Interviewing a Disney Animator

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Hi everyone!

    I was going through some things and I found this interview I did a year or two ago. Thought it would be nice to post it for all to read. :)

     Right now I'm working on Zootopia, comes out spring 2015. We are in the middle of production, hours are long and the work is intense.. and I love it! I can't wait for all of you to check out the film when it comes out. in the mean while I'm trying to stay sane with some sort of work life balance (along with a few drinks here and there!) For all of you going through a tough crunch or about to start school, don't forget to have fun! hope you enjoy the post! 

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Author: Canadian Diva

Daniel L. Gonzales is the epitome of where hard work, strong values  coupled with creativity can lead to one being successful at such a young age. He was the youngest intern at PIXAR Animation Studios which  receives over 2000 postgraduate applications a year and picks only a few for the job. After working 3 years at PIXAR, Mr. Gonzales then moved to Los Angeles, California to work at the Walt Disney Animation Studios where he continues his creative magic for all of us to see on the big screen.

This incredible, artistic prodigy was born in  San Diego, California in 1988. His interest and natural talent in  drawing, as well as painting, was noticed when he was a child. When he entered into college, he moved to Oakland and studied at the California College of the Arts, where his gift for animation was further encouraged into becoming his major.

Daniel Gonzales’  work has been seen on animated features such as, “Toy Story 3″, “Wreck-it-Ralph“, “FROZEN” and the upcoming Fall 2014 Theatrical Debut,  “Big Hero 6″.

Mr. Gonzales is also a teacher for up and coming animators. He has a Blog with great tips for animators as well as other fascinating articles on being creative which also includes life-related articles pertaining to his experiences that you could read about here.

We are so excited to be interviewing Daniel Gonzales for Tips from the Disney Diva.

Hello Daniel, it is such a pleasure to do this interview with you. What a dream job you have! Could you give our readers a glimpse into the day in the life of a Walt Disney Studio’s Animator?

A day of a Disney Animator… Well I can’t speak for my co-workers but besides waking up and the morning commute, my day is pretty much filled up with problem solving! As an artist, you are solving problems all the time. You have a piece of art to create and a mission to find a solution that gives you the right composition, timing, poses, lines, rhythm, arcs and more. They all need to work together in a harmonious way that’s appealing to look at. We animators might make it look easy once it’s on the big screen, but it’s a lot of hard work! To be honest, at the end of the day it doesn’t feel like work when you are doing something you love.


You and I have had similar upbringings, in which we both were raised by single mothers. How did growing up in a single parent environment fuel your career choices and motivate your drive to succeed?

Growing up was hard, but as a kid I didn’t know it was hard. When I was younger it was what it was and I loved it because  it was the only life I knew. When you have a single mom as a parent, you are raised pretty much by your whole family. Everyone has to help out and take care of you while your mom goes to work. So I got a lot of different perspectives growing up and I do think that helped me as an artist. I have all these different view points and angles of life to pull from and I am able to insert this into my work. Seeing my mom work hard for us made me want to work hard in something, and it just so happen to be art. 


There is often a stigma or stereotype of people in their 20’s. That they feel entitled and not willing to work from the bottom up. Could you comment on this, how you seem to break this stereotype at such a young age. And what steps do you feel young adults of your generation need to do to get ahead?

I think what we call stigma and the stereotype of 20 year olds is a mis-understanding and I’ll tell you why: It’s not that 20 yr olds feel entitled, it’s that they were raised in a time where hierarchy is no longer valued and treating everyone equal and the same makes more sense. This leads to one thinking they are equal to their boss and that everyone’s opinion is dumb and good at the same time and you can speak your mind freely. This, to people who were not raised as such,  might see this as cocky, brazen, or an entitlement complex that needs to be included in every conversation in the work space. The ‘not willing to work’ part is just that people underestimate how much work it takes to get things done, this is learnt overtime and with experience.

When I first started to work in my late teens, I was very green. Keeping your head down and taking licks was a concept I had never heard of growing up. In my neighborhood, respect was never given for free and if you thought something then you spoke your mind. But now looking back, I am so grateful for the friends I had working in the many places I have been at. They really helped me adjust and learn. I learned It is very important to be respectful to everyone, humility is a virtue and not a weakness. It is even more important to keep in mind that everyone knows at least one thing you don’t. You are always learning and there is so much one doesn’t know. When I see teenagers and 20 year olds with the mind set that they are going to change the world, that their way is the right way and everyone else is wrong and there is a new big fish in the pond, I smile. Not because I use to kind of be like that, but because I hope they are right. I hope they are the ones that change the world and teach us older people a thing or two. I hope that they challenge the status quo and butt heads against the current establishment and shake things up. I think the world needs this kind of push and pull between some of us who like the way things are and those who want to change it. I believe somewhere in the middle of those two camps is the answer.

I wouldn’t change anything about how this generation is doing things, let them find their own way and hopefully that way turns out better.

You worked on “Frozen” which has literally taken the world by (ice) storm! Did you and the team of over 600 artists, working on “Frozen”, ever imagine the blizzard proportions this would cause? Would you be able to tell us which component of the movie you were part of?

Some foresaw the success and others did not, but boy did it still surprise us all when it took off! I personally did not ever imagine the effect it was going to have on the world. I was a part of a team of about 70 animators. We all worked on all the characters together and animated them to life. I was a small piece in something much greater than me and I love that feeling. Everybody is a small piece, but together we create an awesome, unique team that wouldn’t exist otherwise without us.

“Big Hero 6″ is the next Walt Disney Animated Feature coming to the big screen on November 7, 2014. There is so much anticipation and excitement about this film, could you tell us a bit about it?

I can tell you that I am proud of it and I can’t wait for everyone else to experience all the hard work my colleagues and I have put into it.

Disney Animators have literally become a household name with the “Disney Princess Animator’s Collection”. Who are the Disney Animators you admire and enjoy working with?

Like I mentioned above, I believe everyone knows something I don’t, so I am always ready to learn from anyone. This makes every single co-worker someone I respect and makes me eager to work with them. I learnt a lot from the animators who have come before me that are also very very talented. Animators such as Milt Kahl, Glen Keane, and Eric Goldberg are household names in the work place at any animation studio.

You are now a teacher and role model for future Animators, how does it feel like to be in this role and how do you approach being an important key to the future generations in your line of work? 

I don’t feel like a teacher, I just feel like another person fulfilling their role on a game of hot potato. I have all this insight and knowledge that is very hot and I can not wait to pass it on to someone who wants and needs it. I approach this role with the mindset of: just be myself, it’s the information that matters, not who is delivering it. The moment I take myself out of the equation I start to relax.

Most people do animation and painting as a hobby yet since you are able to do this as your main work, what are your hobbies and interest outside of your career?

I paint and draw all the time. I hang out with friends a lot as well. I think I do it so much it might as well be a hobby!

Now for some FUN Disney Questions…

Favorite Disney Theme Park?

My favorite spot to check out is Disneyland in Anaheim. Specifically Adventureland!

Favorite Disney Attraction and Why?

I like riding Splash Mountain, on repeat, right before the park closes at midnight because the line is literally nonexistent. When you’re with the right crowd and have a lot of energy it is the best way to end the night.  I’ve had so many good times with my brother, cousins and friends posing for the camera when they take your picture on the last fall.

We Have a Lot of Foodies on Our Writing Team As Well As Our Readers Who Love Food… What is Your Favorite Disney Snack or Meal?

There are so many choices to choose from because Disney does food so well. What would I choose?? The ice cream spot on Main Street USA in Disneyland, The Dole-whip Pineapple Float right outside the Tiki-room, Or the tasty drinks at Trader Sam’s Bar inside the Disneyland Hotel and Resort. But HANDS DOWN, if I had to choose one thing it would be the SPICY CORN DOG in California Adventure. Only one spot has it and it’s near Goofy’s Flight School. Sometimes I just go for the corn dog and not the rides, it’s that satisfying.

Any Favorite Disney Themed Restaurants?

Trader Sam’s has an awesome atmosphere and I love grabbing an appetizer because the vibe is so good.

Favorite Disney Movie Growing Up?

The “Lion King” was a favorite of my younger brother, so I would watch it everyday with him after school. I know that movie by heart,  but personally I liked “Bambi”. In my opinion, it’s a very artsy film and I like what they did with colors and the music throughout the film!

Favorite Disney Character You Enjoyed Working On?

I enjoyed working on Olaf. He was so appealing and there was never a boring moment animating him!

How Did You Show Your #DisneySide

I post a lot of Disney jokes on twitter..

Disney Villains Are All the Rage Now…Who is Your Favorite? 

HANS from “FROZEN”  is by far my favorite. I don’t know why exactly, maybe it’s because he seems like a sociopath and he pretended to be a good guy for most of the film. The fact that he doesn’t have any magical powers and had to rely on his smarts is very cool for me.

With the excitement building of “Big Hero 6″ out in November 2014 – being a Marvel/Disney collaboration, who is your ultimate, favourite Marvel Character?

I enjoy “Spider-man”. His comics are always well done and I love how artists have been drawing him. One thing that makes “Spider-man” special for me, is that before he became Spider-man, he let a robber get away for selfish reasons. That same robber ended up killing his guardian Uncle Ben. This story line really made it clear to me that,  your choices have consequences which could come back to hurt you. I know other Super Hero’s also have those kind of moments but “Spider-man’s” story illustrated it distinctly for me.

Which Disney character are you most like?  And which Disney character inspires you?

I never thought of what character I was most like before. People have told me when my hair is messy I look like Aladdin in a good way or Prince Eric.But a memory of mine did pop up right now that I would of never remembered if it wasn’t for this question! It’s of me when I was younger watching ‘A GOOFY MOVIE’ and relating to the main character. I think his name was Max. Max was in school and had a crush he wanted to impress so bad that he was willing to compromise his family vacation! Now, I never ruined a family vacation but I’m  sure almost everyone can relate to doing stupid things to try to impress or get someone’s attention when they were younger.
I don’t know what character I am most like, maybe that’s a question for my girlfriend, she knows me better than I do sometimes!

In regards what inspires me: I am inspired by how Roger in ‘101 Dalmatians’is animated.

If you were to meet Mr. Walter Elias Disney (Walt Disney) in another life, or in a future heaven, what would you like to say to him?

I would ask him what was his hardest moment, physically and/or emotionally (like hitting rock bottom). What was going through his mind at that time and how he got through it. You can learn a lot about a person when you see them at their worst, but you can learn even more when you see them persevere.

ARL: ANIMATION RESEARCH LIBRARY

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       If you are an artist.. no let me say that again, If you are Disney Fiend AND an artist the animation research library is the place for you. What is it this you ask?

       Every piece of art made by the Walt Disney Animation Studios goes to this place and is stored. I'm talking about original Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs concept art, original animation cells from peter pan and more! This is our in-house resource to a wealth of art that almost spans a century. They are entrusted with the responsibility to conserve all this cool art!

 

This is where decades of magic are stored. Imagine all the art that never see's the light of day!! 

         With millions of pieces of art at their finger tips they use their access to create great books and projects like the one below. The animation Research library are responsible for installations all around the world such as Walt Disney world and cruise lines everywhere. If you guys have not checked out the new Ipad app DO IT. This is a must have and here's a video of a guy going through it if you aren't familiar with it. This app is a gold mine with hours upon hours (nay, i say MONTHS!)  of fun! the video shows off the app better than I can ever do. So enjoy!

All The art from this book is from the ARL

       The ARL is located in Glendale California. I do not know the status and conditions about visiting the ARL if you are not a cast member. but I don't see any reason why you can't look them up and call! The ARL tries to make itself very accessible. They have their own Facebook page that they update frequently with cool facts and images! Here is the link DISNEY_ARL_ FACEBOOK. Here is a sample of knowledge they like to drop from time to time! They also have a twitter: ARL Twitter URL and a YoutTubeChannel: ARL Youtube Channel Check them all out! 

 Did you know, that one of the early songs of The Beatles had something of a Disney connection? John Lennon explained:

"My mother was always... she was a comedienne and a singer. Not professional, but, you know, she used to get up in pubs and things like that. She had a good voice... She used to do this little tune when I was just a one- or two-year-old... The tune was from the Disney movie - 'Want to know a secret? Promise not to tell. You are standing by a wishing well.' So, I had this sort of thing in my head and I wrote it and just gave it to George [Harrison] to sing."

That was how "Do You Want To Know A Secret?" came to be written.

"Gawrsh!" Remembering performer Vance DeBar Colvig (though we know him better by his childhood nickname, "Pinto"), born the 11th of September 1892.

Best known as one of the actors who performed the voice of 'Goofy' (a role currently performed by Bill Farmer), Colvig did voices and sounds for other characters in the Studio's animated productions, including both 'Dopey' and 'Grumpy' in SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS, the 'Practical Pig' in "The Three Little Pigs," and 'Pluto.' Pinto was honored posthumously as a Disney Legend, in 1993.

Outside of the Studio, he worked for studios such as Warner Bros. and M-G-M (which included the voice of a 'Munchkin' in "The Wizard of Oz"), and he was the first 'Bozo the Clown' for television.

In this photo, Pinto (left) is shown with director Jack Kinney, along with the storyboard from the 1945 short, "African Diary." (Story is credited to Bill Peed [Peet].)

I did this post because a lot of people don't know that these places and people exist and their efforts to preserve and keep the Disney Heritage going is remarkable. 

GRAPH EDITOR: Off Setting 101

This post is for animation Students but hopefully it gives some insight to non-animation artists for those who are looking for it.  
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Dear Curves,

Die.

-A Student
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      I could write 100 blog posts about the graph editor (graph editor is a tool animators use to move and adjust their characters in the computer. ) but no amount of lectures will substitute raw first hand experience. You have to get frustrated and go through your OWN epiphanies. In my experience with the graph editor I have come across a few tricks/understandings. In this post I will share one of my understandings with you. I will keep it short for I find when something is over explained, it can make a simple subject very confusing.

OFFSETTING in animation:
      -When you break up the moving parts of the body to help show that there are different muscles working at different times to achieve one giant general movement. In the graph editor that just translates to: shifting your curves so that they all are not working at the same time. This is something everyone knows but its tricky to get it to look RIGHT/or ORGANICALLY in your animation for someone who is still learning.
      My tip is, even though we are taught that when things start and end at the same time is bad, TECHNICALLY under the hood (graph editor) it needs to happen at some level. If you look below you will see a very simple turn. (All we will focus on is the body and the head). When you first offset a curve it might look like the example on the lower left hand side of the page I have provided below. Most new students will leave that as is and then wonder why their animation has hitches and pops. You must remember that EVERYTHING moves on the human body at the same time, but somethings move more than others; which gives the illusion that somethings are not moving at all.

My drawings of the curves might not be accurate but its the concept I am trying to get across. 

     So do you notice how my curves will start moving at the same time? Though the curve for the head 'takes off' before the other curve for the head does. The body curve is moving at first but only very very slightly, then it slopes up to catch up to the head curve. When you make the curves harmonize and 'wait for each other' before coming back to a 'flat' stop, it will help with making your movements feel less mechanical and broken. 
   
EXTRA TIP for a head turn: Using counter animation to your advantage. If you look at the next picture, you will see a situation where you are forced to use counter animation.

       Below: Is how that curve will look in the graph editor. Notice how the 'hump' in the head curve doesn't extend the amount of frames needed but works within the frames given. in maya terms: All you need to do is set a key 3/4th of the way through the head turn and then raise it up in the graph editor.

     I can go more into why I believe these tricks work and, how should i put it.. I can talk more THEORY on the subject but I shall leave you with the solid basics and spare you the dense explanations. Try experimenting with these curves yourself. Adjust according to your needs. My drawings are not accurate to real situations but the curves are drawn only to get the point across. Take my tips and make them your own, you might discover better ways to accomplish what I'm trying to teach here. My way by far is not the right way or the only way. I do hope this helps for those that might be struggling with their fundamentals.

-Danny

Drawing 101 Pt 2: 'Life drawing is dumb.. why should I do it?

      After copying, comes creating. Copying builds skill, life drawing hones talent. 

      Copying is for learning the basics. When you start to leave copying and start to create, there comes a new level of learning.. that can be scary. Bc then you really start to see how little you truly know. When you leave copying pictures and start drawing from life, it will probably be the biggest shock in your drawing life. Take my experience for example:

     All through out grade school I copied my favorite characters from magazines and posters. I would draw every single Pokemon when I was in elementary to my favorite artist's album cover during highschool. I would draw some things from life but they were mostly of spaces or buildings. Always staying a little abstract to hide my flaws.
      Then came freshman year of college: Week one. All us students came with our new biggie boards and freshly sharpened pencils and sat down in our life drawing class. The model is nude and getting ready to start posing. I have never drawn a nude model in person before and it was quite odd to realize the immaturity I was feeling all bc there was a penis right there hanging like no bodies business. All that went away when our instructor told us that we were not to EVER use pencils and to walk over and grab a piece of charcoal and to begin drawing the model. Then began the 30 seconds poses. Then with in 20 seconds I realized exactly why the instructor made us use charcoal and not pencil. You can NOT draw details with charcoal and finish a drawing in 30 seconds. It forces you to be broad and to commit to your lines even if they weren't perfect. It makes you live with the mistakes you create on the paper and because of that you are INSTANTLY AWARE of everything you are not good at. When you draw with pencil you can erase your mistakes... not in life drawing.
     We eventually learned its not about being ACCURATE and replicating a true depiction of the model. but to capture something .. deeper. You try capture the 'feeling and energy' of the GESTURE.  (if you didn't notice I capitalized and bloded the word gesture. That means I'm trying to make a point.) I'm not drawing wrinkles in the clothes and every single finger, but I'm drawing ONE line that goes from the head to the toe with in a second. I am overlapping, and drawing over the whole body in one line that never leaves the paper, not worrying about mistakes and smudges my hand leaves. Because when you finish 2 hours later.. It all comes together. Those 'mistakes' help support and add energy to a drawing I could never really quite capture back in the day when I use to copy. Copying another drawing is copying 2D and translating it to 2D again. Drawing things from 3D to a 2D surface is a whole different world.

      Some people life draw very accurately, some people life draw very abstractly.. Learn to do it both ways. Don't worry about what you are drawing BUT HOW YOU ARE DRAWING IT. No one will ever see what you see, so they will never compare your drawing to the real model and criticize you. What they will do is criticize your drawing and how you did it.

- 'But but.. DANNY, the model moved and Thats why my drawing looks bad. Its not my fault.'

       Hey well guess what. It is your fault that you created a bad drawing. The models job is not to stay still, the models job is to give you a concept, an idea of a pose. The model plants the seed and you take what the model gives you and then YOU create from that. You are not copying, if the model moves, that should be no problem to you bc you are to of already captured the gesture within the first minute of the pose SO that if the model does move you already have the foundation of the original pose on your paper. You are on to blame for YOUR drawing, not the model because as far as they care, they have nothing to do with your drawing.

     Life drawing teaches you not to be precious with your drawing. It may have something to do that after an hour you probably have made over 60 drawings. Who has time and the energy to care about that many drawings?? When one copies OF COURSE you get precious over drawings bc you probably spend weeks on one drawing.
     Everything you did learn while you were copying does not go to waste, you just become efficient and learn how to do all your tricks faster. Your skills become second nature. It is essential to do life drawing with an instructor, even if you do not agree with their style or notes, bc no matter what you think, what they have to say is important and will only add to your knowledge and skills. If you find your self ever saying, 'I don't want to hold the stick sideways to draw, its not my style." You might as well use the money you're paying for your art school to wipe your own ass. Try everything that is told to you. Use every medium offered to you, learn how to create and let your style come through in all mediums and techniques. Learn how to do things academically, then learn how to do things experimentally. Then last but not least learn how to do things in your own way. Break out of your comfort zone often and early.

Thanks for reading
-Daniel

Drawing 101: Training Your Eye

"There are two ways of thinking about painting, how     not to do it and how to do it; how to do it -- with much drawing and little color; how not to do it -- with much color and little drawing." 

(Letter to Theo van Gogh, April 1882)

      No matter what style you might draw/paint in, it is essential to at least know how to depict things with accurately. The foundation of being able to do so, is knowing how to judge proportions. When I judge proportions while life drawing, I try don't rely too much on my background knowledge of anatomy. I try to judge and draw with what my eye sees instead. Learn how to OBSERVE! Things I might say to myself while I draw, "Well from this angle the head is half the length or her thigh.. her right thigh is parallel to her left arm, and it looks like her head also lines up with her left arm but it obviously doesn't have the same angle as her right thigh. Therefore her head has an angle of its own I have to reflect in my drawing." etc etc... (notice how I talk about parts and not the body as a whole.. You must learn to see and draw the parts that make the 'whole'. You use the 'whole' to guide the over all direction of the smaller parts it consists of so that they exist and look as one.)  

      Looking at a model, a building, an object with this mindset/perspective is not easy. Its a very technical way of looking at your subject in order to get an accurate drawing. Thats why life drawing WITH a teacher is always more beneficial to you than drawing alone because they point out where your eye is weak in observing the subject. The teacher guides you. 

      When I was in high school we didn't have classes like I had in college. So I had to find my own way to improve and start training my eyes. The easiest way to start training your eyes to start learning how to line things up and see the PARTS of your subject instead. Using a grid is a simple example of using lines to guide your drawing. Soon with enough training you will be able to use the same technique with out any visual aids. But if you are just starting to learn how to draw, stick with a grid until you can use it to draw your pictures very accurately. 

      - To use a grid, you grab a picture and draw a grid over it. how many lines the grid has is up to you. But make sure that the grid on your drawing paper is pretty much exactly the same!

 - Then start section by section. Look at the parts that make the whole and draw the shapes they make and not the subject. Look for negative and positive shapes (if you do not know what I mean USE GOOGLE.. you have all of mankind's knowledge at your fingertips. start tapping into it by googling something for yourself. you'll be glad you did.)

Here, the Helen South (awesome tutorial instructor) started to cover parts of the picture so that they could focus on a section of the drawing. 

Remember I mentioned something about positive and negative shapes? on the right hand side: the negative shape is shaded in. You can think of a negative shape as: the space that your subject does not occupy. Notice where the edge of the jug crosses the grid line (is that half way? 1/3? 1/4th?? ) and make sure that your drawing does the same.

      When I was younger I would love to use the grid to draw some of my favorite characters and pictures. Always keep in mind: copying is not the goal! Training your eye is! As soon as you are good at using the grid to replicate drawings, then its time to move on to other techniques such as life drawing and depicting things that are in front of you. To many people get comfortable  and content with themselves in being able to copy very realistically. but when you ask them to draw a face from real life.. they are unable to. This is because copying only deals with LINES not FORM. One must learn to draw things with volume and form. You can not learn this from just copying flat pictures. This is why its important to move on and to not become content with being able to just copy. Your imagination dies when you get stuck copying. 

      I drew this in high-school using a grid on a 3in X 6in magazine photo. 

   This is the first post of a 3. Next will be a little more about whats the next step to do to develop your eye. I hope this post helped out any readers who need the help! And for those who are just curious, I hope it gave you insight into a perspective you might not be familiar with. Happy drawing. 

Thanks for reading,  -Danny