As a former broadcast journalist I used to interview a lot of celebrities, attend multiple media events, and do hundreds of voiceovers but I never dreamt my blog would take me to press junkets at Disney Animation Studios in Los Angeles.
Last week I was invited to a press event at Disney Animation Studios in honor of its 30th Anniversary two-time Academy Award®-winner (Best Original Score and Best Original Song “Under the Sea,” 1989) “The Little Mermaid,” and the Digital release of the 2019 Academy Award® Nominee for Best Animated Feature, “Ralph Breaks the Internet.”
First I was able to experience firsthand what it’s like to animate a movie. Nicklas Puetz (Character Rigging Supervisor) and Renato dos Anjos (Co-head of Animation) taught me how to rig and pose an animated character. Using computer animated magical Disney technology I was able to make Vanellope laugh, wave hello, and dance!
I was also given the opportunity to interview Director Rich Moore, Director/Co-Writers Phil Johnston and Clark Spencer of Ralph Breaks The Internet.
And then interview Ron Clements (Director) and Mark Henn (Animation Supervisor) from The Little Mermaid, where I was able to ask two questions!
My first question was:
“You both were inspired to become an animator at a very early age after seeing movies like Pinocchio and Cinderella. What would you tell other young children about pursuing their dreams in animation or any other field?”
My second question was:
“How do you think animation has changed since the film came out until now? And where do you see it going in another 30 years?”
I also had the opportunity to interview Alan Tudyk, the voice of King Candy and KnowsMore as well as Jodi Benson, the voice of Ariel, via a live web chat, who also makes a cameo in ‘Ralph’!
Kira Lehtomaki (Co-head of Animation) also talked to us about the journey of translating the iconic character Ariel from The Little Mermaid from 2D to 3D for Ralph Breaks the Internet.
Then Ralph Breaks the Internet’s Scott Kersavage (Visual Effects Supervisor), Ernest J. Petti (Technical Supervisor), and Bradford Simonsen (Associate Producer) gave us a presentation on how they made the complex world of the internet, which includes millions of netizens, thousands of buildings, and Ralphzilla, the most technically challenging character ever created by Walt Disney Animation Studios.
The 2019 Academy Award® Nominee for Best Animated Feature, ‘Ralph Breaks the Internet’ and ‘The Little Mermaid’ 30th Anniversary edition with all-new bonus features and a sing-along mode are both out on Digital and Movies Anywhere and will be coming to 4K, Blu-ray, and DVD on February 26!
Unrelated to these two films, I was also able to view the new heartfelt short film, Cycles: The True Meaning of Creating a Home in virtual reality!
Some of the photos in this blog were taken by a professional photographer hired by Disney.
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