“Tinker Bell And The Lost Treasure” Question And Answer Session Part 4

October 22, 2009 | by Disney Dreaming

Yesterday we posted the third part of a Question and Answer session with the the “Tinker Bell And The Lost Treasure” Director Klay Hall and Producer Sean Lurie.

Below is the fourth section of that session:

Q: I love the stylized look of the opening sequence. What inspired it?

Klay Hall: I happen to love autumn. The way the light hits the trees, the colors of fall and the crispness in the air. I wanted to capture the textures and feel of the season.

Q: What is your favorite Classic Disney Movie?

Klay Hall: That’s a hard one for me. There are many, but three that come to mind of great classic Walt Disney story telling are Cinderella, Peter Pan and The Jungle Book.

Q: I’d like to ask how was it to work together since you both come from different schools (Mr. Hall – as it shows in IMDb – worked with a more adult animation)?

Sean Lurie: Klay and I have had a great time working together on this. We both have a mutual respect for each other’s skills and responsibilities. We also both care about making movies that will entertain the whole family.

Q: Is this title also available in Spanish?

Klay Hall: Yes

Q: What is the most important lesson children can learn from Tinker Bell?

Klay Hall: We all can learn so much from Tinker Bell and her adventures. Tink herself learns a valuable lesson in the film -friendship is one of the greatest treasures of all; she learns that it’s okay to make mistakes and to forgive.

Q: How did you come up with ideas for this new enchanting story?

Sean Lurie: The story is loosely inspired by a Disney chapter book called Tinker Bell North of Neverland. There was an idea about friendship in that story that inspired us to make that the heart of the story. We also wanted to make an adventure where Tink has to go on a journey. These were the initial ideas that developed from there.

Q: To Mr. Hall: One of your mentors was Tinker Bell legendary animator Marc Davis. What are you memories of him? Did you talk about Tink? Did you appeal to those memories in your movie? How’s that?

Klay Hall: My memories of Marc are inspirational. He was a living legend when I met him and corresponded with him. He was generous with his time and encouraging about animation as an art form. We did speak of Tinker Bell and Peter Pan and how fun it was for him to create such an iconic character. Some of Marc’s inspirations for the character were Peggy Lee, Marilyn Monroe and Betty Kimble, Ward Kimble’s wife. I did appeal to the memories that inspired me from Marc, but also did a lot of research on Marc’s work. I pulled Marc’s original model sheets, looked at pencil tests and interviews, and tried to capture Marc’s influence. In fact we used all these materials when we began to build and lay out Tinker Bell in CG.

Q: Is there a significant amount of pressure involved with making films based on such a beloved and venerable character as Tinker Bell?

Klay Hall: Yes. There is tremendous pressure. After all, she is an iconic character and represents the Walt Disney Company in many ways, such as at the ambassador of the theme parks. Everyone knows Tinker Bell’s personality, so we had to stay true to who she was, but yet, also, give her a fresh appearance. What is great about Lost Treasure is that it is set in the autumn and we were able to update her little dress into a fall outfit.