Andreas Deja - The Nine Old Men: Lessons, Techniques, and Inspiration from Disney’s Great Animators

T he N ine O ld M en

L earn from the men who changed animation forever.

Walt Disneys team of core animators, who he affectionately called his Nine Old Men, were known for creating Disneys most famous works, as well as refining the 12 basic principles of animation. Follow master animator and Disney legend Andreas Deja as he takes you through the minds and works of these notable animators. An apprentice to the Nine Old Men himself, Deja gives special attention to each animator and provides a thoughtful analysis of their techniques, which include figure drawing, acting, story structure, and execution. The in-depth analysis of each animators work will allow you to refine your approach to character animation. Rare sequential drawings from the Walt Disney Animation Research Library also give you unprecedented access and insight into the most creative minds that changed the course of animation.

Instruction and analysis on the works of each of the Nine Old Men broaden your creative choices and approaches to character animation.

Original drawings, some never-before-seen by the public, are explored in depth, giving you behind-the-scenes access into Disney animation history.

Gain first-hand insight into the foundation of timeless characters and scenes from some of Disneys most memorable feature and short films.

A ndreas D eja was ten years old when he first applied for a job as a Disney animator. The studio wrote back to Deja telling him that they had no openings, but were always on the lookout for new talent. At the age of 20, he applied again and was accepted. This launched a long and successful career with Disney. Deja has left his mark on some of the most memorable and successful Disney animated features and shorts. His early work includes animation and character design for The Great Mouse Detective, Oliver & Company, and Who Framed Roger Rabbit. In addition, he is known for his animation of some of Disneys most evil villains: Gaston, Jafar, and Scar. The list of memorable characters continues with King Triton, Mickey Mouse, Hercules, Lilo, Goofy, Tigger, Mama Odie, and Juju. In 2006, at the 35th Annie Awards, Deja was awarded the Winsor McCay Award for outstanding contribution to the art of animation. In 2015, he was named a Disney Legend by the Walt Disney Company. Presently, Deja is working on his own independent animated short films and is actively involved in his animation-related blog, Deja View.

T he N ine O ld M en

LESSONS, TECHNIQUES, AND INSPIRATION FROM DISNEYS GREAT ANIMATORS

Andreas Deja

CRC Press

Taylor & Francis Group

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Boca Raton, FL 33487-2742

2016 Taylor & Francis

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Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data

Deja, Andreas, 1957

The nine old men : lessons, techniques, and inspiration from Disneys great animators / Andreas Deja.

pages cm

1. Animation (Cinematography)Miscellanea. 2. AnimatorsUnited States. 3. Animated filmsUnited StatesHistory20th century. 4. Walt Disney ProductionsHistory20th century. I. Title.

TR897.5.D45 2015

777.7dc23

2015010907

ISBN: 978-0-415-84335-5 (hbk)

ISBN: 978-0-203-75661-4 (ebk)

Designed and typeset by Alex Lazarou

(alexlazarou@aol.com)

Visit the Taylor & Francis Web site at http://www.taylorandfrancis.com and the CRC Press Web site at http://www.crcpress.com

I dedicate this book to Eric Larson, who saw my potential as an animator when I was still an art student, and eventually hired me to join Walt Disney Productions Animation Department.

CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I express my deep gratitude to everybody, who shared my enthusiasm for this book project from day one. They are:

My editors from Focal Press. Lauren Mattos, who asked me in the first place whether I was interested in sharing my knowledge in the art of Disneys Nine Old Men, and Caitlin Murphy, who patiently oversaw the bulk of this books production. Both Lauren and Caitlin gave me the kind of warm guidance that was very much appreciated by this first time-writer.

Members of Disneys fabulous Animation Research Library (ARL). Mary Walsh, the managing director, who supported the project by delegating a number of knowledgeable staff members to help research endless visual materials.

Research manager Fox Carney patiently stood by me during my long selection process and provided me with numerous scans of beautiful artwork I didnt even know still existed.

Researchers Jackie Vasquez, Ann Hansen, and Doug Engella, all searched methodically for animation drawings that best complemented my writings.

Eric Boyd conducted some tasteful clean-up and prepping of the files.

Michael Pucher, Mathieu Fretschel, and Idris Erba from the Image Capture Team photographed some art from my personal collection of animation art.

Last not least Roger Viloria, who helped me to select and scan original drawings I had accumulated over the years.

During the whole process of writing and gathering gorgeous material for this book I found myself in a state of utter delight and kept thinking that there really is no better time spent than researching the masterworks of Walt Disneys incomparable animators.