Hand Drawn

Last week I had a lengthy sit-down with director/animator/writer Ron Clements. (The interview gets posted next week. Consider it a companion piece to the John Musker interview.) ...


Ron talks about his start in animation in Sioux City, Iowa, his brief flirtation with the School of Visual Arts in New York, his decision to come out to California and try to break in to the animation business, starting at the bottom.

And it was "the bottom," as defined in the early 1970s. Ron's first job was as an in-betweener for Hanna-Barbera. (Seasonal work. Thirty-nine years later, it's non-existent work.)

Mr. Clements goes into detail about his early years at the House of Mouse, developing (and executing) the various features that he and John directed, and he talks about the state of animation today.

He laments that hand-drawn animation is in decline, since he really loves the art form. He says that he and Mr. Musker are working on a new project with hand-drawn animation in it. When it gets made, he doesn't know, since he reveals it's in early development.

He lists his two favorite Disney animated features as Pinocchio and 101 Dalmations.