Those Live-Action Ladies

I CAN'T SAY I AM TOO EXCITED to see this year's live-action re-imagining of Sleeping Beauty, although I do look forward to watching Angelina Jolie saunter about in ravishing costume. Flowing flame-like capes, a bat-wing collar and a pair of very prominent horns, 2014's Maleficent incorporates into its set of costumes, animator Marc Davis' original design for Maleficent in 1959. Doing away with anything hag or witch-like, Davis' elegant villain is said to have been inspired by a medieval portrait that was religious in nature. Ironic for a character crowned with "the goat horns of a devil figure".

Contributing too to Maleficent's qualities were live action models shot for reference or sketched directly by artists. Eleanor Audley, who also provided the villain's speaking voice, as well as dancer Jane Fowler, were both cast to model for the role. Lending movement to Aurora, on the other hand, was Helene Stanley, who previously modeled for Cinderella and her stepsister Anastasia, and subsequently for 101 Dalmatians' Anita.

A sneak peek of Helene Stanley in action, amidst live-sketchers, is quite fascinating. Unfortunately for Eleanor Audley and Jane Fowler, only a handful of possibly-mislabeled images are to be found online. Nonetheless, their shared Maleficent was always one of the strongest characters in Sleeping Beauty, proving 55 years later to be just as iconic and esteemed.

In the real world, this villain may just have won the happier ending.

Eleanor Audley, Ed Kemmer and Jane Fowler images from disney.wikia.com and disneytrivia.tumblr.com Helene Stanley live-action film from Rômulo Rocha on Youtube, www.youtube.com

That Magic Maker

ANIMATION HAS COME A LONG WAY since Steamboat Willie's release in 1928, a good 84 years, and what feels like how many technological light years ago. As the very first animation to feature a fully post-produced soundtrack, the short film by Walter Elias Disney and Ub Iwerks was a breakthrough in the genre. It was not the first, however, but the third, of the Mickey Mouse shorts, but its innovation in sound garnered it a chance to be distributed and become the film in which Mickey makes his debut.

The brainchild of Walter Elias Disney, who would have been celebrating his 111th birthday today, Mickey takes his speaking voice and personality from Walt himself, who provided Mickey's grunts, chuckles and minimal speaking lines until the late 1940s. It has been said that though Mickey's physical appearance was designed by Ub Iwerks, "Walt gave him his soul."

Flat backgrounds, limited movement and questionable treatment of animals, Steamboat Willie is today, in many ways, a crude cartoon to see, but a classic nonetheless that serves as a milestone for animation. While its quality can only now only be appreciated by its significance and nostalgia, there's no denying that its essence transcends time and technological advancement; the essence of bringing joy, music and magic through the most vivid of characters who become a part our lives.

Mickey, while undeniably the most iconic of all, is but as a trailblazer for a long list of personalities we had met growing up: from the lovable Genie, Sebastian, Mushu and Baloo, to the lovely Ariel, Jasmine or Belle, the adorable Bambi, Thumper, Flit, Figaro and Flounder, to the despicable Maleficent, Scar or Jafar, and all other goofy, zany, cute and cuddly, magical, mystical and majestic personas in between.

Disney is and has always been magic. Happy birthday Mister Walter!

Steamboat Willie, 1928. Directed by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks. Walt Disney Animation Studios YouTube Channel