Fun with Mr. Future

Fun with Mr. Future
Directed byDarrell Van Citters
Written by
Starring
Production
company
Distributed byBuena Vista Distribution
Release dates
  • October 27, 1982 (1982-10-27) (Los Angeles, California)[1]
Running time
8 minutes[2]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Fun with Mr. Future is a 1982 live-action/animated short film from Walt Disney Productions directed by Darrell Van Citters.[3]

Plot

An audio-animatronic talking-head replica of Abraham Lincoln (voiced by Phil Proctor) hosts a tour of what the future will look like via retro-style animation.[4][5]

Production

Fun with Mr. Future originally began development as an Epcot television special, whose crew included Darrell Van Citters, Mike Giamo, Joe Ranft, Mike Gabriel,[6] Tad Stones, and Brian McEntee.[2][7][8] At the time, this team was also involved in the development stages of what would become Sport Goofy in Soccermania (1987) and Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988).[7] After Disney shelved the Epcot special,[2] Tom Wilhite allowed them to use footage from the project and edit it into a new animated short.[7] The resulting work marked the directorial debut of animator Darrell Van Citters, who began his career at the Disney studios.[9]

Release

Disney released the film in Los Angeles on October 27, 1982.[1] No other public screenings took place until October 2010, when New York's Museum of Modern Art featured it in a program commemorating the publication of John Canemaker's book, Two Guys Named Joe.[2][10] According to Tad Stones: "[Working on it] was a lot of fun but I couldn't even tell you where you find it now. It's one of those gems even Disney doesn't know it has. I went to a comic convention and was surprised to see its cels for sale".[4]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "It Happened Today: October 27". This Day in Disney History. Tony J. Tallarico. Retrieved January 5, 2013.
  2. ^ a b c d "Film Screenings and Events: "Fun with Mr. Future" / "Luxo Jr." / "Tin Toy" / "Toy Story'". Museum of Modern Art (MoMA). October 2, 2010. Retrieved January 5, 2013.
  3. ^ Letterboxd
  4. ^ a b Strike, Joe (July 12, 2004). "The Tad Stones Interview — Part 2". Animation World Network (AWN). Retrieved January 5, 2013.
  5. ^ Perk, Hans (April 30, 2009). "Report of the Disney Rarities Event". A. Film L.A., Inc. Retrieved January 5, 2013.
  6. ^ BCDB.com[dead link‍]
  7. ^ a b c Strike, Joe (June 9, 2004). "The Tad Stones Interview — Part 1". Animation World Network (AWN). Retrieved January 5, 2013.
  8. ^ Lenburg, Jeff (2006). "Gabriel, Michael (Mike)". Who's Who in Animated Cartoons. Hal Leonard Corporation. p. Books. ISBN 1-55783-671-X. Retrieved January 5, 2013.
  9. ^ "Renegade Animation". Creative Talent Network (CTN). 2010. Retrieved January 5, 2013.
  10. ^ MoMA Department of Communications (October 1–2, 2010). "MoMa Presents John Canemaker's Two Guys Named Joe: Master Animation Storytellers Joe Grant and Joe Ranft" (Press release). Museum of Modern Art (MoMA). Retrieved January 5, 2013.