The most anticipated release for me for First Quarter 2009 was the scene release from Hawaiian Holiday (1937). The set finally arrived this past week and I couldn't be any more happier. Hawaiian Holiday is one of those rare occassions when all of Disney’s Fab Five shared the screen in the same cartoon short. The gang is on vacation. The Mice have little to do with the plot but Donald's hula (Donald learns why you don't wear a grass skirt near a fire), Goofy's attempts at surfing (Goofy has some surfing problems) and Pluto's encounters with a starfish & crab (Pluto and a starfish have a tiff, followed by an encounter with a hermit crab) are very enjoyable.
This short translated perfectly into 3D. Each character is perfect sculpted! It's really hard to pick a favorite. Jacqueline Perreault Gonzales did an amazing job in bringing this short to life. The coloring and plussing (at least for me) is very reminiscent of the Snow White Dancing Scene (released between November 1994 and August 1995), which featured Snow and the Seven Dwarfs. Ironically, both films were released in 1937.
I specifically like the coloring used for Mickey and Minnie's face and the way it was applied, a soft flesh-tone coloring with a slight hint of blush near the corners of each of their mouths. The pose chosen for each compliment one another very well and displaying Minnie at a slight angle (vs. straight on as in the official images provided), she interacts more with the sculpture of Mickey and gives a more realistic feel of her doing the hula to the strings of his guitar. These two could have held their own released as a boxed set if so desired.
The Donald sculpture not only gives us the character of Donald but the added bonus of having him sitting in the boat (giving the scene some depth) plus two additional characters, the crab and starfish (could these be the same two that Pluto encountered?). Like Doc in the Snow White Dancing Scene, both Donald's ukulele and Mickey's guitar are plussed with brass strings. They could have cheated and painted the strings in a darker coloring but plussing such as this, is what sets WDCC apart from other collectibles. The body of the crab (except for his two front legs) is made of pewter.
Goofy rounds out the scene in his retro bathing suit holding his classic long board. This is my favorite Goofy released to date. Goofy is plussed with nylon hair and the surf board is made of resin. Hopefully we'll see this scene completed with the future release of Pluto and an Opening Title. This is my favorite scene to date of any combination of the Fab Five characters. It's a feel good/put a smile on your face scene and one that was worth the wait in seeing done!
For your viewing pleasure (courtesy of YouTube.com) is the animated short Hawaiian Holiday (1937):
Hawaiian Holiday ©Disney
Don,
ReplyDeleteGreat job as always with the photos.
Love the background, very fitting.
Jacqueline did do a wonderful job with the pieces. The giclee of the same scene by Trevor Carlton is a must.
Don, these pieces are truly amazing. Jacqueline captured every detail in each piece. There is nothing better than looking at them and wishing you were in Hawaii, or anywhere tropical for that matter!
ReplyDeleteWDCC has knocked it out of the park thus far in 2009. Can't wait to see what the next quarter releases unfold.
Bob-Thanks! Getting a little more comfortable with Photoshop, so took a stab of putting the Hawaiian Holiday Scene with a background. For my first attempt, quite pleased :)
ReplyDeleteHow cool to not only have a scene release but a giclee as well from this great short! They each compliment the other perfectly!
Toni-Jacqueline truly hit a home run with this set! Especially after the winter we've both had, these pieces make you smile and think of warmer climates :)