Freeze Frame! - "It's Californ-I-A or Bust!"

Relating directly to our post today showcasing A Goofy Movie, we present this Freeze Frame! featuring two other characters who managed cameos in that film's musical number "On the Open Road."  Mickey proclaims in song our own current road trip mantra, albeit with slightly different enunciation.  

Freeze Frame! - Gary Time in Hawaiian Vacation

The newest Pixar cartoon Hawaiian Vacation, featuring the Toy Story gang, arrives next week as part of the Cars 2 DVD.  Quick pause-button reflexes found this homage to film's director Gary Rydstrom.  When Ken and Barbie "sunbathe" as part of their simulated island holiday, they use a kitchen timer branded "Gary Time" to alert them as to when to flip over.

Donald's Diary: Bewitched, Bothered and Bogie

 

It's always fun to mine yesteryear popular culture from a vintage cartoon.  Earlier this week we showcased a Freeze Frame! from the 1954 Donald Duck cartoon Donald's Diary that paid homage to Disney artist Tyrus Wong.  In the same short, the production crew also made reference to a rather famous popular song, and in addition, hijacked one of Humphrey Bogart's notable film quotes.

When Daisy primps before a big date, three of the perfumes on her vanity are identified as Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered.  This is a reference to the song Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered, written and composed by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart for the 1940 Broadway musical Pal Joey.  The show tune quickly transcended its initial venue, evolving into a pop standard performed by any number of notable vocalists including Doris Day, Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Mel Torme, Barbara Streisand, Carly Simon and even Sinead O'Connor.

Near the end of the short, Donald abandons his plans for matrimony and instead enlists in the foreign legion.  The narrator extolls, "Though I was born when I kissed her, I died when we parted."  As Donald is shown walking guard duty at a remote desert outpost, the narrator adds,  "But I lived for a little while."

That ending sequence is a riff on one of Humphrey Bogart's most memorable film quotes.  In the 1950 movie, In a Lonely Place, Bogie plays a cynical and violence-prone screenwriter suspected of murder.  In a scene with co-star Gloria Grahame, Bogart's Dix Steele character speaks a line from a script he is writing:  "I was born when she kissed me, I died when she left me, I lived a few weeks while she loved me."

Freeze Frame! - Ty Wong Chop Suey

Tyrus Wong had been absent from the Walt Disney Studios for more than a dozen years when the Donald Duck cartoon Donald's Diary was produced in 1954.  But he was still very much remembered.  The proof is in this Freeze Frame from the short wherein Wong was immortalized as the proprietor of a Chinese food restaurant.

Wong's tenure with Disney was brief but significant.  He worked at the studio from 1938 to 1941.  According to his Disney Legends biography:

Looking for steady employment, he joined The Walt Disney Studios to work on animated shorts, but quickly moved into feature films after submitting landscape paintings with deer as early concepts for "Bambi," which was in pre-production. Among his paintings, a stunning image of a stag fight filled with dynamic action, strong compositions, and dramatic lightning. 

Wong went on to work for Warner Bros. for twenty-five years as a production artist for live action films.  Beyond Warner Bros., he was a successful commercial artist, designing Christmas cards for Hallmark and providing illustrations for magazines such as Reader's Digest.  Still very active at age 101, he currently designs elaborate flying kites that have been described as "masterful expressions of his artistic sensibilities."


Explore the 2719 Hyperion Archives:
Freeze Frame! - Daisy's Favorite Spot

Four Color Freeze Frame: Uncle Scrooge and the Rocketeer

Consider this a mash-up of two of our more popular post categories: Freeze Frame! and Four Color Fun.

It is no secret that we are big fans of comic book artist and scribe Don Rosa.  And he is not at all dissimilar to the clever Imagineers and animators whose hidden details we love to discover and celebrate.  Don peppers his work with small details and clever references.  In a previous post, we noted his homage to MGM cartoon characters drawn for comics by Disney Legend Carl Barks.

Since we are celebrating the 20th anniversary of the feature film The Rocketeer this year, we thought we'd make note of Don's subtle reference to Dave Steven's iconic character.  In his Uncle Scrooge story The Universal Solvent, Scrooge pays a visit to eccentric inventor Gyro Gearloose.  In the opening splash panel where Scrooge enters Gyro's laboratory, the Rocketeer helmet and jetpack can be seen in a box labeled "ABANDONED PROJECTS."

Freeze Frame! - The Truth was in There (Hercules)

In 1997, the classic science fiction television show The X-Files was at the near-peak of its popularity.  That is reflected in a subtle sight gag found within Hercules, the Disney animated feature film that was released that same year.  Shortly after they arrive in Thebes, Hercules and Phil walk past graffiti that contradicts Agent Muldar's famous mantra that, "The truth is out there."  No doubt there were at least a few X-Files aficionados on the Hercules crew.

Freeze Frame! - A Slightly Visible Scar

Today we continue our Freeze Frame! exploration of Disney's 1997 animated feature Hercules.  For a brief moment in the film, Hercules is seen posing for an artist while wearing a lion skin.  The lion skin just happens to belong to one of Disney's more notorious animated villains--Scar, from The Lion King.  Scar's features become more recognizable a few moments later when Herc unceremoniously throws the pelt on the floor in front of Phil.  The satyr then uses it to wipe clown makeup from his face.  Oh, how the mighty had fallen.

Freeze Frame! - Haunted Muses

In a very quick bit of theme park to motion picture synergy, an element of the Haunted Mansion is referenced in Disney's 1997 animated feature Hercules.  During the musical number I Won't Say (I'm in Love), the Muses take the forms of various sculptures as they provide background vocals for Meg's performance.  At one point in the song, they are featured as a set of marble busts that bear an uncanny resemblance to a similar and rather famous set piece from the Haunted Mansion's cemetery.

Freeze Frame! - Mickey on the Grid

Relating to our post this week about Tron and Tron Legacy, here is a classic Freeze Frame! where a certain corporate icon became part of the virtual landscape.  In the original 1982 Tron, a trademark Mickey Mouse silhouette can be seen in the background as heroes Flynn, Tron and Yori pass by on their solar sail simulation.

Freeze Frame! - Donald in Wonderland

 . . . or even possibly Alice in Mathmagic Land?

Relating to our Alice in Wonderland media review also published today, we thought it would be fun to take a look at a slightly more unconventional Disney interpretation of Lewis Carroll material.  It was rare indeed that a Disney character had the opportunity to cross-dress in the manner of say, Bugs Bunny.  But Donald Duck was drafted for just such a moment, in of all things, the 1959 educational cartoon Donald in Mathmagic Land.  Donald assumes the role of Alice, outfit and all, in a demonstration of how mathematics relates to the game of chess.   Charles Dodgson, aka Lewis Carroll, was after all a well know Oxford mathematician, as the cartoon's narrator is quick to point out.

Freeze Frame! - Young Jim Hawkins and Stitch

Relating to our recent Retro Review of Treasure Planet, we present this Freeze Frame that shows a certain pint-sized creature in residence at the Benbow Inn.  Lilo and Stitch preceded Treasure Planet into movie theaters by less than six months, but Treasure Planet background artists still manged to sneak in a reference to the furry blue alien near the beginning of the film.  A toy version of Stitch can be seen perched on a shelf  in Jim Hawkins' bedroom.

Freeze Frame! - Tummy Trouble Storefronts

Animation background artists are quite adept at hidden gags and most especially self reference.  This holds true for the 1989 Roger Rabbit cartoon Tummy Trouble, but it does take quick reflexes with the pause button to ferret out these split second testimonials.  When the ambulance careens down a city street, it passes the following five storefronts:

Greg's Gym

Kathy's Nails

Rob's Pastry Shop

Karen's Inn

Glenn's Greenery

Here are some educated guesses as to the identities of these Toontown business owners:

Greg's Gym - background artist Greg Drolette

Kathy's Nails - background artist Kathy Altieri

Rob's Pastry Shop - Tummy Trouble director Rob Minkoff

Karen's Inn - layout artist Karen Keller

Glenn's Greenery - no one by the name of Glenn is listed in the film's credits.  This one remains a mystery.  A possible reference to Disney animator Glen Keane despite the variation in spelling?

Freeze Frame! - From Pathology to Burbank

Our Freeze Frame! examination of the 1989 Roger Rabbit cartoon Tummy Trouble now returns (quite literally) to the crazy corridors of St. Nowhere hospital in one of the short's most fast and furious gag sequences.  After Roger is strapped to a gurney, he is frantically pushed through a series of swinging doorways on his way to surgery.  In a mere four seconds, he slams past seventeen different sets of doors, each with a separate identification.  The names, in order are:

PATHOLOGY

UROLOGY

PROCTOLOGY

GYNECOLOGY

BIOLOGY

RADIOLOGY

GEOLOGY

THEOLOGY

ARCHEOLOGY

ZOOLOGY

ASTROLOGY

EGYPTOLOGY

MUSICOLOGY

PHARMACOLOGY

PHYSIOLOGY

PHRASEOLOGY

and finally,

BURBANK

(an obvious nod to the location of the Disney Studios)

Freeze Frame! - Raggedy Andy and the Three Little Wolves

Continuing our Freeze Frame! exploration of the 1989 Roger Rabbit cartoon Tummy Trouble, we find some diverse but still distinct animation references in the backgrounds of Baby Herman's house.  A framed picture on the wall features the title characters from the 1936 Silly Symphony The Three Little Wolves.  This was the third short to feature the Three Little Pigs and introduced the sons of the Big Bad Wolf.  In the same frame, there is a toy on top of a nearby bookshelf that very suspiciously resembles the title vehicle from the vintage silent cartoon Trolley Troubles that starred Oswald the Lucky Rabbit.

Also quickly featured in the same scene is a Raggedy Andy doll leaning against a chest of drawers.  This pays homage to Richard Williams, who was the animation director on Who Framed Roger Rabbit.  He had previously worked on the 1977 animated feature, Raggedy Ann and Andy: A Musical Adventure.

Freeze Frame! - Mickey Mouse Tummy Troubles

Our recent Freeze Frames have been focused on Who Framed Roger Rabbit.  We're going to continue to explore that toony world, but take a detour over to Tummy Trouble, the very first Roger Rabbit cartoon, that was released in theaters in 1989 with the feature film Honey, I Shrunk the Kids!

Homage is paid in the short to both Mickey Mouse and one of his classic early cartoons.  A very quickly panned background from Baby Herman's hospital room features a wall chart of a mouse's skull, Mickey's pants and shoes, and a picture of the namesake villain from the 1933 cartoon The Mad Doctor.  The bag of money on the scale?  Not quite sure other than to say that Mickey is a very wealthy mouse indeed.

Later, a Mickey-themed mouse-hole can been seen near the elevator doors.

More Tummy Trouble Freeze Frames are on the way.  Stay tooned!

Freeze Frame! - An Unintentional Non-Toon Cameo

Who Framed Roger Rabbit is of course literally littered with cameos of classic cartoon stars.  This particular sequence featured among others, Bre'r Bear, Bucky Bug and Koko the Clown.  Clearly not an intentional cameo was the crew member seen reflected in the window of the Red Car trolley.  Brandishing a megaphone and in non-period garb, the individual was identified in an IMDB listing as an assistant director.  He was probably directing Bre'r Bear who can be seen quickly exiting the right side of the frame.

Freeze Frame! - Mike, Sully and Buy N Large Lug Nuts

Relating to our review today of the new Blu-Ray DVD Mater's Tall Tales are these two Freeze Frames from the short Tokyo Mater.  This particular cartoon in the Tall Tales series was originally released in theaters with the Disney animated feature Bolt.

As Tow Mater inadvertently careens through a restaurant in downtown Tokyo, we briefly catch a glimpse of the Cars versions of Monsters Inc. characters Sully and Mike Wazowski.  These renditions first appeared as part of the end credits of Cars.  Also in the short, an electronic billboard pays subtle homage to Wall-E via an advertisement for Buy N Large Lug Nuts.

 

Freeze Frame! - J. Thaddeus Toad - Fireman

We are still exploring the avenues of Toontown in our series of Freeze Frame! posts related to the 1988 film Who Framed Roger Rabbit.  Let us leave those dark and claustrophobic side alleys of our prior two posts and return to the zaniness of Toontown's main thoroughfares.

J. Thaddeus Toad has a love of all things fast and furious, as demonstrated by his motor car antics in the 1949 animated feature The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad.  In Who Framed Roger Rabbit, he trades up to a fire engine and careens across the screen just after Eddie Valiant arrives in Toontown.  It is a very, very quick split second cameo, but then again, Toad was never known for sitting still in one place for very long.

A quick eye will spot a number of other cameos in the same scene.  Among them, Snow White and the Evil Queen, Fiddler Pig, Fifer Pig, Little Red Riding Hood (from the 1934 Silly Symphony The Big Bad Wolf), Sir Giles and the Reluctant Dragon, both Goofy (on a pogo stick from Victory Vehicles) and his George Geef counterpart, the Big Bad Wolf and the Seven Dwarfs (appropriately enough emerging from the subway station).

Freeze Frame! - Cartoony Bob Z

In our previous Who Framed Roger Rabbit Freeze Frame! we explored a dark and dangerous Toontown alley.  We'll return to that location again to showcase a discarded newspaper that makes reference to the film's director Robert Zemeckis.  A headline on the paper proclaims "CARTOONY BOB Z. HAS A . . ."

What is that last word?  VIXEN? MIXER?  Your guess is as good as mine. 

A simple gag on Zemeckis or something with more meaning?  Only the original background artist knows for sure . . .

Freeze Frame! - Bre'r Baer and Gregory and His Rubber Band

As we continue our Freeze Frame! exploration of Who Framed Roger Rabbit, the destination today is a dark alley in Toontown that is briefly traveled by P.I. Eddie Valiant.  Two faded posters pay homage to individuals who were part of the film's animation crew.

One poster features a character called Bre'r Baer with the caption:

NOT TOO HARD

NOT TOO SOFT

HE'S JUUUST RIGHT!

The poster makes reference to Dale Baer who was a chief executive and supervising animator on Who Framed Roger Rabbit.  Baer has since become one of Disney's seasoned and veteran animators, working on such films as The Lion King, Tarzan, Chicken Little, Home on the Range and Meet the Robinsons.  He most recently animated Ray in The Princess and the Frog.

Nearby in the alley is another poster that advertises Gregory and his Rubber Band.  This likely refers to Gregory Hinde, a production assistant and animator on Who Framed Roger Rabbit.  The poster would be alluding to Hinde's primary career path as a musician and composer.  He would go on to create music for such animated television series as The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy, The Wild Thornberrys and Evil Con Carne.

Elsewhere in Toontown is a door to a business named "Jane's Jade Jazz."  Is this a reference to coordinating animator Jane Baer (and spouse of Dale?), the only prominent "Jane" listed in the film's animation credits?