Waking Sleeping Beauty is a fascinating documentary about the Disney employees who saved the dynasty from near disaster. Join me, and the fabulous designers of AIGA Charlotte and UNCC, for a look at the artists, creators, animators and storytellers who turned the company around and churned-out our favorite childhood animated films (Little Mermaid anyone!?.... I've got gadget and gizmos of plenty.... I've got whozits and whatzits galore... you want thing-a-ma-bobs? I've got plenty....).

Via AIGA Charlotte
Reel Design: Waking Sleeping Beauty
February 04, 2011 6:30 PM - 9:00 PM 
UNCC's Belk Theater at Robinson Hall
Free for members, $5 for non-members
(Register here)

AIGA Charlotte and UNCC's AIGA Student Chapter presents, in collaboration with Charlotte Underground Film Festival, a screening of Waking Sleeping Beauty!

(Courtesy of The Walt Disney Company via Facebook)
By the mid-1980s, the fabled animation studios of Walt Disney had fallen on hard times. The artists were polarized between newcomers hungry to innovate and old timers not yet ready to relinquish control. These conditions produced a series of box-office flops and pessimistic forecasts: maybe the best days of animation were over. Maybe the public didn't care. Only a miracle or a magic spell could produce a happy ending.

Waking Sleeping Beauty is no fairy tale. It's the true story of how Disney regained its magic with a staggering output of hits - "Little Mermaid," "Beauty and the Beast ," "Aladdin," "The Lion King," and more - over a 10-year period.

Join us as we follow Tim Burton, John Lasseter, Ron Clements, John Musker, Michael Eisner, Roger Allers, Gary Trousdale, Kirk Wise, Roy E. Disney, and many others on their magical journey of Waking Sleeping Beauty! www.wakingsleepingbeautymovie.com

Add Comment
 
 
The Dude on PBS's American Masters. I missed it last night, but it airs again in Charlotte Saturday at 8pm. Can't wait to see a documentary on this amazing actor, musician and artist. In the meantime, visit Jeff Bridges' website, it's pretty damn sweet.
Add Comment
 
 
Picture
Faythe Levine, the talented filmmaker who brought us Handmade Nation, is at it again. While everyone else is out making movies about graffiti and poster artists, Levine dives further into the fringes of art and comes up with yet another great concept. This time she and co-director Sam Macon are making a film about the dying art of sign painting (aptly called The Sign Painter). Ever wonder who paints the specials at your local food mart or who scribes the colorful letters on your favorite diner's window? Then this film is for you. 

The film is currently in production (as of March 2010), but you can keep up with the progress on the film's blog.

Add Comment
 
 
Picture
After watching Handmade Nation Sunday night,  I realized that unbeknownst to me, I'm part of a handmade revolution (for some reason I'm imaging Che Guevara with a knitted beanie on). 

The documentary is a series of interviews with various artists from the indie craft scene. In 65 minutes, we follow these crafters to shows, tour their humble studios (mostly spare bedrooms), and learn why this movement has been so successful.... because consumers are craving familiarity and uniqueness. People want to know where their stuff is coming from. It's not too unlike the recent "farm to table" effort within the food industry. 

The gap between consumer and product is widening. Outsourcing, technology, and synthetic materials have disintegrated our ability to provide for ourselves. We've become a dependent nation, and that dependence has recently slapped us across the face. We need to produce, make, create, invent, do. Let's continue supporting local ventures, empowering our communities and slow down a little. 

Viva la (craft) Revolucion!
Add Comment
 
 
Picture
Exit Through the Gift Shop is  a new movie about the notorious graffiti artist known as Bansky. I especially enjoyed the mock award icon, "Best Picture.... of leaves on a trailer."
Add Comment
 
 
Picture
Come check out TYPEFACE, a film about the Hamilton Wood Type Museum in Two Rivers, Wisconsin. AIGA Charlotte is hosting a ONE NIGHT ONLY screening, in partnership with The Light Factory, at the Duke Energy Theater. The event starts at 6:30 PM, this Wednesday, April 14th. This film will be of interest to art and design enthusiasts, and to anyone looking for a film about perseverance and preservation in the heart of America. 

Take a look at  this blog post, from a few weeks ago, for some images of actual wood type.
Picture
 printed on Stone Henge natural white, in 3 colors, and measures 15" x 22"
It features the American Bulletin typeface
Also of interest, this ORIGINAL print of Miss February (from Hamilton's Pin-Up Calendar Collection) will be raffled off at the screening! 

(is it bathing suit season already?!)
Add Comment