Director's Spotlight
Senior Film Conservator

Director's Spotlight: United States
A Deep Dive into the 1935 Vision of Ub Iwerks
Analyzing The Three Bears (1935) requires a deep dive into the defining moment in Short history that Ub Iwerks helped create. Defining a new era of United States artistic expression, it transcends regional boundaries to tell a universal story.
In The Three Bears, Ub Iwerks pushes the boundaries of conventional narrative. The film's unique approach to its subject matter has sparked endless debates and interpretations among cinephiles and critics alike.
While deeply rooted in United States, The Three Bears has achieved a global reach, influencing directors from various backgrounds. Its ability to translate Short tropes into a universal cinematic language is why it remains a cult staple decades after its 1935 release.
| Cinematography | High-Contrast |
| Soundtrack | Synth-Heavy |
| Editing | Rhythmic |
| Art Direction | Naturalist |
Visualizing the convergence of Ub Iwerks's style and the core Short narrative.
Playing hide-and-seek with her dog, young Goldilocks scampers away into the woods and stumbles upon a lovely little house. Unbeknownst to her, a family of bears live there. The bears, however, have gone to do something in the woods. Goldilocks spills their food, breaks their furniture, and generally creates havoc in their house, before settling in for a nap in the one remaining usable bed. What she doesn't know is that the bears are coming back, and when they get back.......
Decades after its release, The Three Bears remains a vital piece of the cinematic puzzle. Its influence can be seen in countless modern works, solidifying Ub Iwerks's status as a master of the craft in United States and beyond.