Take a look at the Sonoma, California residence of John and Nancy Lasseter. Also, take a peak into a busy day at Pixar Studios.
Train Library
Model railroads travel throughout various rooms of the house, both above one's head and below the feet.
To access the Train Library: none other than a secret, hidden staircase.
Hawaiian Shirt Closet
Over 370 Hawaiian-style shirts.
Trophy Room
Wine Cellar
Kitchen / Dining Room
Gym / Backyard
We need to see more pics of the backyard, John! From what I can tell, there is are (at minimum) water slides going into a pool. In the two photos above it almost resembles River Country.
Below we see a satellite view of the mini water park-like backyard, as well as the rest of the home. Beautiful home in beautiful beautiful Northern California.
The estate is located some 60 miles from Pixar in Emeryville. But worry not, John has a driver to take him to/from the Studio. And for good reason. I wonder if that black SUV made a cameo in Cars 2? Hmm. If so, it surely had a clever and punerific name.
This is fascinating. John approves animation and provides notes from his iPad.
"A Day in the Life of John Lasseter" Video
Thanks John Lassetire. Oh, I mean Lasseter. Remember to send us photos of your cool backyard!
We don't often feature the works of art that are the Disney animated films. And we really should, for they are the basis of many beloved theme park attractions.
My adorable wife recently surprised me with a number of FANTASTIC animation books. From these books we can study various ranges of movement with only a few drawings by some of the old greats. Leaps and bounds above the pencil tests my fellow students and I produced in art school. I did, for a time, work as a character artist at Disney- not in Animation though former animators did train us. I will always remember one Sr. Artist teaching me that we do not draw characters "line to line" but we "feel the shape of the figure and draw accordingly." He was clear that anyone could memorize how one line connected to the next but if you don't "feel it" the character has no volume.
SLEEPING BEAUTY- Samson and Prince Phillip, 1959 by Milt Kahl
PINOCCHIO- Pinocchio by Jack Campbell
THE THREE CABALLEROS- Donald Duck, Panchito, Jose Carioca, 1945 by Clyde Geronimi
SONG OF THE SOUTH- Brer Rabbit, by Milt Kahl
ALICE IN WONDERLAND- Mad Hattter, by Milt Kahl
101 DALMATIONS- Roger Radcliff and Pongo, by Milt Kahl
Andreas Deja
Recently famed animator Andreas Deja left Disney (reasons unknown to me) and started a blog (among other things, no doubt). "Right now I am focusing on my own animated short films, sculpting with wire and this Blog. I might be back at Disney some time.....who knows," says Deja on his blog.
If there was such a thing as a second (or third) set of "Nine Old Men", Andreas Deja would definitely be among them.
It was like a big World Showcase but with architecture similar to Future World. Was Expo 67 a major influence on the design of EPCOT Center? Indubitably. Was it as fantastic as the '64-'65 New York World's Fair? Hmm... Close. Did Walt Disney (the company) have a presence at the Expo? Yep, a little.
Today:
The 1967 International and Universal Exposition (or Expo 67) in Montreal, Canada was the "most successful World's Fair of the 20th Century". The total visit count: 50,306,648. This, contrasted with Canada's resident population of only 20 million, landed the 6 month fair with a per-capita attendance record. On the third day of the fair a single-day World's Fair attendance record was set with 569,000 visitors.
The 1970 Osaka Expo welcomed 70 million+ visitors and recently Shanghai reported 70.45 million visitors to their fair. Additionally Shanghai 2010 recorded that in its last day of honoring "standard tickets" 748,300 people attended.
Keep in mind Epcot hosts, say, 70,000 guests on a super busy peak day.
Pavilions
The Expo boasted 90 pavilions. Here we look at a few.
Canada Pavilion
Killer view atop an inverted pyramid. It appears pyramids were a structure of choice at this fair.
Canada Pulp and Paper Pavilion (model)
Great Britian Pavilion
Friendship Boat?
France Pavilion
Looks like a cross between a monorail and a peoplemover, eh?
Today (Casino de Montreal):
Morocco Pavilion
I am loving this Morocco diorama. The figures were animated but don't they look like regular old store mannequins in fancy clothing?
Japan Pavilion
United States Pavilion
The Biosphere still stands today!:
Fire
You'll notice the clear acrylic panels no longer cover the surface of the dome. In 1976 a welding torch set the structure on fire leaving only the metal framework behind. The Biosphere remained closed until it was purchased by Environment Canada in 1990 and later opened as a museum.
Italy Pavilion
Federal Republic of Germany Pavilion (model)
China Pavilion
Thailand Pavilion (model)
Soviet Union Pavilion
La Ronde
Today (La Ronde Six Flags Amusement Park):
Alcan Pavilion
Today:
Kaleidoscope Pavilion
Quebec Pavilion
Today:
Habitat 67
Today:
Telephone Association of Canada Pavilion (with Circle-Vision 360°, produced by The Walt Disney Company)
"Canada 67" Circle-Vision Film: Description from the Expo 67 guide book:
"You're on centre stage for the RCMP Musical Ride... on centre ice for hockey... on the track at the Stampede! CIRCLE-VISION 360o surrounds you with all the fun and excitement of Canada's most thrilling events and its scenic beauty. And then, take your chldren to the Enchanted Forest...see exciting new communication services for the future... all in the Telephone Pavilion!"
The film is said to be a major inspiration to the original "O Canada" film at EPCOT Center.
The film has reportedly not been seen since the closing of Expo 67. This could be false. Any bit of the film you find out there, let us know.
Side note: Ever notice how FANTASTIC themed entertainment design was in 1967?? If you read this blog, you know how we feel.
Fritz ;)
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