Ub Iwerks is one of the most under-appreciated technical geniuses in film industry history. In addition to being an early innovator of multiplane camera design, he introduced the xerographic process into animation and drove the development of the sodium vapor process for combining animation with live action.
His son Don Iwerks also created the first 360-degree camera (for use in Disney's 1950s nature documentaries).
It also gives a perfectly rational insight as to the origins of Walt Disney's iron-fist grip on Intellectual Property in the United States. It's enlightening. I still hate what the real-world implications are and the challenge to reform (thanks a lot, Sonny), but at least I can understand his motivation.
He's also a prolific animator. He was truly the workhorse getting Disney off the ground at one point. I often go to the Walt Disney Family Museum in San Francisco for inspiration when I'm feeling like I need a boost, you should check it out if you're in the area.
"Mickey Mouse to me is the symbol of independence. He was a means to an end. He popped out of my mind onto a drawing pad twenty years ago on a train ride from Manhattan to Hollywood at a time when the business fortunes of my brother Roy and myself were at lowest ebb and disaster seemed right around the corner.
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"Born of necessity, the little fellow literally freed us of immediate worry. He provided the means for expanding our organization to its present dimensions and for extending the medium of cartoon animation toward new entertainment levels. He spelled production liberation for us." - Walt
I took a picture of that quote when I went to the museum. It totally changed my view of Walt Disney.
I also have this same photo. It means a lot, especially when I find myself living out of a van, trying to keep building things people might one day love.
Rooms ~2:~n-2 of the wdfm are really an inspiring story of entrepreneurship, from garage startup stage through growth marketing to monetization and commoditization, surviving through economic collapses, and betting the farm on hugely risky projects (snow white).
I highly recommend it to basically everyone here on hn.
Also the room with the letter that he should be ashamed of himself and his work, and the idea of going from mortimer mouse to mickey, also the part where he confesses to thinking he felt like he got into the animated movie game too late, but kept going.
Yes. The part where he thought he was too late was fascinating. It's very inspiring to me because I'm working on a startup which has two competitors that are ahead of us, but we have a strategy that could enable much faster scaling.
Personally the bigger message for me is that as time changes, all things change with time. As long as you're working to achieve your vision, you'll adapt with time, fashioning events in favor of your vision, and with a little luck will be able to meet success head on.
Ub Iwerks is one of the most under appreciated innovators of our time. He also was the creator of Mickey Mouse.
Much like the programmer/innovator today who does the work, the bizdev guy Walt got all the praise because he was seen and out there (also funded it), he also sold the dream.
They were a great team, I just wish Iwerks got more recognition.
I remember the first time I put together a parallax-scrolling background in a 2D video game. The extra sense of immersion you get for the amount of effort required to add it is absolutely worth it.
What I found most refreshing about this video was the technical grasp that Disney himself had on the process. It's explained in a way that's both accessible and engaging. It's hard to imagine the top level people at current movie studios putting together a presentation like this. Maybe Spielberg?
On the other hand, you could certainly see Mark Zuckerberg or Drew Houston giving a similar presentation - probably because CEOs of younger industries tend to be technical minds. That would also explain why Disney, originally an animator, had such a grasp of the nascent animation industry he built.
There is a very impressive display of this at the Walt Disney Family Museum in the Presidio, San Francisco. I highly recommend checking it out if you have 2 or 3 hours in SF!
This is such and understated break through in animation technology. It help the create better shots, but helped distribute pieces of development. It's not unlike what the tech department did at ILM. They used technology to help create the shots they need, which lead to digital editing, computer shot layouts, and many other tech advances that seems standard these days. Highly recommend Droidmaker by Michael Rubin
It was undeniably impressive 60 years ago, but I can only imagine the glee Disney himself would have felt to realise that out outcome of such technological evolution was available to so many today (but not yet everyone, sadly)
Wow, quite a neat find and overview of an innovation in pursuit of a goal. Reminds me of how I was using Flash for animation projects long ago. What an exponentially easier process than the one Disney highlights here.
His son Don Iwerks also created the first 360-degree camera (for use in Disney's 1950s nature documentaries).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ub_Iwerks