Late last week, many artists and animators descended upon Burbank, California for a celebration of the art of animation during the Creative Talent Network (CTN) Expo. With the continuing vision of “No Artist Left Behind,” this multi-day event allows students, professionals, and enthusiasts to share their love of the artform.
One of those people who is heavily involved in the event is Disney Legend Andreas Deja. Last year, the CTN Foundation announced a special scholarship was announced wherein one student would be selected based on blind animation tests, and work with Deja for a year with him as a personal mentor. Upon completion of a short film, would take home a cash prize. The first year of this scholarship proved successful, and this year another winner was named.
Easily one of the most recognizable names in the world of animation, Andreas Deja is known for his characters from the Disney Renaissance, where he served as the supervising animator for Gaston in Beauty and the Beast, Jafar in Aladdin, and Scar in The Lion King. Named a Disney Legend in 2015, he has had his hand in nearly every 2D production from the studio since The Black Cauldron in one way or another. He even lent his efforts to the Touchstone Pictures classic, Who Framed Roger Rabbit.
In fact, it’s that film that was the subject of a large chunk of an animation demo that Deja performed at a traditional Kem Weber animation desk in the center of the expo floor. In the video below, you can see the animation legend sketch out the legendary titular character from the film while sharing his experience on the production, starting with his peer-pressured recruitment into the project by animation director Richard Williams and animation producer, Disney Legend Don Hahn. He also reveals more into the techniques used in the film to blend animation and live-action, especially since this was without any computer involvement, and reveals what project he was happy to not be included in and opting to do Who Framed Roger Rabbit instead.
After this, Deja continued down his lengthy resume sharing stories from other productions he worked on, including The Little Mermaid, Beauty & The Beast, Aladdin, The Lion King, and Hercules. It’s moments focused on Gaston in Beauty & The Beast and Scar in The Lion King that make up our video below, as Deja regales the crowd with tales from the desk on those characters. Ever wonder how much thought went into the chest hair design for one particular moment during Gaston’s big song? Deja explains and demonstrates the differences for us before moving on to Scar, and sharing how Jeremy Irons’ vocal tracks inspired him to want to do yet another villain – even though the directors (Rob Minkoff and Roger Allers) may have already had him in mind.
While this is only a small sample of what Deja has done, you can see more of his work in the Mickey Mouse short, Runaway Brain, Lilo & Stitch, The Princess & The Frog, and more, including his very own short film, Mushka, which premiered at the CTN Expo last year.