"It was a dark and stormy night" - that’s always a fun way to start writing, isn’t it? Can’t you just see Snoopy on top of his doghouse click-clacking away on his typewriter? Wow, we're already digressing - and not even about Disney. But wouldn’t it be great if the Peanuts gang were brought into the Disney family? Okay, let's get back to this post, which is mostly Disney related, we promise. At least it was a Disney location that brought us out, on a dark and stormy night...
With each February brings the glitz and glamour of the Academy Awards - the time when Hollywood comes together to celebrate the best movies of the year. While many of us watch the telecast from home in, say, pajamas and facial masks (not just Julia, right?), the Walt Disney Family Museum is here to help its members get up close and personal with the films and filmmakers from a category near and dear to the museum's mission.
On February 17, the museum opened its doors after hours for a special members-only screening of the five Oscar nominated animated shorts for 2017, accompanied by a dessert reception with the filmmakers.
Julia’s favorite short was "Blind Vaysha." This film is about a girl that is born with a unique form of blindness. Through her left eye she sees the past and through her right, the future - but never the present. In a world where it is increasingly normal to view life through a screen without really taking time to be present, this film rang true and relevant.
Tina’s favorite short was Pixar’s "Piper" - a sweet coming of age story about a young sandpiper learning to scavenge for food. The animation is hyper-realistic making it seem more like a nature documentary than an animated film, but it is beautiful nonetheless. At the end of the screening, attendees were given pebbles, which they used to cast votes for their favorite film of the night. If the Oscars go the way of these voting results, "Piper" will take home the golden statuette.
A short Q&A followed the screening with the filmmakers of both previously mentioned shorts. These two films were the clear favorites of the night, as evidenced by the tallied votes. "Blind Vaysha's" Theodore Ushev shared the story of what made him fall in love with animation. Growing up in communist Bulgaria, Mickey Mouse was not a well known figure like he was in America, but he remembered that somehow Fantasia made its way to the theaters. This film so greatly impacted young Theodore that it eventually lead him in the direction to become an Academy Award nominated filmmaker. As Ron Diamond, host of the evening, observed: Walt Disney and the work he produced profoundly influenced the world and continues to influence every animator that has come along since.
At the dessert reception, your DBFFs were able to mingle with fellow friends and members of the museum while patiently waiting our turn to talk with the filmmakers. This year we had the good fortune to meet Marc Sondheimer (the producer of "Piper"), Theodore Ushev (writer/director/animator of "Blind Vaysha"), and Marc Bertrand (producer of "Blind Vaysha"). It was a treat to express our appreciation for their work in person - not to mention the excitement of adding to our autograph collections at the same time.
We are already anticipating visiting the museum next February for the next crop of animated shorts...especially since we have discovered that the traffic going over the Golden Gate Bridge into the city on a Friday night is smooth, even on a dark and stormy night...
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