Mike Gabriel has left WDAS after 41 years. He is most known for co-directing Rescuers Down Under and Pocahontas and directing the short Lorenzo from the canceled Fantasia World. He first joined the studio in 1981 as an assistant animator on The Fox and the Hound. He worked on many more features there including The Black Cauldron, The Great Mouse Detective, Oliver & Company, The Little Mermaid, Dinosaur, Home on the Range, Bolt, The Princess and the Frog, Tangled, Winnie the Pooh, and Wreck-It Ralph. His last project was the Short Circuit short Elephant in the Room where he worked as a visual development artist.
Mike Gabriel wrote:Retired. Official now after a year. Packed up and off to my next chapter of life. Finally allowed back in due to Covid to clean out my office. Building still empty. Blessed beyond words to have worked there for an entire career! How lucky is that? Thank you, Walt, for letting me play in the house you built for 41 years.
What a diverse mix of films he was involved with. Happy for him that he got to live his dream job.
Listening to most often lately:
Ariana Grande ~ "we can't be friends (wait for your love)"
Ariana Grande ~ "imperfect for you"
Kacey Musgraves ~ "The Architect"
Well, I wish Mike Gabriel good luck with his retirement. He was behind two of my favorite movies from the Renaissance, The Rescuers Down Under and Pocahontas. It`s a pity how both of them are being regarded as lackluster Disney, regardless of their fanbases.
One funny comment, though: When I first saw Pocahontas, I was into behind-the-scenes material of Disney. But I still didn`t knew that Gabriel had helmed Down Under. So when I saw the swooping scenes in Pocahontas (and especially the introductory scene of our titular heroine), I knew right away that the same directing team from Down Under were most likely behind Pocahontas (which happened to be true). After all, both are movies takes place in nature and are epic in scope.