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Show Page Ten - The Springville Herald - July 22, 1982 : film review j-.-Li- 98- 4 iv; 0Gfl i Lonns nno.jLfL jxtsl a . "i - r r ; By Rodd G. Wagner j The 1954 Springville High School yearbook is filled with cartoons. On almost every other page, there is a spunky, Disney-like character in adolescent pose. The intitials "D.B." appear below each of the drawings. They stand for Don Bluth, then a member of the yearbook staff and president of the "Orpheus Club." ! Don Bluth is still drawing cartoons, though now for a much larger audience. And his name is known by many more than his Springville High classmates. With the release of his first feature film since a break from Walt Disney Studio more than two years ago, Mr. Bluth's name and work are being seen by audiences all across the United States. I Born in El Paso, Texas, 44 years ago, Don's family moved to Payson, Utah, hen he was 6 years old. Don milked 24 cows each morning and picked tomatoes for school money, always hoping to become a Disney animator. I "I'd ride my horse to the movie house in town and tie him to a tree while I went in and watched the latest Disney film," Mr. Bluth said. "Then I'd go home and copy every Disney comic book I could find." Thus he learned to cartoon, never taking art lessons. i Don attended Springville High School until moving to Santa Monica, Calif., during his senior year. In 1956, he landed a job as an assistant animator for Disney Studios. After a year-and-a- iwpllli lis' half, Mr. Bluth left to serve an LDS Mission in Argentina, returning to attend BYU as an English major. In 1971, after running a theater in Culver City, Calif., and working for Filmation Studios as a layout man, Mr. Bluth returned to Disney, training as an animator. Mr. Bluth worked on such films as "Robin Hood" ( 1973), "Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too" (1974), "The Rescuers" (1977) and "Pete's Dragon" (1977). He was working on "The Fox and the Hound" when he and 16 other animators left Disney in a dispute over creative quality in September of 1979. With his partners Gary Goldman and John Pomeroy, Mr. Bluth had been working weekends and nights in his garage since 1972, producing animation of their own. The first venture, "Banjo and the Woodpile Cat," was finished after the break with Disney in 1979 and recently aired on ABC-TV. . His current work and first feature film away from Disney, "The Secret of NIMH," has been receiving strongly favorable reviews from critics nationwide. Based on Robert C. O'Brien's novel, "Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH," the film's story revolves around the predicament of Mrs. Brisby (name changed after objections from the Frisbee flying disk folks), a widowed mouse and mother of four. Mrs. Brisby must move her home from Farmer if 1 higher degree of evil and violence, though not in an overbearing way. Bluth's characters seem to be more believeable than most Disney cartoons (as believeable as talking mice, rats and crows can be) because of their drift away from the all-sunshine-and-song works of the Mickey Mouse studio. Mrs. Brisby is not unlike human widows, fearful yet self-strengthening in the wake of her husband's death. The cunning politics of the evil rat Jenner are a reflection of many evil-doers the real world. "NIMH" is replete with conflicts between good and evil presented in highly credible style. Mr. Bluth's film is much more than a sugar-and-spice flick for the Saturday afternoon kiddy matinee, though it will entertain children in action and color few of us were privileged to in our youth. "The Secret of NIMH" is so filled with philosophy, technical excellence ex-cellence and conflict that parents will find themselves as attentive to the movie as their youngsters. Fitzgibbon's fallow field before the plow destroys it, but her pneumonia-ridden pneumonia-ridden son, Timothy, cannot be moved. She enlists the help of several field friends, being helped in the end by the Rats of NIMH, who because of human experimentation on them are more intelligent than average rats. In fighting among two factions of the rats -one good, the other evil - gives room in the plot for the development of a deeper story line than in usual in films of this genre. A ridiculously clumsy and simple Jeremy the Crow with the voice of Don DeLuise) stumbles in and out of the film, providing comic relief and saving the movie from bogging down in some of its deeper philosophies. Also unlike other such films, Disney works in particular, "The Secret of NIMH" is more realistic, employing a One of the many cartoons drawn by 3$ Don Bluth for the 1954 Springville T High School yearbook shows his early talent at animated drawings. , The plot aside, adults will also1' marvel at the technics used by Mr, Bluth's crew to make cartoons come to ' life. The film has more than 1,000 backgrounds and 600 colors. An awesome million-and-a-half sketches and drawings were used to make tfiJ finished product. Airbrushed watery sparkles, mist and fire, shadows and) reflections, move through the screen iri fantastic fashion. , ifg Mr. Bluth and company's new film js a refreshing work among today's proliferation of mediocrity and sensuafe cheap thrills. One might not exagerate to term it a masterpiece in the field of) animation or in the whole of filmmaking film-making itself. Mr. Bluth has progressed a long wajb from his drawings in the Springvillti High School yearbook. .r .trre - f.TD APT - mm;- mMmm S I i i v VI' i - J r ni. A.-fr-f---v-oyiii (uTMrtn-niiMii mfaittnryr iir-i'-1 --liYnri--limwn fl-rff mi At Mrs. Brisby rides the back of Jeremy the Crow on their wav to see the Great Owl in this scene from This scene from "The Secret of NIMH" shows the detail and subtlety of the scenery in the new release. the Bluth picture. Bluth sketches at his California studio, the main character of his new movie1 watching from his arm. INSET: Mr. Bluth as he appeared in the 1954 Spr-j ingville High yearbook. Docents see exhibits Sixteen of the Springville Museum docent and volunteers toured Salt Lake Museums Wednesday, July 14. Included in the tour were visits to the artist studios of Randall Lake and Stephen Fawson, Salt Lake Art Center tour and a lecture on the "The Gloria and Donald B. Marron Collection of American Prints" presented by Katheryn Nelson Art Historian at Westminister College. The University of Utah Museum of Fine Arts was the site for the Utah '82 exhibition, which was toured in addition to parts of the museum's per manent collection. The last stop was the Bountiful Boun-tiful Art Center to view the final day of the Utah Watercolor Society exhibit. The tour was designed to better prepare the docents and volunteers for future tour groups visiting the museum. Another summer tour is watuir to join the Utah's newest and most exciting Jr. Drill and Dance Teams (also includes kicks, splits & cheereoding) Ages 5 through 14 TRAINING & PLACEMENT CLINIC When: Every Friday in August. Starts August 7th. Register: in Class K, 1 , 2, & 3 graders at 9 a.m. 4th graders through 8th at 10 a.m. Wear: Shorts and tennis shoes. Cost: $20.00 due at registration. Teachers: 2 Nationally registered professional drilldance instructors. Where: Springville Academy of Performing Arts 759 South 400 East All new studio owned by Rob & Kathy Stokes. Why: For placement in September squads that will be performing and competing with Utah's best, representing and trained right in Springville. e Bring: Your mom to at least 1 out of 4 Clinic Sessions in August for orientation information. ' Help: By telling your friends who might not see this announcement. Phone 489-6919 or 225-841 5 scheduled for Utah County on August 18. The Utah County tour will include visits to the B.Y.U. Art Archives, Valoy Eaton's studio, and the Kimball Art Center in Park City. If you are interested in participating in the volunteer program and particularly in becoming a museum docent, contact con-tact Sherrill Sandberg, curator of education for an appointment. Docent classes will begin September Sep-tember 15, continuing for eight weeks, including sessions on Art Appreciation, Ap-preciation, using the Metropolitan Museum Slide series, . touf preparation, special lectures and museum tours. (University credit is also available.) Trj Pediatricians Richard Later, M.D. and Gary Behrmann, M.D. have joined the medical staff at Mountain View Hospital in Payson. Dr. Later received a B.S. degree from BYU in 1974 and spent one year in the M B A. Program at BYU before going to the University of Nevada at Reno Medical School for OOP OOP OOOOOOOOOOOOOOCOOOOOOOoooooooooopooopc mm Samuel Don Robertson, son of Calvin and Barbara Robertson of Springville, celebrated his first birthday on July 9. He .is the grandson of Don and Ann Robertson of Salt Lake City and' Velma Nielson and (.lhe late Jay Nielson of Springville.. si I " i f two years. He then transferred to the University of Alabama at Birhmingham where he received his M.D. degree in 1979. After an internship in-ternship at the University of California at Irvine, Later went on to Phoenix, Arizona to a pediatric program for his residency. Early in life, Dr. Later found medicine an exciting ex-citing field and visited with numerous physicians as a boy where he was raised in Globe, Arizona. Later has a broad area of interests including fishing, reading, gardening and BYU sports. His family includes his wife Carol and four children. Dr. Behrmann graduated from BYU in 1975 and then attended Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska where he received his M.D. degree. He met Dr. Later during his residency in Phoenix, Arizona which led to their present partnership in Payson. Behrmann was raised in Oregon where medicine became his fascination. The continuing con-tinuing challenge, tremendous opportunity to serve people and the opportunity to educate the public made medicine a perfect choice. His outside interests are hunting, fishing, tennis, basketball and running. Behrmann's family in- O: .' " - ' - , , m 11 SlplllliliPil fte'rM! J li!K! siisiifii Gary Behrmann, M.D. eludes his wife, Linda, and their 6 year-old daughter, Nikki. Doctors Later and Behrmann will be providing comprehensive Trent Lewfc,- son of Roland aijd Sharon Lewis of Maujeton, has been called to serve in the Zurick, Switzerland LDS Mishn. His farewell wjj be held Sunday, July 25, in the Mapleton Stake Center, 970 N. 400'East, at 9 a.m. An operjf house for him will heheld at 4 p.m. in the home of his parents, ftttt E. 300 North. He wW enter the Mission i'ajjfcriilning Center on rtag. 5. iMSsijijaHMlM . The State Farm Family Insurance can make you feel better. It s a iBvtew c vour insurance coverages afidneeds Home. cai. lite and heslth And it doesn t cost anything Call me few a Family Fami-ly Insurance Checkup today DEAN MIAN 32 WEST 200 SO. 489-9444 11 I imuiiHii I Like a Mi nelahkM. - J. Firm then. H0" Ottti s Jpt 'W'or Hi Richard Later, M.D. 5. care for children from premature babie( through ;, the teenag years. They will also bft available for pediatric emergencies m S1 Floor Coverings 274 S. Main Springville Featuring all types of 1 floor coverings mm ' -oil VP" 'J 13 K-';i Close Out On R0XBURY CARPET AND D0MC0 LINOLEUM SAVE $5.50 to $1 1.50 on Linoleum $1.00 to $4.50 on Carpet --per iq. yard ,r f- VH-fft , MUM '..5 1m H. i ' Hi' I I Free Estimates Installed at $1.85 per sq. yd. |