Original Visions of CalArts
Admin The best little 1964 film about CalArts you'll ever see!
I was floored when I found this. Not only is Bageerah (the great Sebastian Cabot) narrating this little gem, it's chock full of great mid-century modern artwork, renderings and concepts. It's produced in that classic Walt Disney live-action educational film style of the 50s and 60s. To add to it, this little beauty was long-lost in the CalArts archives, recently discovered, and posted not too long ago.
The school, established in 1961, was Walt Disney's vision for "different artistic disciplines sharing space under one roof." (One roof meaning one campus, I'm sure.)
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The short film was originally presented at the 1964 gala premiere of Mary Poppins. According to a Dick Van Dyke interview on the Mary Poppins 40th Anniversary Edition DVD, Dick wanted to play the part of the old banker at the end of the movie (free of charge) though Walt was unsure about the idea. Then Walt came back and said he could only play the part if he paid $2,000 of his own cash towards the CalArts project. Ha!
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Reader Comments (9)
AH! This is my dream school. As I go through HIgh School I will work towards getting into this college and applying for many scolarships. :)
Thats for posting this, it was real great to learn about the orgins of CalArts, through I feel that it was for the best that CalArts didn't end up in Hollywood... too much.... smog.
Thanks for posting!
Thank you for posting this amazing video about the origin of CalArts !
CalArts is also my dream school since I first saw "The Pixar Story".
I know that CalArts is really amazing school and so many of greatest artists in Hollywood are from CalArts.
This video motivates me again !
Wow, what a neat time capsule! It would be interesting to learn how CalArts ended up out near Valencia after all that.
The artwork in this simply rocks. Can't get enough of this style. Wish Disney would do more creative work like this.
My art school was not this cool. Not by a long shot. Great find!
Some of these are obviously renderings of the Los Angeles Music Center and may have been created by Disney artists.
I think the reason Cal Arts was located in Valencia is that the land was part of Disney's Golden Oak Movie Ranch.
I meant MAY NOT have been created by Disney artists. I would like to know more about Walt's involvement in the development of the Music Center (creatively and financially). I seem to remember his name on a plaque of donors I think.
This film seems to indicate greater involvement... hold on... this just in... the architect of the Music Center was Walt's neighbor Welton Becket. Becket did some of the drawings for the original Epcot city. (You might remember that the centerpiece building had a mast on it, like his Capitol Records building.
It is ironic that the Walt Disney Concert Hall is now part of an expanded Music Center campus.
Was that a hidden mickey I see when they were highlighting in the overview of the school hahaha ;] (12:53)
Awesome find on the video and thank you for posting it
Actually, it is all one one roof literally. 5 stories, 500,000 square feet.