Disney Internship: The Stocks

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As a Disney Feature Animation intern, I enjoyed having free reign of the Disney Theme parks on the weekend to sketch.

On the week this was done, Barry Cook came to the Disney’s MGM Studios and pitched the idea for the next feature animated film which was called at the time China Doll, or FaMulan.

There was one section of the animation building which had a tall soundproof glass wall behind which tourists could watch the animation artists at work. Barry stood on a desk and told us the story of a daughter who joined the Chinese army as a man to save her father from conscription. Barry had a knack for storytelling and I was fully engrossed and hoped that one day I might work on the film which would later be called Mulan.

I also learned that as an intern I would have a chance to do some production drawings for the film the studio was now working on called The Lion King. The story of Lion King was built around the themes of Shakespeare’s Hamlet.

COVID Dystopia: Duck and Cover

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No one is moving in this scene from COVID Dystopia.Only the camera moves to show some dimension to the scene. I could clutch fingers together tighter or add some subtle arm movement but it would hardly be noticed.

The whole films dances between lots of movement and very little movement from scene to scene. My experience working on background characters in the movie Mulan helped train me to decide which movements are important and when stillness is more appropriate. It is all a matter of judgement.

Last night I booked an Air B&B in Cleveland. I plan to fly in on the day my film screens. My film is being shown at a late night screening so I will probably have time to explore the city a bit before heading to the theater. The B&B is just a six minute drive from the theater, so it might be a manageable walk on foot.

For me this is an exciting screening since the theater, with surround sound, can seat 500 people, and this is the first Film Festival which is Academy Award qualifying. I am rather realistic however since I know this is a film that most people hate. Most people have embraced the propaganda that COVID is no worst than the flu or a cold. The recent CDC guidelines essentially encourage workers to return to work while infected. Mass infection is the new norm. We are coming off of another wave peak but levels of infection in America never return to a reasonable low. COVID is not a seasonal virus. For this film to say that this is insane makes it an outlier. I honestly do not think most people even  comprehend what they are being shown.

One Year Ago Today

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Due to Covid-19 their are NO Top 6 Picks for this Weekend! Orlando is on lock down. STAY HOME. Say Safe.

The World Health Organization (WHO) declared the Covid-19 outbreak a pandemic.  The number of cases of the virus outside China had increased 13 fold. The number of affected countries has tripled. There are no more than 118,000 cases in 114 countries. The number of cases, deaths and countries affected will continue to climb. As of March 9, 2021 525,000 Americans have died from COVID-19, which is more American deaths that WWI and WWII combined.

WHO has been following the outbreak and they are alarmed by the spread and severity of the disease and they are alarmed by the inaction by governments. This is the first pandemic caused by a corona virus. The United States now has the most coronavirus cases and deaths of any country in the world.

County Mayor Jerry Demings announced that an Orange County Florida resident died while traveling abroad in California. As of this morning, Demings has declared a local emergency for Orange County. The emergency operations center has been activated and is fully staffed. He compared this outbreak to the three hurricanes that ravaged Central Florida in 2004.

Gatherings of 200 people or more have been canceled. The goal is to stop the spread of the Covid-19 Virus. An Orange County Executive Order is still in effect requiring residents to wear a face covering when in public spaces.
The Parks Department will cancel all programs for seniors. City-hosted, sponsors and permitted events with 50+ attendees are cancelled or postponed until further notice.
Orange County Spring Break camps will continue as planned, but field trips have been canceled. There are many Spring Break Camps happening in Central Florida in 2021 despite the pandemic. Yet, all youth and adult sporting activities and programs at Families, Parks and Recreation facilities are suspended effective immediately until further notice according to the Orlando City web site.
County Special events have been postponed, including Fort Christmas Bluegrass Festival and other events. The 2021 Fort Christmas Bluegrass Festival has also been canceled.

City Mayor Buddy Dyer issued a state of emergency for the city of Orlando.

All City events have been canceled through the end of the month, including the plant sale at Leu Gardens, The Sunday Farmers Market at Lake Eola. The plant sale at Leu Gardens is being held March 13 and 14, 2021 despite the pandemic. The Lake Eola Farmers Market is open each Sunday in 2021 despite the pandemic with guests required to wear masks.
All activities related to seniors have been suspended.
Youth activities will go on.

Disney announced that Walt Disney World will be closed starting Sunday March 15, 2020 through the end of the month. Employees of the Disney theme parks will be paid despite the closure. The hotels at both Walt Disney World and Disneyland Paris will remain open until further notice. The retail and dining complexes, Disney Springs at Walt Disney World and Disney Village at Disneyland Paris, will remain open. All Disney Cruise line departures have been suspended. Disney World re-opened July 11, 2020. Masks are required. Disney World is sold out as the 2021 spring break approaches.

The release of Disney’s live action remake of Mulan is being delayed with no determined release date due to Covid-19 concerns. Mulan was released on September 4, 2020 on Disney +. Disney has also pulled the release of New Mutants and the Guillermo del Toro produced horror movie AntlersA. AntlersA is slate to be releases on September 21, 2021.

Universal Studios also announced the Universal Orlando Resort will close on Sunday. Hourly employees will be paid for any work scheduled through the end of March, a company spokesperson said in a statement. Universal Orlando’s hotels and Universal CityWalk will remain open. Universal Studios re-opened on June 5, 2020,

Legoland also announced closure due to Covid-19. Legoland re-opened June 1, 2020.

As of today the City of Orlando has not canceled any city-hosted events and or meetings. I was at a city hosted Diversitastic dining event just last night. As we ate dinner, the Theme parks announced closures. The city says they are taking the decision to cancel or postpone city-hosted events very seriously. There are ongoing discussions that are happening every day as they continue to monitor and evaluate the situation. Diversitastic dining experiences have been happening monthly despite the pandemic. Staff wear face coverings, and patrons are asked to do so when arriving and interacting with waitstaff. Temperature are taken before entry, and hand sanitizer is provided. Guests are seated only with their own party, at a safe but friendly distance from other tables. Electronic payment in advance means money will only change hands if extra drinks are purchased.

CDC’s recommendations to reduce your risk of exposure:

Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth.
Stay home when you are sick.
Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.
Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces using a regular household cleaning spray or wipe.
Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after going to the bathroom; before eating; and after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing.

Should you see a doctor?

Ask yourself:

Have you traveled outside the U.S. in the last two weeks?
Have you been in close contact with someone testing positive for COVID-19?
Do you have a fever greater than 100 degrees?

A fever alone does not indicate that you need to be tested for COVID-19. But if you’ve traveled or come in contact with a COVID-19-positive person, you need to be tested. Call your medical provider first and get instructions on how to report for a test. Symptoms of Covid-19 may include fever, cough difficulty breathing and sore throat. Symptoms generally appear in two to 14 days after exposure. Health officials said most patents experience mild symptoms and can recover at home.
However some patients, particularly those with underlying medical conditions, may experience more severe respiratory illness.

Magic Beyond the Mouse

Posted on by Thor

In
May of 1989, The Walt Disney Company added an
animation studio in Central Florida.  Spearheaded by animation industry
expert, Max Howard, the Florida studio grew from a crew of 40 to more
than 400 in the mid-90s, before closing in January 2004.

The studio was responsible for the box office hits: Mulan (1998), Lilo and Stitch (2002) and Brother Bear (2003) and contributed substantially to films such as, The Little Mermaid (1989), Rescuers Down Under (1990), Beauty and the Beast (1991), Aladdin (1992), The Lion King (1994), and many more, reinvigorating the animation industry and The Walt Disney Company.

The
artists and staff at the Florida studio fostered an atmosphere that
bottled a type of magic that is hard to put in words, but anyone
familiar with the facility can attest that working together, this team
created a family that no other Disney environment has.

I teach an Urban Sketching class at Elite Animation Academy (8933 Conroy Windermere Rd, Orlando, FL 32835). The primary goal of the class is to introduce young students to the idea of carrying a sketchbook everywhere they go. Elite was formed by a former Disney Feature Animation artist and its mission of delivering traditional and digital art courses remains true to this day. It is a place where students can build a portfolio of work should they choose to pursue a career in movie making or game design.

A few blocks away from Elite, is Art of Fitness (5154 Dr Phillips Blvd, Orlando, FL) which was also formed by a former Disney Feature Animation employee named Ron Beta. Ron decided to mount an exhibit by former Disney Artists showcasing their art since the Disney Feature Animation Studio closed in 2004. In 2004, the Orlando Disney Studio was  just starting production on a new project tentatively called My Peoples or A few Good Ghosts that was about a folk artist living in Appalachia that made puppets out of re purposed parts. For instance Abe Lincoln was made from an old broom. I was slated to do the key drawings for a villainous possum and I was gearing up to find the final look of the character.

I invited my Urban Sketch students to sketch the installation of the exhibit. In my sketch you can see a full wall of wildlife paintings by Aaron Blaise and some mermaid watercolor paintings by Ronnie Willford lined up at the base of the mirrored wall. I had simply framed one of my Urban Sketches to add to the show. In all, twenty one former Disney Artists exhibited work in the show. When the Disney Studio closed, these artists proved that there is magic and meaning to life after the Mouse. Hopefully my students took away the lesson that working for any particular a studio isn’t always the crowning moment of an art career. Every artist who remains curious is always evolving.

Tai Chi in Central Park

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I rented a place in Winter Park two summers ago. Since I lived there, I started looking for local events to sketch and when I found out that Tai Chi was offered in Central Park, I had to go out and sketch. I arrived early, sat on a bench in the shade and started sketching where I assumed they would set up in the grass.

Back in 1998 I was working for Disney Feature Animation on the film, Mulan which is set in China. During the making of that film I studied Tai Chi as a way to unwind from the stress of production. I knew the moves and could have joined in on this day, but I decided instead to focus on the zen of creating the sketch.

When the Tai Chi participants showed up they set up on the main stage which is usually reserved for musical performances. Rather than start the sketch over, I just placed them on the green grass where I felt they belonged. Of course Tai Chi could be interpreted as a form of dance and an art form.

Creating art is forbidden by city ordinance in Winter Park. According to the Ordinance, artists a lumped together with street performers…”Perform and performance means to engage in any of the following activities: acting; singing; playing musical instruments; puppetry; pantomiming, miming; performing or demonstrating magic or acts of illusion; dancing; juggling; or the public display of and composition or creation of crafts, sculpture, artistry, writings, or compositions, including the application of brush, pastel, crayon, pencil, or other similar objects applied to paper, cardboard, canvas, cloth or to other similar medium.” I still wonder if a digital sketch is exempt.

“Prohibited public area means the pedestrian accessed public areas of the Central Business and Hannibal Square Districts along Park Avenue from Fairbanks Avenue to Swoope Avenue, and along New England Avenue from Park Avenue to Pennsylvania Avenue including the area within fifty (50) feet of the public right-of-way of Park A venue and New England Avenue on the public lanes, streets, thoroughfares, and ways, including the Winter Park train station and the public property at

what is  known as the Winter Park Farmer’s Market and the Winter Park Historical Association located at 200 West New England Avenue, excluding public performance zones as provided in subsection ( d)(2). ”

The city of Winter Park does allow for a “Weekend of the Arts” in February. Thankfully, no police wrestled me to the ground to take my pencil and the shops on Park Avenue hummed and generated profits despite my anarchistic decision to sketch performers at their craft.

The goal isn’t to live forever, but to create something that will.

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In April of 2015 there was a reunion for the former Florida artists of Walt Disney Feature Animation. The reunion was held in an Elk Lodge down in Kissimmee. The Orlando, Florida based animation studio closed on Monday, January 12, 2004, putting
approximately 250 artists, technicians and other personnel out of work.
This followed the cancellation of the feature, A
Few Good Ghosts, which was being developed by the studio. Artists scattered to the wind but many, myself included, stayed since Orlando had become home.

At Disney I got to work side by side with many of the best artists in the world. The reunion was an incredible experience because so many of these artists had re-invented themselves. Aaron Blaise who co-directed Brother Bear, had worked on a digital feature film about elephants, but that studio closed down as well before the film was completed. He has since moved back to Central Florida and now instructs Creature Teacher courses online.  I’ve looked at several of his instructional videos and always pick up something new. He also had a successful Kickstarter campaign to raise money for another animated feature film called Art Story.

Christine Lawrence Finney, who had been the head of the clean-up animation department at the studio, gave me a warm hug and smiled as she said “I thought you would have changed the world by now.”  She had an amazing gift for making people around her want to live up to their full potential. Her eternal smile reminded me of all the things the were great about working at Disney Feature Animation, a sense of family, friends and pride in making some amazing films.

On a table in the front of the room were seven photos of Disney artists who had passed away. One was Kevin Proctor who had been in my intern group when we first started at the studio. He went into the layout department which drew the backgrounds for the films. At lunch time I would often sneak in a sketch of my co-workers, and I caught a sketch of Kevin as he worked on a drawing of Lilo’s kitchen for the film Lilo and Stitch. Pres Romanillos had been the lead animator for Shan Yu in Mulan. Christine was the lead of the team of clean up animation artists who created the final drawings that went up on the big screen for this character. As she said “Drawing in his shadow was one of the highlights of my Disney career! He
was extraordinary!! His passion was contagious…forever an inspiration.”

I danced for one song at the reunion, but spent most of my time in the back room finding out what artists were doing now as well as adding a sketch to a memorial book that was for Bob’s family. Christine and her husband Trey were now accomplished plein air painters. Photos were layered thick on tables and we could dig through to find the memories of a crew of artists who took pride in their work and knew how to celebrate as well.

Bob Walker who had co-directed Brother Bear with Aaron Blaise had passed away unexpectedly just before the reunion. Aaron related a story about the day Bob had been given a computer at Disney. Bob had a large stack of papers next to the computer, and he called Aaron in to ask a question. He pointed at the stack of papers and said,  ” How do I get this in there?” Laura Ashborne Sacks said a few words in Bod’s memory, her voice cracked as she looked back, “The goal isn’t to live forever, but to
create something that will. Everyone in this
room should be proud of the work we created.” This heart felt sentiment got me choked up as well. I will always miss the intense collaboration with incredible artists but know that those films we created will live on for generations.

That brings me to the reason I started writing this article. Christine Lawrence Finney passed away suddenly on January 5, 2016. She was just 47 years old. I honestly can’t wrap my head around this. She was so vibrant at the reunion. She was such a joy to work for.  Terry remembered that when we moved to Orlando, we were invited to a Disney artist party in Winter Park and to this day she remembers how warm and welcoming Christine was. Photos of Christine keep getting posted online and each heightens the loss of an incredible artist and a shining personality. On the evening after I heard the news, I had to host an event called Orlando Drink and Draw. I had more wine than I should have to numb the thoughts in the back of my mind, and on the dive home, I cried for the first time when American Pie by Don McLean played on the radio.  In my inebriated state, the song encapsulated my sense of loss. “Something touched me deep inside the day the music died.” I pulled off the road to sing along, calm down, and sober up. The title of this site, Analog Artist Digital World, hints at the idea that traditional hand drawn animation might die because of the advent of computer animation. Christine’s death makes me feel that the magic of hand drawn animation might indeed become a lost art.  She inspired so many of us to push ourselves. Perhaps creating is the only way to eventually come to terms with the loss.

Christine always paid tribute to the special people in her life, “To all my family, friends, mentors, and supporters thanks for the safety net! You
teach me how to fly.” She taught everyone she met how to fly as well.

Soar on. Christine.

Mulan Screening 2DA

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Each month at Full Sail, we have 10 classes instructing the 12 Principles of Animation in the 2D Animation Lab. On the last day of class, students get to enjoy a traditionally animated film as they put any finishing touches on their animation projects and flip books. Often students are illuminated by the warm glow of the animation disks as they sketch. There is usually a rush of activity at the animation cameras as scenes are shot and re-shot.

This month, the class decided to watch Mulan, a film which I put plenty of blood sweat and tears into. This was the first full feature film Disney produced entirely in Florida and the small crew had to put in an astonishing amount of overtime to get the film finished. It was trial by fire, and I loved the pressure. I stayed late without being asked to re-work all the keys in a scene that showed fish swimming underwater. By morning I finished the scene, locking down the stripes and patterns on the fish bodies. All that work garnered quick promotions. Ironically after all the water ripples were added, all that work was distorted, but I still feel pride any time I see it. I haven’t experienced that kind of intense community creative effort since production on that film. I suppose my daily deadlines are my way to keep that pressure cooker active as I strive to grow as an artist.