Friday, March 31, 2017

Merryweather Pencil Test



I haven't posted a vintage Disney pencil test in ages. The main reason for this is, they take a lot of time to put together. 
This scene featuring Merryweather from Sleeping Beauty was animated by Frank Thomas. This is his rough animation, drawn much cleaner than on other productions. Everyone who animated on Sleeping Beauty drew tighter because of the demanding character designs. The animators did not leave any drawing issues for the clean up artists to solve, the unique graphic quality needed to be in the rough animation. 
Merryweather wants to turn Maleficent into a hop toad. During her dialogue she jumps up and down to simulate a toad's action. The scene is beautifully analyzed and animated, a real Thomas gem!

The little splash of tea that Frank added was unfortunately eliminated in the final color scene.

The key drawings from this scene are part of the Frank Thomas chapter in my book THE NINE OLD MEN.