Disney Internship: Mahoney and Webb

Posted on by Thor

These are the two Disney Feature Animation interns who sat opposite me in the office. There were 4 four animation desks then an opening to the hallway and four more desks in the room.

John Mahoney to the left held his pencil in an unexpected way. He is one of the most gifted visual development artists I ever met. His work today is twisted and brooding. I like it.

While I was struggling with each animation assignment he was creating entire sequences for an animated short. His drawings done in the life drawing classes were also spectacular. He would take the figure and twist it with elegant exaggerations. Darren Webb seated behind John went on to have a long career in the computer animation industry. I tried turning to computer animation but couldn’t take staring at a computer screen all day and started sketching from life once again.

The transition to sketching on location again has been slow. I teach most nights until 8pm which rules out the usual events I used to sketch. Right now I am designing a COVID Dystopia book which keeps me at my desk until I pass out most nights. My schedule is work, eat sleep much as it was when I was an intern. I had Sunday off yesterday and spent the whole day designing. I have decided I need to hire an editor to get the book solidly in the works. I am one of the worst at endless typos.

 

Disney Internship: Tower of Terror Construction

Posted on by Thor

The Tower of Terror at Disney’s MGM Studios was constructed right next to the parking lot trailer where we were learning the art of animation during the Disney Feature Animation Internship.

The construction itself wasn’t that distracting, but when the ride opened, we could hear people screaming bloody murder every few minutes when the elevator dropped. The ride designers were kind enough to make sure the elevator doors were wide open overlooking  the park and studio, where we were working, each time they dropped.

When construction was complete the designers needed guinea pigs to test out the ride before it was opened to the public. Of course the animation interns volunteered. As the elevator rose I started to think it was a bad idea. What if the brakes failed? What if one of the shaft panels wasn’t bolted in right?

Disney Internship: Going to Epcot

Posted on by Thor

I went with a group of the Disney Feature Animation Interns to Epcot. I explored a bit with the group but eventually branched off to sketch.This is a sketch of the Sensory Fun House with its audio and interactive screens. I sketched this since I knew people would sit still for a moment while they watched the screen or listened.

In the evening, all the Feature Animation Interns got together in my apartment for dinner. I put the pen down for once and relaxed. When we are in the studio all our heads are down focuses on the animation disk. This was a rare moment to get to know everyone. Everyone seemed younger than me and for many this was their first job after college. I thought the Disney animation gig would be short lived, but these people became my family and I ended up staying at Feature Animation for 10 years until the bottom fell out because computer animation had swept its way onto the stage.

Looking back, these were some of the best of times, even if they are only preserved with a few pen scratches on a page.

Disney Internship: The Ball Bounce

Posted on by Thor

This is our group of Disney Feature Animation interns listening to a lecture I believe by Sam Ewing about the mechanics of a ball bounce.

I worked closely with Sam when he was the clean up lead animator on Koda in Brother Bear. Among the interns in my sketch I recognize Darren Webb, Peter Clark. He blew me away with the amount and quality of the animation projects he completed. He was an absolute machine. Yes that is a compliment, He was building whole worlds while I struggled with basic mechanics of getting my drawings to move. On Dinosaur, Peter got to shine doing what he does best which is visual development and creating whole new worlds.

I was surprised to discover that Darren Webb went on to work in the the animation department of many amazing computer animated films from Dreamworks like How to Train Your Dragon. I would love to find out his story some day. The main thing I remember about him as a roommate is that he took very long showers. I was in a room full of great artists.

Disney Internship: Apartment 3903.

Posted on by Thor

Getting into the Disney Feature Animation Internship Program back in 1993 had to be one moment in my life where I felt absolute brilliant Joy. I read the acceptance letter while on the streets of NYC and literally leaped for joy.

On the plane ride to Orlando I remember hearing the soundtrack for Aladdin and the song, “A Whole New World” was playing as we flew through some of the most gorgeous billowing clouds I have ever seen.

At the Disney Feature Animation studio, we were given a tour of the MGM lot. The rest of the day was spent doing drawings of Mickey Mouse and Goofy. By the end of the week we were required to produce a story sequence with the characters. The studio was actually a trailer in the parking lot behind the MGM Studios theme park.  It wasn’t exotic but it would be home for the following months of intensive training.

Disney put me up in an apartment with 4 other Animation Interns. We didn’t spend much time in the apartment. Once we all started the animation projects, we basically lied at our animation desks. Tony Stanley had a car and brought our group to one of those food warehouse stores. I purchased a whole bag of potatoes figuring I might bake one up each night. Those potatoes started to sprout since there was never time to bake. That reminds me, I purchased 3 sweet potatoes last week and I need to figure out what to do with them. The apartment was at 131501 Meadowcreek Drive Apartment 3903. There was a bus to the MGM studios where we set to work.

From the start I felt that I was in the company of some of the most talented artists I had ever met. The experience was to prove intimidating and inspiring at the same time.