In advance of his August 18 lecture, Sincerely Yours, Frank & Ollie, the AMA caught up with the extremely busy and eternally creative John Canemaker for a quick (and exclusive!) Q&A.
AMA: What makes animation a special art form?
JC: Animation is a great creative art form that combines and integrates numerous other art forms, such as graphic and fine arts, music, literature, mime and dance. Animation can make the impossible plausible, personify thoughts and emotions, and visualize metaphors. People often describe it as magical because it brings the inert to vital life. I also think of animation as a form of choreography.
AMA: For you, is the creative process a solitary one or a collaborative one? Why?
JC: For me, the most creative part of writing a book, making a film or a painting, or teaching a class, begins in solitary thinking, dreaming and planning by myself. Imagining an idea or a theme, then exploring how to effectively communicate it to others with clarity is, in my opinion, the most important step in an artist’s process. Later, in some art forms, the process includes collaborations — with, say, an editor for a book; and the production of a film, animated or live action, usually requires a group effort (large or small depending on the project) to fulfill the initial singular dream.
AMA: What are some common misperceptions that people have about the art of animation?
JC: People mistakenly consider animation as a film “genre.” It is not. It is a process and a technique that can encompass any film genre, e.g., westerns, sci-fi, horror, noir, romance. Unfortunately, a majority of American animated feature films are still ghettoized exclusively as child-friendly fare. The potential for animation to fully explore adult themes and serious subject matter in features remains virgin territory.
AMA: Can you hint at what qualities make Ollie Johnston and Frank Thomas’ animation “sincere”?
JC: In my upcoming lecture, I discuss how Frank and Ollie totally immersed themselves in finding what was unique in the personalities of the characters they drew sequentially. Both would develop enormous empathy for the thought-processes of each of their cartoon characters. Ollie often advised novices, “Don’t animate drawings. Animate feelings.” Frank once said, “There was a feeling that as you started to work on a scene you had a contact with the magic that was beyond the drawing . . . And you had to be able to see your character working in three dimensions, going in[to the scene], and living in there. And you want to live in there.”
AMA: In 2006, you received the Academy Award for your animated short, The Moon and the Son. This piece is also so sincere in so many ways. For our readers who aren’t familiar with the film, tell them a little about how you approach difficult subjects through the lens of an artist, and what made The Moon and the Son particularly powerful for you.
JC: I was fortunate to have had Frank and Ollie as long-distance mentors — through the years of our friendship, they would screen my various films and write to me tough-love critiques and suggestions. For The Moon and the Son, I heard their words in my mind as I worked on the film, which is about my difficult relationship with my father. In some of my films, the characters veer into near abstraction, but I was and am always inspired by Frank and Ollie’s advice about seeking and finding ways, through drawings, to make the action relatable to the audience.
Sincerely Yours, Frank & Ollie
A lecture and Q&A with John Canemaker
Thursday, August 18
6:00-7:00pm
Arlington Museum of Art
Free, but pre-registration is required
Tickets are available now! www.eventbrite.com/e/sincerely-yours-frank-and-ollie-tickets-323476195007
Academy Award-winning independent animator and historian, John Canemaker, explores the iconic animation of Disney in this virtual live lecture at the AMA. Professor Canemaker will discuss Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston, two Disney Legends and members of the famous “Nine Old Men.” Both were pioneers of “personality animation” and worked on Disney classics such as Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Pinocchio, Bambi, Lady and the Tramp, Peter Pan, The Jungle Book, and many other films. Their work is seen throughout our Disney Art from Private Collections exhibition.
This event will be held in person at the museum, with Professor Canemaker speaking to us live through Zoom. THIS IS AN EXCLUSIVE AMA EVENT and cannot be viewed anywhere else. Museum staff will help facilitate a live Q&A after the talk.
- Please note: Attendees will be permitted to view works in the Joyner Gallery but will not have access to the entire exhibition.
- Seating will be available.
- Free parking is available along W. Main St. as well as 101 Center parking garage adjacent to the Downtown Library.
- Although this event is free, pre-registration is required. No walk-ins, please!
