Breakfast with Leonard

The man is a legend.  I mean who knows more about movies than Leonard Maltin? I sourced a lot of material from him while working on my masters thesis, specifically on the topic of Disney films.  When I found out I was going to get to interview him regarding his 2012 Movie Guide, I couldn't decide what not to ask him.  I was only going to have 10 minutes and I had so much that I wanted and could discuss with him.

First off, I inquired why he is still printing a book version of his guides being that we live in this iPad/Kindle/digital age.  Well he quickly informed me that the information is available as an App for your Ipod and iPad with more information than what could be put in the book.  The other reason for the book is the target audience - older people.  I even told him how as a kid, I used to go through his books and memorize stats like a sports fan memorizes baseball cards. The fact is that older generations are not necessarily interested in looking up information on the internet, they want a physical reference guide.  And really, a book is just easier to use.

Maltin also explained that he too will use IMDB on occasion but it it not always the most effecient way to find or organize data.  Sometimes you want the simplicity of a book, where you can look up the title and see if it's worth watching and who starred in it.

Since we share a love of Disney animation, I went on to discuss some concepts with him.  One of my first questions was to name his favorite Disney short.  He quickly and simply answered "The Band Concert." You'll recall that one.  It's where Mickey is conducted the orchestra in the park as it gets picked up and carried away by a tornado.  It was the first color Mickey Mouse cartoon and is considered by many to be one of the best.  It even has it's own theme park attraction at DCA!  It was no surprise that Maltin named it as his favorite.

I went on to discuss with him my actual thesis topic, which was the restoration of Disney's animated features and the loss of the animation art.  I wish had this access to him about six years ago when I had first begun that project.  He made a good point, which is that as much as they try, there is no way to completely reproduce on a DVD and television the look of those animated films which were recorded onto silver nitrate film and projected against a silver screen.  They can come close but it won't look the same.  There is also the slippery slope of "what were they trying to make it look like?"  Akin to "What would Walt do?"  He thinks the most recent restoration work done Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was excellent.

My time with Mr. Maltin went by all too fast, but I did get to ask one other fun question: Keaton or Lloyd?  While he appreciated my slant on the old question of Keaton or Chaplin, he still refused to answer.  He said it was pointless to try to say one is better than the other.  While I admit I am a Harold Lloyd fan over Chaplin and Keaton, it is still silly to compare them against each other.  Each was a master of comedy.  The discussion ended when Tony Anselmo walked by the table and had some small talk with Maltin.  That too was almost unbelievable.

Much like our conversation, the book is awesome.  Maltin's 2012 Movie Guide has grown by another 300 entries since the 2010 edition with over 17,000 movies covered.  He also has the Classic Film Guide with over 10,000 movies from the beginning of film through the 60s with even more detail given to each movie.  These books would make great holiday gifts and are reasonably priced at Amazon. Get your 2012 Movie Guide now!