Like many childhoods, mine was heavily influenced by Disney films. The Lion King became my favorite film for years and made a completely cuddly Simba cuddly toy my constant companion. Even as I grew older, I continued to religiously watch every new Disney animated film that came out in theaters or streamed. So I couldn’t possibly say ‘no’ when Moviepilot received the offer before the launch of Moana 2 in California behind the scenes of the famous animation studio to look.
Welcome back to childhood: When the Disney heart beats faster in Burbank
So at the end of October I traveled to Burbank, north of Los Angeles. That’s where the Disney Animation Studios are based and that’s where I and a handful of other guests (including from England, Spain, Turkey and Kazakhstan) were supposed to have one Guided tour through the creative heart of the animation film factory receive. And not only that: The program also included speaking to some creators and lending a hand.
Picked up from the hotel in VIP fashion by a black bus limousine, we drove through the gate peppered with Mickey Mouse ears shortly after 8 a.m. and found ourselves in front of the main building. This one completed in 1994 Roy E. Disney Animation Building impressed with its oblique shapes and angles, as well as the unmistakable blue magician’s hat, which rose many meters above the entrance like an upturned sugar cone. It is, of course, reminiscent of Mickey’s appearance as the sorcerer’s apprentice in Fantasia.
The Disney home is like an adventure playground for adults
He sat down inside Impression of light and creativity continued. The space has of course been familiar to Disney fans since the release of the short film Once Upon a Studio last year, in which the drawn and animated staff took over the building after work to mark the 100th anniversary. But entering the corridors, stairs and halls yourself is something completely different.
Watch the short film made at Disney’s animated film headquarters here
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Whether it’s Disney animation, the Disney computer animated films or the Pixar productions, which have also been part of Disney for some time: I’ve seen them all. As a result, the studio mutated into one for me Adventure Museumin which my heart beat faster as an explorer.
Especially those hidden little things always put a smile on my face. Toilet doors with the silhouettes of male and female Disney characters. A poster wall of all animated Disney films. A larger-than-life statue of Olaf from Frozen that suddenly appears around the corner when you need a hug. Hallways filled with framed Disney art, featuring everything from early Beauty and the Beast character sketches to large-scale paintings of Simba battling Scar. I could have stayed here forever and marveled while munching on a Mickey Mouse-shaped pretzel.
But far from remaining just a polite onlooker in an office or exhibition room, my Disney trip soon actively invited people to do so Feeling for the work behind the animation to get.
How my voice got into a Disney movie
Moana 2 was the reason for my visit to Disney and so we studio guests saw the first 30 minutes of the latest animated film in the in-house cinema. I’m not allowed to reveal anything more about this before the film opens, but what was shown served as the basis for further activities: After a question and answer session with the three present directors of the Moana sequel, David G. Derrick Jr., Dana Ledoux Miller and Jason Hand Lead animator Amy Smeed introduced us to the newly developed sequel characters and answered questions about the animation process. (Just this much: Moana’s sweet little sister, who was briefly shown in the trailer, has what it takes to be a fan favorite.)
The meeting was also a highlight Foley artist Ronni Brown from Skywalker Sound. She showed us how she, as a so-called “Foley Artist”, created the splashing sound of a newly introduced species in Moana 2. This is where my hand shot up first when it came to literally getting my fingers dirty: using hair gel, leather rags, and baby bottle nipples, I made a hilarious smacking sound. (More on this when the Moana 2 embargo is down.)
A few Polynesian dancers accompanied our lunch break in the studio’s large cafeteria. Afterwards there was Drawing lessons from the very young animator Tyler, who unites us with specific shapes and auxiliary lines Mini Maui
created (i.e. the living tattoo conscience on Maui’s body). In the end, the result was actually quite presentable:
After my interview with the directing trio, we walked past the table tennis tables and into the Disney basement. Here I was allowed to play in one under the guidance of sound engineer Jeremy ADR session (“Automated dialogue replacement” aka additional dialogue post-synchronization) Lending my voice to Moana. Of course that doesn’t end up in the finished film, but it was still an impressive experience.
I stood alone in front of a microphone. Squinting, I tried to keep an eye on the desk with the script text marked in yellow and the screen with the film scene playing in parallel at the same time. Beeping beeps counted down and increased the stress level. Because not only the use, but also the speaking speed and expression had to match the clip. I had the most fun with Moana’s so-called “effort sounds”. To do this, I threw myself back and forth on a steel bracket in the dubbing booth, groaning and expelling air, so that the heroine jumped across the ship’s deck with a believable groan and “Oof” sound. In the end, my respect for the work of voice actors had at least doubled.
Disney farewell with Oscars and giant gnomes
The Disney visit was rounded off with a walk around the rest of the studio grounds. In the old animation building, I marveled at early storyboards – a kind of drawn version of the script that Disney is said to have first introduced to save time and effort.
The corporate office building – its Facade gigantic replicas of the seven dwarves decorate. Featured in Disney’s first feature-length animated film, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, this group is known to be hard workers. Disney definitely has architectural humor.
The last time I had a big movie geek moment was in the Disney Archives at the Frank G. Wells Building, where anyone who wanted to hold a real Oscar – one of the currently 150 Academy Awards, according to D23, which the Disney studios had won in their 101-year existence. And yes, darn it, I wanted to! I can tell you: It is just as difficult as the award winners are always amazed to find out on stage. Just imagine trying to hold a watermelon with one hand.
The day came to an end far too quickly. Overtired but happy, I boarded the plane home that evening.
In Burbank I left the Disney Animation Studios behind, but not my memories of this extraordinary visit. In exchange, the mouse home was allowed to keep a piece of my heart.
To be continued: How a film like Moana 2 is made at Disney Animation Studios