After several days of moping, grousing, complaining, and general nail-biting, tonight we stepped out in style -- Trix got an invite recently to an Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences gala event from the very sweet set decorator for the TV series Trix works on. It was an amazing dual exhibition: "Ink & Paint: The Art Of Hand Drawn Animation" and "Pulling Back The Drapes: Set Decoration Revealed."
The former was, for animation geeks like me and Trix, pure catnip: designs by Disney genius Mary Blair ("Alice in Wonderland" and "Cinderella" as well as the design for the amazing Small World ride at Disneyland), original sketches from Warner Brothers' cartoons like "What's Opera, Doc" and "The Rabbit Of Seville," backdrop paintings from "Snow White" and production designs from "Nightmare Before Christmas." One of the coolest collection of stills, paintings and odds-and-ends I've ever seen.
The latter was, if anything, more incredible. If you don't know what set decorators do -- they basically put in all the details on the set, from furniture to light fixtures to little bits and bobs sitting around, that make the things look lived in and human and real. There were sets from "Iron Man," "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" (that was Trix' friend's work, the beautiful Hawaiian villas in the film), "Get Smart" and, best of all, "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull." Coolest detail? A little picture on Indy's desk of Willie (aka Mrs. Steven Spielberg) from "Temple of Doom." Righteous.
The crowd was a veritable who's who of behind-the-scenes folks -- first-string animators and producers and set decorators and Academy members old and young, and, oddly, Larry Storch from TV's "F-Troop." Dunno what he was doing there, but it was pretty damn cool that he was.
Malaise: officially over!
edit: my hair looked far more awesome than it did in that picture.
7 comments:
Envy alert sirens!
Huge animation freak on the other end, here...I have virtually every classic Disney film (Snow White was the first movie my Mom took me to) and every Looney Tunes box set (I laugh to the point of pain at the Road Runner/Wile E. Coyote shenanigans all these years later).
I think Larry Storch has done quite a bit of voice over work in animation over the years, so no surprise that he'd be at a big to do....
Glad you're feeling better, bud....We all go through cloudy days and periods of the blahs...
Kill the Wabbit, kill the wabbit! That sounds like a reall y fun event. Nothing like that going down around here. I think. If it was back in the day, that sounds like something to go high to.
What a cool thing to go to. And in a cool suit! But I wish you'd shown what Trix wore for dress up! (hint, hint)
Back in the day, yes. But now we'd bring the Kirkenstock with and have to spend the entire time chasing him and telling him to apologize to the lady he just insulted. Still, looks like a fun exhibit.
Trix looked GORGEOUS in a blue-and-white patterned dress that we picked up at this awesome little shop on Melrose last week for a song. She looked absolutely stunning, and I must say I was quite proud to have her on my arm.
Set decorators? Who? I'm confused, I thought you were talking about celebrities. OH I know who you mean. All those little people hanging around in the background when I'm on stage being a Superstar.
You look so snazzy!
Glad you had a lovely time. Did you take more pics?
xx
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