Stanley Kubrick’s masterpiece 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) offers some of the most realistic space photography in cinema history. To mention Kubrick’s manic attention to detail to every component of filmmaking is nothing new, but I’ve come across a 1955 TV program that might prove to be the most influential to the look and feel of his sci-fi stunner.
It is often noted that the two films that inspired Kubrick during the preproduction of 2001 were the National Film Board of Canada’s 1960 animated documentary Universe (1960) and the 1964 New York World’s Fair movie To the Moon and Beyond. Douglas Trumbull was an artist on this film and was later hired by Kubrick as special effects supervisor on 2001: A Space Odyssey.
Universe (1960) / To the Moon and Beyond (1964)
I discovered the TV show Disneyland and specifically the episode Man and the Moon which aired December 28 in 1955. Created by Walt Disney and directed by animator Ward Kimball, it features stunning similarities with the final imagery that Kubrick created for 2001: A Space Odyssey. German rocket scientist Dr. Wernher von Braun narrates a portion of the show that aired 13 years before the release of Kubrick’s film in 1968.
I have compiled and compared my favorite shots from both projects that best represent the visual symmetry that they share. I could not find any instances of Kubrick speaking about the Disney TV show…but the resemblance of the imagery speaks for itself. Enjoy the video!
Until next time…
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I’m sure he probably would have seen it. But also bear in mind that many NASA and other ‘scientific’ consultants were hired by Stanley to give input about plans, possibilities and the manifestation of man’s space future — betcha there was even some overlap here with the ones Disney hired too (Epcot etc…). These were common ideas at the time. One movie that was an undeniable visual influence though was the Russian film ‘Road to the Stars’. Stanley was a veritable vacuum cleaner in terms of info, books and peoples’ brains, it stands to reason that other films were part of that too. Ultimately it’s what he did with all that ‘influence’ that really matters.
What I take away most from your clip is how uncanny the dock of the space station resembles the Death Star dock 😉
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