A MILLION LAUGHS

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume 52, Issue 3262, 12 May 1943, Page 5

A MILLION LAUGHS

“THE RELUCTANT DRAGON” A DISNEY MASTERPIECE PROGRAMME AT THE REGENT ■ / Ever since the day Walt Disney opened up shop and began making animated pictures, thousands of people have besieged him witn requests to visit his studio and see what goes on behind the scenes. Their wish will be fulfilled when they see “The Reluctant Dragon,” Disney’s latest full-length feature, a combination “live-action” and animated picture featuring Robert Benchley, supported by Frances' Gifford, Buddy Pepper, Walt himself, and many of his employees. It will show at the Regent Theatre to-night and Thursday. Locale for this unique motion picture is Walt’s brand new studio in Burbank, California. The entire story takes place against a background made up of the very rooms and departments used by Walt and his crew of Artists and technicians.

Practically every department in the vast studio was exposed to the searching glare of Technicolour lamps. First to be shot was the sound effects stage, where a highly-trained crew of technicians have assembled the weirdest collection of gadgets to make the hundreds of strange noises that- only a fantasy-making studio would demand.

Next the cameras'were focussed on the Art ’Classroom, vital part of the Disney artist-training programme. An actual “life class” is revealed. Then the mysteries of the Inking and l Painting department come before the eyes of the camera. Here over 300 1 girls do the delicate celluloud paintings used in animated pictures, envploying over 2000 brilliant colours and hues.

A typical story crew is seen 'in action, preparing a story which “Dragon” audiences see on the screen in actual Disney story sketch form. This sequence tells the funny and exciting story of a wonder child, “Baby Weems.”

From here the scene switches to a typical artist-animator’s room, cheerfully decorated with drawings of Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Pluto and Goofy and caricatui’es of the artist and his friends. In this colourful setting the mysteries of what makes , these famous characters' walk and talk are revealed.

After this a scene tdkes place in the camera room, final parade ground < for the finished pisney drawings. Most eerie scene in the picture takes place in the mysterious looking multiplane camera room, where depth and dimension is added to animated cartoons. Bathed in a soft green light, - this huge mechanical marvel takes on all the appearances of a Franken-stein-rivalling monster. The last scene is in Walt’s private projection room, in which Walt himself makes a personal appearance to run-off a complete cartoon, the animated part of “The Reluctant Dragon.” > .

That is not all. In the course of the live action there are screenings of a half-dozen other novelty films in Technicolour, one being the convulsing satire “How to Ride a Horse.” Another is a glimpse of Donald Duck in “MacDonald’s Farm.” There is also a lively operatic duet betwen the real life voices of Donald Duck and Clara Cluck, a side-splitting specialty sequence.