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Focus____________________ ^ ta r tla n ì» © h s e r u e r
April 21,1999
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tainment form in which they were cre­
ated.”
While the characters rem ain true
to their roots, the proposed show
breaks free from typical anim ated
s e rie s (2 2 -m in u te e p iso d e s) to
present an inventive format of in ­
terwoven cartoon shorts of varying
lengths (12, 7 Mi and 6 m inutes, and
90 seconds). Among the many de­
lights is a landm ark opening title se­
quence that merges com puter-gen­
erated images and traditional char­
acter anim ation to guide viewers on
a step-by-step “to u r” of the studio
th a t “ c r e a te s ” th e “ M ickey
MouseWorks” cartoons. Produced
by the award-winning digital enter­
tainm ent design company, L@it2’d,
the one-minute sequence features an
abundance of “h idden” images re­
lating to the series, its characters
and the entire process of animation.
The 90-second shorts are charac­
ter-driven, fast and funny. For ex­
ample, Mickey is always in a situation
where he must be heroic (“Mickey to
the Rescue”); Minnie in a place where
her talent and diplomacy are quintes­
sential (“Maestro Minnie”); and Pluto
in circumstances that test his loyalty
and doggedness (“Pluto Gets The Pa­
per”). Other 90-second titles include:
“Donald’s Dynamite,” “Goofy’s Ex­
ries premieres Saturday, May 1 (Noon
E T / 11 AM, PT) on ABC as part of
the "Disney’s One Saturday Morning”
lineup.
“You could call this a series 70
years in the
m a k in g ,’
said Charles
Hirschhorn,
p r e s id e n t,
Walt Disney
T elev isio n .
"Mickey and
his pals con­
tinue to de­
light and en­
tertain fans
all over the
w orld - on
film, in our
theme parks,
an d
on
b ro ad c ast
an d cable
te le v is io n .
And now in
a television
series featur­
ing these be­
loved Disney
characters in
original, all-
moments in "Disney's
new shorts -
Mickey MouseWorks.” The new half-hour series, which features The Walt Disney Studies' best
th e e n te r­
cnown stars, premieres May 1 (Noon ET/ 11 AM, PT) as part of the "Disney's One Saturday
doming" line-up on ABC.
It all began, and now continues,
with a mouse.
After a decade in which animated
entertainment has been celebrated in
feature-length films and television se­
ries, animation’s original form - car­
toon shorts - is now coming into its
own with the premiere of “Disney’s
M ickeyM ouseW orks” from Walt
Disney Television Animation. 1 he se-
Teddy Bears’ Picnic, I’m So G lad
(I’ve Got Skin), Big Rock C andy
M ountain and How M uch Is T hat
Doggie In T he Window?
Regarded as an A m erican m usi­
cal in stitu tio n . T h e P ersu asio n s
were discovered by Frank Zappa in
1961, long before Boyz were ever
men and have perform ed virtually
everyw here in the world
having been p aired with
Liza M inelli, Bette Milder,
Stevie Wonder, Lou Reed,
Van M orrison, Paul Simon
and B.B. King (to nam e a
few) and opening for Bill
Cosby and Richard Pryor.
B ru ce S p rin g s te e n a n d
R o se a n n e B a rr, at on e
tim e , o p en e d for th em .
T h eir friend, Tom W aits,
has said “These guys are
deep sea divers - I’m just
a fisherm an in a b o at”.
S p ik e Lee f e a tu re d
them as the G odfather of a
capella in his video produc­
tion “Do It A C apella” and
they w ere m ore recen tly
m ade the exclusive subject
of a feature length d o cu m en tary
“Spread T he W orld” which opened
com m ercially to rave review s in
California and New York, as well as
being honored by the Sm ithsonian
Institute.
D efying c a te g o riz a tio n , T h e
Persuasions repertoire consists of
over a thousand songs sung to ev­
trem e S p o rts” and “Von D rake s
House of Genius.”
T he 6- and 7 Mi-minute cartoons
offer more room for humor, story
and emotion, such as: well-meaning
Mickey’s mishaps after he bends the
tru th or cuts a corner; Donald wag­
ing war with Mickey, Goofy, his
nephews or his own greatest adver­
sary - himself; Goofy’s classic "How-
To ...” in stru ctio n al form ula car­
toons; a trip into Pluto’s non-Mickey
world, where bully Butch, desirable
D inah Dachshund and figments of
the imagination are his prim ary fo­
cus; the adventures of benevolent
M in n ie an d h ig h -m a in te n a n c e
D aisy; an d th e wacky an tics of
Ludwig Von Drake. G reater fun en­
sues when combinations of the char­
acters are tossed together in comi­
cally inherent situatons, like the odd
jobs perform ed by the eager-to-work
trio of Mickey, Donald & Goofy, who
paint roller coasters or catch turkeys.
T he “classics” of literature, stage
and screen receive a special take in
the 12-minute “Mouse Tales” shorts,
retelling famous stories in a light­
hearted, comic m anner as performed
by Mickey and the gang. “Mouse
Tales” include Around the World in
80 D ays, A M idsum m er N ig h t’s
Dream and The Nutcracker.
ery type of music. Listen closely
and you will swear there are in stru ­
m ents back there somewhere - but
d o n ’t wager on it! I t’s just vocal
m agic setting the stage for a great
a d v e n tu r e on a sm o o th sea of
“good tim e ”, "g rea t m e m o ries”,
and “ju st plain fun”.
Auto Insurance
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T he Good Ship Lollipop as The
P ersu asio n s n avigate a cappella
w ith crystal clear clarity in their
children’s release from Music For
Little People. With Grammy nom i­
nated producer Leib Ostrow at the
helm , Jerry, Joe, Jim m y and Jayotis
chart a course for a delightful jo u r­
ney thru “kid-dom ” with original
and classic children’s tunes such as
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