GIVEAWAY! Walt Disney Animation Short Films Collection Available August 18 and Activity Sheets

By
George Gensler
– August 13, 2015Posted in: Entertainment, Film and DVD

From Walt Disney Animation Studios comes a collection of award-winning short films featuring Disney’s FROZEN FEVER, starring Anna, Elsa, Olaf, Sven and Kristoff.  Adventures by Daddy, via George Gensler, had the opportunity to meet Chris Buck, co-director of the Frozen franchise (FROZEN, FROZEN FEVER, and the in-development FROZEN 2) at the New York International Children’s Film Festival.  Buck presented a special compilation of eight Walt Disney Animation shorts, which will be available on the new Walt Disney Animation Short Films Collection, available Tuesday, August 18, 2015, and we have a copy to give away to one of our readers.  Continue reading to enter to win Walt Disney Animation Short Films Collection, print out the activity sheet pack, and read more details from Chris Buck regarding the title.

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Prizing courtesy of Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment 

Director Chris Buck couldn’t tell us much about FROZEN 2; it’s very early in the creative process.  He did share that he and Jennifer Lee, his co-director, are having fun bringing the FROZEN characters to life again.  What we can expect is the answer to the question “Now what?” that we’ve all been wondering since the end of FROZEN.  After all, it had been over a decade since Anna and Elsa had been playmates and they’re now adults – the queen and princess of Arendelle.  We got a brief glimpse into their lives with FROZEN FEVER, originally released in front of the live-action CINDERELLA that opened in March.  I’m looking forward to seeing their next adventure!

Chris Buck at Disney Short Films Collection at New York International Children's Film Festival

Chris Buck at Disney Short Films Collection at New York International Children’s Film Festival

 

I had time for just one more question, so I went for merchandising.  The FROZEN franchise has been a merchandising powerhouse.  Buck told me that they’d all been surprised by the Elsa dress phenomenon and assured me there is more great merchandise on the way.  He asked my favorite item and I told him that when FROZEN came out, I was waiting for a troll plush to come out, because they’re so perfectly plush-like in the movie.  The troll plush came out very recently and is even better than I’d anticipated.  It’s a reversible plush that can be either a rock or a troll.  The troll merchandise was “delayed,” because the trolls were the last elements of FROZEN to be animated.  I hope this means we can look forward to more troll merchandise!  As far as I’m concerned, the trolls are the Crocky of the FROZEN franchise – Crocky being the baby crocodile in THE PIRATE FAIRY.

Frozen Pillow Pets - Olaf and Sven at Toy Fair New York 2015

Frozen Pillow Pets – Olaf and Sven at Toy Fair New York 2015

 

After my interview with Buck, I rushed into the theater and just made it to my seat before the introductions began.  Buck explained that short films have always been a forum of experimentation for Walt Disney Animation.  Walt Disney himself introduced Mickey Mouse, color, the use of the multi-plane camera, and sound synchronization via short films.  Buck gave a brief introduction of each of the short films we were going to watch, expanding on FROZEN FEVER.  The birthday string in that short was inspired by an Easter tradition in the Buck family (according to Buck’s son, who was also in the audience, it was a lot of work for not a lot of chocolate – sounds fun to me, though).  GET A HORSE is all new footage (I am not a fan of mean Mickey, but I admire the techniques used in the short, which was inspired by an experience during a research trip at the Animation Research Library), but the voice of Mickey is vintage Walt Disney sound clips.  PAPERMAN (one of my favorite Disney shorts) was the first Walt Disney Animation short film to win an Oscar since 1969 and is a blend of hand-drawn animation and CGI.

In “Paperman,” a young man in mid-century New York City has a chance meeting with a beautiful woman on his morning commute. The animated short from first-time director John Kahrs makes its theatrical debut in front of “Wreck-It Ralph” on Nov. 2, 2012. © 2012 Disney Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

In “Paperman,” a young man in mid-century New York City has a chance meeting with a beautiful woman on his morning commute. The animated short from first-time director John Kahrs makes its theatrical debut in front of “Wreck-It Ralph” on Nov. 2, 2012. © 2012 Disney Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

 

In addition to the shorts mentioned above, we saw FEAST (the BIG HERO SIX short); THE BALLAD OF NESSIE (the WINNIE THE POOH short – hand-drawn animation and such a sweet story – “where do you go when there’s no more hope”); LORENZO (creepy, but beautifully animated – they were able to innovate bringing the brush-strokes of the paintings to life); HOW TO HOOK UP YOUR HOME THEATER (the NATIONAL TREASURE:  BOOK OF SECRETS short – funny homage to the Goofy Everyman films); and TANGLED EVER AFTER (the 3D BEAUTY AND THE BEAST short).

We also got to see a bonus feature of T.J. Miller, the voice of Fred in BIG HERO SIX) interviewing the creators of the shorts.  In the “short about shorts,” the creators reiterated the concept of Walt Disney Animation using the shorts as a platform for technological innovation.  The short program happens just once a year.  Everyone who wants can pitch a story to John Lasseter.  I can only imagine the thrill of a “Yes” from John Lasseter.  Miller asked if they enjoy working on shorts as much as on features, prompting a humorous discussion of instant gratification in the world of animation.

My tip – watch the castle shots at the end of each short closely.  To download a printable pdf file of activity sheets, click on the link below (be patient, the file is large, and may take a few seconds to open).

Disney Shorts Activity Sheets

The Short Films Collection includes 12 contemporary shorts starring classic characters, such as the groundbreaking 2013 Mickey Mouse cartoon, Get A Horse! And the holiday treat Prep & Landing: Operation: Secret Santa, as well as celebrated Oscar winners Paperman (2012) and Feast (2014). Enjoy them together for the first time in this collection with all-new extras including an inside look at the Disney Animation shorts, featuring introductions and interviews with the acclaimed filmmakers themselves.

Shorts (and filmmakers appearing in each introduction)

  • Frozen Fever (2015) – Chris Buck, Jennifer Lee, Peter Del Vecho, Aimee Scribner
  • Feast (2014) – Academy Award Winner, Patrick Osborne, Kristina Reed
  • Get A Horse! (2013) – Academy Award Nominated, Dorothy McKim, Eric Goldberg, Adam Green
  • Paperman (2012) – Academy Award Winner, Kristina Reed, John Kahrs
  • Tangled Ever After (2012) – Nathan Greno, Aimee Scribner, Mark Kennedy
  • The Ballad of Nessie (2011) – Kevin Deters, Stevie Wermers-Skelton, Dorothy McKim
  • Tick Tock Tale (2010) – Dean Wellins
  • Prep & Landing: Operation Secret Santa (2010) – Kevin Deters, Stevie Wermers-Skelton, Dorothy McKim
  • How to Hook Up Your Home Theater (2007) – Kevin Deters, Stevie Wermers-Skelton, Ian Gooding
  • The Little Matchgirl (2006) – Academy Award Nominated, Dave Bossert, Tom MacDougall
  • Lorenzo (2004) – Academy Award Nominated, Mike Gabriel
  • John Henry (2000) – Mark Henn

Walt Disney Studios Animation Short Films Collection

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About George Gensler

George Gensler is a copyrights specialist during the week and a runner on the weekends. She lives in New York City now, but has lived in five countries on three continents. She grew up traveling the world, but her official residence was in Southern California and every visit home included a trip to Disneyland. She has also visited every Disney Park around the world and sailed on board two Disney cruises. She threw in a visit to the Disney Family museum in San Francisco for good measure, and has had the Premier Disney Park Pass since its inception.