Disney Feature Animation Internship: Big Cats

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The interns were invited to sketch a lion on that sound stage in the animation studio.If anything can go wrong it always does when I am sketching. My elegant thin pen ran out of ink half way through the sketch and I had to dig around for my much thicker pen to finish up.

Clearly I started on the left and half way through the pen gave out. The thick sketch on the right hints at some  some frustration and annoyance.

The Lion King was still in production so that is why the big cat came in to model. The design of the characters had already been established so this was more of an exercise in keeping our sketching chops in  shape. By the time I got to sketching the lion, most of the interns had started to leave. Life moves too fast when you are trying to catch it in a sketch.

The next day was to be a mid-term review. I would get to find out how the Board felt I was progressing as an animator. No pressure, just don’t suck.

Disney Feature Animation Internship: Chip in China

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A Russian animator visited the studio and screened his film for us. The interns also had an opportunity to sketch lions and bears on a sound stage. There were once in a lifetime opportunities.

I managed to get my centaur to walk but getting him to transition into  run was proving a major challenge.

I developed a cold which had my nose completely stuffed and I had to leave the studio to go back to the apartment and nurse myself back to health. That weekend all the interns were invited to go the the home of the training manager, Frank Gladstone. Frank was pivotal in keeping my head screwed on straight since I was feeling home sick for NYC. My wife was going to visit the studio the week of Halloween so that was something to look forward to.

Disney Feature Animation Internship: Dancing Bushes

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These dancing Hippo and Crocodile bushes were located right outside the animation tour building. They were in the MGM studio theme park for guests to enjoy, not necessarily the animators.

My evening of partying caught up with me and I had a horrible hangover. I had to leave work early.

I did get some work done on my quadruped assignment. I designed a centaur. The plan was to make the centaur walk onto the scene where he notices a female centaur and starts running after her. It was a great plan but a bit too much for my hungover brain to handle.

I was told that 23 positions were opening up in the animation studio in the next 18 months. There was hope to join the growing studio.

Disney Feature Animation Internship: Muppets on Location

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The interns went to Pleasure Island to blow off some steam. My favorite venue there was the adventurer’s club, but there were a wide variety of dance clubs and comedy clubs. Unfortunately Disney shut down this more adult themes attraction.

I had a good conversation with Pete about the future possibilities of working in Animation. We both agreed that it is important to invest in your own ideas besides working on company projects.

Disney felt homogenized. It offered security, but a life of adventure would require more risks. I had 6 beers and felt I needed to figure out the trajectory of my life. The key is to take it one day at a time and keep moving in a direction. Just as I was searching for my next step then, I am searching for my next step now. I have several spreads in my book I need to lay out today. That is all I can think about for now.

COVID Dystopia: At Iowa Independent Film Festival

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COVID Dystopia will be screening at the Iowa Independent Film Festival on September 6, 2024. The festival has been in existence for 17 years.

The primary reason I submitted to this festival was that one of the board members is names Chris P. Chicken.

Today I have to firm up travel plans. I already spent a night looking a lodging and found a great place. I just need to book the flight and lodging. I always travel to Film Festivals that showcase COVID Dystopia. It is a great excuse to travel places I never would have gone and meet other film makers.

The other films in the time slot my film is being shown in are: Masterpiece (3 minutes) and  Masterpiece is actually shorter than my film which runs 4 minutes and 17 seconds) Knee High (1 hour 53 minutes) fills out the remainder of the film block.

Should you find yourself in Clear Lake Iowa on September 6, stop on by and say hello. There is a director’s question and answer session after the screening so it is a rare chance to hear why I felt this film needed to be made.

COVID Dystopia: Screening at the Iowa Independent Film Festival

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COVID Dystopia will be screening at the Iowa Independent film Festival in Clear Lake, Iowa on September 6, 2024 from 4pm to 6pm at The Lake Theater. It is right next door to the corner drug store.

In making travel plans I found the tiny puddle jumper airport does not have a car rental, si I am hoping that lyft will be able to get me around.I actually read an article online that said lyft does not exist in Clear, Lake Iowa. I will have to trust that can not be true or a taxi service at least must exist. The walk between the town is 3 and a half hours. I am not doing that but maybe I could find a bike rental. In some ways traveling to the middle of nowhere is terrifying but it is also thrilling.

The other Film Festival theater that is screening films is a 20 minute drive east at Mason City, Iowa. The awards ceremony and several after parties are in Mason City.

I decided I will stay in Clear Lake, Iowa. I found a very affordable hotel that overlooks the lake and is walking distance to the Lake Theater. I might bring my swim trunks although the water might be rather cold in Iowa come September.

My sound tech has offered to do a complete sound redesign for the film. That will not be ready by the time of the Iowa International Film Festival screening, but I am excited to see the film take another creative step forward.

It is exciting traveling to cities around the world to screen the film and spread the message that we might be done with COVID, but COVID is not done with us.

I am deep into designing a 200 page hardcover book that includes 600 of the COVID illustrations along with concise write ups for each day. One question at the Cleveland International Film Festival was, do I plan to make a longer version of the film? The book is that long form project. It allows a reader time to pause and think about the insanity that ensued. The film. COVID Dystopia hits like a slap in the face and is so fast paced that many can not keep up. In a way that is the point. I was the only artist trying to keep up and record what most want to ignore.

Disney Feature Animation Internship: MGM Studios Entrance

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This is another lunchtime sketch inside Disney’s MGM Studios. On the weekend I took some time off and wandered through Epcot people watching and sketching. Such excursions helped keep me sane through the pressure cooker that was the internship.

I managed to get a sun burn on my forehead since I forgot to wear my baseball cap while sketching.

I tried to arrange a haircut with a Disney barber but was told I would need to return in a week because I didn’t have a reservation. Just figuring out basic survival needs is a learning process.

The next assignment was going to be figuring out how a horse walks. It was hard enough figuring out how two legs worked in a walk and now I had to face 4 legs. Well, if the horses can figure out the mechanics of walking, then so can I.

Disney Feature Animation Internship: Halloween Plans

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This is a sketch of the waiting area outside Honey I Blew up the Kids. the attraction at Disney’s MGM Studios was a kids play area with the playground being made up of giant objects, like huge blades of grass, giant ants and a very large dogs nose.

Plans were under way for the Halloween festivities. Disney animators took Halloween very seriously. There was to be a costume parade and then a children’s costume parade. Well lets face it, animators are children. Then there were games and BBQ on the animation patio which was built on to the parking lot trailer.

I worked much of the day since it was raining outside. I was working on a “Singing in the Rain” walk sequence. It was broken but I spent the day re-timing some sections of the animation to get it to flow better. Working such long hours was starting to wear on me. I needed time away from the studio, but that would have to wait for another day.

Disney Feature Animation Internship: Popcorn Line

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I went to see the movie The Nightmare Before Christmas directed by Tim Burton. Part of the reason I went is because there was one of the fanciful sets and some of the character puppets on display at Disney’s MGM Studios where I worked. The set was larger than I would have imagined and quite impressive.

I thoroughly enjoyed the movie, but what truly blew me out of my seat was the trailer for The Lion King which was in production in the studio I was working in. The trailer was simply the opening sequence of the movie and it was absolutely thrilling. Who knew that hand drawn images could pack such an emotional punch. I was hooked. I knew that I needed to be part of what this small army of artists was producing.

I am moved to tears any time I see the Lion King opening. The sequence is such an amazing celebration of life. Part of that emotional response must be because I always wonder if I ever will truly find my place in this miracle of life.

 

Disney Feature Animation Internship: Mickey’s Starland

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For the next animation assignment I was researching bubbles, brooms and bathwater from The Sword and the Stone. Effects animation seemed incredibly challenging but I slogged my way through the animation.

Years later I would be applying some of the principles learned in my own animation.

There was some love life drama among the interns but I was above the fray since I was a newlywed. I was married in the month of October before being called down to Orlando Florida. Instead of building a new life in New York City I was of on my own finding out what life might be like in Orlando. After the internship I was the only  intern to leave since I had to wrap up things inn NYC. I had a book that was being published and had to figure out what to do with the apartment. It is a shame the apartment could not be sublet since it would have been nice to return to NYC after a decade of helping make animated films for Disney. Now it would be an impossible dream to live in the NYC neighborhood we once lived in.