Disney Silent Sidekick panel notes from Salt Lake Comic Con 2014
Taylor Hunsaker
Favorite Disney Sidekicks - Sven “That’s [Disney] what you should grow up on,” says Taylor Hunsaker. Amber Dahl Favorite Disney Sidekicks – Pascal and Maximus “If you’re a Disney fanatic, there’s no such thing as unhealthy,” says Amber Dahl. The powerful message doesn’t need to be said at all. Sidekicks are brave. Heather Ostler Favorite Disney Sidekicks – Tinkerbell and Pegasus. “What they lack in words, they make up for in personality and body language,” says Ostler. “I love that they are able to say so much in body language.” “They have so much personality.” The sidekick tells us when the hero’s darkest hour is. It is when the sidekick has been knocked out of action. A person that likes animals becomes likable. Animal sidekicks make the hero likable. As an introvert, a lot of times we connect with animals better than people. “They [sidekicks] have a lot of heart,” says Ostler. Candace Tarkeshian Favorite Disney Sidekicks – R2D2; she was going to say Chewbacca, but her husband talked her out of it. “Silence – that’s a beautiful way to say so much.” Jaleta Clegg Favorite Disney Sidekicks – Abu, Rajah and Lucifer “Lucifey” from Cinderella. Even though Lucifer is a villain sidekick, Clegg loves the way that he acts like a cat, especially the scene where he is drinking cream from his claws drop by drop. “They’re [Sidekicks] a foil for the main character,” says Clegg. Mikey Brooks Favorite Disney Sidekicks – Queen Elinor in bear form The best scenes are when you can tell what the person is thinking without that person saying a word. Sidekicks have common sense that the main character often lacks. Disney uses storyboards, and the company is ruthless in development. If it doesn’t fit the story, it gets cut. “They [Disney] take the time to prepare,’ says Brooks. Unattributed ideas Most of the Disney heroes are somehow isolated. The animals give that character someone to talk to and interact with. They move the story along without the hero having to talk to him or herself. Pluto and Dopey were mentioned by audience members as silent sidekicks. |
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