The new mini series
In reporting something else, Fareed Zakaria mentioned that President Biden had hosted the screening of the upcoming Disney+ tv series American Born Chinese. The 8 episodes are scheduled to release on May 24, 2023. (At this writing, the Writers Guild WGA are on strike, since May 2.)
Gene Luen Yang
This mini series is based on Gene Luen Yang (杨谨伦 1973-) graphic novel of the same title that was published in 2006 by First Second Publishing house. Disney+ green-lighted this book in 2021. Yang grew up wanting to be a Disney animator.
I’ve his two other books, Boxers and Saints, both I received as Christmas gift in 2013, published by :01 First Second. At the time, I was planning to publish a coffee table book so I wrote to him, asking about the paper he used in the book. He replied quickly, saying he didn’t really know – which wasn’t surprise – my fault to ask such dumb question.
Another cartoonist’s Disney Dream
I’ve attended a comic/cartoon book release of Bill Plympton‘s Make Toons That Sell without Selling Out in 2012, published by Focal Press. Here is what his encounter with Disney, as I remembered it:
… years ago, a Disney rep called him up and asked for an audience. When the executive arrived at his studio, all suit and tie while Bill was in his PJs, ok, not that casual but he dressed artistically casual. The dude had a fat briefcase. He sat and opened it, taking out a thick stack of papers for Bill to sign: Disney would like to hire him for a $1 million.
When he climb down from the heaven, Bill remembered casually asked, if he could work the weekend, doing stuff that he wanted to do.
The rep replied, “you won’t have your own stuff. It’ll be owned by Disney.”
Bill was stunned. “What about if I sketch some ideas .. ”
“Owned by Disney.”
“What if I had a dream ..”
“Owned by Disney .. ”
After a month of hard reckoning, Bill turned them down.
He wants to get up in the morning and feeling all pumped up to draw, and he owns it, as well as his own ideas.
Biden: an Idea
…
I was with Xi Jinping in the Tibetan Plateau, and he turned to me and he said, “Can you define America for me?” And I said, “Yes, I can.” This is the God’s truth. I said, “In one word: possibilities.” Possibilities.
We’re the only nation in the history of the world not based on geography, ethnicity, or anything else. We’re based on the i- — an idea. An idea.
…
America is all about IDEAS. Bill Plympton wanted to own his own ideas, so he turned down the lucrative Disney employment that perhaps everyone is or was dreaming of to obtain.
A side note
President Biden hosted the screening of the ABC, to celebrate of AANHPI Heritage Month in the White House. Ke Huy Quan (关继威, 1971-) went before Biden, to open the night. Again, I think he should reconsider his on camera conduct.
I remembered him when he went to Hong Kong to promote Steven Spielberg and Harrison Ford’s Indiana Jones in 1984. He was 7 or 8 years old but was very mature and aggressive in the tv interview, like I knew everything, such a turn off.
He then disappeared for the next few decades. Earlier this year, he won an Oscar for his role in Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022). I didn’t finish the movie, so can’t be a fair judge on his performance in this movie but he did a wonderful job in Spielberg’s film in the 1980s. I don’t know if his conduct results in the long gap in the movie business because I never read anything on him.
法里德·扎拉里亚 (Fareed Zararia) 在报道其他内容时提到, 拜登总统主持了即将上映的 Disney+ 电视剧《美生华人》的放映. 这 8 集计划于 2023 年 5 月 24 日发布. (在撰写本文时, 作家协会 WGA 自 5 月 2 日开始罢工.)
杨谦伦
这部迷你剧改编自杨谦伦 (1973-) 的同名漫画小说, 由:01出版社于2006年出版. Disney+ 2021 年为这本书开了绿灯. 杨从小就想成为一名迪士尼动画师.
我有他的另外两本书: 义和团和圣徒, 都是我在 2013 年收到的圣诞礼物. 由 :01 First Second 出版. 当时, 我正打算出版一本咖啡桌书,所以我写信给他,询问他在书中使用的纸张. 他很快回答说他真的不知道—这并不奇怪 – 问这种愚蠢的问题是我的错.
另一位漫画家的迪士尼梦
我参加了 2012 年由 Focal Press 出版的 Bill Plympton 制作的漫画/卡通书的发行. 以下是我所记得的他的迪士尼梦:
… 多年前，一位迪士尼代表打电话给他并要求见他. 当这位高管到达他的工作室时, 他穿着西装打领带, 而比尔穿着他的睡衣, 好吧, 不是那么随意, 但他穿着有艺术感的休闲装. 这家伙有一个大公文包, 坐下来就开门见山 直奔主题 … 打开公文包, 拿出一叠厚厚的文件让比尔签字: 迪斯尼愿意以 100 万美元的价格雇用他.
当比尔兴奋几秒钟后从天上下来时, 记得随口问过, 他周末是否可以工作, 做他想做的事情。
代表回答说: “你不会有自己的东西. 它将归迪士尼所有.”
比尔惊呆了. “如果我勾勒出一些想法呢 …?”
“归迪士尼所有.”
“如果我有一个梦…”
“归迪士尼所有…”
经过一个月的苦苦思索,比尔拒绝了迪士尼.
他想在早上起床时精神抖擞地去画画, 他拥有它, 还有他自己的想法.
拜登的一个想法
…
我和习近平一起在青藏高原, 他转向我说, “你能为我定义美国吗?” 我说, “我可以.” This is the God’s truth. 这是真的. 我说, “一言以蔽之: 可能性.” 可能性.
我们是世界历史上唯一一个不以地理、种族或其他任何因素为基础的国家. 我们基于 一个… 一个想法. 一个主意.
…
旁注
拜登总统在白宫主持了 ABC 的放映, 以庆祝 AANHPI 传统月. 关继威 (1971-) 为当晚开场. 拜登站在旁边 听关讲述自己的成就. 再一次, 我认为他应该重新考虑他在镜头前的行为.
我记得他1984年去香港宣传史蒂文斯皮尔伯格和哈里森福特的夺宝奇兵. 当时他只有七八岁, 但在电视采访中非常成熟和咄咄逼人, 我什么都知道, 令人反感.
然后他在接下来的几十年里消失了. 今年早些时候, 他凭借在《同时无处不在》(2022 ) 中的角色获得了奥斯卡奖. 我没有看完这部电影, 所以不能公正地评价他在这部电影中的表现, 但他在 1980 年代斯皮尔伯格的电影中表现出色. 我不知道他的行为是否导致了电影行业的长期失踪 低落, 因为我从未读过任何关于他的资料.
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