The Jungle Book (1967)
Production and Technology
Film process
Concept(idea) -->
pre-production (storyboard, scripting) -->
production (filming) -->
post production (editing, sound) -->
marketing distribution -->
release (cinema, online DVD).
The Jungle Book was released in 1976 by Walt Disney Productions and was made by traditional cel animation in Walt Disney Studios to keep the costs at a minimum. The use of multiplane was developed to create a 3D effect. Disney's personal control affected all stages of production and distribution. Bil Peet helped to storyboard the plot and did tasks which 'more than 40 men had once been assigned to.'
Cel animation: background layer, hold layer (characters), animation layer (mouths, eyes etc).
Walt was interested in all stages of production and distribution as he was worried about his failures, therefore took control of TJB. At the same time Theme Parks were being developed, as well as TV series and live action films. Walt was conservative (right wing), therefore the representations in the Jungle Book would have been effected by his beliefs. For example, the black jazz music associated with the apish behaviour of the orangutan, reinforcing racial stereotypes.The 2016 version avoided this. It was re-released in 1978, 1984 and 1990 (US)and 1980 (Europe).
The crew wanted to make a good story but 'never thought it would be a box office smash'. A cast member said that 'if it was a flop and Walt was happy, we were happy.' The budget was $4m but has now made $141m (US- 29th highest grossing film of all time), $205m worldwide. $6.8m and was the highest grossing film in Germany.
Walt Disney Home Entertainment released it on VHS in 1991 and DVD in 2007. It was re-released several times on DVD and Blu-ray. Occasionally Disney 'vaulted' its films so they weren't available for purchase which increases the demand. The diamond edition disappeared into the vault un Jan 2017. There was also a release of a vinyl soundtrack which achieved gold status and was also released as a digital download.There was also a live action version in 1994 and an animated sequel in 2003 which helped to promote the original film.
Disney's Buena Vista Distribution Company were vertically integrated - they owned every stage of production which ultimately help them to save costs.
The distribution was diversified to the focus on the theme parks, creating Disneyland and the production of TV programmes. Disney helped to found CalArts. After Walt's death, the company declined for a few decades which strongly indicated how important his personal influences were on on the success of the company.
Regulation
Copyright
Certification
Maintaining Audiences
Disney was highly aware of how to build and maintain audiences nationally and globally, from the shaping of the original product to appeal more to a family audience, the marketing and distribution by its own company, merchandising etc. Disney was an early master of synergy, persuading companies to tie in with their film’s release, running a character merchandising department. ‘In addition to pioneering synergy, branding and merchandising beginning in the 1930s, Walt Disney also developed the idea of synergy between media consumption and theme park visits in the 1950s. The producer of animated films used the popularity of his famous cartoon characters for a weekly show on ABC that served as an advertisement for his theme park. In turn, visiting Disneyland helped secure customers’ brand loyalty to the Disney trademark for the future. This strategy of cross-promotion has become a basis for the Walt Disney Company’s rapid growth.
Thus Disney constantly renewed interest in their products, not only through re-releasing on DVD but through tie ins with other companies – MacDonalds had Jungle Book 2 Happy Meals in the 1990s, for example, which in turn promoted the first film. ‘Disney offers an immense potential for both cross-promotional campaigns in cooperation with other companies and in-house cross-promotion marketing strategies...Cross promotion – marketing activities carried out in cooperation by two different companies using the popularity of their brand names to promote one another’s – is today a major profit source for Disney’.
Disney also licensed the characters for use by other companies, such as Virgin who developed a Jungle Book video game for Sega, Gameboy and PC in the early 1990s
Cel animation: background layer, hold layer (characters), animation layer (mouths, eyes etc).
The Jungle Book is the final film Walt Disney helped make and was more personally involved in the production of the film. The original book by Rudyard Kipling was too dark for family audiences which they wouldn't identify with the character of Mowgli and Shere Kahn would've been a cliche antagonist.
They wanted to make a successful film, therefore many of the original characters and situations had been cut out to create a clear story line. The drawings became based upon the actors. The director, Wolfgang Reitherman said 'we tried to incorporate the personalities of the actors into the cartoon characters, Baloo was intended to be a minor figure but became the co-star.' The wolf cubs were based on the puppies from 101 Dalmatians and the story was trimmed so a lot of original minor characters had been cut as well as using animal movements based on real animals.
Backgrounds were hand painted, except the waterfall which was mostly consisting of footage from the Angel Falls in Venezuela. Some of the scenery was put within the foreground to create depth.
It was created on transparent cels, a technique patented by Earl Hund in 1914, the backgrounds didn't need to be repainted as a result. Multipane camera created more layers. TJB used xerography, copying the animators drawings onto light sensitive aluminium plates, then onto cels, unlike the old time consuming process, tracing them from paper drawings. This helped to speed up the process of TJB as cel animation was becoming too expensive and time wasting.
Ownership, Distribution and Marketing
Walt was interested in all stages of production and distribution as he was worried about his failures, therefore took control of TJB. At the same time Theme Parks were being developed, as well as TV series and live action films. Walt was conservative (right wing), therefore the representations in the Jungle Book would have been effected by his beliefs. For example, the black jazz music associated with the apish behaviour of the orangutan, reinforcing racial stereotypes.The 2016 version avoided this. It was re-released in 1978, 1984 and 1990 (US)and 1980 (Europe).
The crew wanted to make a good story but 'never thought it would be a box office smash'. A cast member said that 'if it was a flop and Walt was happy, we were happy.' The budget was $4m but has now made $141m (US- 29th highest grossing film of all time), $205m worldwide. $6.8m and was the highest grossing film in Germany.
Walt Disney Home Entertainment released it on VHS in 1991 and DVD in 2007. It was re-released several times on DVD and Blu-ray. Occasionally Disney 'vaulted' its films so they weren't available for purchase which increases the demand. The diamond edition disappeared into the vault un Jan 2017. There was also a release of a vinyl soundtrack which achieved gold status and was also released as a digital download.There was also a live action version in 1994 and an animated sequel in 2003 which helped to promote the original film.
Disney's Buena Vista Distribution Company were vertically integrated - they owned every stage of production which ultimately help them to save costs.
The distribution was diversified to the focus on the theme parks, creating Disneyland and the production of TV programmes. Disney helped to found CalArts. After Walt's death, the company declined for a few decades which strongly indicated how important his personal influences were on on the success of the company.
Regulation
Copyright
The US Copyright Amendment Act of 1998 gave protection for works published before January 1, 1978 which had been actively lobbied for by Walt Disney Company since 1990 and was nicknamed 'The Mickey Mouse Protection Act'. Walt Disney Lobbied for The Mickey Mouse Protection Act so that the companies products and characters are licensed, therefore people not certified by Disney can't use the product.
The copyright law is essential for big selling brands like Disney as they need to protect their products from being sold and profited by other companies.
The 1998 Act extended these terms to life of the author plus 70 years and for works of corporate authorship to 120 years after creation or 95 years after publication, whichever end is earlier.[3] Copyright protection for works published before January 1, 1978, was increased by 20 years to a total of 95 years from their publication date.
Copyright in artistic works generally lasts for the lifetime of the artist plus 70 years after their death.
Certification
Maintaining Audiences
Disney was highly aware of how to build and maintain audiences nationally and globally, from the shaping of the original product to appeal more to a family audience, the marketing and distribution by its own company, merchandising etc. Disney was an early master of synergy, persuading companies to tie in with their film’s release, running a character merchandising department. ‘In addition to pioneering synergy, branding and merchandising beginning in the 1930s, Walt Disney also developed the idea of synergy between media consumption and theme park visits in the 1950s. The producer of animated films used the popularity of his famous cartoon characters for a weekly show on ABC that served as an advertisement for his theme park. In turn, visiting Disneyland helped secure customers’ brand loyalty to the Disney trademark for the future. This strategy of cross-promotion has become a basis for the Walt Disney Company’s rapid growth.
Thus Disney constantly renewed interest in their products, not only through re-releasing on DVD but through tie ins with other companies – MacDonalds had Jungle Book 2 Happy Meals in the 1990s, for example, which in turn promoted the first film. ‘Disney offers an immense potential for both cross-promotional campaigns in cooperation with other companies and in-house cross-promotion marketing strategies...Cross promotion – marketing activities carried out in cooperation by two different companies using the popularity of their brand names to promote one another’s – is today a major profit source for Disney’.
Disney also licensed the characters for use by other companies, such as Virgin who developed a Jungle Book video game for Sega, Gameboy and PC in the early 1990s
