Three Orphan Kittens Analysis

The standard Disney story from the mid 1930s to the beginning of the 1940s is one of the pursuit and somewhat linear progression towards realism. Many theorists used the term ‘hyperrealism’ to describe what appeared to be Disney’s “attempt to represent reality in a medium predicated on artificiality” during the Disney-Formalist period (Disney Formalism, Pallant, 40). Indeed, as the animation and technology employed by the company became more advanced, productions relied less on gag-based humor and metamorphosis and more on realistic animation to develop character and narrative. Many critics of this evolution viewed them as “a move away from animation’s main province, as well as a kind of non-artistry produced from simply duplicating live

action” (Mouse Machine, 64). Manny Farber, in his harsh critic of Bambi, suggested that “in an attempt to ape the trumped-up realism of flesh and blood movies, [Disney had] given up fantasy, which was pretty much the magic element” (Farber, Bambi 90). Others view this as the key to Disney’s success. However, these critics overlook critical evidence found in Three Orphan Kittens that calls into question the assertion that Disney’s goal was to represent reality.

Released in 1935, Three Orphan Kittens tells the simplistic narrative of three kittens’ misadventures in an average American home as they take shelter from a snowstorm.

Compared its Symphony companions, Three Orphan Kittens stands out for its use of realistic setting and characters, as well as its item-based gag-humor. The backgrounds and objects inhabit the world, filmed by a camera that appears to move through a three-dimensional space, together lack the cartoonish stylization found in most Silly Symphonies. Sticking to a strict definition of ‘realism’, the attempt to represent the subject realistically as opposed to abstractly, the short marks one of the peaks of realism in Disney features throughout the production company’s first ten

years

Yet, if realism was Walt Disney’s ultimate goal, why is Three Orphan Kittens, an academy award winning picture and one of three Symphonies that garnered a sequel, one of his most realistic features? Why did the portrayal of an environment the viewer could possible inhabit that lacked fantastical elements not become common as technology continued to advance? Why not repeat elements found in the short? Ultimately, the theme of emulating an environment the view could potentially inhabit did not fit Disney’s goals, which focused on the development of a world translated from his mind to the frame. Instead of chasing after realism, Three Orphan Kitten’s apparent failure to warrant the creation of similarly realistic environments in future production suggests Disney’s focus was on something else.
(first, let’s focus on how three orphan kittens creates a realistic environment: a technique repeated, then one not)
Initially, Three Orphan Kittens appears to support an argument of realism being Disney’s final goal. Advanced camera techniques, an area Three Orphan Kittens was especially issued to experiment with, contribute to the construction of a realistic setting. In several instances, the kittens run across a room while the camera tracks them. As the camera moves on a two-dimensional axis, the furniture mimics the spatial distortion that occurs in reality [Figures D and E]. This replaces a traditional technique of having a flat background cycle or otherwise not demonstrate the warping of three-dimensional. During these tracking shots, the camera speed adjusts to the pace of the kittens. The most striking example follows the black kitten as he crawls across the keys of a piano. As the cat moves backwards and forwards, the camera shifts back and forth as well. Usually, the camera motion is perfectly synched with the kitten, but in some instances the action is delayed as if an off-screen camera operator had not anticipated the movement. In the final moments of the short, a whip pan is even included when the frame shifts from the kittens and a housemaid to a young girl. Compared to previous attempts in camera motion, the short demonstrates many advances that aid in a realistic depiction of space. Future works, such as Snow White, continue to use similar techniques despite the invention of the multiplane camera, indicating that Three Orphan Kitten succeeded in this area.

Compared to its predecessors, the short’s visuals construct a lifelike environment. As the narrative guides the three troublesome kittens to the American household, past the furnace, across the kitchen, and through the rooms, the backgrounds attempt to depict the setting realistically to emulate a reality familiar to the viewer. Lighting emanating from the furnace leaks out and casts shadows on the floor [figure A]. This establishes depth and the illusion of a three-dimensional scene. Other effects contribute to this illusion. Upon arriving at the kitchen, the cats poke their head around a door and gaze off-screen at the kitchen they will be exploring. As their eye’s wander, their reflection on the kitchen tiles mimics their motion, and the effect subtly engages them with the environment [Figure B]. [create depth] In other shots, although the background has limited interaction with the characters, the objects populating it imitate items that existed in the 1930s. For example, in Figure C, the wooden table is draw with no stylization. It is simply a drawn copy of a table the viewer could have owned. There is nothing fantastical about this element or any other part of this shot. Throughout the story, other items populating the house follow a similar pattern of mundaneness, particularly those in the background. In combination, the backgrounds develop a setting the viewer could potentially encounter in the real world.

If Disney’s goal was to represent reality onscreen, the environment developed through background aligns with his objective.

However, future productions do not include or improve on this sort of reality and focus on more complex narratives and characters. Three Orphan Kittens is notably devoid of dynamic characters found in these later productions, such as the Duckling in The Ugly Duckling and Grumpy in Snow White. Instead, Three Orphan Kittens features five characters: the three kittens, a housemaid, and a child. The housemaid and child are little more than stereotypes, their lack of personality embodied by their mostly off-screen presence [figure F]. The kittens would be indistinguishable if they were all the same color. Over the course of the narrative, which is also simplicity and one-dimensional, none of the characters change. Disney notes this as a failure when he wrote a memo to Ben Wickersham, one of the animators on the project, stating, “your resourcefulness in handling a personality has need of improvement” (Animated man, 113). While technologically Three Orphan Kittens proved to be a success in its implementation of camera motion, the realistic backgrounds and flat narrative and cast were not enough to please

Disney.