This text is an adaptation of an authentic Jim Hill Media Three Half Sequence “The Chanticleer Saga” (August 2000).
Making a “Don Quixote” Disney Animated Film
For over 60 years, Walt Disney Studios has been attempting to show Cervantes’ satiric tales concerning the Knight of the Rueful Countenance – “Don Quixote” – into an animated characteristic. Completely different groups of artists — in 1940, 1946 and 1951 respectively — have taken stabs on the materials, solely to be tripped up by the episodic nature of Don Quixote’s story.
Within the early 2000s, it appeared just like the Mouse may truly pull it off. For Disney had assigned Paul and Gaetan Brizzi — finest referred to as the resident geniuses at Disney Characteristic Animation France — to deal with the venture.
(I do know, I do know. There are loads of actually gifted artists who work for Disney Animation. However — belief me, people — the Brizzis actually are geniuses. Do you keep in mind that jaw dropping opening of “Hunchback of Notre Dame”? That was storyboarded by Paul and Gaetan. How concerning the “Hellfire” sequence from the identical movie? That was them too. And Stravinsky’s “Firebird Suite” in “Fantasia 2000”? Yep. That’s the Brizzis once more. See what I imply? Geniuses …)
Effectively, Paul and Gaetan labored mightily for months on “Don Quixote,” turning out elaborate and immense storyboards for the proposed movie. We’re speaking enormous items of conceptual artwork right here, people. Three toes by 4 toes, carried out all in pencil. Pictures that took the breath away of even essentially the most jaded of animators.
However all this artistry was for naught. Administration at Disney Characteristic Animation took a have a look at all of the conceptual materials the Brizzis had assembled earlier this 12 months. Though Paul and Gaetan’s storyboards have been stunning, the brass nonetheless took a go on the proposed movie.
Why for? Quite a few causes, actually. Cervantes’ tales — despite their fanciful photos of windmills turning into giants and humble nation inns changing into castles — don’t actually lend themselves to animation. Don Quixote’s adventures have a tendency to begin and cease quite a bit. So it’s onerous to show a sequence of amusing anecdotes right into a coherent dramatic narrative.
Plus the Brizzis tackle the fabric? Intense. Darkish. Very grownup. Their model of the story truly frightened a few of the fits within the Staff Disney constructing. So Tom Schneider thanked Paul and Gaetan profusely for his or her efforts, then quietly pulled the plug on the venture.
So all these nice inspirational drawings by the Brizzis got here down off the cork board, bought fastidiously packed away, then despatched off to the morgue … excuse me, “Animation Analysis Library” (ARL) … and bought tucked away in a drawer someplace.
However that’s okay, people. As a result of typically after they’re feeling creatively blocked, Disney animators will go all the way down to the ARL and begin burrowing by way of the recordsdata. What are they in search of? Pictures that startle. Drawings that encourage. Photos that make you say “God, what a fantastic thought! I want I’d considered that.”
Years from now, animators on the Mouseworks can be saying that exact same factor after they come throughout Paul and Gaetan’s “Don Quixote” paintings. However have you learnt which conceptual artwork file Disney’s artists — high animators like Andreas Deja, even — request to see essentially the most these days?
Would you imagine it was for a Disney animated movie that was to have featured fowl?
The Best Film Disney Never Made
Yep, practically 40 years earlier than Rocky and Ginger made their nice escape in Dreamworks SKG / Aardman Animation’s “Hen Run,” Disney proposed starring chickens in a characteristic size ‘toon. However these weren’t going to be frequent English hens. Walt was involved in unique birds. Parisian poultry.
What was the title of this proposed movie? “Chanticleer.” That title alone is sufficient to make animation historians sigh ruefully. Why for? As a result of this proposed animated movie occupies a really distinctive spot in toon historical past. It could simply be one of the best movie Disney by no means made.
Supply Materials – “Chantecler” by Cyrano De Bergerac
What was the issue right here? Effectively, to know what went improper with this proposed movie, it’s a must to return to its supply materials: Edmond Rostand’s comedy, “Chantecler.” Edmond — finest identified as we speak because the creator of “Cyrano De Bergerac” — stitched collectively a slight story a few useless little rooster who thought that solely his crowing might trigger the solar to rise. Although it was set in a barnyard, “Chantecler” was truly a sly satire of pre-World Struggle I French society bean. Despite its satiric underpinnings (or perhaps due to them) Rostand’s play grew to become a favourite with European audiences — the place it performed to packed audiences for years.
“Chantecler” – 1937 Disney Mission
Okay, now we soar to 1937. Walt Disney Studios is nearly to complete work on their first characteristic size animated movie, “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.” And Disney is casting about for concepts for the corporate’s subsequent characteristic size cartoon when somebody says “Hey, Walt. You ever hear of that play, ‘Chantecler’?”
Walt will get a fast run-down of Rostand’s plot and likes what he hears. He notably thinks that the barnyard setting stuffed with cattle will lend itself to plenty of nice gags for the film. So Disney places two of his high storymen — Ted Sears and Al Perkins — to work adapting the play to the animation format.
A couple of weeks later, Sears and Perkins get again to Walt with dangerous information. Strive as they could, they will’t flip Rostand’s play into toon materials. Ted and Al gripe that the pre-World Struggle I satire can be too intellectual for American audiences. Extra importantly, they simply can’t provide you with a method to make the proposed movie’s central character — the useless rooster, Chantecler — right into a sympathetic character.
Walt then proposed folding the story of “Chantecler” in with one other French fable the studio was toying with animating, “The Romance of Reynard.” This story — truly a group of eleventh century European people tales and poems — featured Reynard, a intelligent fox who was all the time tricking grasping nobles and peasants out of their ill-gotten gold. In spite of everything, what higher approach is there to make a useless rooster sympathetic than to provide him a robust enemy? Somebody like — say — a tough fox?
So Disney’s story individuals took one other whack at adapting “Chantecler” to the display screen, this time utilizing Reynard the Fox because the rooster’s enemy. (About this identical time, people on the Mouse Home additionally americanized the title of the venture. Which is how “Chantecler” grew to become “Chanticleer”. Anyway …)
However even with the brand new villain on board, “Chanticleer” nonetheless wasn’t fairly coming collectively. Certain, the barnyard setting and the cattle featured within the story gave Disney’s artists loads of humorous stuff to work with. And so they produced loads of fantastic conceptual drawings for the proposed venture. However — ultimately — “Chanticleer”‘s story was nonetheless very weak and the primary characters not terribly sympathetic. So, Walt reluctantly shelved the venture.
“Chanticleer” Proposed Revivals
However — within the years forward — Disney would periodically pull “Chanticleer” off the shelf and ask his artists to take one other whack on the materials. The venture was revived at least than three completely different instances within the Nineteen Forties alone (1941, 1945 and 1947). The truth is, most of the drawings carried out for the late Nineteen Forties model of the movie supplied inspiration for Disney’s 1973 animated characteristic, “Robin Hood” (Which — not-so-co-incidentally starred a intelligent fox that tricked grasping nobles out of their ill-gotten gold.)
Nonetheless, in any case this effort, Disney had but to show “Chanticleer” into the makings of a profitable animated characteristic. So — because the Nineteen Fifties arrived — Walt determined to shelve the venture for good (or so he thought). He then turned his consideration to different extra urgent initiatives — like Disneyland.
Marc Davis, Ken Anderson, and “Chanticleer”
Okay. Now we soar to early 1960. Ken Anderson and Marc Davis have nearly completed work on “101 Dalmatians” they usually’re excited. They know they’ve produced a movie that basically moved characteristic animation into the trendy age. Each by way of its use of the Xerox course of to switch the animator’s drawings to cels in addition to the movie’s sketchy format and design, “101 Dalmatians” is mild years forward of the studio’s earlier characteristic, the stodgy “Sleeping Magnificence.”
And the characters! Due to the Xerox course of, the artistry and energy of the lead animator’s authentic drawings actually shines by way of now. That’s why Cruella appears so vibrant, so theatrical. That’s Marc Davis drawings within the virtually uncooked you’re seeing up there on the display screen there.
Marc was keen to construct on the theatricality of Cruella. He wished characteristic animation to subsequent deal with a venture that may enable Disney’s artists to actually go for broke. Swing for the fences. Do one thing that may dazzle and entertain a contemporary viewers.
So what did Marc take note of? Davis — who was an enormous fan of musical theater — wished to do the animated equal of a giant Broadway musical. One thing with nice songs and many colourful characters.
Does this sound acquainted, youngsters? It ought to. Almost 30 years later, Howard Ashman and Alan Menken truly pulled this off after they collaborated with Disney Characteristic Animation to create “The Little Mermaid.” That wildly profitable 1988 movie supplied the template for all of the animated initiatives that observe, “Magnificence and the Beast,” “Aladdin,” et al. And right here was Marc Davis — 28 years forward of his time — attempting to get Disney to do that exact same factor. Life’s humorous typically, isn’t it?
Anywho … So what does one base a giant Broadway- type animated musical on? Effectively, Marc and Ken appeared by way of all the tales Disney at present had in improvement — however didn’t discover something that they favored. Which is how they ended up within the morgue … excuse me … “Animation Analysis Library” … trying on the studio’s deserted initiatives.
That’s when Marc got here throughout all the good idea artwork that had been beforehand carried out for “Chanticleer.” Trying over all these colourful drawings of chickens and Reynard the Fox, Davis had a brainstorm. He turned to Anderson and stated “You understand, I believe we might actually do one thing with this …”
However first they needed to win Walt over to their thought.
Getting Walt’s Approval for “Chanticleer”
When Ken and Marc advised Disney that they wished to revive the “Chanticleer” characteristic thought, Walt was initially thrilled. In spite of everything, he’d been attempting to make a film made out of Rostand’s play for over 20 years at this level. However then Disney hesitated for a second.
“What concerning the plot?,” Walt requested.
“Nobody’s ever been in a position to pull an honest cartoon out of this play but. What are you two going that’s lastly going to make this factor work?”
“Easy,” Marc stated. “We’re not going to make use of the play. Ken and I aren’t even going to learn the play. We’ll take the naked bones of the story and simply make one thing up.”
It was a reasonably audacious method to try to adapt a well known story to the display screen. However Disney liked the thought. (A lot in order that when the studio started engaged on a cartoon adaptation of “The Jungle Ebook,” Walt’s solely recommendation to the story staff — after tossing a duplicate of Rudyard Kipling’s ebook in the course of the story convention room desk — was to say “Right here’s the novel. Now the very first thing I need you to do just isn’t learn it.”)
Creating an Authentic Story for “Chanticleer”
So Ken and Marc holed up in an workplace at Disney Characteristic Animation for months, doing character sketches and enjoying with numerous story concepts. The very first thing they did was abandon all of the work that the studio had carried out beforehand on “Chanticleer.” Their hope was that — by getting a recent begin — they could be capable to provide you with one thing authentic: a light-on-its-feet satiric cartoon comedy. One thing just like Frank Loesser’s 1961 Broadway hit, “The right way to Achieve Enterprise With out Actually Attempting” — a present that made loads of intelligent, pointed jokes however by no means put them throughout in a imply spirited approach.
Chanticleer – The Hero
The movie’s hero needed to be — clearly — Chanticleer, a nicely that means however not terribly vivid rooster. He — and all the opposite chickens that lived in his village — actually did imagine that the solar got here up solely as a result of Chanticleer’s crowing woke up it each morning. The girls of the village all swooned on the sight of the good-looking younger ***. The males within the village all wished to be his finest good friend. (Consider Chanticleer as a kinder, gentler model of Gaston from “Magnificence and the Beast.”)
The truth is, Chanticleer is so nicely favored that the individuals of the village determine to elect him Mayor. Naturally, all that energy goes to his considerably empty head. So Chanticleer begins nagging the hens to provide extra eggs … which — after all — irritated the women.
Reynard – The Villain
Enter the villain: Reynard the Fox. A shady character in a battered high hat, Reynard has a pencil skinny mustache and continental appeal. However behind these clean phrases and people closely lidded eyes, this fox is nothing greater than a slick con artist — all the time enjoying the angles, all the time on the make.
The Plot of “Chanticleer”
Shortly sizing up Chanticleer’s sleepy village as a fruit — ripe for the plucking, Reynard sweet-talks a few of the girls of the village simply so he can study the lay of the land. The fox rapidly ascertains that the chickens are sad beneath the rooster’s stern management and that the hens lengthy to have somewhat enjoyable.
That’s all Reynard has to listen to. He slips out of city, solely to return the very subsequent day together with his darkish carnival. Run completely by creatures of the evening (owls, bobcats, moles, and so forth.) and birds of prey (vultures), the villagers have by no means seen something prefer it. So the chickens keep up all evening — singing, dancing and enjoying video games of likelihood. When morning comes, the hens are completely too drained to put any eggs.
Chanticleer views the chickens’ conduct as civil disobedience, as a direct problem to his authority. So he orders Reynard and his carnival to depart the village directly. The fox responds by saying that he thinks it’s time for a change in management on the town. That’s when Reynard then declares that he’s working for mayor of the village.
Alright. I do know. This doesn’t precisely sound like an award profitable plot. And reality be advised, it truly will get sillier from this level in: Chanticleer will get suckered right into a pre-dawn duel with a Spanish preventing ***. (The Spaniard — because it seems — is secretly working for Reynard.) Chanticleer is so busy attempting to not get killed on this battle that he doesn’t discover that the solar has risen with out his crowing that morning.
After the battle, Chanticleer realizes that he’s been a whole ass. He doesn’t management the solar anymore than he can management the opposite chickens in his village. But — due to his sincerity and newly humble nature — the villagers discover it of their hearts to forgive him.
Working collectively, Chanticleer and the remainder of the chickens rid the city of Reynard and his darkish carnival. From that time ahead, Chanticleer turns into the type, good-hearted, considerate chief that the villagers had all the time hoped he’d be. Each morning, he nonetheless crows — to not wake the solar, thoughts you. However to wake his pals in order that they will start yet one more day of their stunning little French city.
Character Designs and Idea Sketches
Sure. Once more, I do know. The story sounds foolish. Far too skinny to assist a characteristic size movie. However what you haven’t seen are all the good characters Marc and Ken got here up with to individuals this odd little story. Marc drew actually a whole bunch of idea sketches which present stunning French hens decked out of their turn-of-the-century finery. Every of the villagers has a hat, coat or cape. Sporting glasses or clutching canes, they stare up at you — with their vivid eyes and large smiles — out of the idea sketches and appear to scream: “Animate me!”
These stylized characters — with their fantastic interval costumes and stylized comedian design — would have truly helped Anderson and Davis pull “Chanticleer” off. For Marc and Ken have been actually hoping to do one thing ballsy, one thing authentic with this movie. They envisioned “Chanticleer” as an animated equal of a French farce. One thing so mild on its toes and fiercely humorous that you just by no means discover the elephant sized holes within the plot.
Music and Rating for “Chanticleer”
Music too would have performed an enormous half on this movie. Marc truly deliberate for the whole introductory sequence of “Chanticleer” to be carried out in track. Characters would have entered, actually lugging surroundings to assist set the stage for the present. A lot within the type of Howard Ashman and Alan Menken’s “Belle” opening quantity for “Magnificence and the Beast,” the villagers would have sung about Chanticleer:
“… We love him so, ’trigger he brings the solar up, you recognize …”
Disney to Get Out of the Animation Enterprise
The ironic a part of all this was — as Marc and Ken have been laboring to create a movie that may transfer Disney Characteristic Animation into the Nineteen Sixties — Disney’s accountants have been attempting to persuade Walt to cease making cartoons completely.
I do know that these days – when an animated characteristic could make approach over $100 million – it should sound unusual that the Walt Disney Firm had ever thought-about getting out of the animation enterprise. However it’s true, youngsters.
On the time (1960 / 1961), Disney had already produced some 17 characteristic size animated movies. Roy tried to influence Walt that these have been greater than sufficient toon titles to adequately inventory the studio’s movie library. Research had proven that Walt Disney Productions might launch a distinct cartoon classics (“Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs,” “Pinocchio,” “Cinderella,” et al) every year and nonetheless make a wholesome revenue off the outdated films. So there was actually no sense within the firm losing any further moneys making new animated movies.
Shut Down Animation and Create Walt Disney World – Roy’s Try
Walt at first strongly resisted this concept. However Roy knew simply what playing cards to play. He had heard that his brother was toying with constructing one other Disneyland someplace in the USA. Roy additionally knew that this park — which was speculated to be at the least ten instances bigger that the unique Anaheim venture — was going to be costly.
“You’d have all the cash you wanted to get began in your new park,” the elder Disney urged, “for those who simply shut down characteristic animation.”
Walt once more hesitated. For this was really a tempting provide. All the cash he wanted to get began on his second park. Plus the money essential to fund the venture that Disney was actually involved in in these days: audio animatronics. Never thoughts that outdated, two dimensional stuff in “101 Dalmatians” and “Sleeping Magnificence.” The three dimensional animated figures that Wathel Rogers and the opposite guys at WED have been engaged on — the birds, that Chinaman’s head — that was what actually intrigued Walt again then.
Disney had all the time been a ahead pondering man. He could have liked nostalgia, however he was additionally desirous to deal with new initiatives, strive new issues. In comparison with audio animatronics, animation did appear type of quaint. However did Walt actually dare to close down Disney Characteristic Animation?
For weeks, the youthful Disney debated the thought together with his elder brother, Roy. In the long run, Walt simply couldn’t deliver himself to do it. Walt Disney Productions’ monetary safety had initially been constructed on the recognition of the corporate’s animated films. To cease making these fantastic household movies completely would simply ship the improper message to the leisure trade. So it simply didn’t appear prudent to completely pull the plug.
Walt Agrees to Scale Again Disney
However what Walt did comply with do was to strive scaling again animation manufacturing on the studio. As an alternative of a brand new animated characteristic each two years (the tempo the corporate had tried to fulfill all through the Nineteen Fifties), Disney agreed to let Roy reconfigure issues so {that a} new toon would come out as soon as each 4 years.
The bother was the studio at present had two animated movies in lively improvement: Invoice Peet’s adaptation of T. H. White’s Arthurian fantasy, “The Sword and the Stone” and Marc Davis and Ken Anderson’s “Chanticleer.” To satisfy Roy’s new animation marketing strategy, one among these initiatives was going to need to be shut down.
Guess which film hits the slicing room flooring?
Cancelling “Chanticleer” – “Sword and the Stone” Strikes Ahead
With out Invoice Peet, Marc Davis or Ken Anderson’s information, Walt introduced himself on top of things regarding the present standing of each initiatives. He did this by slipping into the animation constructing after hours, going into Peet, Davis and Anderson’s places of work after they’d gone dwelling for the day and inspecting all of the pre-production artwork they’d produced for “The Sword within the Stone” and “Chanticleer.
After reviewing all the conceptual materials, Disney rapidly got here to 1 conclusion: Despite the movie’s heavy reliance on magic, it appeared like “The Sword within the Stone” can be the better (learn that as cheaper) of the 2 movies to provide. It was strictly a numbers factor.
- “Sword”‘s solid was smaller and principally human — which made its characters simpler to attract.
- That movie’s story — although episodic in nature — additionally appeared to have a bit extra coronary heart than “Chanticleer.” Wart, from “Sword”, was an underdog that an viewers might care about, root for. Chanticleer was … nicely … a pompous, preening rooster who thought the solar solely rose as a result of he crowed each morning. This was not precisely a personality that an viewers might instantly be anticipated to heat as much as.
- “Sword within the Stone” had no elaborate musical numbers to stage, nor would its characters want massive title celebrities to efficiently voice their components.
The ultimate determination appeared like a no brainer. Invoice Peet’s “The Sword within the Stone” can be the safer (learn this additionally as cheaper) of the 2 movies to provide.
So Disney must pull the plug on “Chanticleer.”
Telling Davis and Anderson
Now got here the powerful half. Walt was keen on each Marc and Ken. He knew that these guys had labored for the higher a part of a 12 months of their try to show “Chanticleer” into an animated characteristic. However Disney simply didn’t have the guts to inform them that each one of their onerous work was for naught, that their movie wouldn’t be going into manufacturing.
In the long run, Walt couldn’t deliver himself to inform Davis and Anderson that “Chanticleer” was canceled. So he didn’t. He let a member of Roy’s employees — with a mumbled apart — do the soiled work for him.
The Final Pitch Assembly
Marc knew he was in bother the second he noticed the place Walt was sitting.
Usually — at pitch conferences like this — Disney favored to be down entrance, lifeless middle. Walt wished to be as near the motion as attainable, able to leap up and act out a humorous little bit of enterprise or rapidly level out the place the venture had gone off observe.
However Walt wasn’t sitting down entrance for the “Chanticleer” assembly. He quietly took a seat behind the room and averted all eye contact with Davis and Anderson. The seats within the entrance row? They have been all taken by “Roy’s Boys” — executives who labored on the monetary aspect of the studio.
Marc and Ken rapidly exchanged nervous glances. However then, gathering his braveness, Davis stepped to the entrance of the room and started his pitch for the proposed animated movie.
No sooner had the phrase: “The hero of our story is Chanticleer, a rooster…” left Marc’s lips when one among Roy’s boys muttered to his co-horts: “A rooster can’t be heroic.”
Then Marc knew. 30 seconds into his pitch, “Chanticleer” was already lifeless within the water. All of Davis’s fantastic character sketches. All of Ken’s superbly rendered backgrounds. None of that stuff mattered. This film was by no means going to get made.
Nonetheless Marc pressed on — hoping in opposition to hope that he might win this viewers over to the thought of doing an all-animated Broadway type musical that starred a rooster. No cube. The individuals attending this pitch session have been well mannered however detached. For they knew what Anderson and Davis didn’t: That Walt had already canceled “Chanticleer.” He simply hadn’t gotten round to telling them but.
When the session was over, these in attendance shuffled out silently — not saying a phrase.
That features Walt. Particularly Walt.
Fallout from the “Chanticleer” Pitch Session
Per week glided by and Davis nor Anderson heard nothing from no person. They only sat of their places of work, shell-shocked at how badly the “Chanticleer” pitch session had gone.
Ken’s colleagues at Characteristic Animation gave these two a large berth, averted these two veteran animators just like the plague. Nobody wished to be related to a improvement staff that had failed that miserably in a pitch session for a proposed animated characteristic.
Solely Davis and Anderson knew that they hadn’t actually failed. They have been sure that “Chanticleer” — as they designed it — would have made a beautiful animated movie. Certain, it might have value a bit extra to make, taken quite a bit longer than “Sword” to provide. However audiences would have liked the completed product.
Solely this time round, there wasn’t going to be a completed product. For some purpose, the accountants — not Walt — have been now calling the pictures at Walt Disney Studios. And that meant an bold, costly animated characteristic like “Chanticleer” was by no means going to make it off the drafting board.
What harm most was not listening to from Walt. Walt — the man who’d so strongly inspired them to take this method with the fabric. Walt — the man who’d appeared so desirous to get a “Chanticleer” film made. Walt — the man who sat at the back of that pitch session and didn’t say a phrase.
For per week, Marc waited by the telephone — hoping that his boss would name and clarify what the hell was taking place. Why Roy’s Boys have been immediately deciding which options Disney’s animators might and couldn’t make.
Lastly, the telephone did ring. And — sure — it was Walt. However there was no clarification. No apology. Only a job provide.
Davis Will get a Job Provide at WED – No Point out of “Chanticleer”
“Marc,” Walt stated, “These guys at WED aren’t excellent at staging gags. Individuals have been complaining that Disneyland’s reveals have gotten type of humorless. Do you assume you would go over to Glendale and assist them out?”
That was it. No “I’m sorry I let the accountants torpedo your movie.” No “You and Ken did a extremely nice job. It’s simply not the proper time to make this film.” No “That was one of the best work you guys ever did. I’m really sorry that we are able to’t make this film.” Simply “Might you go over to Glendale and assist these guys out?”
So Marc — due to his robust sense of private loyalty to Walt Disney — went over to WED and helped these guys out. And he by no means returned to Characteristic Animation.
However — Within the 17 years he stayed in Glendale working at Imagineering –Davis helped create a few of the best theme park points of interest the Disney theme parks had ever seen: “The Jungle Cruise.” “The Enchanted Tiki Room.” “It’s a Small World.” “Nice Moments with Mr. Lincoln.” “The Carousel of Progress.” “Pirates of the Caribbean.” “The Haunted Mansion.” “The Corridor of Presidents.” “County Bear Jamboree.” “America Sings.”
All of them nice reveals. Every of them displaying that particular Marc Davis contact.
However Marc by no means completely forgot about “Chanticleer.” It was — to borrow a drained phrase that just about each angler makes use of — “the large one which bought away.” The nice movie that may have actually put a cap on his profession as a grasp animator.
Ah, nicely … It wasn’t meant to be, I assume.
“Chanticleer” Nods, Easter Eggs, and References
Thoughts you, this didn’t cease Davis from folding characters and ideas he created for “Chanticleer” into his work at WED. Take one other have a look at these singing chickens in “America Sings.” Do they appear acquainted? They need to. These birds belting out “Down by the River Aspect” are modeled after the feathered French hens would who’ve performed the refrain in “Chanticleer.”
And it wasn’t simply Marc that saved attempting to recycle items of this proposed movie. His character sketches for the aborted Nineteen Sixties model of “Chanticleer” have been so good, they rapidly turn out to be the stuff of legends round Disney Characteristic Animation. Artists would repeatedly go all the way down to the morgue (Excuse me. “Animation Analysis Library”), pull out the complete colour, superbly rendered drawings Marc made for the film and simply marvel at them.
These drawings have been so good — in actual fact — that veteran Disney animator Mel Shaw pulled them out in 1981 to try to promote Disney administration on the concept that it was lastly time for the studio to make “Chanticleer.” Hoping to enhance the proposed venture’s probabilities, Shaw labored up a narrative therapy that pressured the rooster’s heroic qualities — making him “essentially the most MACHO (rooster) in all of France.”
Mel additionally threw collectively an inspiring set of pastel and watercolor conceptual drawings as he tried to promote the studio on making his imaginative and prescient of the movie. However the people working Walt Disney Productions within the early Eighties have been extra cautious and conservative then “Roy’s Boys” have been again in 1960. They rapidly shot down the thought of the studio ever doing “Chanticleer” as a full size characteristic.
When phrase bought out that Disney had as soon as once more rejected the thought of doing “Chanticleer” as an animated characteristic, one man rejoiced. That man’s title? Don Bluth.
Don Bluth and Aurora Productions
Two years earlier, Bluth had made a really public break from the animation operation at Walt Disney Productions. Bored with the heads of the studio continually slicing corners, all the time going for the safer decisions, Bluth — some of the gifted younger animators Disney Studio had on the time — bailed out of Burbank. He left his cozy company nest, taking 15 or extra of Disney’s high younger animators with them.
These people began a brand new animation studio, “Aurora Productions.” Their mission: to make nice animated movies like Walt used to do. Films like “Pinocchio” and “Bambi.” With robust storylines and full animation. Not drained, half-hearted movies like “Robin Hood” and “The Aristocats.”
“The Secret of Nimh”
Proper out of the field, Aurora Productions did make a fantastic animated movie. Possibly you’ve seen it … “The Secret of Nimh?” This movie has the whole lot a success film ought to have: A stable, shifting story with excellent animation. Characters you care about. Huge laughs. Nice motion sequences. An exquisite rating.
Yep, “The Secret of Nimh” had the whole lot {that a} hit movie ought to … the whole lot besides an viewers. Despite receiving great critiques, “Nimh” actually didn’t do all that nicely on the field workplace and rapidly pale from sight.
However nonetheless — buoyed by these nice critiques (in addition to these encouraging telephone calls from Spielberg and Lucas) — Bluth remained hopeful. Possibly sometime — if he performed his playing cards proper — Don may get his shot at turning “Chanticleer” into a fantastic animated movie.
“Chanticleer” turns into “Rock-a-Doodle”
For — throughout his 10 12 months lengthy tenure on the Mouse Home — Bluth too had been all the way down to the morgue (Aw … overlook it!) and seen Marc’s drawings. That’s why he knew {that a} really fantastic animated movie could possibly be pulled out of Rostand’s barnyard comedy.
10 years later, Don did get his likelihood at turning “Chanticleer” right into a characteristic size animated movie. And whereas it might be good to report that Bluth did need Disney couldn’t: turned this French satire right into a profitable cartoon … that’s not precisely what occurred, youngsters.
What went improper? Effectively, for starters, Bluth’s model of “Chanticleer” — entitled “Rock-a-Doodle” — strikes the story to America and turns this French useless rooster into … nicely .. type of a feathered Elvis.
Then there’s the issue with the villain. Bluth knew that if he borrowed Disney’s proposed antagonist — Reynard the Fox — that it might be too apparent the place he had cribbed his authentic supply materials from. So Bluth opted to create an all new villain for his “Chanticleer” cartoon: the Grand Duke (voiced by Christopher Plummer), an owl who wished Chanticleer out of the way in which in order that the solar would by no means rise once more and the world can be endlessly shrouded in darkness.
Alright, in order that’s precisely not the best motivation for a film villain. There’s nonetheless tons to love about Bluth’s “Rock-a-Doodle.” Mouse followers can be happy to listen to that outdated Disney favorites like Phil Harris and Sandy Duncan present voices for characters within the movie. And — as a sly tribute to the unique creator of “Chanticleer,” Edmund Rostand — Don named the little boy/cat who drives the motion within the film Edmund.
Field Workplace Indifference for “Rock-a-Doodle”
Sadly, audiences in April 1992 (when “Rock-a-Doodle” lastly made its stateside debut) weren’t feeling as kindly towards Don Bluth as I did. They greeted the movie with indifference. “Rock-a-Doodle” bought awful critiques, did horrible field workplace and rapidly sank like a stone.
So — since Don Bluth Productions turned out such a mediocre “Chanticleer” film — that’s the tip of the story, proper? Nobody will ever once more try an animated model of Rostand’s play, appropriate?
Not essentially.
Andreas Deja
Fashionable Disney grasp animator Andreas Deja stays an enormous fan of Marc Davis’ conceptual work for “Chanticleer.” In Charles Solomon’s nice ebook about Disney animated options that by no means fairly made it off the drafting board, “The Disney That Never Was,” (Hyperion Press, 1995), Deja is quoted as saying:
Marc designed a few of the finest trying characters I’ve ever seen — these characters wish to be moved and used.
Deja’s obsession with this materials continues. In April 2000 — as a part of the “Tribute to Marc Davis” that was held on the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Hollywood — Andreas took a number of moments to point out the gang a few of Marc’s drawings from “Chanticleer.” As he appeared up on the photos on the display screen, Deja remarked:
It’s type of unhappy that this film was by no means produced; the studio determined to do ‘Sword within the Stone’ as an alternative. Which can be an excellent film, however wouldn’t it have been good to see these characters come to life? Apparently, at the moment, the studio felt — in line with Marc — that it might be too tough to develop sympathy for a rooster. I don’t assume so. I’ve sympathy for these guys.
Andreas Deja
He added, whereas nonetheless trying up on the footage, “One in all nowadays, I’ll have to take a seat down and do a number of pencil exams of those characters — simply to see them transfer.”
Possibly someday Disney will put collectively a check that lastly convinces the accountants who’re working the Walt Disney Firm that there’s a fantastic movie to be made out of Marc Davis’ “Chanticleer” conceptual materials.
Right here’s hoping, anyway.
Need extra behind-the-scenes Disney tales? Dive deeper into the magic with Nice Tooning podcast, the place Jim Hill and Drew Taylor discover animation information and historical past. Hear now at Fine Tooning on Apple Podcasts. For unique bonus episodes and much more insider content material, try Disney Unpacked on Patreon.
