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Tag Archives: WESH
Sorcerer Radio Interview – 10 Questions with “The Lion King” Producer Don Hahn
I recently had a chance to chat with The Lion King producer Don Hahn about the re-release of the film in 3D. Hahn has produced the classic Beauty and the Beast, the first animated film nominated for a Best Picture Oscar ® from the Motion Picture Academy of Arts and Sciences. His next film, The Lion King, broke box-office records to become the top-grossing traditionally animated film in Disney history and a long-running blockbuster Broadway musical.
Hahn also served as associate producer on the landmark motion picture Who Framed Roger Rabbit. His other credits include The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Disneynature’s epic documentary Earth, and the animated short, The Little Matchgirl, which earned Hahn his second Oscar® nomination.
He is currently developing the stop-motion animated feature Frankenweenie with director Tim Burton. His newest book, Brain Storm – Unleashing Your Creative Self, was released in May 2011.
Q: First of all, how did you get involved in animation?
Don Hahn: I was a music major in college…played cello and percussion, and if it weren’t for a temp summer job at Disney, I’d probably be playing timpani in the back of an orchestra somewhere. When I got to Disney I had the chance to work with some of the greats of animation: Woolie Reitherman, Don Bluth, Frank Thomas, Ollie Johnston. I got totally seduced by the animation process and what you could do with it.
Q: What scene in The Lion King is really blew you away once it was in 3D?
Don Hahn: That would have to be Circle of Life. It was like all of Africa came alive on the screen right in front of us!
Q: What’s the most emotional side in working again on the project of The Lion King?
Don Hahn: I had a woman come up to me after a screening and she had just lost her husband. The film really helped her deal with the issues of loss and explain those issues to her children. Believe me, you never think that a film will have that type of effect, but it is very humbling and emotional when it does.
Q: What is your favorite memory of making The Lion King?
Don Hahn: So many: there was the day we brought live adult lions into the studio to study and draw, and the day we first saw Chris Sanders amazing storyboards for the Mufasa’s Ghost sequence. But probably the most memorable moment was when we went to Hans Zimmer’s studio in Santa Monica and heard his arrangement of Circle of Life for the first time. It changed our perception of what the movie could be.
Q: The Lion King has a huge, magical philosophy of life. Which side of it do you prefer? And why?
Don Hahn: There is an underlying theme to The Lion King about that day when you are no longer a child and you have to step up and accept the responsibility of adulthood. It’s actually an age old coming of age story not unlike so many Disney films that are all about growing up.
Q: If not the entire movie itself, what sequence or portion of the movie are you most proud of?
Don Hahn: The Circle of Life is a real personal favorite. When we finished the sequence and Hans Zimmer scored the music, we watched it and were all amazed (even though it was our movie). Suddenly this little film about a lion cub became a much bigger epic.
Q: What was your biggest challenge bringing The Lion King to the screen?
Don Hahn: Most people don’t know this but the Northridge, CA earthquake struck us just six months before the film came out and the studio had to be shut down. For a few weeks we were driving drawings to animator’s homes around southern California and making the film in garages and on kitchen tables. The crew was amazing. They were dealing with the stress of a major earthquake while finishing the film.
Q: What has The Lion King gained by being put in 3D?
Don Hahn: Everything and nothing. The film is well suited for 3D because of the style of direction. Rob Minkoff and Roger Allers, the directors, crafted the film with longer shots and a sense of Africa as an unspoken character in the film. 3D brings this to life even more and lets the audience step into the film in a unique way. When I say that nothing is gained, I’m referring to the story. We worked hard to make the 3D reflect and support the story and not detract from it. There’s a paradox to all this, which is the paradox of animation itself; you work for four years and spend millions of hours on a film with the goal of making the audience forget that they are looking at drawings. That’s the magic of it all.
Q: Like other Disney masterpieces The Lion King enjoys nearly infinite longevity. How do you feel the follow up films contribute to its legacy?
Don Hahn: We’ve made over 50 animated films at the studio and in some way they are all connected. There wouldn’t be a Lion King if it hadn’t been for the great success and skill that the team brought to Beauty and the Beast, Little Mermaid, and Aladdin. The films that followed The Lion King reflect a dynamic growth in the ambition of the animators to tackle different stories and embrace different techniques. Pocahontas, Hunchback of Notre Dame, Tarzan, Lilo and Stitch, Mulan…proud of them all as much as I’m proud of Tangled (Rapunzel).
Q: Don, any final thoughts on The Lion King 3D in its theatrical and Blu-ray release?
Don Hahn: First of all a big hug to the cast and crew of The Lion King. You have no idea how many hands and hearts have touched this film all with respect for the story and the audience. Hats off to them. Seeing the film on the big screen and watching the audience reaction is about the biggest treat a filmmaker could hope for. We’ve all worked equally as hard on the Blu-ray and Blu-ray 3D release in the hopes that audiences can enjoy the film at home for years to come.
The Circle of Life takes on a new dimension as Simba, Mufasa, Nala, Timon and Pumbaa grace the screen once again, this time in breathtaking 3D. Celebrate the Diamond Edition release of the epic movie “The Lion King” now available in high-definition Blu-ray and Blu-ray 3D.
Order The Lion King (Four-Disc Diamond Edition Blu-ray 3D / Blu-ray / DVD / Digital Copy)!
This interview was made in partnership with Sorcerer Radio and Chip and Company.
Bomb Squad Called to Walt Disney World
According to WESH authorities were called out to investigate a suspicious package at Walt Disney World’s Shade of Green Resort. The package was received but there was no return address on it.
Orange County Sheriff’s Office Bomb Squad determined that the package was not a threat, and just a precaution the Sheriff’s office took due to an international conference taking place at WDW.
Shades of Green Resort is on Disney property but is operated as an Armed Forces Recreation Center for the exclusive use of military members and their families.
Related articles
- Oldies But Godies – What Should We Expect From A Walt Disney World Vacation? (chipandco.com)
- Making Valentine’s Day Special at Walt Disney World Resort (chipandco.com)
Custody Battle Ends In Disney Parking Lot
This article comes to us from WESH in Orlando.
Troopers said they were called to the Animal Kingdom at Walt Disney World on Tuesday morning for a custody fight that ended in the theme park’s parking lot.
The Florida Highway Patrol said a father from New York got a tip that his son was in central Florida.Troopers said the father, 29-year-old Mathew Doty, had not seen his 5-year-old son in more than a year and a half.
Doty shares custody of the boy with Kristina Lysak.Doty told authorities he found the car that his son was in and called Polk County authorities on Tuesday morning. The call for service was then transferred to the FHP as the two cars drove down Interstate 4.
Click here to keep reading.
Disney World Attendance Declines Slightly
This article comes to us from WESH in Orlando.
Walt Disney World saw slight declines in park attendance over the past few months, Disney said on Tuesday.
Theme park attendance at the company’s domestic parks fell 3 percent overall in the three months ending on July 3, the Walt Disney Company said as it announced third quarter financial results. Walt Disney World attendance dropped 2 percent while Disneyland saw a 4 percent decrease in visitors.
Disney said the fall in park attendance was in part due to a shift in timing of the Easter holiday in relation to the company’s financial reporting periods. Disney estimated that park attendance only fell one percent from year-to-year after the holiday period is taken into account.
Despite lower numbers, Disney President and CEO Bob Iger said the debut of the World of Color show at Disney’s California Adventure in Anaheim has drawn record crowds.
Park guests did spend 5 percent more in Q3, which the company attributed to higher average ticket prices.Revenue from Disney’s parks and resorts increased 3 percent to $2.8 billion in the quarter, while operating income decreased 8 percent to $477 million.
Click here to keep reading.
Woman Hurt In Disney World Boat Crash
WFTV obtained information Tuesday about an accident involving a woman who was injured last Thursday when a rented two-seat motorized boat she was riding in collided a Disney ferry boat.
The accident happened at the Treehouse Village on Disney property.According to documents released by the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, the ferry driver and the driver of the two-seat boat tell different stories of what exactly happened.
The captain of the Disney ferry boat, William Green, told investigators that the Sea Raycer motorized boat was driving recklessly and crashed into the ferry. Captain Green told investigators that the Sea Raycer went underneath the Disney ferry and popped up in front of it. Green said that’s when he noticed that the woman, 61-year-old Barbara Wormald, was injured.
Wormald was transported to Orlando Regional Medical Center with injuries sustained in the accident. Officers said she was in stable condition, suffering a collapsed lung, fractured ribs and complaining of back pain.Wormald’s husband, who was driving the Sea Raycer that was rented from Downtown Disney, was not injured.
He told investigators that he saw the large ferry boat and thought it was moving away from their small boat, but then realized it was coming at them and was very close.
Michael Wormald, 61, told investigators he turned quickly to the right to avoid the ferry but it was too late. He said the ferry ran up onto the passenger side of the small boat and ran over the top of his wife.
The Sea Raycer the couple was on had been rented from Cap’n Jack’s Marina at Downtown Disney. The Sea Raycer can be rented by anyone over 18, according to the marina.
Here is the article from WESH:
A woman at Walt Disney World was injured Thursday afternoon when the small boat in which she was a passenger was involved in a crash with a ferry.
Barbara Wormald was transported to Orlando Regional Medical Center by ambulance. Authorities said Wormald suffered a collapsed lung, fractured ribs and a possible spinal injury.
The captain of the ferry boat, William Green, told investigators he was traveling southbound along a waterway at Disney world and witnessed a small two-seat watercraft traveling recklessly toward his vessel. Green said the watercraft hit the ferry, and he immediately put the ferry into reverse.
Green said the watercraft went under the ferry and surfaced in front of it with the injured passenger.
The small boat sustained damage from the seating area to its bow, an incident report from the Orange County Sheriff’s Office stated.
Michael Wormald, the victim’s husband, was driving the boat when the crash happened. He stated that he believed the ferry was going to move away for him and his wife, but he then noticed the vessel was coming at their boat when it was only a short distance away. He said he attempted to make a sharp right turn to avoid the ferry, but it was too late.
Michael Wormald said the ferry hit his wife and ran over the top of her, wedging her between the ferry and the small boat momentarily. He said he yelled for the ferry to stop and call for help.
The crash remains under investigation.
Photo credit panoramio.com