RIP Robin Williams: A Tribute

Robin Williams, who died of an apparent suicide at age 63 last night, was a well-loved and talented man.  Once the news broke, tributes filled the Internet – tributes from Hollywood celebrities to regular people – all who were touched by the incredible actor.

To Disney fans, Robin Williams is best known as the Genie from Aladdin.

We ain't never had a friend like him.

I have collected several of these tributes – the ones I believe are the most touching.  I have always loved Robin Williams and his gift for making others laugh, so hearing about his death broke my heart.

Double Dose

So you should be aware of the fact that the Walt Disney Company recently acquired Lucasfilm, the studio that brought you the thrilling Indiana Jones franchise and the beloved Star Wars saga.
Concerning Star Wars, there have been two newsworthy tidbits of well news showing up in articles everywhere.

Firstly, both The New York Times and CNN featured obituaries for Stuart Freeborn, the makeup artist responsible for creating some of your favorite Star Wars characters, such as Yoda and Chewbacca.  Freeborn was 98 and passed away on Tuesday.

As I said, he’s well known for creating the character of Yoda.  The New York Times obituary gave an explanation for how he created the green Jedi Master:

His inspiration for the look of Yoda, a puppet, came when he looked in the mirror and saw the lumps and bumps on his own face. To convey the mental power of this master of the Jedi Order, an ancient monastic peacekeeping organization in the “Star Wars” universe, he hit on the notion of using Einstein’s eye wrinkles. Yoda’s big ears popped out of Mr. Freeborn’s imagination.

According to The New York Times article, “George Lucas, the ‘Star Wars’ director, announced [Freeborn’s] death, calling him ‘a makeup legend.’”

Upcoming Episodes…And More?

The other tidbit of Star Wars news had to deal with episodes 7, 8, and 9 in the works.  Recently, Disney confirmed that J. J. Abrams was set to film episode 7, due for 2015.  Abrams is known for directing two Star Trek films.

However, it seems those three episodes are not the only things on the Walt Disney Company’s mind.

Both Mercury News and Azcentral.com posted articles that refer to the fact that Disney company is planning to create some stand-alone films too, outside of the main saga.

From the Azcentral.com article:

Walt Disney Co. CEO Bob Iger said Tuesday that screenwriters Larry Kasdan and Simon Kinberg are working on stand-alone "Star Wars" movies that aren't part of the new trilogy that's in the works.

"There has been speculation about some standalone films that have been in development, and I can confirm to you today that in fact we are working on a few stand-alone films," Iger told CNBC.  

What do you think of this?  I personally thought adding new episodes wasn’t such a great idea (but with Lucas helping, might turn out okay), but I’m definitely not excited about these spin-off movies.  

Make a buck, make a buck.

ttfn!

Ginny Tyler Goodbye

She charmed us as the lovestruck squirrel in The Sword in the Stone who sadly was unlucky in love.

Picture from the Disney Wiki.

Ginny Tyler, a Disney Legend inductee, died earlier last month at "a Washington nursing home" (Wikipedia).  She was 86.

Tyler provided the voices of a few background characters in some Disney movies and a few Disney Parks rides.  Aside from the red-headed squirrel in The Sword in the Stone, she also voiced the singing lambs in Mary Poppins and even (uncredited) the bees from Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Trees! At the Parks, she provided voices for Enchanted Tiki Room's pre-show, Snow White's Scary Adventures, and Pirates of the Caribbean.

An interesting non-Disney role she had was the voice (uncredited) of Polynesia from Doctor Doolittle starring Rex Harrison, a movie I particularly love.

Probably her most famous role was as the "'last original Mousekeeter'" (The Disney Wiki). According to the Disney Wiki, "when the 'Mickey Mouse Club' was re-introduced for national TV syndication in 1962, Southern California viewers were treated to special new sequences in which Ginny explored Disneyland park. She interviewed cast members, ventured behind the scenes and shared the fun in almost every nook and cranny."  I believe this was perhaps her only onscreen role, as she did mostly off screen voice acting.

Farewell, Ginny Tyler, and give Walt Disney a big hug up there for us Disney Freaks down here.  We will miss you.

A quick note: I found out about her death just today in Time while waiting at the orthodontist's.  She actually died on July 13th I found out while doing research for this post, so I apologize for the, er, late obituary here.

***UPDATE***

Over at the Disney Parks Blog, the recent post on Ginny Tyler notes that she died on Friday the 13th!  What a coincidence for a woman who provided some witch cackles for Snow White's Scary Adventures.

Thomas Kinkade Goodbye

He filled the world with light.

Thomas Kinkade, also known as the "Painter of Light," died yesterday from natural causes at his home in California, according to The Disney Blog.  He was 54.

He gave himself the title, explaining that "my mission as an artist is to capture those special moments in life adorned with beauty and light.  I work to create images that project a serene simplicity that can be appreciated and enjoyed by everyone.  That's what I mean by sharing the light" (Thomas Kinkade, "The Artist" page on website).

Many people know Kinkade from the beautiful paintings of houses and landscapes he created.  I myself knew him from these paintings.

This picture shows one of Kinkade's paintings.  The river's
movement was added later by someone, I don't know who.
It obviously doesn't flow on canvas.
Picture from an email I received several years ago.
I could not locate it.

It was only a few months ago that I discovered he'd painted simply breathtaking paintings of Disney characters.  The paintings are even featured on the homepage of his website (number 3 on the slide show).

The Disney Blog says, "Disney fans will be familiar with Kinkade as he frequently painted scenes from Disney’s animated classics and the theme parks. Kinkade often spoke of parallels between his life and Walt Disney’s. Both traveled to California as young men with just a few dollars to their name and a portfolio to show their talent. Paintings from Kinkade’s Disney Collection are sure to immediately become more valued."

The Disney paintings are known to include several scenes from the movie into one painting.  For example, in the Bambi painting, Bambi is shown as both an adult and a fawn, with his mother and fawn Faline looking on.  His father is shown on the side of the river where the adult Bambi stands.  If you look at the painting closely, it really does look alive...filled with light.

We will truly miss the Painter of Light.

Comments: Do you own any of his paintings?  If so, please tell us which ones!  I'd also love to hear your thoughts on his death.  Thank you.