For a couple of years Animated News was the source for Disney news and a good source for Aladdin related new items often crew related. Last year the updates became infrequent and I stopped coming there. It since then got an overhaul and focused on editorial content in the form of reviews and interviews. Their lasted talk is with Disney veteran Mark Henn, the “girl guy” who animated many Disney ladies in the last 20 years including Jasmine and Tiana for those who don’t know him. In part 2 he talks about animating Belle, Jas, Young Simba down in the satellite studio in Florida while most of the animators reside in California and how commutation went between the two studios.
He doesn’t reveal anything new on how Jasmine’s design came together, he got his inspiration from his sister and Linda Larkin but I really enjoyed learning what scenes he did on Beauty and the Beast.

For fans of Jonathan Freeman this might be old news but Aladdin fans who don’t track the careers of the voice actors that closely this is news. The voice of the evil wizard Jafar, Jonathan Freeman, just joined the Broadway cast of Mary Poppins as Admiral Boom and Bank Chairman
Read the article at Broadway World

Animation World Network, a leading website in the industry, sat down with Ron Clements and John Musker to discuss how their new film The Princess and the Frog came to life they mention veterns like Eric Goldberg, Andereas Deja and Mark Henn returning to feature film 2D animation after beeing abset  since Home on the Range.

IGN had a question and answer session with the great Frank Welker for the 25th anniversary of the generation 1 Transformers series where he did the voice of Megatron and a bunch of other transformers. We Aladdin fans know him as the voice of Abu and Mozenrath’s eel Xerxes.

Sept. 13 is the day when Disney legend Alan Menken does a benefit concert for Premier Performing Arts, a non profit professional theater company in Tarrytown.

Tickets at http://tickets.tarrytownmusichall.org/ordertickets.asp?p=1001&backurl=default.asp

Tip by Meesh

I came across a bunch of never before snaps from the 2004 premiere party of the DVD release at El Capitan. We see the famous faces of director Ron Clements, animator Adreas Deja and everyone of the voice cast except Brad Kane, Robin Williams and Jonathan Freeman.

scott weinger and linda larkin at 2004 dvd party

Disney princess expert Mark Henn, the supervisior animator on Tiana from this years Princess and Frog talks about his latest Disney heroine and his soft spot to often draw Disney princesses.

Since he joined the Disney studios in the late 70′s he supervised almost all Disney heroines. He shared supervising duties with Glenn Keane on Ariel, worked alongside James Baxter to animated Belle. Mark was solely responsible to design of Jasmine. Did animation for Pocahontas he also supervised the creation of Mulan and did animate Gissele in Enchanted.

Like it’s common with Disney films Aladdin’s most talented voice actors had a stage history before they where cast in voice charcters like Jasmine, Jafar or guest voice in TV shows like say Mirage. After their ‘voice gig’ they happily went on to do stage shows or on/off Broadway productions some even based on animated movies from Disney. So what’s up with Lea Salonga, Jonathan Freeman, Bebe Neuwirth and their fellow actors.

Lea is going to do Allegiance, it’s a musical reading about a story of love, loss and heroism during the Japanese American internment.”

Mr. Freeman is asked to play Roger DeBris in the Producers. A show that had The Lion King’s Timon voice Nathan Lane in the past as star.

Bebe Neuwirth is casted as Morticia Adams in the upcoming musical The Addams Family. She’s joined by the previous mentioned Nathan Lane as Gomez. The is rumored to replace The Little Mermaid after it stops in August 2009.

The LA production of that same show has Abis Mal’s voice actor Jason Alexander. Albeit in LA the show isn’t taking off as it’s Broadway big sister.

Iago’s voice Gilbert Gottfried with guest narrate The Rocky Horror Picture Show.

Serpent Malcho lord of the rainforest was at the time voiced by Hector Elizondo. In 2009 he is part of the cast of the revival of 1976′s Sly Fox.

Former Star Fleet captain Janeway and voice of the Galafem warriors ruler Hippsodeth ms. Kate Mulgrew has her latest production Equus ended earlier this year and just finished play diva Maria Callas in Master Class.

I think that’s about it for the bigger guest actors on Aladdin. The rest is mostly voice actors with a long long resume or TV and film actors. Enough matrial to write a seprate article sometime.

Some of the key guys behind Disney’s return to 2D feature film Princess and the Frog talk about the traditional way of making cartoons, with pencil and paper. Among the interviewees are Ron Clements and John Musker Princess’s directors and animation living legend Andreas Deja (supervising animator of Jafar)

Like I wrote earlier Aladdin composer got his ouvre award for his work and influnce on musical theatre. As an extra five european Belle’s did a melody of Home, Change in Me and Beauty and the Beast in Dutch, Spanish, Italian German and Russian.

Alan Menken was at a UK talkshow to talk about his latest project Sister Act that saw it’s premiere this week I heard.

The Lea Salonga & Brad Kane love duet preformed by honouredman on the piano. I didn’t knew the song was popular enough to get covered, but checking YouTube I found at least 3 vids but the singers weren’t good at all. Personally I never liked the song myself but the unique event that Lea and Brad did a song besides ANWNW makes it special.

Aladdin character designer and storyboarder Daan Jippens completed his second Havank comic album this month.

In today’s Metro edition Amsterdam editor Ruben EG has a story about the all-round comic artist with Dutch blood. His career at Disney spans from working on the weekly Donald Duck magazine in the 70′s moving up to animation Daan got a job as character designer and/or storyboarder for classics like The Prince and the Pauper, Aladdin, Mulan. Between movie assignments he designed merchandise for Beauty and the Beast. His last years at the studio where spend working on a couple of sequels and House of Mouse before saying goodbye to Hollywood to return of his passion of making comics.

Havank is based on the books by Hans van der Kallen. Daan on Havank.
“I’m trying to create a marriage between the Havank of Hans and the comics of my childhood. My Havank is more tempramental, more Louis de Funes. I think it’s more fun otherwise the story would be too stiff.

On May 21st in Burbank ASIFA-Hollywood organizes a reunion of The Little Mermaid crew. Similar to what the organization did for the Aladdin. On November 15th Mermaid marks its 20th anniversary.

Character animator Tom Sito will moderate a panel consisting of Mark Henn (Ariel), Andreas Deja (King Triton), Ruben Aquino (Ursula), Tina Price (CAPS system and early CGI) and Gary Trousedale (storyboards) – with many more guests and panelists to be announced.

Via Cartoon Brew and UD forum

Mark Henn and some of the other Disney animators of the Golden 90′s worked on this hilarious toon starring Roger Rabbit and Baby Herman from the 1998 live-action/animation film Who Framed Roger Rabbit? To die for! I swear.