For Disney fans, Don Hahn’s name is instantly one of animation legend, responsible for the studio’s creative rebirth near the end of the 20th century. Hahn, who began working with Disney in 1976, quickly became one of animation’s foremost film producers, delivering classics like Beauty and the Beast and The Lion King.
Hahn’s Disney contemporaries ranged from John Lasseter to Tim Burton and the era of creativity they brought forth is the subject of Waking Sleeping Beauty, a feature-length documentary directed by Hahn chronicling the studio story beginning in the mid-1980′s. Careful not to shy away from controversy, the film, for the first time, offers a frank, insider’s look, backed by vast amounts of behind-the-scenes material and newly-recorded interviews with the men and women who brought forth Disney’s animation renaissance.
Hitting DVD this Tuesday, Waking Sleeping Beauty arrives the same day as Fantasia and Fantasia 2000 (on Blu-ray for the first time). Hahn, who also produced and directed scenes in Fantasia 2000, spoke with ComingSoon.net about his lifelong career and where he sees himself and the studio heading in the future.
Read more: Exclusive: Disney Producing Legend Don Hahn – ComingSoon.net http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=71928#ixzz16eSGiiaF
CS: Do you ever see yourself tackling a narrative film as a director?
Hahn: Possibly. I mean, I’ve thought about it. There’s nothing in the works right now, but I think it might be really interesting in the future. But the thing is, I have animation in my blood, too. I’m actually working with Tim Burton right now on an animated film and I just love it. So I think that’s probably my calling and what I was meant to do on this Earth.
CS: This is “Frankenweenie”? That’s being done in stop-motion?
Hahn: Yeah, it’s all stop-motion. Very much in the style of “Nightmare Before Christmas.”
CS: Do you have a preference for animation style? It seems impressive that Disney is able to simultaneously have stop-motion films, hand-drawn animation films and computer animation films.
Hahn: That’s all John Lasseter. In the coming couple of years, you’ll see hand-drawn films and puppets and pixels and every kind of style. That’s because John loves storytelling and he’s not afraid of technique. He trusts directors to choose technique so when Tim or Henry Selick comes in with a project in stop motion, who cares? They’re great directors. He’s fearless of the technique and I think that’s admirable of him. I totally believe in that. It’s about the story and not the technique.
CS: Is there a nostalgic element involved in coming back around to “Frankenweenie,” given that it’s based on a short film from the days featured in “Waking Sleeping Beauty”?
Hahn: It is, yeah. When I first met with Tim on it several years ago, I think that yeah, there is. It was one of the first films he made and I think it was a very easy fit to say we should expand it into a feature. That’s why “Waking Sleeping Beauty” could have easily become a five-hour miniseries. Because there’s so many things that happened in that ten year period. “Frankenweenie” was certainly one of them and the opportunities that Tim got that led to “Pee Wee’s Big Adventure” and other films. The other things that happened in that period. John Lasseter getting kicked out of the studio. Brad Bird and all these people were there at the same time. That’s what made it such an amazing petri dish for the animation industry.
CS: So looking to the future, what else is on your plate for the long term?
Hahn: “Frankenweenie” and “African Cats” is really enough to keep me busy. We’ve got some other animated and live-action films in development right now, but they’re all really too early to talk about. But it’s cool. It’s thrilling to be able to work with Tim again. It’s great to get “Waking Sleeping Beauty” out on DVD. It hopefully celebrates the artists and celebrates the people of that time. I’m really exciting about letting people be able to see it because we had a really great festival run and a great run in art houses. I think this is going to be where general audiences can see it and really get to appreciate the art form.
Read more: Exclusive: Disney Producing Legend Don Hahn – ComingSoon.net http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=71928#ixzz16eSSbmag
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