 2001, ISBN-10: 0786864966).

Front Cover

Canemaker recounts how Walt jokingly nicknamed this dream team after President Roosevelt's description of his contentious 1937 Supreme Court, "nine old men, all too aged to recognize a new idea."

Newspaper Cartoon, February 9, 1937, Brooklyn Citizen via New Deal Network.

Of course, the animators were neither old nor afraid of new ideas. Quite the opposite, they would be the leaders, taking the art of animation to new heights.

The Nine Old Men were:

• Les Clark (joined Disney February 23, 1927)
• Wolfgang Reitherman (May 21, 1933)
• Eric Larson (June 1, 1933)
• Ward Kimball (April 2, 1934)
• Milt Kahl (June 25, 1934)
• Frank Thomas (September 24, 1934)
• Ollie Johnston (January 21, 1935)
• John Lounsbery (July 2, 1935)
• Marc Davis (December 2, 1935)

1972 Photo: left to right, Kahl, Reitherman, Davis, Clark, Thomas, Kimball, Larson, Lounsbery, Johnston

Animator Les Clark was the first to be hired in early 1927. The rest of the group came in between 1933-35, just as things were heating up for the making of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. From 1935-37, all nine of the very young "old men" would be involved.

Throughout this month, we'll take a closer look at what each contributed to the film and in what capacity they served the animation factory that was the Disney Studio of the late 1930s.

"An Art in Its Making" - The Book

Front Cover and Spine

Stephen Ison's animation art collection is beautifully reproduced in the 1994 Walt Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs: An Art in Its Making. The 192-page hardcover features loads of stunning full-color images of the artwork along with an introduction written by Steve and text by Martin Krause and Linda Witkowski.


Synopsis by Gordon Flagg of Booklist magazine...

Krause provides a critically incisive account of making the film, from its inception through its three years in production to its wildly enthusiastic reception by audiences and critics. Witkowski supplies a detailed, fairly technical explanation of the animation process as well as a guide to the preservation and handling of animation art designed to appeal to serious students of the genre. The heart of the volume is a retelling of the famous story scene-by-scene by means of cel reproductions, pencil drawings, and other production art.

_______________________

From an email correspondence with Steve earlier this year...

Filmic Light: How did the Snow White...An Art in Its Making book come about?

Stephen Ison: It started out to only be a catalogue for the exhibition. I kept pounding on the museum “powers that be” that it needed to be a book. I won...especially after Hyperion Press wanted to publish it.

FL: Did you know authors Martin Krause or Linda Witkowski before the book?

SI: Yes. Linda Witkowski was the person I had known who helped/taught me about conservation and preservation of animation art. She had actually done her college Masters thesis on cel restoration and conservation. Linda introduced me to Marty who helped me convince the IMA that an exhibition of art from Snow White could be successful.

FL: How much were you involved with it?

SI: Pretty much, every aspect, whether they always welcomed it or not.

________________________

The opening of the 1994 Indianapolis Museum of Art exhibit featuring Steve's collection was quite an event. Diane Disney Miller attended along with animator greats Ward Kimball (along with his wife Betty), Marc Davis, Joe Grant, Ken O'Connor, Maurice Noble, and Bill Justice. What an opportunity it was for the attendees to meet and chat with these legends...and to get autographs.

The title page from the book below comes from the Phil Sears Collection. It features the signatures of all of the animators mentioned above. In addition, it's signed by Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston who could not attend the Indianapolis event due to an illness that Ollie’s wife was suffering from.

Signed Title Page. Book sold for $499 (USD) on August 30, 2010. Image via Phil Sears Collectibles.

[CLICK IMAGES FOR A BETTER VIEW]

_______________________

Steve's collection encompassed a wide range of animation art including "master backgrounds, concept art, cels, drawings, studio notes, character models, and various other items associated with the film." Here's a just a few of the dynamic images found within this handsome book.

Layouts and storyboard drawings...

Backgrounds and watercolors...

Cel set-ups...

Images copyright Disney/Hyperion Press/Stephen Ison

_______________________

In 1995, a "Disney Miniature Edition" was published. Same book, same number of pages, just smaller in size.

Front Cover, miniature edition

While both the original and miniature versions are no longer found via new bookstore channels, they are available from online resellers, often for a decent price. On a side note, it was about a decade ago that I stumbled upon a stack of 15 to 20 brand new shrink-wrapped copies of the full-size original, all dramatically reduced in price at a Barnes and Noble. I couldn't resist...I bought them all.

Original Edition:
Hardcover, 192 pages
Published by Hyperion Press (September 23, 1994)
ISBN-10: 0786861444
ISBN-13: 978-0786861446
Measures 10.9" x 9.6"

Miniature Edition:
Hardcover, 192 pages
Published by Hyperion Press (November 3, 1995)
ISBN-10: 0786861878
ISBN-13: 978-0786861873
Measures 5.5" x 4.7"

Auspicious Anniversary - Premiere Night Memories

All of Hollywood's brass turned out for a cartoon--Walt Disney.

The return of the light--the Filmic Light. On this night of the winter solstice seventy-three years ago, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs made its world premiere at the 1500 seat Carthay Circle Theatre. It was cold outside, but an electricity was in the air. Grand stands set up across the street were packed with fans while dozens of Hollywood's brightest stars joined the sold out audience inside--which included a select number of the film's storymen, artists and animators.

Charlie Chaplin--who assisted the Disney brothers in setting the distribution price tag for this their first feature film--sent a wire to Walt earlier in the day. It read as follows: I am convinced all our fondest hopes will be realized tonight.

When Walt arrived at the theater, he was asked on national radio by interviewer Buddy Twiss if he was going to watch the movie himself. He responded, Yes, and have my wife hold my hand.

Yet, once the film had begun, it was clear that this would be no ordinary screening, and Walt Disney need not fear the audience's reaction...

I believe everyone in that first Snow White audience could have predicted the enormous success of the film. They were carried away by the picture from the very beginning, and as it went along everyone was bubbling over with enthusiasm and frequently bursting into spontaneous applause. [1] Animator Bill Peet

The audience was so taken by the magic of what they had seen that they applauded after individual sequences, just as though they were watching a stage play. I've never seen anything quite like it since. [2]  Animator Wolfgang (Woolie) Reitherman

They even applauded the backgrounds and layouts when no animation was on the screen.[3a]  I was sitting near John Barrymore when the shot of the queen's castle above the mist came on, with the queen poling across the marsh in a little boat. He was bouncing up and down in his seat, he was so excited.[3b] Art Director Ken O'Connor

It was the most receptive, enthusiastic audience I have ever seen. Every song, every gag, every good piece of acting worked on those people like a bow on a fiddle. There was almost continuous laughter and applause until Frank Thomas' sequence, where the sorrowing dwarfs gather around Snow White's bier. The house fell silent, gripped by the emotional impact of the acting.[4] Animator Shamus Culhane 

As I look back on it, we knew where they were going to laugh from experience, but we weren't prepared for the crying and sniffing in the audience. That was the thing I started hearing. Clark Gable and Carole Lombard were sitting close, and when Snow White was poisoned, stretched out on that slab, they started blowing their noses. I could hear it--crying--that was the big surprise.[5] Animator Ward Kimball

What I wouldn't have done to be in that audience seventy-three years ago! It's stuff like this that makes life worth living. Tonight also marks one year of blogging here at the Snow White Sanctum...and if the muses be willing, more are in store.

1. Bill Peet quote via Walt Disney: The Triumph of the American Imagination by Neal Gabler, p.272. Photo via Michael Sporn Animation.
2. Woolie Reitherman photo via Michael Barrier December 18, 2008 post.
3a/b. Ken O'Connor quote via Walt Disney: The Triumph of the American Imagination by Neal Gabler, p.272. Also Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (Studio Book), Viking Press, 1979, p.225. Photo via Re-Imagineering.
4. Shamus Culhane quote via Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs: The Making of the Classic Film by Brian Sibley and Richard Holliss, p.65. Photo via Animation World Magazine. 
5. Ward Kimball quote via Walt Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs: An Art in Its Making, p.47. Photo via The Inkling Chronicles.