Frank and Ollie
Encyclopedia
Frank and Ollie is a 1995 documentary film
about the life and careers of Frank Thomas
and Ollie Johnston
, two chief animators that had worked at Walt Disney Animation Studios during its early years, up until their retirement in the late 1970s.
It was directed, produced and written by Theodore Thomas
, Frank Thomas' son. A number of other important figures in the animation business are also interviewed about Frank and Ollie's influence of modern animation, and about their personal friendship.
during their long tenure at Walt Disney Studios, beginning with their hiring just before the release of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
. They talk about the successes and difficulties of the Walt Disney studios throughout their careers, including the production of Disney's early works such as Pinocchio
and Fantasia
, decrease in business due to World War II
, the unexpected death of Walt Disney
in 1966, and the importance of The Jungle Book
s success in 1967. These anecdotes are punctuated by archival footage from various Disney films, as well as interviews with contemporary Disney animators, animation historians, and interviews with Frank and Ollie's wives. Footage of Frank and Ollie's daily lives at their nearby homes in La Cañada Flintridge, California
is also featured.
Periodically in the film, Frank or Ollie (usually Ollie) will act out or describe a scene from a Disney film that they animated, and then show the scene from the film. This demonstrates the importance of acting in animation. Several of their anecdotes were also about how other animators did their scenes. The film also talks about Disney's Nine Old Men
, the senior staff at Walt Disney Studios. Ollie Johnston's beloved model railroad and the book Disney Animation: The Illusion of Life
, written by Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston, also feature prominently in the film.
in September, 1995, before gaining a limited theatrical release in October. Reviews were generally positive, with a score of 88% from Rotten Tomatoes
and a user rating of 7.7/10 on the Internet Movie Database
. The film is now very obscure, having received a limited theatrical and VHS release. However, in 2003, the film was released on a Special Edition DVD
, including such features as commentary, 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround Sound
, a behind-the-scenes featurette
, footage of Frank and Ollie's very first animations made at Disney, and some of Frank and Ollie's home movies as well as some scenes of Ollie's live steam
train, excerpted from a Disney TV show.
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
about the life and careers of Frank Thomas
Frank Thomas (animator)
Franklin M. "Frank" Thomas was an American animator. He was one of Walt Disney's team of animators known as the Nine Old Men....
and Ollie Johnston
Ollie Johnston
Oliver Martin Johnston, Jr. was an American motion picture animator. He was one of Disney's Nine Old Men, and the last surviving at the time of his death. He was recognized by The Walt Disney Company with its Disney Legend Award in 1989...
, two chief animators that had worked at Walt Disney Animation Studios during its early years, up until their retirement in the late 1970s.
It was directed, produced and written by Theodore Thomas
Theodore Thomas (filmmaker)
Theodore Thomas is a United States film director and producer. He is the son of the late Disney animator Frank Thomas. His films include the 1984 movie Where the Toys Come From, the documentary about the two last Disney "Nine Old Men" animators, Frank and Ollie, 1995, and the Walt & El Grupo,...
, Frank Thomas' son. A number of other important figures in the animation business are also interviewed about Frank and Ollie's influence of modern animation, and about their personal friendship.
Concept
The film primarily consists of Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston's anecdotes of their careers as animatorsAnimator
An animator is an artist who creates multiple images that give an illusion of movement called animation when displayed in rapid sequence; the images are called frames and key frames. Animators can work in a variety of fields including film, television, video games, and the internet. Usually, an...
during their long tenure at Walt Disney Studios, beginning with their hiring just before the release of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937 film)
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is a 1937 American animated film based on Snow White, a German fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm. It was the first full-length cel-animated feature in motion picture history, as well as the first animated feature film produced in America, the first produced in full...
. They talk about the successes and difficulties of the Walt Disney studios throughout their careers, including the production of Disney's early works such as Pinocchio
Pinocchio (1940 film)
Pinocchio is a 1940 American animated film produced by Walt Disney and based on the story The Adventures of Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi. It is the second film in the Walt Disney Animated Classics, and it was made after the success of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and was released to theaters by...
and Fantasia
Fantasia (film)
Fantasia is a 1940 American animated film produced by Walt Disney and released by Walt Disney Productions. The third feature in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series, the film consists of eight animated segments set to pieces of classical music conducted by Leopold Stokowski, seven of which are...
, decrease in business due to World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, the unexpected death of Walt Disney
Walt Disney
Walter Elias "Walt" Disney was an American film producer, director, screenwriter, voice actor, animator, entrepreneur, entertainer, international icon, and philanthropist, well-known for his influence in the field of entertainment during the 20th century. Along with his brother Roy O...
in 1966, and the importance of The Jungle Book
The Jungle Book
The Jungle Book is a collection of stories by British Nobel laureate Rudyard Kipling. The stories were first published in magazines in 1893–4. The original publications contain illustrations, some by Rudyard's father, John Lockwood Kipling. Kipling was born in India and spent the first six...
s success in 1967. These anecdotes are punctuated by archival footage from various Disney films, as well as interviews with contemporary Disney animators, animation historians, and interviews with Frank and Ollie's wives. Footage of Frank and Ollie's daily lives at their nearby homes in La Cañada Flintridge, California
La Cañada Flintridge, California
La Cañada Flintridge is a small and affluent city in Los Angeles County, California, United States whose population at the 2010 census was 20,246, down from 20,318 at the 2000 census. According to Forbes, as of 2010, La Cañada Flintridge ranks as the 143rd most expensive U.S...
is also featured.
Periodically in the film, Frank or Ollie (usually Ollie) will act out or describe a scene from a Disney film that they animated, and then show the scene from the film. This demonstrates the importance of acting in animation. Several of their anecdotes were also about how other animators did their scenes. The film also talks about Disney's Nine Old Men
Disney's Nine Old Men
Disney's Nine Old Men were the core animators at The Walt Disney Company who created some of Disney's most famous works, from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs onward to The Rescuers. Walt Disney jokingly called this group of animators his "Nine Old Men," referring to Robert S...
, the senior staff at Walt Disney Studios. Ollie Johnston's beloved model railroad and the book Disney Animation: The Illusion of Life
Disney Animation: The Illusion of Life
Disney Animation: The Illusion of Life , 1981, is an acclaimed book by two of Disney's Nine Old Men, Ollie Johnston and Frank Thomas. It is widely considered to be one of the best books ever published on the topic of character animation...
, written by Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston, also feature prominently in the film.
Release and reception
The film was first shown at the Toronto International Film FestivalToronto International Film Festival
The Toronto International Film Festival is a publicly-attended film festival held each September in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. In 2010, 339 films from 59 countries were screened at 32 screens in downtown Toronto venues...
in September, 1995, before gaining a limited theatrical release in October. Reviews were generally positive, with a score of 88% from Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
and a user rating of 7.7/10 on the Internet Movie Database
Internet Movie Database
Internet Movie Database is an online database of information related to movies, television shows, actors, production crew personnel, video games and fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media. It is one of the most popular online entertainment destinations, with over 100 million...
. The film is now very obscure, having received a limited theatrical and VHS release. However, in 2003, the film was released on a Special Edition DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
, including such features as commentary, 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround Sound
Surround sound
Surround sound encompasses a range of techniques such as for enriching the sound reproduction quality of an audio source with audio channels reproduced via additional, discrete speakers. Surround sound is characterized by a listener location or sweet spot where the audio effects work best, and...
, a behind-the-scenes featurette
Featurette
Featurette is a term used in the American film industry to designate a film whose length is approximately three quarters of a reel, or about 20–44 minutes in running time - thus midway between a short subject and a feature film; thus it is a "small feature"...
, footage of Frank and Ollie's very first animations made at Disney, and some of Frank and Ollie's home movies as well as some scenes of Ollie's live steam
Live steam
Live steam is steam under pressure, obtained by heating water in a boiler. The steam is used to operate stationary or moving equipment.A live steam machine or device is one powered by steam, but the term is usually reserved for those that are replicas, scale models, toys, or otherwise used for...
train, excerpted from a Disney TV show.
External links
- Official website of Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston
- Frank and Ollie at Disney.comDisney.comDisney.com is a website, owned by The Walt Disney Company and its subsidiaries, promotes the Disney theme parks and offers entertainment content intended for children....