Firebird Pencil test..

I ripped this extra off of the Fantasia DVD anthology, a set that every animator should own (buy it! worth every penny). This is possibly the greatest extra on any DVD i know of (the glen keane stuff on tarzan comes close), it is simply stunning the amount of detail and dedication to timing and mood that Ted Kierscey was able to put into this sequence. It puzzles me that Ted Kierscey is not a household name, which he clearly should be. I show this sequence to my students every year, just to remind them(and myself) what this medium is capable of accomplishing. In particular, what the pencil on a piece of paper can accomplish; texture, tangibility, and an overall essence that only a hand carved line can create. I've watched this so many times, and it never fails to invigorate me to animate!