This picture of the crew of The Black Cauldron was taken at the end of production on the steps at the south end of the Animation building on the Walt Disney lot at 500 S Buena Vista St. Burbank California. This was the last feature animated film ever to be completed in this building. Approximately 1 year later we were “temporarily” relocated to a warehouse in Glendale.

The memo states that the relocation is temporary not to exceed 2-3 years. It would be 9 years before the animation department came back to the Walt Disney Studio lot, but not back to the animation building where they came from, but rather a new construction built specifically for them directly across the street.Because the animation department had been so successful in the so called temporary “warehouse environment” producing such classics as “Lion King” there was now alot of concern about the design of the “new animation building” to ensure continued success. That being said the decision was made to design the new building’s interior to mimick that of a warehouse since it was thought at the time that it was an important ingredient in the creation of a successful animated film. (wink)

This picture of the crew of The Little Mermaid was taken at the end of production at park in Glendale California.

(Photo care of Maddy O’Neil)

The crew of Rescuers Down Under at a park in Glendale. Rescuers Down Under was the first Walt Disney Feature animated film to use CAPS (Computer Animation Production System). This proprietary system designed by PIXAR software engineers utilized state of the art scanners, digital paint and composite systems along with optical printers and produced every animated picture until Chicken Little in 2004.

The Crew of the Great Mouse Detective
Also known as Basil of Baker Street
(Photo care of Phil Phillipson)

The first Walt Disney Pictures animated film produced in the wharehouse environment at 1420 Flowers St. Glendale California. This movie began production on the Disney lot as Basil of Baker Street and was moved mid production and renamed to The Great Mouse Detective. Some thought the new name was generic and to follow suit renamed every Disney animated film that had been done to date in the similar generic style.Care of veteran animation checker Janette Hulett below is the phoney memo with the new and improved titles created by story artist Ed Gombert.

This memo mysteriously appeared in the Calendar section of the Los Angeles Times one Sunday and also as a question on Jeopardy when a contestant chose a category and this list of “renamed” animated film titles displayed on the screen for which the contestant had to come up with the “original” animated film titles. (Thankyou Janette Hulett for this memo and your memories)