Disney Feature Animation Internship: MGM

Posted on by Thor

Since the Disney Feature Animation Studio was on the back lot of the Disney MGM Studios theme park, I often walked into the park to sketch at lunch time. I didn’t have an art stool, so I would always sketch from whatever bench happened to be available. Benches are seldom situated in scenic spots.

I do believe that is the Brown Derby Restaurant. They had a really good Cobb Salad that I liked. A very rough sketch of the Tower of Terror is off to the left.

After a day of animating, I would see the search lights probing the sky above Epcot. It always resembled an air raid over London although I doubt that is the effect they were looking for. Perhaps my impression just matched my mood. The final project was an ongoing battle. I didn’t feel I was fully grasping the animation principles that had been thrown at me the past few months.

A day of work on Lion King production felt like a welcome vacati0n. Production work felt real and practical.

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?