Giving Disney’s Planes Its Wings, Aviation Month

Thank you, Disney, for paying for my trip to LA to experience this amazing event! Did you know that November is Aviation Month?

Have you watched Disney’s Planes yet? Wow, if you haven’t had a chance to watch it, I cannot recommend it enough. I loved it before heading to LA and learning more about the history of the movies and how everything was put together. One thing I have learned is that I need to give more credit to these amazing people who put these films together. I truly had no idea how much work was involved or how long it actually took!

When we first got to Disney Toons Studio, we had the opportunity to run around like a bunch of little kids. If you think I’m joking, check out all the other bloggers posts. We all took pictures, ate food, and ran around for a little bit. It was so much fun, and the place is just amazing!

I don’t want to say I had a favorite part of our Disney Planes adventure, but I very much enjoyed meeting with Klay Hall. He started out so full of energy and proud of the movies that it was really uplifting. Klay Hall actually grew up in an aviation family. I cannot give too much away. The post is coming in just a few days, and it’s a fun one too! He welcomed us to Disney Toons Studios, explained it’s where they make all the films, and hoped we would leave with a little piece of what he felt for Disney Toons Studio and Planes as well.

We were able to ask Klay Hall a few questions, but you will need to be on the lookout for that post. It’s coming up in two days!

Did you know that Disney had a flight supervisor to help with the creation of this film? Disney wanted to be sure that the planes looked as realistic as possible, and they needed a specialized team to accomplish that. When talking with Jason McKinley, Flight Supervisor, he explained how difficult it was to make a plane flight in the world of animation look realistic. We were told by Jason McKinley, “The mandate from the director and John Lasseter, the executive producer, was that when the planes were on the ground, they had to be characters, but then they had to be as realistic planes and limited to realistic physics as possible.” Which is why they developed a flight team.

The animation process was amazing. I was amazed at the rough draft they were using. When you watch Disney’s Planes, they are so lifelike and have such personalities. Well, it wasn’t always that way! They built everything on the computer, spent a lot of time exploring new options, and gave the director a lot of different options to try to get the feeling in the storyboard. And once they are finished, everything goes over to animation, where more magic begins, but before we go on,. They also told us, “That process from the boards to the final took about a year.” Wow, who would have thought it would have taken that long?

We were walked through the story process by Dan Abraham and Art Hernandez. We were told that the world of planes is not an easier thing to do because you have to try to cram all these charters with wins all into one shot. They also explain how the acting of these characters is not easy because they are limited to three things: emotion, expression, and personality, which come from the eyes, mouth, and sounds.

Have you ever thought about giving a plane a realistic personality? WOW, not starting to sound so easy, is it?

They also pitched us a sequence that was done for Planes, just like he would do for the story team. Which was really awesome, and I wish you were there to hear the process. Basically, they pitch to the story team, the story team says we like this, don’t like this, and back to the drawing, it is.

We also learned how to draw Dust, which I honestly didn’t do that well. I did however do much better than I thought I would have done. I was surprised, ummm. I don’t want to say easy, because mine was NOT good, but I guess getting the right lines down was easier than I had thought lol.

Oh, and before I forget we had the chance to play a few games! Look at all those bloggers just waiting for their turn!

I can honestly say that learning about how planes were made was an amazing experience. It really makes you see how hard these people work, how long it takes, and how much is involved. It’s not just writing a story and getting people to speak the parts. There is so much more to it than that!

November Is Aviation Month!

This November, Disney salutes National Aviation History Month, a month-long celebration of U.S. aviation’s storied past, with the release of the high-flying family adventure “PLANES” on Blu-rayTM, DVD, Digital HD, and On-Demand on November 19, and through an educational partnership with aviation museums across the country.

Beginning November 1, 2013, select aviation museums will feature “PLANES”-inspired learning materials designed to introduce children to the exhilarating world of flight and its most celebrated figures. These materials include the Disney “PLANES” reel, featuring “Top Ten Flyers,” a countdown of some of the greatest aviators in history hosted by ESPN’s Colin Cowherd, “Aviation Fun Facts” tip sheets, and activity sheets families can fill out while visiting their favorite aviation museums. For more information on participating museums, please visit the Planes Facebook page at http://di.sn/sI1.

To further celebrate National Aviation History Month, Disney will release the spirited animated comedy “PLANES” on November 19 for families to enjoy at home. Throughout our nation’s history, the world of flight has given us such influential role models as the Wright Brothers, Charles Lindbergh, and Amelia Earhart, all famous aviators who proved that, no matter how high their dreams, with imagination, hard work, and perseverance, anything is possible. Now, the world of Disney animation gives families everywhere a new kind of high-flying role model in Dusty, the crop dusting plane with sky-high dreams at the center of Disney’s “PLANES.” His indomitable spirit reflects that of history’s great aviators and is sure to inspire children’s imaginations to take flight this November.