Pomp and uncooperative circumstances Storyboards

Fantasia 2000's Pomp and Circumstance began with a simple idea. What if Noah had trouble getting the animals onto the ark? This "what if?" led to tons of comic possibilities. Originally, we set it to the frantic music of the Barber of Seville. (CLICK TO ENLARGE)

Pocahontas' Farewell Storyboards

We were barking up the wrong tree in comparing Pocahontas to Romeo and Juliet. Once we figured out that the ending was more like Casablanca it was child's play. (Well, actually it was still hard work.) We weren't creating a tragic ending, it was a bitter-sweet one. Here are my storyboards for the first animated Disney film that didn't end- "happily ever after". (CLICK TO ENLARGE)

Draw Different

I'm always looking to sharpen my skills and learn new things. I'd like to share a few. In the first drawing I drew a group caricature. I really focused on exaggerating the shapes that I saw. I paid careful attention to the angles because I often straighten them up. Walt Stanchfield used to always get on my case about that. I went for expression rather than accurate description.

Here's an inside look at a typical story brainstorm session. Lots of caricatures get drawn. It sharpens our edge. Don't you wish you could have draw like that in school without getting yelled at? (CLICK TO ENLARGE)

Another way to draw different is to use your other hand. I'm left handed so I drew these with my right hand. With practice you can actually get pretty good at it. Anything that breaks you out of ruts is a good thing. When you use your other hand, your brain is forced to pay attention and not use it's normal default mode. 

Here I was using a space box to help define the space. I thought what if Superman got stuck in a phone booth. It fun to add little stories to your drawings. I find I draw better if I have some story rather than just drawing a model.

A Whole New World

I accepted an offer to join Disney Feature Animation so I proposed to my wife, moved to California and began storyboarding on Aladdin. It was a magical time and that came through in the movie. (CLICK TO ENLARGE)

On many films before I would start storyboarding, I would create visual development art to help define the characters, the look of the world and story ideas. Here's a sampling of those early designs.

Ice Age Crushes

Here are some more of my storyboards from ICE AGE 4. (CLICK TO ENLARGE)

Peaches has to learn things the hard way, just like the rest of us.

The Animator's Eye book sneak peek

I'd like to introduce you to two characters who helped or hindered, depending on your point of view, the making of The Animator's Eye- Iggy and Scared bunny.  I drew over 6000 images and wrote over 90,000 words of text to complete it. Like most filmmaking processes, bookmaking is similar in that a lot of those never made it to the finals. The book is nearing completion with only 3 items left on my to-do checklist. So without further ado, here's Iggy and Scared Bunny. (CLICK TO ENLARGE)