Walt Kelly in Features (II)

Here is the second bit of The Reluctant Dragon with Walt Kelly scenes, as promised yesterday. As to the relative merit of the animation, well, it is very much action-based. The few acting scenes of Walt Kelly's are solved in a very simple manner. They seem to be adequate, even a bit "old school", especially in relation to Woolie's dragon, which is quite more sophisticated, with well thought-out "animation in place". Sharing this character with Fred Moore (obviously the lead) and Paul Murry, it shows he still had some way to go before stardom - but he was given a chance anyway. It is in itself interesting that he got credited with name and caricature on this film.

I must note that Seq. 12.3 ("Hurray for Sir Giles, the Dragon Killer") is missing in my draft, and has been since the count of the BGs on the BG Morgue in 1964, it seems. Hence the hand-written notes about Seq. 12.3 at the bottom of a few of these pages.Much of the dragon later in the film was animated by Ward Kimball. A note to those who think Kimball may have had anything to do with the Goofy animation that Ward is seen to be flipping: the draft credits this to "Steve Bosustov (Woolie)". Leads me to believe that it was animated by Woolie Reitherman, but the "person to see" about this was Bosustov, OR Bosustov animated it under Woolie's supervision.

See Mark Mayerson's mosaic of these here!