CineBuzz spoke with the cast of “From Sketch to Reality”, new Disney+ series
The Disney world is part of the imagination of many people, whether children and adults who watch the studio’s animations and even the artists themselves who designed so many characters that have become iconic.
“From Sketch to Reality”, a new Disney+ documentary series, brings audiences closer to the work table and the lives of some of these Disney artists and animators, revealing behind the scenes of the creation process.
So imagine getting even closer and being able to talk to these designers. THE CineBuzz was invited by Disney to participate in a junket and talk to Eric Goldberg, Gabby Capili, Hyun Min Lee, Jin Kim, Mark Henn and Samantha Vilfortrespective creators of the following characters: Geniusfrom “Aladdin”; kuzcofrom “The Emperor’s New Wave”; olaffrom “Frozen”; Captain Hookfrom “Peter Pan”; young simba, from “The Lion King”; and Mirabelfrom “Charm”.
But why these characters and designers? Jason Stermandirector and executive producer of “From Sketch to Reality” spoke about the choice: “Disney+ and I wanted characters that had a special connection to their creators, so this season’s characters were chosen by the artists themselves.“.
Eric Goldbergcreator of Geniusfrom “Aladdin”, was the first to talk about the character creation process after being asked if he believed that the designer is responsible for a good character or if the character is what makes a good designer.
“I think they kind of feed each other, they need each other. The designer needs to understand who the character is and understand how he fits into the story.“, pointed.
Mark Henndesigner of the young Simba, added that “The designer itself is the character’s first step, he needs to understand if the character has appeal, if it’s interesting or if it’s accessible. It’s like meeting a person, you need to be attracted to them and expect them to become more and more attractive.“
Based on this relationship between designer and character, reporter Angelo Cordeiro, from CineBuzzasked the artists how technology influences the creation process and what is the difference between creating a character today and a few years ago, when technology was not yet a reality.
“It all starts with drawing by hand. But from a certain point on, technology allowed us to carry out tests with the character and then improve some aspects of it, if necessary.“, said Mark Henn.
“The computer graphics allowed the artist to insert more details into the character. Drawing by hand is simpler while computer graphics brings more realism.“, he said Goldberg.
When asked which style is their preference, hand or computer graphics, Jin Kimdesigner of Captain Hookfrom “Peter Pan” was vehement: “I prefer hand drawing, there is a liveliness to the process.“
Hyun Min Leecreator of olaffrom “Frozen”, pointed out that, nowadays, the designer who uses computer graphics is more “stuck” in the creation process: “hand drawing gives you more freedom, computer graphics seems to require the character to be completely symmetrical.“
Processes aside, there is a certain nostalgic and emotional appeal to being part of the “Disney family” and the artists commented on how they deal with such a feeling.
“Everyone grows up with Disney on some level, and for me, particularly, it’s exciting, I feel lucky to get into other people’s homes.“, he replied enthusiastically. Samantha Vilfortdesigner of Mirabelfrom “Enchantment”.
“Being a part of it is like being connected to all the other people who came before us.“, said Goldberg. “My family sends me pictures of the credits when my name appears on the screen, it’s really cool“, revealed Gabby Capilicreator of kuzcofrom “The Emperor’s New Groove”.
“When I left Disney for two years and came back to South Korea, I missed them, they were like family to me. There were still some people I didn’t like, but that’s family.” said Jin Kimto the general laughter of those present.
In a final round, the artists commented on people’s main misconception about the character creation process.
“Some believe that computer graphics made the process easier.“, said Vilfort. “And we keep making thousands of drawings during the process. Computer graphics is not just pushing a button“, completed Goldberg.
“Some believe that technology has made the process faster and cheaper, but that’s not quite the case, there are still hundreds of artists and designs going on behind the scenes.“. concluded Mark Henn.
ON “FROM SKETCH TO REALITY”
Episodes of the Disney+ documentary series feature artists illustrating characters from the Walt Disney Animation Studios films they helped create, as well as telling their stories about how they came to Disney.
Watch the trailer for “From Sketch to Reality”:
Source: cinebuzz
Emily Miller is a voice to be reckoned with in the world of opinion journalism. As a writer for News Rebeat, she brings a unique and thought-provoking perspective to current events and political issues, delivering insightful and engaging commentary.