Disney Canon-Forgotten/Minor Characters #1: Humbert the Huntsman


Ok, so we start off my project paying tribute to the Disney Canon by mentioning our first forgotten/minor character from Disney’s 1937 hit, “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs”: Humbert the Huntsman!

Now, obviously the first thing that stands out is his name, Humbert! His name is never given in the film, but as is the case with many animated films, most characters are given names in the drawing process even if they don’t make it into the script. For example, the Beast in “Beauty and the Beast” was named Adam, the Satanic creature in “Fantasia” was referred to as Chernabog, and even the evil Queen of this film was named Queen Grimhilde! Continue reading “Disney Canon-Forgotten/Minor Characters #1: Humbert the Huntsman”

Voice Actress Lucille Bliss dies at age 96!

Hey all,

A sad news for all animation fans: Legendary voice actress Lucille Bliss (1916-2012) died earlier this week at age 96! Known best for her roles as Smurfette in the “Smurfs” TV Series and as Anastasia in Disney’s, “Cinderella”, this is a loss that we are all mourning!

UPDATE: There seems to be a discrepancy regarding the news of her death and whether or not it was a hoax! I’ll let you know as solid evidence emerges.

Tom Hanks as Walt Disney

We have a new photo of the actor Tom Hanks playing the animation icon himself, Walt Disney, in the forthcoming film, “Saving Mr. Banks.” The film will be about P.L. Travers, the author of the “Mary Poppins” series and will especially focus on Walt Disney’s negotiations with her to sell the rights to her book. The film is tentatively scheduled for December 20, 2013.

My Tribute to the Disney Canon-Forgotten/Minor Characters

Hey all,

As you know, I am a HUGE Disney fanatic, and hence I just LOVE the Disney animated canon films. And I’ve always wanted to do something as a tribute to these great films. I know similar-minded people have reviewed them, but I honestly don’t know how to review a movie, so I decided not to do that. I know that people have rated them in terms of “bestness” and/or favoritism. Again, I didn’t want to do that either. I wanted to do something different:

Can I write about songs from each film? Yeah, I guess I could; but that’s been done as well. Can I write about the history of these films? Yeah, I guess I could; but that’s been done as well. Can I write about the characters of these films? Yeah, I guess I could, but everyone knows the characters! Continue reading “My Tribute to the Disney Canon-Forgotten/Minor Characters”

21 Animated Films Submitted for Oscars Consideration

The Oscars time is soon to come upon us! The 85th Academy Awards are scheduled to be held on February 24, 2013. So, naturally it’s only likely that films are soon to be submitted for consideration and voting by the Academy to be included in the hallowed nominations list.

And one category to have its contenders decided is the “Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.” 21 animated feature films from around the world have been submitted and with that amount, we may have up to 5 of them battling for the trophy. We’ll have to wait until January 10, 2013 to discover which 5 they’ll be, but let’s take a look at the 21 films submitted. Just to let you know, I have not yet seen many of these films, so my descriptions will be based on available plot summaries:

1) Adventures in Zambezia

Also known as Zambezia, we see that this computer-animated film was made in South Africa; actually we’ll see that a few of these films are from outside the USA. In this film, a young falcon leaves his home in the desert to discover action and adventure in the city of Zambezia.

2) Brave

Of course we have Disney-Pixar’s entry in the competition in which a young Scottish princess defies a custom and brings upon her kingdom a curse; one that she’ll have to muster up her bravery to undo. 

3) Delhi Safari

We get to one of India’s 2 entries in this category, this one being the first Indian stereoscopic 3D animated film. In this film, a monkey, bear, leopards, and other forest animals decide to go to the Indian Parliament and protest against the people’s destruction of their habitats and homes.

Continue reading “21 Animated Films Submitted for Oscars Consideration”

“Wreck-It Ralph” Wrecks Competition

Well, Disney’s “Wreck-It Ralph” is the obvious victor of this weekend’s box office with an incredible $49.1 million! The critics are also agog with glee and pure commendation of the film (hence its mention on this blog, lol); a rare feat for current Disney! Does this predicted success of “Wreck-It Ralph” indicate a 2nd rise of Disney Animation i.e. a 2nd Renaissance per se? If so, where did it start from? Would “Tangled” be considered the starting point of this era of critic and common folk support and praise? Or would one consider the post-Pixar acquisition films as the starting point, i.e. “Bolt”? Whatever the case, “Wreck-It Ralph” is certainly on my list of films to see!

Hello Animation Fans!

Hey fellow readers! I’m extremely new to blogging, as this is my first blog. I’ve always wanted to do something like this, but am still a bit nervous about how this is all going to work. I’ve always wanted to share my love of animated films (with a strong bias towards Disney films) with fellow animated film lovers and fanatics and I think this is the best way to do that. So, have patience with me and I hope you’ll enjoy your viewing at “The Animation Commendation”!