Welcome to my second column for MousePlanet. Today, I discuss what to be working at a professional animation studio, and in particular, what my experience was like working at Disney.

But first, let's pick up where I left off. I had just moved to Hollywood to work on my first, real, feature-length animated movie, Rover Dangerfield. My head was filled with visions of a grand, Hollywood-style, star-studded premiere.

After nine months of blood, sweat, and tears however, my pink bubble was burst when Warner Bros. announced that the movie would be going straight to video. After a tepid studio screening, Warner Bros. threw us a lackluster crew party on its back lot. All the hot dogs and popcorn we could eat -- needless to say, my date was hugely underwhelmed.

At least I got an original production animation cel out of it (they were still hand-painted then).

But it was on to bigger and better things! During the last couple of months of production on Rover, I heard through the grapevine -- which is how animators often know about their next job, through word-of-mouth -- that Hanna- Barbera was gearing up on a new feature of its own and was looking for people. I called the supervisor for the department I'd be applying for (same one as on Rover) and soon had an interview. As with Rover, I was asked to take a test, and promptly agreed. Since I was not yet known enough in Los Angeles animation circles, supervisors needed to see what I could do instead of simply hiring me based on my portfolio or resumé.

A test consists of a sample scene on which you perform whatever artistic task you are applying for. For example if you're an "inbetweener," your task is to create the missing drawings in between two key animation poses. Little spacing charts on the side of the key drawings indicate how many drawings you must do, as well as how much to space out between each one. If you were applying for a key assistant position, you would refine and clean up the animator's rough drawings, making them look all nice and neat, with a smooth line. If necessary, you would also provide some "breakdown" drawings before passing the scene to an inbetweener.

Once the test is completed, you hand it over to a supervisor to grade. Your test may be reviewed by several other artists and department heads, and if you pass, you get the job. There are tests for every aspect of the animation process, from storyboard, layout, animation, inbetweening, to backgrounds. I spent three hours on the scene I was tested on, in which I inbetweened two drawings in an ocean sequence. I got a splitting headache, but I also got the job. Whew!

Promotional art © Twentieth Century Fox

The feature, with an exciting title of The Endangered, was to be a turning point for Hanna-Barbera. It was the studio's first attempt at producing a Disney-quality animated feature. Animation was still enjoying its resurgence as a viable box office commodity, and everyone was jumping on the bandwagon.

The story centered around three little animal characters in a forest endangered by a toxic spill, and their efforts to save one of their little friends from dying of exposure to poisonous fumes. The animals journey through new, dangerous, and uncharted territory (that is, human-inhabited) on their search for an herb that will cure their little friend.

It sounded good, and I was excited to be on a new project that had the potential of doing better than poor Rover had. It also had some big-name talent doing the voices, and a former Disney animator was one of the department supervisors -- I tried not to bow every time our paths crossed. Hanna- Barbera was a big-name studio, creators of The Jetsons, my all-time favorite TV cartoon show! I also got a raise in pay, and knew I had steady work for at least another year. That rose-colored bubble was beginning to grow again.

It was on this production (as well as on Rover) that I made many of the good friends I still work with or keep in touch with today. Because of the unsteady nature of this business, animation people tend to form deep and lasting friendships. We socialize outside of work, support one another emotionally during lean times, and alert each other when new jobs turn up. It's a wonderful network, but it can also work to your disadvantage. Make an enemy, disappoint a supervisor, slack off or miss your quota, and your reputation in the business can be damaged forever. One of the most often-repeated pieces of advice in the business is to never burn your bridges. That little production assistant you angered two jobs ago might well turn out to be your supervisor or producer on your next!

Promotional art © Twentieth Century Fox

The first few weeks at Hanna-Barbera were spent mainly sitting around and waiting for work to come in, since production wasn't far enough along yet to keep our department busy. Rather than being in the main studio building however, we were relegated to a windowless one-story gray building across the street, with three or four of us crammed into each little room. No wonder we all became friends; it was either that or cut one another's throats! [Great for gossiping, though.] Production finally began ramping up, and we were soon up to our eyeballs in work. It was during this time that I first heard the term "wrist."

Just as with Rover, however, the business end of showbiz reared its ugly head once again. Due to time and budget constraints, the higher-ups began cutting scenes from the picture. Because these were usually the best and most dramatic scenes, the story ended up becoming completely bland and unexciting. For example, an entire sequence with a character voiced by a very well-known actress, was dropped. Some genius decided that The Endangered was too negative a title, so the picture was renamed Once Upon A Forest. Now that was sure to lure them into the theaters.

Promotional art © Twentieth Century Fox

It was finally sinking in for me that the animation business was -- and is -- a business, with creativity and artistry often compromised in the process. It was also right about then that the Rodney King / Los Angeles riots broke out, which didn't help morale much. It did however, make life interesting. I'll never forget being let out of work early, driving home and seeing those great plumes of black oily smoke rising up from downtown LA - brrrrr!

Once Upon A Forest was released with little fanfare, staying in theaters a week or two, then quietly disappearing, following Rover Dangerfield on its way to video. There were some nice quality things in it, such multiplane shots and some Disney-caliber animation. But it just couldn't compete with current Disney releases like Beauty and the Beast, which was the Snow White of the early '90s. What was I going to do next?

The home video release, which you can also purchase at Amazon

During Forest there had been rumblings about changing partnerships and exciting new projects at Hanna-Barbera, including another feature. We were informed that if we wanted it, there would be jobs for us. I was ecstatic! I told them that of course I'd like to stay on.

The new feature would be produced by none other than David Kirschner (of Chucky horror series fame), with directors and supervisors fresh from Disney! Not only that, but we'd be moving out of that awful gray building and into a modern new office structure right next door to Hanna-Barbera. Hallelujah!

Until next time... pencils up!

The Wrist

Promotional art © Twentieth Century Fox

Learn more about "Once Upon A Forest" at this fan page.

A imdb (Internet Movie Database) page also offers trailers from "Once Upon A Forest"

You can also purchase "Once Upon A Forest" at Amazon

(The links above will open new browser windows, so you won't lose your place here).

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