Simply Mad About the Mouse: A Musical Celebration of Imagination
Encyclopedia
Simply Mad About the Mouse: A Musical Celebration of Imagination (ISBN 1-55890-217-1) is an 1991 direct-to-video release featuring top contemporary singers performing "classic Disney songs". Released 27 September 1991, the 35-minute-long series of music videos was released on VHS
, LaserDisc
, and 8mm video. The music videos were exclusive to the video and the Disney Channel
.
Billy Joel
, "When You Wish Upon A Star
": A Disney animator working on drawing a semi-realistic illustration of Joel is confused when the drawing comes alive. The sketchy, comic-book like Joel proceeds to saunters in-and-out of various scenes Disney features like Peter Pan
, Pinocchio
, and Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
. The character never truly interacts with the existing animation. Joel even flies out of the animator's drawing board, blowing papers around in the animator's studio in his wake. A rotoscoped trumpet player also appears, coming down the animator's staircase. When the animator calls it a day, he starts to walk out of the room, ending up as a rotoscoped character on a Disney background painting himself. Twice in the video does Joel appear in live-action. There is also a black-and-white sequence of filmmakers in a studio at the start of the video, which relates little if any to the rest of the video. One of the songs nominated for a Grammy in both song and music video categories.
Ric Ocasek
, "Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah
": There is little true plot to Ocasek's video, beyond the fact he appears in scenes from Fantasia
, Alice in Wonderland, Song of the South
, and even Dumbo's drunken hallucination from Dumbo
. At least one short film is edited in. In the video is a non-speaking, non-interacting woman. He is transported in a computer-generated boat.
LL Cool J
, "Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?
": Perhaps the most unusual adaptation musically, LL Cool J's rapping about the Three Little Pigs, taking on the persona of both the wolf and third pig in first person
, at various points in the rap. He is backed up by three African-American singers dancing, each with blonde wigs on, as well as one male backup dancer appearing in shots by himself. Cool J's lyrics mention he has no time to "dance or sing", contradictory to the fact he's appearing in a music video doing just that. Cool J adds lyrics of how he'd deal with the wolf, if the wolf broke in his house; he'd "punch him in the nose, tie him in a knot", as a reference to the original 1933 cartoon where those lyrics originated. It is one of the few times a major rapper has included the word "gay
" in his rapping, and not meant "homosexual". The word is a relic of the song original lyrics, which described the first pig as gay, suggesting he was too happy and contented to build a proper house.
Gipsy Kings
, "I've Got No Strings
": Features a series of boldly colored animated sequences, with simplifed figures dancing to the Latin music. Most of the song is performed in Spanish
.
Harry Connick, Jr.
, "The Bare Necessities
": Connick appears as a nouveau-riche, happy-go-lucky millionaire in a house full of women and fancy parties. When repossessed, he remains care-free, claiming he can survive with the "bare necessities of life". In the video, the crew repossessing his house sings along with Connick, and dolly carts
away some of the female guests. This video is by far the most elaborate in terms of set, extras, and choreography.
Bobby McFerrin
, "The Siamese Cat Song": One of the most visually unique pieces on the album, an array of special effects create otherworldly environments to compliment McFerrin's exceptional adaptation and performance. Nominated as one of several songs from this album for a Grammy, it blends music and state-of-the-art animation effects. Includes scenes from Lady and the Tramp
, and Fantasia
, with McFerrin singing.
Soul II Soul
featuring Kofi
, "Kiss The Girl
": A man and a woman sing on a desert island, as clips from The Little Mermaid
are shown.
Michael Bolton
, "A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes
": This music video uses animation and special effects as projected landscapes that Michael Bolton performs in. A full orchestra supports his rich rendition while cascading classic images of the best of the Disney Vault wash the stage transforming the viewer inside the classic Cinderella footage intermixed with performance and live action.
d, a technique highly disregarded by Disney's animators, who while refer to video footage for reference, prefer to create their character's motion from scratch.
The video begins in a set created of "the Disney Vault
", where the camera pans around various objects and pictures, including "props" from the animated movies, such as Cinderella
's glass slipper, or the submerged skull from The Rescuers
. An animator's pencil drawing of Sorcerer Mickey slowly comes alive, and enchants five musical notes out of a baton
; the notes proceed to whip around the room at varying speeds. The vault is entered through a dark and slightly industrial side; at the end it exits onto an English garden
.
Created by Garen Entertainment and Stellar X Productions, it was distributed by Buena Vista Home Video, the Walt Disney Company's distribution company.
An album of the music was created by Columbia Records
, and released on LP
, cassette
and compact disc
. Also on the record was En Vogue
with "Someday My Prince Will Come" and Kirk Whalum
with "Mad About The Wolf".
The title is not currently in in stores, but is available though digital download distribution.
VHS
The Video Home System is a consumer-level analog recording videocassette standard developed by Victor Company of Japan ....
, LaserDisc
Laserdisc
LaserDisc was a home video format and the first commercial optical disc storage medium. Initially licensed, sold, and marketed as MCA DiscoVision in North America in 1978, the technology was previously referred to interally as Optical Videodisc System, Reflective Optical Videodisc, Laser Optical...
, and 8mm video. The music videos were exclusive to the video and the Disney Channel
Disney Channel
Disney Channel is an American basic cable and satellite television network, owned by the Disney-ABC Television Group division of The Walt Disney Company. It is under the direction of Disney-ABC Television Group President Anne Sweeney. The channel's headquarters is located on West Alameda Ave. in...
.
Performances
On the disc are these performances:Billy Joel
Billy Joel
William Martin "Billy" Joel is an American musician and pianist, singer-songwriter, and classical composer. Since releasing his first hit song, "Piano Man", in 1973, Joel has become the sixth best-selling recording artist and the third best-selling solo artist in the United States, according to...
, "When You Wish Upon A Star
When You Wish upon a Star
"When You Wish upon a Star" is a song written by Leigh Harline and Ned Washington for Walt Disney's 1940 adaptation of Pinocchio. The original version of the song was sung by Cliff Edwards in the character of Jiminy Cricket, and is heard over the opening credits and again in the final scene of the...
": A Disney animator working on drawing a semi-realistic illustration of Joel is confused when the drawing comes alive. The sketchy, comic-book like Joel proceeds to saunters in-and-out of various scenes Disney features like Peter Pan
Peter Pan (1953 film)
Peter Pan is a 1953 American animated film produced by Walt Disney and based on the play Peter Pan, or The Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up by J. M. Barrie. It is the fourteenth film in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series and was originally released on February 5, 1953 by RKO Pictures...
, Pinocchio
Pinocchio
The Adventures of Pinocchio is a novel for children by Italian author Carlo Collodi, written in Florence. The first half was originally a serial between 1881 and 1883, and then later completed as a book for children in February 1883. It is about the mischievous adventures of Pinocchio , an...
, and Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937 film)
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is a 1937 American animated film based on Snow White, a German fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm. It was the first full-length cel-animated feature in motion picture history, as well as the first animated feature film produced in America, the first produced in full...
. The character never truly interacts with the existing animation. Joel even flies out of the animator's drawing board, blowing papers around in the animator's studio in his wake. A rotoscoped trumpet player also appears, coming down the animator's staircase. When the animator calls it a day, he starts to walk out of the room, ending up as a rotoscoped character on a Disney background painting himself. Twice in the video does Joel appear in live-action. There is also a black-and-white sequence of filmmakers in a studio at the start of the video, which relates little if any to the rest of the video. One of the songs nominated for a Grammy in both song and music video categories.
Ric Ocasek
Ric Ocasek
Ric Ocasek is an American musician and music producer. He is best known as lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist for the rock band, The Cars....
, "Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah
Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah
"Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah" is a song from the Disney 1946 live action and animated movie Song of the South, sung by James Baskett. With music by Allie Wrubel and lyrics by Ray Gilbert, "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah" won the Academy Award for Best Original Song...
": There is little true plot to Ocasek's video, beyond the fact he appears in scenes from Fantasia
Fantasia (film)
Fantasia is a 1940 American animated film produced by Walt Disney and released by Walt Disney Productions. The third feature in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series, the film consists of eight animated segments set to pieces of classical music conducted by Leopold Stokowski, seven of which are...
, Alice in Wonderland, Song of the South
Song of the South
Song of the South is a 1946 American musical film produced by Walt Disney and released by RKO Radio Pictures. The film is based on the Uncle Remus cycle of stories by Joel Chandler Harris. The live actors provide a sentimental frame story, in which Uncle Remus relates the folk tales of the...
, and even Dumbo's drunken hallucination from Dumbo
Dumbo
Dumbo is a 1941 American animated film produced by Walt Disney and released on October 23, 1941, by RKO Radio Pictures.The fourth film in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series, Dumbo is based upon the storyline written by Helen Aberson and illustrated by Harold Pearl for the prototype of a...
. At least one short film is edited in. In the video is a non-speaking, non-interacting woman. He is transported in a computer-generated boat.
LL Cool J
LL Cool J
James Todd Smith , better known as LL Cool J , is an American rapper, entrepreneur, and actor...
, "Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?
Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?
"Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf" is a popular song written by Frank Churchill with additional lyrics by Ann Ronell, which originally featured in the 1933 Disney cartoon Three Little Pigs, where it was sung by Fiddler Pig and Fifer Pig as they arrogantly believe their houses of straw and twigs...
": Perhaps the most unusual adaptation musically, LL Cool J's rapping about the Three Little Pigs, taking on the persona of both the wolf and third pig in first person
First-person narrative
First-person point of view is a narrative mode where a story is narrated by one character at a time, speaking for and about themselves. First-person narrative may be singular, plural or multiple as well as being an authoritative, reliable or deceptive "voice" and represents point of view in the...
, at various points in the rap. He is backed up by three African-American singers dancing, each with blonde wigs on, as well as one male backup dancer appearing in shots by himself. Cool J's lyrics mention he has no time to "dance or sing", contradictory to the fact he's appearing in a music video doing just that. Cool J adds lyrics of how he'd deal with the wolf, if the wolf broke in his house; he'd "punch him in the nose, tie him in a knot", as a reference to the original 1933 cartoon where those lyrics originated. It is one of the few times a major rapper has included the word "gay
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
" in his rapping, and not meant "homosexual". The word is a relic of the song original lyrics, which described the first pig as gay, suggesting he was too happy and contented to build a proper house.
Gipsy Kings
Gipsy Kings
The Gipsy Kings are a group of musicians from Arles and Montpellier, who perform in Spanish with an Andalucían accent. Although group members were born in France, their parents were mostly gitanos, Spanish Romani people who fled Catalonia during the 1930s Spanish Civil War. Chico Bouchikhi is of...
, "I've Got No Strings
I've Got No Strings
"I've Got No Strings" also known as "I Got No Strings" is a song from Walt Disney's animated film Pinocchio sung by Dickie Jones as Pinocchio. He dances with three puppets such as a Dutch puppet, a French puppet, a Russian puppet, and Cossacks...
": Features a series of boldly colored animated sequences, with simplifed figures dancing to the Latin music. Most of the song is performed in Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
.
Harry Connick, Jr.
Harry Connick, Jr.
Joseph Harry Fowler Connick, Jr. is an American singer, big-band leader/conductor, pianist, actor, and composer. He has sold over 25 million albums worldwide. Connick is ranked among the top 60 best-selling male artists in the United States by the Recording Industry Association of America, with...
, "The Bare Necessities
The Bare Necessities
"The Bare Necessities" is a song, written by Terry Gilkyson, from the animated 1967 Disney film The Jungle Book sung by Phil Harris as Baloo and Bruce Reitherman as Mowgli. Originally, it was written for an earlier draft of the movie that was never produced. The Sherman Brothers, who wrote the...
": Connick appears as a nouveau-riche, happy-go-lucky millionaire in a house full of women and fancy parties. When repossessed, he remains care-free, claiming he can survive with the "bare necessities of life". In the video, the crew repossessing his house sings along with Connick, and dolly carts
Dolly (trailer)
A dolly is a small trailer that can be coupled to a truck or trailer so as to support a semi-trailer. The dolly is equipped with a fifth wheel to which the semi-trailer is coupled...
away some of the female guests. This video is by far the most elaborate in terms of set, extras, and choreography.
Bobby McFerrin
Bobby McFerrin
Robert "Bobby" McFerrin, Jr. is an American vocalist and conductor. He is best known for his 1988 hit song "Don't Worry, Be Happy". He is a ten-time Grammy Award winner.-Life:...
, "The Siamese Cat Song": One of the most visually unique pieces on the album, an array of special effects create otherworldly environments to compliment McFerrin's exceptional adaptation and performance. Nominated as one of several songs from this album for a Grammy, it blends music and state-of-the-art animation effects. Includes scenes from Lady and the Tramp
Lady and the Tramp
Lady and the Tramp is a 1955 American animated film produced by Walt Disney and released to theaters on June 22, 1955, by Buena Vista Distribution. The fifteenth animated feature in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series, it was the first animated feature filmed in the CinemaScope widescreen...
, and Fantasia
Fantasia (film)
Fantasia is a 1940 American animated film produced by Walt Disney and released by Walt Disney Productions. The third feature in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series, the film consists of eight animated segments set to pieces of classical music conducted by Leopold Stokowski, seven of which are...
, with McFerrin singing.
Soul II Soul
Soul II Soul
Soul II Soul are a British group that was created in London in 1988. They are best known for their 1989 UK chart-topper and U.S. Top 5 hit, "Back to Life ".-Career:...
featuring Kofi
Kofi
Kofi is a Twi and Akan day name and a given name for a boy born on a Friday, originating in Ghana. It may refer to:* Kofi , British lovers rock singer, born Carol Simms* John Kofi Agyekum Kufuor, Former President of ghana...
, "Kiss The Girl
Kiss The Girl
"Kiss the Girl" is a calypso song from Disney's 1989 animated film The Little Mermaid, composed by Alan Menken with lyrics by Howard Ashman. In the film, the song was performed by Samuel E. Wright...
": A man and a woman sing on a desert island, as clips from The Little Mermaid
The Little Mermaid
"The Little Mermaid" is a popular fairy tale by the Danish poet and author Hans Christian Andersen about a young mermaid willing to give up her life in the sea and her identity as a mermaid to gain a human soul and the love of a human prince...
are shown.
Michael Bolton
Michael Bolton
Michael Bolton is an American singer and songwriter. Bolton originally performed in the hard rock and heavy metal genres from the mid 1970s to the mid 1980s, both on his early solo albums and those recorded as the frontman of the band Blackjack...
, "A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes
A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes
"A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes" is a song written and composed by Mack David, Al Hoffman and Jerry Livingston for the Walt Disney film Cinderella . In the song Cinderella encourages her animal friends to never stop dreaming, and that theme continues throughout the entire story.The theme of...
": This music video uses animation and special effects as projected landscapes that Michael Bolton performs in. A full orchestra supports his rich rendition while cascading classic images of the best of the Disney Vault wash the stage transforming the viewer inside the classic Cinderella footage intermixed with performance and live action.
Production notes
As evidenced in the descriptions of the music videos, while Simply Mad included new animation, it made great use of existing animated footage. Most new animation in Simply Mad is rotoscopeRotoscope
Rotoscoping is an animation technique in which animators trace over live-action film movement, frame by frame, for use in animated films. Originally, recorded live-action film images were projected onto a frosted glass panel and re-drawn by an animator...
d, a technique highly disregarded by Disney's animators, who while refer to video footage for reference, prefer to create their character's motion from scratch.
The video begins in a set created of "the Disney Vault
Disney Vault
The "Disney Vault" is the term used by Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment for its policy of putting home video releases of Walt Disney Animation Studios's animated features on moratorium...
", where the camera pans around various objects and pictures, including "props" from the animated movies, such as Cinderella
Cinderella
"Cinderella; or, The Little Glass Slipper" is a folk tale embodying a myth-element of unjust oppression/triumphant reward. Thousands of variants are known throughout the world. The title character is a young woman living in unfortunate circumstances that are suddenly changed to remarkable fortune...
's glass slipper, or the submerged skull from The Rescuers
The Rescuers
The Rescuers is a 1977 American animated feature produced by Walt Disney Productions and first released on June 22, 1977. The 23rd film in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series, the film is about the Rescue Aid Society, an international mouse organization headquartered in New York and shadowing...
. An animator's pencil drawing of Sorcerer Mickey slowly comes alive, and enchants five musical notes out of a baton
Baton (conducting)
A baton is a stick that is used by conductors primarily to exaggerate and enhance the manual and bodily movements associated with directing an ensemble of musicians. They are generally made of a light wood, fiberglass or carbon fiber which is tapered to a grip shaped like a pear, drop, cylinder...
; the notes proceed to whip around the room at varying speeds. The vault is entered through a dark and slightly industrial side; at the end it exits onto an English garden
English garden
The English garden, also called English landscape park , is a style of Landscape garden which emerged in England in the early 18th century, and spread across Europe, replacing the more formal, symmetrical Garden à la française of the 17th century as the principal gardening style of Europe. The...
.
Created by Garen Entertainment and Stellar X Productions, it was distributed by Buena Vista Home Video, the Walt Disney Company's distribution company.
An album of the music was created by Columbia Records
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
, and released on LP
LP album
The LP, or long-playing microgroove record, is a format for phonograph records, an analog sound storage medium. Introduced by Columbia Records in 1948, it was soon adopted as a new standard by the entire record industry...
, cassette
Compact Cassette
The Compact Cassette, often referred to as audio cassette, cassette tape, cassette, or simply tape, is a magnetic tape sound recording format. It was designed originally for dictation, but improvements in fidelity led the Compact Cassette to supplant the Stereo 8-track cartridge and reel-to-reel...
and compact disc
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
. Also on the record was En Vogue
En Vogue
En Vogue is an American female R&B vocal group from Oakland, California assembled by music producers Denzil Foster and Thomas McElroy.The group has won more MTV Video Music Awards than any other female group in MTV history, a total of seven, along with four Soul Train Awards, six American Music...
with "Someday My Prince Will Come" and Kirk Whalum
Kirk Whalum
Kirk Whalum is an American smooth jazz saxophonist and songwriter. He toured as Whitney Houston's opening act for several years. Whalum has also recorded a series of well received solo albums and film soundtracks, with music ranging from pop to R&B to smooth jazz...
with "Mad About The Wolf".
The title is not currently in in stores, but is available though digital download distribution.
Credits
- Executive producer: Scott Garen
- Producer: Rhaz Zeisler, B. A. RobertsonB. A. RobertsonB. A. Robertson is a Scottish musician, actor, composer and songwriter.-Career:...
- Executive music producer: B. A. Robertson
- Animation effects: Rhaz Zeisler
- Choreography: Rhaz Zeisler
- Writer: Scott Garen, Rhaz Zeisler
- Director: Scott Garen, Rhaz Zeisler
- Supervising Producer/ 1st AD: Morgan D. Smith