THE THIEF AND THE COBBLER

On Tuesday night I ventured out to

meet some old NYC animation pals

and watch the first public screening of

Richard Williams'

unreleased 

"director's cut"

for

THE THIEF AND THE COBBLER.

It's not really a director's cut, though.

Technically it's the last surviving workprint

before the film was 

taken away from Mr. Williams in 1992

by the company that was financing the film.

Seeing no end to the film's ambitious production

(it started in 1964)

(yes... 1964)

they decided to steal away with Mr. Williams' baby 

and hastily hack and slash it into a more mainstream

Disney-esque musical:

Needless to say,

it didn't do well

at the box office.

That's not to say that

Mr. Williams' version

(if ever finished)

would have done well.

It's one of the most

gorgeously animated films of all time,

especially taking into account that there were 

no computers used 

to create the most 

technically and organically

animated scenes

EVER

drawn by hand.

But where the design and animation shines,

the story and characters fall down and go pbbbbbt.

Scenes and sequences are gratuitously looooooong

and lead us far, far away from the plot.

Too much time is spent on execution instead of emotion.

Perhaps that would have all been solved if the film was finished.

But we'll never know.

All we've got is this time capsule

showing an unfinished labor of love.

Regardless,

all fans of animation should watch this cut.

There are copies around.

(most of us in the business saw pencil tests and workprints

on illicit videotapes that were floating about

before the internets)

And while you may have missed the screening,

an exhibition of Mr. Williams' work 

is still up in the 

Samuel Goldwyn Theatre.

Go check it out if you get a chance!

And if you're interested in being an animator,

Mr. Williams'

ANIMATION SURVIVAL KIT

is a 

MUST HAVE: