FILM & PERSONAL: Disney and the Vault/Weekend Babysit

 Clyde Geronimi animated fairy tale, SLEEPING BEAUTY (1959) starring the voices of Mary Costa, Bill Shirley, and Eleanor Audley. This feature was in active production from 1951 until the end of 1958 and was the last Disney animated feature to have cels inked by hand. The beautiful art direction is inspired by European medieval paintings and architecture, and the elaborate background paintings took between seven and ten days to paint. This is the first Disney animated feature released in 70mm. Though much of the soundtrack in based on the Tchaikovsky ballet, George Bruns received an Academy Award nomination for Best Musical Score for his original songs. 

1941 - Dumbo gets drunk and learns to fly!  He is beautifully drawn, the music is great, and the black crows all sing wonderfully sweet minstrel-style,  seem familiar from Song of the South.  Dumbo is out of the vault right now in 70mm.  It was lovely to see the pink elephant dream sequence, reminiscent of  Fantasia and the stunning animation of Oscar Fischinger. It's on Time Magazine's 2011 list of 25 best animated films.  It was made cheaply to recoup the losses from Fantasia, released in 1939.

We spent Saturday and Sunday taking care of our two younger grandchildren while the oldest, Mom and Dad went for a short ski weekend. I was so happy to think of them in the snow and our  6-year old grandson having his first ski lessons.

We took the 4-year old to Live Steamers, a singular monument to older mens' obsessions.  It's a hobby group that used land in Griffith Park to build miniature train tracks for their individually-owned engines and cars.  I was told an engine can cost $50,000.  On Sundays the group offers rides on the trailing cars, and it's a favorite of the "boykins" (our two male grandchildren).

It was one of those heavenly warm wintertime days in Los Angeles, sunny, a slight wind, sparkling; I have such joy living here when these occur, a  reprieve from the rest of the world's snowy bitter cold existence.

I am told that "miniatures" appeal to control freaks of all natures.