These days it seems most Hollywood filmmakers feel the need to litter films with adult humor, lewd comments, or sexual innuendo in order to draw in—and keep returning—big crowds to the big screen. It’s especially disappointing when such inappropriate topics make their way into movies made for children.
But what is a parent to do? Usually we sigh and roll our eyes and hope our kids were too innocent to pick up on it, right? Well, what if I told you YOUR voice can be heard? Would you speak up? Would you send Hollywood a message that clean, quality entertainment is a big draw itself?
Here’s your chance to promote change.
A few days ago I brought to your attention a film project called ART STORY. I had the chance to chat with the movie’s creators, veteran Disney animators Aaron Blaise and Chuck Williams, and I hope after reading through our conversation below, that you will be as fired up about this film as I am and will do whatever you can to get this thing funded.
Magical Mouse Schoolhouse (MMS):
Hi, guys! Thank you for inviting me to participate in your project and for taking time to talk more about it this evening.
OK, first, please tell me about ART STORY. What inspired it? What’s the premise?
Blaise & Williams (B&W):
A couple different things combined to inspire this project. Another partner’s son had some ideas, and Chuck & I (Aaron) had a version of our own after we finished work on Disney’s Brother Bear. The idea kind of sat there until technology caught up to what we wanted to do with it.
The story revolves around a young boy named Walt Winterbottom and his grandfather. Walt is a schedule-oriented, organized kid who wants to get into a great prep school. His eccentric grandfather comes to live with them and the two clash personalities. One night Walt discovers Grandpa has this cool ability to step into paintings and climbs in after him. The two squabble, the painting falls face down on the floor, and they get stuck. In order to get out, they will need to come together and work together and put their differences aside. By the end, they find a renewed love for each other, and they develop a great relationship.
MMS:
Knowing both of you have many years’ experience as Disney animators (20+ years each, mostly with Walt Disney Feature Animation), I can’t help but wonder, does the Walt character represent Walt Disney?
B&W:
Yes! We didn’t really intend for it to be, but yes.
MMS:
Did your extensive Disney training influence the story you want to tell and how you want to tell it?
B&W:
Of course, we can’t help but pull from our Disney experience! People quote Walt all the time, and his passion and his legacy are still very much alive and still inspiring us today. We both started working there the same day. We’ve worked on numerous animations like Mulan, Pocahontas, Brother Bear, Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast, and The Lion King, and spent the last 3-4 years working with John Lasseter. All the people we’ve worked with there have passed on a great heritage of Disney storytelling.
Storytelling is not just visual. We like to provide an escape for the audience, but we also like to tell emotional, fun, exciting stories. We like to include learning aspects. The story is first! Engage the audience in the characters. You want the audience to root for the characters in what they’re doing. Going into those worlds is secondary.
MMS:
From what I’ve read and what you’ve described, the project is very Disney-esque in character treatment, in how it literally immerses characters (and viewers vicariously) into works of art. ART STORY is a perfect fit for my audience, because, as one of my slogans states, we like to learn while we play! Your characters are not exactly playing, but they are certainly learning—and the viewers can learn along with them—not only the message of setting aside differences and working together, but also aspects of fine art masterpieces as well. For me as an educator, it’s a 2-for-1 deal!
What works of art are featured, or do you hope to feature in the film?
B&W:
We have not secured all rights to the images we’d like to feature, but we are hoping to include a variety of art movements, artists, styles, and periods. We’d like to include Van Gogh’s Starry Night, Monet’s Water Lillies, Munch’s Scream, some Picasso cubism, Pollack, Escher, and lots more.
MMS:
What kinds of things do the characters learn about—or from—the paintings?
B&W:
In one scene they get to meet Van Gogh! Artists will have something to do with the story. The grandfather & grandson will come to understand each other. There’s another reason Grandpa’s going through these paintings, and that gets worked out as the story evolves.
To get out of the paintings, Walt and his grandfather have to journey through different masterpieces and will experience varied styles and varied worlds. The “DaVinci code” of it all—how they figure it out—there are passages between one world and another. They can’t jump from one style/movement to a drastically different one. For instance, Van Gogh was influenced by Cezanne who was influenced by Japanese art and so on, and they will progress through the art worlds in similar manner. Their journey will form a sort of map of the art worlds.
The characters—and by proxy the viewer—will discover that the world in the picture doesn’t end at the frame. They will see and touch not only the water lilies of Monet’s work, but also the bridges and trees and water and everything the artist saw—entire compositions.
MMS:
It reminds me of an assignment I had years ago in college. The professor assigned us to view an artwork and discuss what’s in the picture and what’s NOT in the picture. In ART STORY, Walt and his grandpa go beyond what’s captured on the canvas into what’s in the picture and what’s NOT in the picture.
B&W:
Exactly!
MMS:
Will there be educational materials available to accompany the film?
B&W:
We’d like there to be! The Kickstarter campaign offers incentives with each donation level. At the $200 level, there will be a teacher packet that includes downloads and character drawing tutorials, told from the character of Walt, who will host you through that world. We’re also hoping to publish the story as a children’s e-book, with interactive features where you can click an icon to learn more. Of course, all this depends on whether or not we reach the $350,000 crowdfunding goal!
MMS:
So, what is your goal with this film? Are you hoping for a full-length feature film with a theatrical release, or will this be made-for-TV or made-for-DVD?
B&W:
We want this to be a full-length feature animation that will run about 80-84 minutes and be shown in 2,500 theaters nationwide!
MMS:
Ok, so why the Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign? Why not the traditional pitch/submission approach?
B&W:
We want a large number of backers to show that there IS an audience for this kind of film. Films are always expensive and need to appeal to a mass audience. This is a trial run on the idea. It’s a phenomenal idea! We have a great story that’s different. You know, we see kids with backpacks with fish and monsters and dragons, etc., on them, and we thought, wouldn’t it be cool to see them dying to have Starry Night stuff? We want them to be that intrigued by these great masterpieces.
We decided to try a grassroots effort to raise the money to put a presentation package together and to show that there is an audience; there is a demand, a public desire for the type of film we want to produce. We’re showing the public the kind of film we want to make up front and having them put money in it up front.
People are always saying that Hollywood needs to change, that they want better films without the bad stuff tossed in. We thought this would give people a voice. This would be a way for them to make those desires known. We would rather have 500,000 people giving $1 than one person giving $50,000 dollars, because it would show just how many people there are out there who want this type of project to happen.
If they want to send a message or have a different kind of film in the theater, this is the way to do it. This is outside the box from the studios. People CAN participate in this and get their voices heard. This is food for the soul, great family entertainment that can be shown through the generations to come. This is a great way to put your $1 vote down. IF we pull this off, it sends a message to Hollywood and opens up the world of animation.
MMS:
I’m all for it!
Alright, before we close, can you tell me a little more about yourselves? We’ve already mentioned your extensive Disney experience. How did you get your start in animation? And do you have any words of wisdom for aspiring art students?
B&W:
Go to school! You need schooling and exposure to other styles and teaching to mature as an artist. Persevere! There are only a handful of big studios and very few jobs in that area within them. Keep your mind open. You don’t need the BIG studios. You may find other disciplines interesting. Be persistent! Practice, practice, practice. Draw and paint a lot every day. You might start out with an artistic tendency, but it really takes hard work. {Note to parents, doodling is encouraged!} Do it because you love it and everything else will fall into place.
MMS:
That’s great advice!
B&W:
Thanks! It’s from my dad! (Aaron)
MMS:
Well, thank you, again, Aaron and Chuck, for taking the time to talk with me, and thank you for creating this project. I, for one, appreciate that there ARE artists out there like you two who want to make quality family entertainment and are willing to put themselves out there as you’re doing in such a risky business. I will continue to promote the Kickstarter campaign, and I wish you great success with ART STORY and future projects!
To donate to the ART STORY campaign, click the button on our sidebar or visit the Kickstarter page for more information. You can also keep up with Aaron and Chuck and ART STORY’s progress on Twitter and Facebook. Thank you for your support!
©2013 Magical Mouse Schoolhouse, your Disney homeschool resource!
Think outside the textbook with this veteran homeschooling author & editor, and learn while you play!
[…] up and running. Magical Blogorail Yellow member Jodi of Magical Mouse Schoolhouse interviewed Blasie and Williams. Check it out to get some more insight into the “Art Story” project. You can also […]