Hey Karl, was going to send an email congratulating you on the article, but then figured I should do it in "public." You're good at sorting the facts, without hyperbole. And I say that as someone not particularly predisposed towards the Disney aesthetic, or Disney as a corporate conglomerate. It's funny how people often have to wrap their cultural complaints in character assassination; it shows a real shallowness of argument. Also, I agree with the poster below: we should all draw the line at Disney promoting gay admirals. That's clearly a violation of the "Don't ask / Don't tell" policy.

Nice work, It really gave a feeling of your trip.

I will agree some of the things said about Disney are blown out of proportion, but some are not. I am especially very unhappy about the latest family friendly Disney film. They condone cloning, voodoo, cross dressing, and praying to a fallen star. Please don't say any of this is my imagination, because I watched the movie very closely. I am a big Disney fan. We are DVC members, belong to our local Disney club, WDCC member, etc. We go to at least 1 or 2 conventions a year. A minimum of 2 trips to the parks a year. But I do think Disney should not allow many of their totally far left animators to push their political agenda on a very trusting audience. The article rants about the religious right doing something that is perfectly legal. Boycotting is one way to make a point, and the animators putting the above mentioned causes into child films is another. And I think you mislead people about the Gay Day's at Disney. Nobody has said Gay's cannot go to Disney, but to promote that lifestyle as something admiral is also promoting an agenda. I have heard many stories about the inappropriate behavior that is displayed in front of young children. And nobody says anything for fear of offending the offenders. This is one of the reasons behind why the groups who oppose Disney call for boycotts, because a place that was meant to be the happiest place in the world for children and families promotes lowers their standards so badly.

Terrific article - I think both of the first posters missed the point. Yes, Disney has become a giant media conglomerate, but that's a fairly recent development, and happened decades after Walt's death. If the second poster sees Karl's article as negative, then he either didn't read it or didn't read it carefully enough. It's purpose is to dispel some of the rumors and false stories surrounding Walt's life. I'd encourage this fellow to go back and read it again. The problem with letting some of these rumors continue unchallenged is that sooner or later they become accepted as fact. For example, we all "know" that Mama Cass died by choking on a ham sandwich. We've all heard the story - problem is, it's not true. The same thing applies to these unsubstantiated rumors about Walt Disney. The longer they're out there unchallenged, the more they gain credibility, until they're perceived as "true". One correction - the web site mentioned in the article is www.snopes.com.

Another very pertinent and precise article from Pam. In these difficult times, it is very important that one makes the best of the opportunities that one gets - as Pam puts it, most of the jobs are never advertised- networking is the best way to get to know of opportunities. After reading this, I have resolved to do lunch once each week with a person I have never had lunch before. Thanks for the thought-provoking article.

Thanks for the informative article. When I tell people I dont care for Disney, I get all sorts of weird reactions. Of course they arent thinking about the man. They are thinking about the cute little mouse and all the fluffy little characters that they buy along with their happy meals. I dont care about Disney the man. What I do care about is Disney the corporation and what it is doing to the media industry and to western culture. I don't care about Disney's attitude on homosexuality or religion. I am concerned about an expanding monopoly and its uncontrolled influence of movies and televion. Imagine an entire generation raised with only the Disney animated versions of classic stories. Imagine one company able to rewrite history with its releases of "Pocahontas" or "Pearl Harbor" Imagine Disney's dominance in the media and marketing industry. Imagine a company so powerful that they can buy New York City's 42nd street. Mickey Mouse is just an icon. No personality, no values with the exception of greed and expansion.

About stewert little . I have never met somboty whom ever acted like he did (Yes I saw it have a little cousin )he is not any part actual indavidual humanbeing . He is what they think people should act like in biped mouse like form . Distilled media, to be glib . Second " I am not a chicken but I know what an egg is " Isnt empathy one of the piller's of the human mind . What is a club but a stick man asosiate's with his agression ? and so on and so on till be built the titanic . Now im not saying that the titanic was the greatist thing we as a spieses could do ( I deliberetly did not say acomplish there )but in the end isnt that empathy a , if not the , key element of human existace? and in clossig god wouldnt have given us ower ceribelom's if it had not intendid us to use them . Keep up the good work . Ps always good to hear a sipmson's quoat .

Fine dont post this but I thout is was funny I was Talking about god at the end of the last posting, on an artitcal about athrapamorphism and I almost refered to god as him lol .

Your article is well-thought out and precise, but correct me if I'm wrong- I believe I remember transformers the series came out in 85'. Shortly there after, due to fanbased popular ratings Transformers The Movie came out in 86 (the first time America would see a small series convert to the big screen) . Again correct me if im wrong, it just that it crossed my mind as i read your article.

I thoroughly enjoyed your stimulating remarks on drawing and agree with most of them. What slightly depresses me though is the resemblance of your arguments to the comments sometimes made by pompous theatrical actors towards their counterparts working in film (or sometimes by classical musicians towards pop musicians) ie. that somehow the former are the true 'keepers of the flame' and should shun involvment with their less enlightened cousins. Apart from being gratuitously patronising, this form of art is risking extinction. There has always been cross-pollination between the arts and commerce. So what? Do you really think that artists like Velázquez (court painter to the Spanish aristocracy) and Ingres (portraitist to the French bourgeoisie) or the ludicrously overrated Picasso were unswayed by the temptations of fame and fortune? Or that it diminishes their achievements? The fact is, the difference between art and 'crap' as you call it, is more ambiguous than you seem to realise. It might sound clever to claim that the work of people like Chuck Jones and Kim Deitch is 'crap' because it was done for money, but it speaks more of an abject fear of irrelevance than any creative insight. Perhaps your real argument is with the distorting influence of capital on human life. If so, why not say so? Or would it be too reminiscent the 1970s and its psuedo-revolutionary 'critique' of painting as reactionary anachronism, perhaps? I was attracted to animation precisely because it is the trashy, bastard offspring of comics and film and has (so far) had very little to do with art galleries, museums or scholarly aesthetic doctrines. If that means I'm not allowed to call it art, well excuse me all over the place. I'm sorry to hear that you suffer from an allergy to paint fumes. I can well imagine the frustration, and would suggest (from long experience) that sitting in front of a computer terminal isn't a particularly healthy alternative. Do you want to know what I'm allergic to? The boring pieties of opinionated theoreticians who have inflicted infinitely more damage to the cause of art than Walt Disney could have imagined in his wildest dreams.

martin-dr.toon,thanks for a well-thought-out article-assesment of animation trends. after reading your article (opened my eyes) i was thinking of a SIMILAR parrallel or anology of the current stock market "trends".could this current process of 'recycling' animation, from T V ..to the big screen be the final result....of the entire STRANGULATION...of any new concept-small studio-success? one can only hope for this blantant abuse of "cartoon-creationisim"to eventually be ...IGNORED by audiences, like the (investors) are ignoring the market...because they are not getting any "returns" via -viewing satisfaction.sort of like all the "empty calories' in junk food, and one goes away feeling 'hungry" for more? is this kind of "starving for real-new animation" concepts operating like the junk-food markets? can the future be..MOUNTAINS of plastic-toon pressed characters...piled-up all over the globe? the GREEN-HOUSE effect via.. "commercialisim"-licensing-for-every -T V -to- -animation-to the selling of licensing-trash?will it CRASH...just like the stock market ,because parents will eventually refuse to "sucker-in" to this landslide of "licensing" gimmicks! i see a gigantic-evil-dark dark shadow forming over the very future of animation,with no room for the "visionaries"...just mountains of commercial-trash piling-up ...every year and lots of... "funeral" announcments...of "REAL TALENT"...dying, ..along with (their) dwindling audiences,who no longer have any hope;......like the song.."where have all the flowers gone"...."von vilst mon yagerstayn"....von vilst mon yagerstayn... dawk

Beautiful work. I never could get to the Annecy festival, but these sketches gave me more of a taste of it than any photographs or videos could. Just wondering how they would look like moving...

The titles to the paintings absolutely objectified the otherwise superb drawings, thus killing much of the possbilities of (and brought about as a personal experience) imagination and connection that was initially privileged by Jean's endeavors. A death by closure brought to a work that is otherwise ever expanding. It is so funny. must a painting have a name to it in order for it to be complete? Again an irony set against the preberbal experience that Jean is bringing to our awareness through his writing. ;-)

Good article. I had stopped quicksketching, and this article has inspired me to continuing doing it again.

hello, my name is sarah, im in year 11, aged 16 and i live in sydney australia. ive always had a big crush on japanese style animation since year 8. im not a terrific drawer, but im always practicing and i think im improving. im doing art at school...and for work experience i worked at an animation gallery but i currently can not afford proper art classes. my long term plan for now is to look around for places to get experience in that environment before maybe taking classes in america. Eventually i plan to work in japan to see what its like in that workplace, and if its possible, to set up my own small animation buisness. im willing to try as hard as it takes to learn the talent but its hard to find time now because of school. Am i approching this the right way? Will i be over age to become an animator? Do you have any further advice for me? thankyou for your time Sarah

Annecy was a wonderful experience and watching Don draw such wonderful moments as he was experiencing them was a real treat! Though I am much better looking than MY drawing!.

A trip through the eyes of a wonderful animator. I was captivated by the creative imaginative drawings. My only disappointment was that online they weren't crisp enough. Last year's drawings were presented online in sharper detail.

Hi Don, I enjoyed your fine, happy sketches of the Annecy experience. The best things about the event is being there,and meeting with such a variety of interesting and talented people. However, I always thought that the excitement about animation that brings people there has the ironic effect of keeping them in the dark screenimng rooms, while outside the happy-go-lucky natives are just a short distance away, reclining on the beach at beautiful Lake Annecy taking in the sun and the topless bathers. Best to you, Howard Beckerman

Hey This guy is really good. Should be hung in the Met and Louvre. Same last name? It is a common name like smith.

i really really really like your work.....it gives me something to do before i TRY falling asleep..:) so im wondering why did they cancel IZ?