View source for Simply Mad About the Mouse: A Musical Celebration of Imagination

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'''''Simply Mad About the Mouse: A Musical Celebration of Imagination''''' is a [[1991 films|1991]] [[List of Disney direct-to-video films|direct-to-video release]] showcasing top contemporary singers performing classic Disney songs.<ref>''Simply Mad About the Mouse: A Musical Celebration of Imagination'', videocassette.</ref> Released on September 27, 1991, this 35-minute feature consists of a series of music videos available on [[VHS]] and [[LaserDisc]]. The music videos were exclusive to the video and the [[Disney Channel]].
==Performances==
The disc features the following performances:
; [[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 of Disney features like ''[[Peter Pan (1953 film)|Peter Pan]]'', ''[[Fantasia (1940 film)|Fantasia]]'', ''[[Sleeping Beauty (1959 film)|Sleeping Beauty]]'', ''[[Pinocchio (1940 film)|Pinocchio]]'', and ''[[Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937 film)|Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs]]''. The character does not directly interact with the existing animation. In one scene, Joel flies off the animator's drawing board, causing papers to scatter in the animator's studio. Additionally, a rotoscoped trumpet player descends the animator’s staircase. When the animator finishes for the day and exits the room, he is depicted as a rotoscoped character in a Disney background painting. Throughout the video, Joel appears in live-action in two separate instances. At the beginning of the video, there is a black-and-white sequence featuring filmmakers in a studio, which bears minimal relevance to the rest of the content. One of the songs featured in the video was nominated for a Grammy in both the 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 (1940 film)|Fantasia]]'', ''[[The Three Caballeros]]'', ''[[Alice in Wonderland (1951 film)|Alice in Wonderland]]'', ''[[Hawaiian Holiday]]'', ''[[Merbabies]]'', ''[[Song of the South]]'', and even Dumbo's drunken hallucination from ''[[Dumbo]]''.  At least one short film is edited. In the video are a non-speaking, non-interacting woman and a guitar player. He is transported in a computer-generated boat.
; [[LL Cool J]], "[[Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?]]": The black-and-white sequence features LL Cool J rapping about the Three Little Pigs, taking on the persona of both the wolf and third pig in [[first-person narrative|first person]], at various points in the rap. He is backed up by three [[African-American]] singers dancing, each with blonde [[Wig (hair)|wigs]] on, as well as one male backup dancer appearing in shots by himself.
; [[Gipsy Kings]], "[[I've Got No Strings]]": Features a series of boldly colored animated sequences, with simplified figures dancing to the [[Latin music (genre)|Latin music]]. Most of the song is performed in [[Spanish language|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 (trailer)|dolly carts]] away some of the female guests. This video is, by far, the most elaborate in terms of set, extras, and choreography. The whole music video was shot at [[Greystone Mansion]] in Beverly Hills, California.
; [[Bobby McFerrin]], "The Siamese Cat Song": An array of special effects create otherworldly environments to complement 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 ''[[Mars and Beyond]]'', ''[[Lady and the Tramp]]'', and ''[[Fantasia (1940 film)|Fantasia]]'' with McFerrin singing.
; [[Soul II Soul]] featuring [[Kofi (musician)|Kofi]], "[[Kiss the Girl]]": A man and a woman sing on a desert island with a parrot, a group of people dancing in the ocean water, and a beautiful girl dancing with fishes in the background, as clips from ''[[The Little Mermaid (1989 film)|The Little Mermaid]]'', ''[[Bedknobs and Broomsticks]]'' and ''[[Fantasia (1940 film)|Fantasia]]'' with 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 movies ''[[Cinderella (1950 film)|Cinderella]]'', ''[[Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937 film)|Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs]]'', ''[[Fantasia (1940 film)|Fantasia]]'', and ''[[Sleeping Beauty (1959 film)|Sleeping Beauty]]'' 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 [[rotoscope]]d, a technique highly disregarded by Disney's animators, who, while sometimes referring 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 (1950 film)|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 (conducting)|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 album|LP]], [[Compact Cassette|cassette]] and [[compact disc|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 stores but is available through digital download distribution.<ref>[http://www.rhapsody.com/album/simply-mad-about-the-mouse "Music: Simply Mad About The Mouse"], [[Rhapsody (online music service)|Rhapsody]], accessed November 8, 2010.</ref>
==Credits==
* Based on a material idea by B. A. Robertson
* Executive producer: Scott Garen
* Producer: Rhaz Zeisler, [[B. A. Robertson]]
* Executive music producer: B. A. Robertson
* Co-executive music producer: [[Rick Chertoff]]
* Animation effects: Rhaz Zeisler
* Choreography: Rhaz Zeisler
* Writer: Scott Garen, Rhaz Zeisler
* Director: Scott Garen
* Supervising Producer / 1st AD: Morgan D. Smith
==References==
<references />
==External links==
* [https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/simply_mad_about_the_mouse Rotten Tomatoes: Simply Mad About the Mouse]
[[Category:1990s covers albums]]
[[Category:Disney albums]]
[[Category:1991 video albums]]