Animation Guild | We are 839 Digital Magazine
Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1378252
F E AT U R E this page, below: The size of classic Looney Tunes characters had to be enlarged to create a realistic-looking scene with 6'6" Michael Jordan. opposite page: With the use of a sodium vapor process and massive matte paintings, Mary Poppins won the 1965 Oscar for Best Visual Effects. "I don't think that shot had any real animation in it, maybe some Tunes running around here and there... But the fact that we could anchor [Jordan] in an animated world and still have it be believable was a huge stepping stone for us." – Bruce W. Smith, Animation Co-Director, Space Jam UNION PROUD "If this were a union job…" No, that's not a comment from one of your fellow TAG members. It's Daffy Duck muttering under his breath in the original Space Jam. It's part of a gag in which Daffy is piping up for the rights of his fellow Looney Tunes characters. A gag that's close to home for the many Guild members who worked on the film. The now-classic hybrid movie is filled with Union Easter eggs. There's sly commentary between Daffy and Bugs Bunny about residuals, and at one point Bill Murray's (right) character references the Teamsters. Most notable, though, is an emergency meeting called by Porky Pig at Union Hall 839, a not-so-subtle nod to The Animation Guild, IATSE Local 839. While certainly not a social commentary, Space Jam gave members of the animation industry an opportunity to honor the struggles to organize and form a lasting Union! Images courtesy of Warner Bros. 36 KEYFRAME