The Town Talk from Alexandria, Louisiana • Page 26

The Town Talk, Alexandria-Pineville, La. C-6 Friday, April 3, 1992 Bluth Spotlight "Revival of animation Artist has no regrets about leaving Disney Age: 53. Born: El Paso, Texas. Residence: Ireland. Resume: Worked for Walt Disney in 1957, on "Sleeping Beauty," then left, but returned in 1972, working on "Robin Hood" (1973), "Pete's Dragon" (1977) and "The Rescuers" (1977).

Left Disney again in 1979. Provided animation sequences for "Xanadu" (1980). Formed own production company and directed "The Secret of NIMH" (1982), "An American TaiT (1986), "The Land Before Time" (1988), "All Dogs Go to Heaven" (1989) and "Rock-a-Doodle" (opening today). Upcoming films: "Thumbelina," a musical with songs by Barry Manilow (fall), "The Troll in Central Park" (spring 1993) and "The Pebble and the Penguin" Gate 1993). Inspirational film: "Snow White" (1937).

"It LIVE LIVE said, 'Wait a minute, that's turning out differently than we so we called him back. "Originally, he wasn't going to mimic him," Bluth continued. "In fact, we were very shy about asking him to do that. But once he heard the music, he started laughing, and we didn't know how he was going to take this, but he stepped to the mike. He suddenly did Elvis.

I think he did it just because it was a hoot. And then he said, 'The Jordanaires (Presley's sometime backup group) are in town, let's bring 'em in and have them sing After Bluth left Disney, he moved his production company to Ireland because the country's tax incentives meant that he could produce features on a budget unthinkable in the United States. His previous feature at the time, "An American Tail," had been made with his crew accepting a salary freeze. "We called it 'the sacrifice' at the time. I really didn't want to go to Ireland, but I had to do it." Now, he said, "I'm staying in Ireland because I like it.

And we have the best artists we've them to get good. I try to remember that it's the grain of sand that irritates the oyster and makes the pearl. We've been enough of an irritant to them that it's caused them to work very hard to make something fine." Bluth enjoyed Disney's "The Little Mermaid" and "Beauty and the Beast," but he's hoping to provide the studio more irritation with "Rock-a-Doodle," the story of a singing rooster whose life mirrors, in some ways, Elvis Presley's. Glen Campbell provides the voice of Chanticleer, the rooster who thinks it is his crowing that brings up the sun each morning. When proven wrong, he leaves his farm and friends behind in shame.

But then a storm threatens to hide the sun forever, and when his barnyard buddies trek to the big city to find him, they discover he's become a rock 'n' roll idol known only as the King. Bluth said that the Presley parable evolved only as the story developed. "Glen Campbell went in and did the initial thrust of the character. Then, when we animated a little bit of it, we ever had, even when I was over here. The reason to stay there has changed.

Our staff is so highly trained now that I just love working there." After animation returned to the vogue in the late '80s with "American Tail," "Land Before Time," Disney's "Oliver and Company," "Who Framed Roger Rabbit?" "Little Mermaid" and now "Beauty and the Beast" Bluth said that animation once again found itself a valuable Hollywood commodity. "The curse fell away," he said. Indeed, 1992 looks to be the busiest year in decades for animated features. "Ferngully: The Last Rainforest" is due next week, followed by Ralph Bakshi's "Cool World" in the summer, Disney's "Aladdin" and his own "Thumbelina" later in the year, and several other projects in production. "A marvelous thing is happening right now," he said.

"Animators were never paid very much. They had trouble making ends meet, and now, the demand for animators is so great that they can almost name their price. In fact, you can't find them fast enough." By David Kronke Los Angeles Daily News LOS ANGELES The irony has not escaped Don Bluth that he once left Walt Disney Productions because its animation department was in a hopeless shambles, and now the animation team currently in place is Disney's jewel. Of course, it took Disney a decade to regroup after Bluth's departure to head up his own animation company in 1979. And he rightfully can credit his efforts and the competition it engendered with inspiring Disney to reclaim its position.

Since leaving, Bluth has directed five animated features "The Secret of NIMH" (1982), "An American Tail" (1986), "The Land Before Time" (1988), "All Dogs Go to Heaven" (1989) and his latest, "Rock-a-Doodle." "I'm very glad I left," Bluth said in a recent interview. "It was the right thing to do, and I think we were part of getting Disney to wake up. They were not going to keep sleeping while we made 'An American Tail' and 'Land Before Time' and be reduced to No. 2. "The competition that has happened is what has caused New box FIELD RUN PEELERS I IV 65 Lb brttauck office hit BOILED CRAWFISH $1.39 Lb.

(10 Lbs. or more $1.29 Lb.) Plus FRESH Crawfish Tails FRESH Shrimp FRESH Tuna FRESH Flounder FRESH Red Snapper FRESH Amberjack FRESH Catfish (Whole Filets) 'White Men Can't Jump' bounces over 'Wayne's World' Every Friday Night 'til Midnight Featuring Entertainment by Rutland Hyams American Legion 3215 Rapides Avenue Alexandria $2.00 member $3.00 non-member wasn't of this world. It existed only when you walked into the movie theater. Even then, I wanted to help do that." On the use of stars in animated features: "You don't generally do it because they are established, you use those people because they have the best talent. Out of the 50,000 to 60,000 people in SAG, the ones who seem to be able to deliver the performance are the ones who are out there on the screen." On 'Beauty and the Beast': "I'm very thrilled about that.

It's a triumph not iust for the Disney but it's a triumph for the whole industry. We have created enough interest in animation by making good pictures that the audience is responding in such a way, and that the academy is finally recognizing a feature-length animated piece (with a Oscar nomination)." 0 lb. 99 23 99 Gal. Ground $099 lb. CHICKEN 4.25 sll.99 Coleslaw, French Fries, Mashed Means, or Keal Ked tieans anc.

ISH LIVE GRADED 0 faUwnct week. "Wayne's World" dropped a notch to third place, earning $5.7 million, while the Joe Pesci comedy "My Cousin Vinny" fell to fourth at $5.3 million. The fifth and sixth spots went to two new releases: the Rodney Dangerfield comedy "Ladybugs," with $5.2 million, and the ice-skating saga "The Cutting Edge," with $4.5 million. "Fried Green Tomatoes" garnered $2.8 million for seventh place. Stephen King's high-tech nightmare "The Lawnmower Man" was in eighth place with $2.5 million, and Disney's animated musical "Beauty and the Beast" garnered $1.8 million for ninth place.

"American Me," Edward James Olmos' story of Chicano prison gangs, finished 10th on receipts of $1.3 million. Here are the estimated top movie ticket sales Friday through Sunday, according to Exhibitor Relations, with distributor, weekend gross, number of theater screens, average per screen, total gross and number of weeks in release. Figures are based on a combination of actual receipts and projections where actual figures were not immediately APRIL 4, 9:30 PM 'TIL "Chicken Leg" Featuring Dan Davis, Bud Albright, Ellene Owens, George Hollinshead Bootsie Normand. $3.00 COVER (American Spirits) Corner of Texas Jackson 445-4491 jjry FOOD FRMDs By Lee Siegel Associated Press LOS ANGELES The urban basketball comedy "White Men Can't Jump" slam-dunked the box-office competition in its debut weekend, selling $14.7 million worth of tickets. Starring Wesley Snipes and Woody Harrelson as basketball hustlers, "White Men Can't Jump" scored a healthy $7,650 per screen average, according to figures released Monday by Exhibitor Relations Co.

Inc. It knocked last week's leader, "Basic Instinct," into second place. The controversial sex-and-violence thriller starring Michael Douglas took in $13.2 million in receipts in its second tv Cutting 1 6 ti million 7 Tomatoes" $2-8 mWon Lawnmower 8 Man" $2.5 million and the Beast 9 $1 8 million in "American Me" I.O inlertammenlDala Source. 4 CRAWFISH CONNECTION 1611 Bringhurst St. (Located in the Roy Pecan Building) 10 6 Fri.

Sat. 442-1430 WE CATER CRAWFISH BOILS LIVE CRAWFISH ib .54 BOILED CRAWFISH ib. $129 HXM" FRESH PEELED CRAWFISH TAILS 479 FARM-RAISED CATFISH FILETS OYSTERS available. 1. "White Men Can't Jump," 20th Century Fox, $14.7 million, 1,923 screens, $7,650 per screen, $14.7 million, one week.

2. "Basic Instinct," TriStar, $13.2 million, 1,770 screens, per screen, $34.7 million, two weeks. 3. "Wayne's World," Paramount, $5.7 million, 1,878 screens, $3,042 per screen, $87.2 million, seven weeks. 4.

"My Cousin Vinny," 20th Century Fox, $5.3 million, 1,506 screens, $3,530 per screen, $25.2 million, three weeks. 5. "Ladybugs," Paramount, $5.2 million, 1,528 screens, per screen, $5.2 million, one week. 6. "The Cutting Edge," MGM-Pathe, $4.5 million, 775 screens, $5,779 per screen, $4.5 million, one week.

tiTYLINE 487-6434 All My Children 6885 Another World 6886 As The World Turns 6887 Loving 6895 The Bold The Beautiful 6898 Days Of Our Lives 6889 The Guiding Light 6899 General Hospital 6891 One Life To Live 6896 Santa Barbara 6897 The Young The Restless 6900 Soap Scene 6842 Knots Landing 6893 L.A. Law 6894 thirty-something 6901 The Biggest and the At D'Amico's Lee SPECIAL Free one 12 pack for 1st session with $10.00 pack. Free two 12 pack for 1st session with $25.00 pack. 7. "Fried Green Tomatoes," Universal, $2.8 million, 1,312 screens, $2,145 per screen, $65.4 million, 14 weeks.

8. "The Lawnmower Man," New Line, $2.5 million, 1,318 screens, $1,919 per screen, $24.9 million, four weeks. 9. "Beauty and the Beast," Disney, $1.8 million, 1,157 screens, $1,541 per screen, $125.3 million, 20 weeks. 10.

"American Me," Universal, $1.3 million, 537 screens, $2,390 per screen, $9.1 million, three weeks. iSti ii rr. i iitoa am firt fart mi mm Mmmm mm Best Friday Night MacArthur Drive Early and Late Birds, Small Picture Frame Letter and Black Out Split Pots $200 to $1000 Games Full Pack Packs $25.00 Video Games Pull Tabs HEADLESS SHRIMP 16 20 $C99 31 35 $igg Count lb. Count Ib. FRESH GAR Filet s2 $989 y0 (ME 'HIES Gffljfl FRIED ALEXANDRIA' Market Square 6f) Rnnth; -L Medium Catfish Plate Reg.

$5.35 GRAND OPENING Friday Saturday Sunday April 3-4-5 12 Piece Mixed Bucket 2 Large Side Orders 4 Buttermilk Biscuits Side orders include Dirty Rice, roiaines ana oravy, haieea Free Admission Door Prizes Plus Drawing for Cash Discounts in Booths Everyday DEALER SPECIALS FOR OPENING Standard Booth Space (3 days) $30.00 Total Large Booth Space (3 Total Call 487-9966 or 445-2444 Ask for Roger 4600 Jackson Street Alexandria, LA PINEVILLE TIOfiA Sr" ALEXANDRIA Early Bird 7:00 PM Regular Game 7:30 PM Doors Open 6:00 PM.