91.1 F
San Fernando
Thursday, Mar 28, 2024

The Walt Disney Studios

Andrew Millstein Executive Vice President & General Manager, Disney Animation 1) The Walt Disney Co. has a long, storied heritage of animated films. Where is the company taking that heritage? Our heritage is built on great characters, heartfelt stories and incredible worlds in which the art of animation inspires technology and technology inspires art. This legacy is the foundation upon which we create our new films 2) Is there an emphasis being placed on animated franchises like there is with live action franchises? The focus at Walt Disney Animation Studios is on making great animated films that resonate deeply with audiences everywhere. If they spawn a larger franchise, that is an exciting opportunity for us 3) What is your role as general manager of Disney Animation? My main focus is to help our employees maintain a well-balanced and vibrant creative culture. Within this environment I help guide the creation of our films within the parameters of budget and schedule. 4) Is there a single film you can point to that best represents the Disney style in animated films? Tangled is the most recent example of a great Disney animated film. It was contemporary, beautiful, surprising and intelligent. Andrew Millstein, ExecutiveVice President & GeneralManager, DisneyAnimation 5) What do you look for in an animator? First and foremost we look for talent, passion and potential. Animation requires a multidiscipline group of skilled artists, engineers and support experts. Animators must have strong instincts in entertainment value and be able to create characters that don’t just move or react, but feel like they’re actually thinking Studio entertainment has been the lifeblood of The Walt Disney Co. dating back to the late 1920s and the release of the animated short “Steamboat Willie” starring Mickey Mouse. The division has grown to include live action films, home entertainment releases, musical recordings and live stage plays. Disney produces and distributes animated and live action films based on its own characters and stories, animated films through the Walt Disney Animation Studios and Pixar Animation Studios banners, and live action films under Marvel Studios banner. It also has the rights to Marvel comics characters through its Marvel Entertainment subsidiary and has a deal to distribute films made by DreamWorks studio through the Touchstone Pictures banner. For the home entertainment market, Disney releases DVDs and Blu-ray discs through retailers and rental services such as Redbox and Netflix. Films are also made available through video-on-demand and on free and pay television in the U.S. and abroad. The Disney Music Group commissions new music and songs for television shows and feature films and licenses them for release and performance. The group’s labels, Walt Disney Records and Hollywood Records, releases infant, children’s read-along, teens, all-family and soundtracks from film and television series distributed by Walt Disney Pictures and Disney Channel. The music group also includes Buena Vista Concerts and Disney Music Publishing. Disney Theatrical Productions develops produces and live entertainment events on Broadway and around the world. Among its productions are “Beauty and the Beast,” “The Lion King,” “Aladdin,” and “Mary Poppins,” which earned more than $640 million. The division licenses through Feld Entertainment the “Disney on Ice” and “Disney Live” shows. — Mark R. Madler

Featured Articles

Related Articles