Our new series for 2015! Daily Constitutional editor Adam takes us on a Cartoon & Comic Book Tour of London - 20 stops on a metropolis-wide search for all things illustrated.
He'll be taking in everything from Gillray and Hogarth, to Scooby Doo and on to Deadpool and beyond! In addition he'll guide you to the best in London comic book stores as well as galleries that showcase the best in the cartoonist's art.
Disney has long loved London. Here's a still from Basil the Great Mouse Detective ...
(We were in Baker Street earlier, click HERE to catch up with that post.)
... and from the opening credits of 101 Dalmatians ...
... and from Peter Pan ...
In Peter Pan (the 14th Disney animated feature, 1953) the Darling family live in Bloomsbury and the London skyline provides the perfect backdrop for the magical flying scenes. In Basil The Great Mouse Detective, Big Ben and Buckingham Palace take centre stage. This was the 26th Disney animated feature (1986) and the very first to use computer animation techniques.
101 Dalmatians was the 17th Disney animated feature (1961) and was the movie that saved Disney as we know it. Following the disappointing box office performance of Sleeping Beauty (1959) it is said that Disney was ready to abandon animated features altogether. 101 Dalmatians went on to be the 10th highest grossing picture of 1961 in North America.
The most memorable London scene In 101 Dalmatians features The Twilight Bark.
In the wake of human failure to locate the missing puppies, Pongo and Perdita take matters into their own paws and send a message out throughout London. Did you think that dogs bark at nightfall for no reason at all? They are, of course, communicating with one another.
Pongo barks from what appears to be Primrose Hill...
... the message reaches Danny the Great Dane in Hampstead (a more imposing specimen of cartoon Great Dane than Scooby Doo, see our earlier post)...
As the message spreads through town, we pan out across the London skyline. It has been pointed out that the neon lights of the West End seem to have been relocated to South London, but no matter: it allows the artists to give us a lovely view of St Paul's dominating the city skyline - as it would have done 54 years (!) ago when the film was released. The anniversary occurs this Sunday, 25th January.
Here's how to get to Primrose Hill (and nearby Regent's Park where Pongo and Perdita meet for the very first time)...
(Still to come on the Cartoon & Comic Book Tour of London... Gillray, Sir David Low, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Gosh! comic book store and Deadpool does Tower Bridge!)
A London Walk costs £9 - £7 concession. To join a London Walk, simply meet your guide at the designated tube station at the appointed time. Details of all London Walks can be found at www.walks.com
