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| Don Bluth photo by Loralei Lazurek / House of Loralei |
by Gil Benbrook
Don Bluth is a living legend in the world of animation.
Bluth started working at Walt Disney Animation Studios, where he worked on such iconic Disney films as Sleeping Beauty and Robin Hood, before leaving Disney to run his own animation company. It was there that he directed An American Tail, Land Before Time and Anastasia.
Bluth came to Arizona to oversee the 20th Century Fox animation studio in Phoenix, and years later started producing live theatre productions in his own living room before opening up the Don Bluth Front Row Theatre in Scottsdale.
Don has directed many classic plays and musicals over the years but he's coming full circle now by directing the stage adaptation of his hit 1997 film Anastasia, which opens next Thursday, September 12 and runs through October 26.
In between final rehearsals for the show, Bluth sat down to answer some questions about his memories of working on the animated film and what it's been like revisiting Anastasia.
Don Bluth: "My fondest memories in producing the animated film, Anastasia. are those I had while working with the artists. What a great group of people. When all is said and done, the arguments, the differences of opinions and the jealousies were all put to rest because the crew loved the story, and furthermore they were doing what they loved - hand drawn animation. Hopefully such a fabulous experience can one day happen again. Who knows?"
Anastasia has a strong fan base. How did your direction of the stage adaptation balance staying true to the elements of the original film while also adapting for the changes made for the stage version?
"I learned a long time ago that : if you change the form of a piece of literature, you also change its content. The animated Anastasia was built for a young audience while the Broadway stage musical was for a mature audience and had elements that could not mimic the animated film. For example: Bartok the bat would definitely not be needed for a Broadway musical. But Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty created a significant adult story. I believe the name, Anastasia, will bring the animated fans to the stage version."
The animated film is known for the vivid visuals and dynamic sequences you created. How did you approach portraying those elements in a live stage production?
"The stage production of Anastasia is vey similar in its approach to making the animated version. The three ingredients are: action, colorful costumes and believable acting. Animators are challenged with the business of acting so are live actors; however, I believe actors have the advantage. They have bodies and a brain. Animators have pencils and paper, okay, and a brain. Computers check-mated the pencils. It is my feeling that something was lost in the translation, the art."
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| Don Bluth directing the cast of Anastasia at Don Bluth Front Row Theatre photo courtesy Don Bluth Front Row Theatre |
How does directing a stage production differ from directing an animated film? What unique challenges have you faced in this transition?
"In many ways it is the same. It is all about motivation of characters and the clashes that happen between those characters. At the bottom of all of that is the element of entertainment. I am a storyboard artist and directing people on stage is identical to storyboarding."
What elements of your animation directing style have you tried to incorporate into the stage production?
"All movement on stage and film by the actors or animators should be motivated by thoughts. Thoughts always proceed action and there must always be comic relief next to dramatic moments. That is similar to storyboarding."
Anastasia is a story rich in history and emotion. How do you approach directing the actors to convey the depth and complexity of the characters?
"First of all, in casting animators to build a film or conversely asking actors to portray actors on stage it is the same. It has to be motivated by thought. Amateur actors and amateur animators don’t know how to do this. That is why we have auditions for both. Also, it is why we have poorly animated films. Acting is an art, not a science, and we are not all equal in our abilities."
How do you feel the themes of Anastasia resonate with today’s audiences, especially in a live theater setting?
"That is an easy one, most people today don’t have a clue who they are. They are like the character Anastasia, who has amnesia. She is trying to find out who she is. Are we all not in the same boat?"
Looking back on your career, how does working on Anastasia—both the film and the stage musical—compare to your other projects?
"Over the years I have become more sensitive to entertainment and how it is presented. Perhaps the stage version of Anastasia represents my current approach to entertainment. I have learned a lot over the years.
The devil is always in the details. As far back as Snow White, Walt knew that his animators could not convincingly move a human figure on paper. He hired Marge Champion, a sixteen year old dancer to be the model. She is the one that gave believability to the animated figure. She was photographed. Each frame of the film was printed on animation paper, and the animators traced the movements. The animators were ashamed of this fact; so, Marge was not allowed to attend the premier, nor to be mentioned in any of the publicity."
What has been the most rewarding aspect of seeing your animated classic film Anastasia come to life on stage?
"It, of course, is a great compliment that Broadway considers the movie, Anastasia, to be a wise investment for a stage version. The backers of such a musical know it will probably profit them ; however, I think they do see the value of the story itself and how it will resonate with the audiences of the world."
What do you hope audiences will take away from this new iteration of the story?
"I hope that they have insights into their own lives and perhaps they will find in the details of the play, the little Easter eggs sprinkled throughout the production, that will help them discover their own identify. ie: Why where you born and why are you here? Beyond all those two serious thoughts, Stephen’s music is absolutely fabulous, and a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down, or so I’m told.."
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