Every once in a while, I am presented with the opportunity to do amazing things...like meet Disney animator Floyd Norman, the legend behind the Walt Disney classic 101 Dalmatians.
Floyd Norman has worked on some of my favorite Disney films; he's worked on 101 Dalmatians, Sleeping Beauty, The Jungle Book, Toy Story 2 and Monsters, Inc.! Floyd Norman says that his favorite Disney film is The Jungle Book. Why? Because that's the last film he worked on...with WALT DISNEY.
The man has worked with Walt Disney on films, people!!
We had the opportunity to listen as Floyd Norman recounted the story of his life, how he came to work at Disney as an animator, and let me tell you: the man has had an awesome career.
I think his experience at Disney pretty much sums up what I think it would be like to work there; he retired and ended up coming back to work because he missed it so much. After a certain point, they brought him back on as a retired staff member. All in all, he's worked at Disney for 50 years!
I don't think I'd want to leave Disney either. Would you?
A few of my favorite Floyd Norman quotes that I jotted down during our time with him...
The work we do here, a great deal is about PLAY.
Animation is a lot like FUN, if we're not having fun, the audience won't have fun watching our movies.
He went on to explain that the spirit of fun comes through in Disney films, and if the animators didn't love making the movie, the audience will sense that in the final result.
A really interesting fact about 101 Dalmatians is that this was the very first Disney animated film that employed the use of a Xerox copy machine. Prior to this time, each and every scene was hand drawn and inked, which took a really long time! Once they began using the Xerox copier, production sped up tremendously; it took 2 to 3 years to make 101 Dalmatians, compared to an average of 5 to 6 years to make previous films...
That is quite literally HALF THE TIME!
My friend Tammilee from TammileeTips.com caught this awesome video of Floyd Norman as he taught us how to sketch!
Meeting Floyd Norman was an incredible experience that I will never forget. I've always loved Disney's 101 Dalmatians, but I now have a new-found respect for the making of the movie as well!
A big thanks to Disney for bringing me to Disney Animation Studios to meet Floyd Norman as part of the Into the Woods press junket. It was amazing!
Disney's 101 Dalmatians Diamond Edition Blu-ray Combo Pack is now available in stores! Go pick up your copy today!
Julie Wood
This guy truly is incredible in making the movie 101 Dalmatians! He did such a good job and this movie is a classic that I love watching with my family over and over!