Movies | April 22, 2009 | 5 comments

How Disney recycled classic cartoons to cut costs

source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1172316/Scene-How-Disney-recycled-classic-carto...

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burukku16
These picture show how Disney 'recycled' some of its backgrounds and animation sequences over and over again in its classic cartoons using a technique called rotoscoping, a process that involved humans acting out scenes for animators to trace in order to make the cartoons more realistic.

Films like Robin Hood, Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs, The Jungle Book and The Aristocats all contain recycled sequences.

Industry insiders say it is a legitimate method of cutting costs in movie-making.

I'm sure this would never happen now, given the computer technology used in film animation, but I think it's interesting to see the similarities between the old films. Makes me wonder if story lines may have been concocted or changed based on what animation sequences Disney already had in its vault.
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5 comments // How Disney recycled classic cartoons to cut costs

  • jonbrooks
    • 0
      jonbrooks  

    • it actually happens more now in the computer age, its very easy to duplicate a background, change its colour flip it etc. Think about how many times Homer goes "doh", do you think the animators would really bother to redraw the same thing every time?

    • 2 years ago
  • Mr_T
    • 0
      Mr_T  

    • so out of all the films they've made they recycled a few sequences. Of which someone can make a 3:29 video. So even if there's a few more, out of the hours of film they've made it's hardly a massive impact.
      I frankly don't care as Disney is an amazing studio and in the past has been a big player in the development of animation, film in general, and even legal issues like copyright law.
      The only animation studio that comes close for me is Studio Ghibli and even they don't really come close to the kind of impact Disney has had over the years.

    • 2 years ago
  • burukku16
  • Psythor
    • 0
      Psythor  

    • I always thought that Disney films were all pretty much the same...

      Its interesting though how a lot of the clips look really high quality, even by modern standards, but then I guess I grew up on a diet of cheapo made for TV cartoons full of "limited animation" (ie: not much moving).

    • 2 years ago
  • Mr_Costello
    • 0
      Mr_Costello  

    • Hey burukku16, thanks for posting - I have heard of this technique. Sounds like the most agonising process for the animation crew. Trace over live footage, frame by frame. I believe they also use it in the 1978 The Lord of the Rings and some parts of The Beatles Yellow Submarine. I would love to have seen one of Disney's industrious animation studios working at full steam, industrious days.

    • 2 years ago
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