Favourite Sonic branding case of Gregory Caron: Disney

“A Belgian publication that focuses on the use of sound? I can only applaud that. But when I was asked which “case” I remember most, I had to think hard, I could not immediately think of something. I dived into my Vimeo likes, looking for that one pearl that had touched me. But my search remained in vain. Three chords on a ukulele with a casual but cheerful whistle? Two piano notes that distilled the entire DNA of the brand? One heartbeat that embodied the power of the brand and could also serve as a ringtone? Great! But I remained hungry.

Until I rediscovered Grandmaster Jimmy MacDonald. The man who helped define the sound of Disney and elevate the brand into an empire. The man who invented and built countless devices, just to provide a film with the right soundtrack. The fire in Bambi, the train in Dumbo, the wind in Winnie The Pooh, thunder and lightning in Snow White and so on ... MacDonald built machines just for one sound. Designing such a device was one thing, playing it was another. There they stood, cosy in the studio: the forty-headed orchestra, ten voice actors and the Sound FX crew. Ready to record everything synchronously. Yes, synchronously, you read that right. And when Walt Disney's voice became hoarse because the man liked to smoke a cigarette (you would for less), our friend Jimmy took care of Mickey's voice for the next thirty years. 

Here I am looking for that one right doorbell in my sound library of 327 gigabaait. Forget the capitals and leave my title of sound designer & composer in a standard Helvetica 12 for the time being."