CG animation pioneer and Oscar-winning director John Lasseter proved to be a huge hit at UCLA Film & TV Archive’s “The Movie That Inspired Me” event Monday night at the Billy Wilder Theater in Westwood, Calif. The Chief Creative Officer of Disney Animation and Pixar was interviewed by the Archive’s Honorary Chairman and series curator Curtis Hanson (
L.A. Confidential) after a screening of a pristine copy of Disney’s 1941 classic
Dumbo, Tex Avery’s 1949 short
Bad Luck Blackie and Chuck Jones’ 1952 Bugs, Daffy and Elmer Fudd outing
Rabbit Seasoning.
Lasseter, the beloved director of
Toy Story I and
II,
Bug’s Life and
Cars, talked about how Ben Sharpteen’s
Dumbo remains one of his favorite movies of all time because it’s funny, emotional and the most cartoony of Disney’s animated features. “It’s the only Disney movie that the lead character doesn’t talk, but it’s also one of the most poignant.” When asked about his favorite moments in the film, he praised the roustabout scene for its design qualities and the “Baby Mine” mother-and-son sequence for its emotional power. “It’s an amazing scene especially once you’ve had a child, yourself.” He also talked about the film’s final flight climax. “That scene gets you every time. It’s a great lesson on how to keep the audience on the edge of their seats. Everything is done so exquisitely on this film. Ken O’Conner’s layouts are so sophisticated.”
Hanson, in turn, pointed out the parallel between Lasseter’s career and how Dumbo managed to prove triumphant over his antagonists at the end of the movie. “You worked for Disney, then you were fired by Disney and now you run Disney Animation."
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