At this year\u2019s Annecy animation festival Skwigly were given a glimpse of what it would be like to work for the world famous studio, in an interview with Disney\u2019s Clay Kaytis (who runs the Animation Podcast), Pixar Veteran John Kahrs and Paul Briggs who leads the story department, as it enters an era that Paul Briggs reassuringly summed up in this one sentence: \u2018We are about to enter a whole new time here for Disney it\u2019s an exciting time\u2019.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.skwigly.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/07\/disney-gang.jpg\" "\\"Disney")
Paul, Clay and John<\/p><\/div>\n
Clay Kaytis began working for Disney during Pocahontas and has worked in both 2D and 3D for the company recently supervising animation on the characters of Rhino in Bolt before stepping up to Supervise the whole animation of Tangled alongside John Kahrs and Glen Keane. He is also well known for hosting the animation podcast.<\/em><\/p>\n John Kahrs began his career at Pixar animating on Bugs Life through to Ratatouille working as an animator and animation character developer. He joined Disney to work on Bolt before joining Clay and Glen Keane to supervise animation on Tangled.<\/em><\/p>\n Paul Briggs worked his way through Disney as a visual effects animator on The Hunchback of Notre Dame before becoming a story artist. He has also loaned his voice as the mumbling \u2018two fingers\u2019 the frog hunter in the princess and the frog.<\/em><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n Clay, you were a 2D animator and then you became a 3D animator, how quick was the transition and how much of your 2D experience was relevant?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Clay Kaytis:<\/strong> I would say all of my 2D experience was relevant. I went into animation thinking I didn\u2019t draw very well so I knew I wanted to be a CG animator and in my mind that\u2019s what I was going to do. However, when I got into it there wasn\u2019t any CG where I was \u2026 so I basically learned 2D animation. I did that for nine years and I loved the fact that I went that way, it was my foundation and now I think about animation differently.\u00a0 I always think of animation as \u2018would I draw this way? Would this look good if this was a 2D animation?\u2019 It just influences everything I do.\u00a0 I am really happy it happened that way.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Even though it is often said that story is king, do you have a particular favorite medium of animation? Does one offer more freedom perhaps?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n John Kahrs:<\/strong> I think for\u00a0Clay<\/em>\u00a0and I we have a lot of admiration for the great Disney classics from the 1940\u2019s to 1960\u2019s, there is such an amazing craftsmanship and artistry there that we are trying to bring to CG.\u00a0 I would say I am a huge fan of\u00a0[Hayao] Miyazaki<\/em>\u00a0and what is going on with the likes of the\u00a0Illusionist\u00a0<\/em>or\u00a0Triplets of Belle<\/em>ville.<\/p>\n There is a shift in the way of seeing 2D hand drawn animation and it is becoming a little more mature, a little more grown up and the style is shifting, it\u2019s not Disney animation at all, it\u2019s just something different which is really refreshing.\u00a0 We respect all of that.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Clay, The animation Podcast is very popular, will you be making anymore?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Clay Kaytis:<\/strong> Yes, especially after I went to Stuttgart, FMX and here at Annecy I have met hundreds and hundreds of people and that\u2019s usually the first question for me.\u00a0 It makes me realise how important it is for students to get access to information like that.\u00a0 I originally did it for myself but now I see how people like it and enjoy it and it influences them when they work so I have an obligation, I think, to keep making more.<\/p>\n Paul Briggs:<\/strong> Don\u2019t people keep asking when is the\u00a0\u2018Paul Briggs<\/em>\u00a0animation podcast\u2019?!<\/p>\n Clay Kaytis<\/strong>: (Laughs) I think that\u2019s the next one! My first story artist! In fact no\u00a0Burny (Mattinson)<\/em>\u00a0was on one.<\/p>\n Paul Briggs:<\/strong> That was a good one! You can\u2019t top that.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n As demonstrated in your podcasts Disney seems to be a conveyor belt of animated legends, how much inspiration do you draw from the other guys at each level working at Disney?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Paul Briggs:<\/strong>\u00a0 Well one of the great things is that\u00a0Burny<\/em>\u00a0is still coming into the studio, he is like the old man on the hill and you go talk to him, you go complain about things to him, you seek his advice, he is this wise sage that gives up his information.\u00a0 It\u2019s great to hear the old stories about back in the days when they were experiencing the same struggles and triumphs.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n You guys have\u00a0Glen [Keane]\u00a0too right…?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n John Kahrs:<\/strong> Glen<\/em>\u00a0really is one of the great animators of our time and of the 80\u2019s and 90\u2019s.\u00a0 I grew up looking at his animation and now working with him and trying to come up to his level in CG has been this huge journey for\u00a0Clay<\/em>\u00a0and I on\u00a0Tangled<\/em>\u00a0and we just want to keep pushing that for the next films that we do.<\/p>\n Clay Kaytis<\/strong>: That\u2019s the nice thing about what you are asking, definitely everyone has heroes, some of them have passed on and we have never met them but we actually get to work alongside people that have done this for decades and decades. They are passing on the same knowledge to us and hopefully we can pass it onto the trainees that we bring in every year.\u00a0 It\u2019s a neat obligation, the whole apprentice thing which kind of reminds me of medieval times, passing on a certain craft.<\/p>\n Paul Briggs:<\/strong> We have this great thing in the story department when we have been celebrating the giants that have come before us, I always say \u2018look to the past as we continue to move towards the future\u2019 and it\u2019s just an understanding as to how those guys worked and picking up what they learned is really important.<\/p>\n Clay Kaytis<\/strong>: I think definitely for\u00a0Disney<\/em>\u00a0it\u2019s a unique situation where we have been in business for seventy plus years doing this and it\u2019s a pretty direct line all the way back to the beginning, it\u2019s exciting to be part of that.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Like a family tree!<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Paul Briggs:<\/strong> Yeah and that\u2019s one of the big things we can draw from; the legacy and a lot of other studios cannot.<\/p>\n Clay Kaytis<\/strong>: It\u2019s actually a lecture I want to put together; the\u00a0Disney<\/em>\u00a0family tree of all the connections that you can follow back \u2026 like genealogy.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Walt Disney animation is now more <\/strong>recognisable<\/strong> as a separate brand.\u00a0 How much difference did the appointment of John Lasseter make to the studios?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n John Kahrs:<\/strong> Paul you should really start on that first because out of all the departments he has really focused the most on yours.<\/p>\n Paul Briggs:<\/strong> There has definitely been an incredible shift in focus where he demands a lot from the story from the directors and the story crew; he encourages you into taking ownership of that film and being the gods of the world in the film.\u00a0 When he puts that much pressure on you to work at such a high level, it starts to translate to every department. Every department comes in and starts to focus.\u00a0 He puts so much emphasis on story so you can never come in to any story meeting with\u00a0John Lasseter<\/em>\u00a0and not have things really thought out. To have a discussion with\u00a0John<\/em>\u00a0you really have to bring something to it, but once you get a discussion with\u00a0John\u00a0<\/em>he loves it, he loves to talk story, and you really have to be smart in the way you are making a movie.<\/p>\n John Kahrs:<\/strong>\u00a0 I think one of the things he really transformed is the idea that the films are created and the oversight isn\u2019t by executives anymore, it\u2019s by a group of peers at the director creative level and the films are being collaborated on by film makers.\u00a0 It\u2019s John<\/em>\u00a0as a filmmaker, and it\u2019s not like guys with business and management degrees, it\u2019s more like people who understand the language of film, storytelling and pushing the idea of storytelling that\u2019s become the new center of the studio. It\u2019s kind of radiating out from there.\u00a0 All the other departments have really transformed themselves in the past 4-5 years, just in the time since I arrived there, you look at\u00a0\u2018Meet the Robinsons\u2019<\/em>\u00a0to\u00a0\u2018Bolt\u2019<\/em>\u00a0and then to\u00a0\u2018Tangled\u2019<\/em>\u00a0the quality of everything, visuals, animation, character designs and storytelling has just got so much more sophisticated and elegant to me.<\/p>\n Paul Briggs:<\/strong>\u00a0 He has brought this great level of honesty and trust within our studio. Even John<\/em>, before he is a head of a studio he is first and foremost a filmmaker but even before that he is a storyteller. He even comes to the table with everyone else at this level.\u00a0 There is a very safe feeling of being in a room with the story trust and knowing that you\u2019re getting the feedback to make the best movie you possibly can make.\u00a0 It is a great experience right now.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Paul, how does you\u2019re job role of head of story differ from any other role in story department?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n PB: Well a story supervisor is more about managing this team. I am working directly with\u00a0Chris Williams<\/em>\u00a0and a writer on a project now, trying to craft the beats of the story. I feel like I am managing a construction crew and we are laying the foundation now and the construction crew is going to get bigger and bigger and eventually animation will come in and then effects will come in.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Paul you where the voice of two fingers in Princess and the Frog as well as the story artist, that was a wonderful piece of slapstick in the film, do you have more fun being the story artist on slapstick material, more serious moments or does it not matter?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n PB: (Impersonating\u00a0Two Fingers<\/em>)\u00a0OUI!<\/em>\u00a0 It really does not matter, I personally get the most out of the more heartfelt moments.\u00a0 Although, I am usually cast doing action stuff because that\u2019s really difficult to do. It can be funny and its can be action based but if it doesn\u2019t have the character wrapped into it then it doesn\u2019t mean that much to me, I always start with character.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n How easy is it to get a job in Disney?\u00a0 Is there a set path such as the cal-arts program or can anyone with the right amount of luck and skill get in?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Clay Kaytis<\/strong>: It\u2019s all about skill, it doesn\u2019t matter where you came from or how much education you had.\u00a0 I would say though; for international students I have learned that a degree helps get a visa but that\u2019s the only consideration as far as schooling goes. It\u2019s all about talent and we always hire the best talent in animation and I am sure in the story department we have a policy that even if we don\u2019t need someone \u2026 if they are so good that we can\u2019t resist we will hire them to bring them into the story.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n John, you made the transition from Disney to Pixar; is there any difference between the working practices of Disney and Pixar?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n John Kahrs:<\/strong> Well I guess what\u00a0John [Lasseter]<\/em>\u00a0was trying to do at\u00a0Pixar<\/em>\u00a0was take the best things that\u00a0Walt Disney<\/em>\u00a0had developed such as the idea for dailies for animation. He evolved that further at\u00a0Pixar<\/em>\u00a0and I think when he came to be in charge of the\u00a0Disney<\/em>\u00a0studio he really pushed to bring those ideas back to the studio.<\/p>\n I think\u00a0Glen<\/em>\u00a0had this great line that the idea of a\u00a0Pixar<\/em>\u00a0movie is that the premise is \u201cwouldn\u2019t it be cool if\u2026\u201d that\u2019s what drives the conceptualisation of a film and at\u00a0Walt Disney<\/em>\u00a0the idea is \u201conce upon a time\u2026\u201d.<\/p>\n Right now they both feel like they are both really vibrant places where great films are being created.<\/p>\n Paul Briggs:<\/strong>\u00a0 We are about to enter a whole new time here for Disney it\u2019s an exciting time.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Is there any particular work that you have done in your career that you are particularly proud of that you can point out?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Paul Briggs:<\/strong>\u00a0 The work I am doing right now.\u00a0 I have two sons; one and a half and six months old, and so I know this film coming up will be the first one they will associate me with and that has a huge impact on what I am doing and I am very proud of the amount of work and dedication I am putting into the film. I am excited to be under the leadership of Chris Williams.<\/em><\/p>\n John Kahrs:<\/strong>\u00a0 For me it\u2019s all been downhill since\u00a0A Bugs Life!<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n [They all laugh]<\/span><\/p>\n I guess as an animator\u00a0\u2018The Incredibles\u2019<\/em>\u00a0was the most fun I have had, just digging in and animating and just been able to do some of the key scenes on that movie.\u00a0 But now I am not so much working as an animator, but in leadership; Tangled<\/em>\u00a0is for\u00a0Clay<\/em>\u00a0and I the first time really doing that. Building that character of\u00a0Rapunzel ,\u00a0<\/em>the physical rig that the animators had to use and building the support system and all the tools that the animators had to rely on to settle down and do their work that\u2019s something we are both really proud of.\u00a0 It must have been the most difficult thing in my whole career just trying to get that 19 year old girl to look as good as\u00a0Glenn\u00a0<\/em>envisioned her and to do it with this new technology it\u2019s very difficult very elusive goal that we were trying to aim towards and I think we got there.<\/p>\n Clay Kaytis<\/strong>: It\u2019s funny because going into\u00a0Tangled<\/em>\u00a0was the first time I supervised a whole crew and up to that point I had done scenes on Rhino<\/em> from Bolt<\/em> and at the time I thought – this is my proudest moment, this is what it\u2019s all about. Going into\u00a0Tangled<\/em>\u00a0I did not know if I would be satisfied running a crew of people. However I found that was actually my most satisfying film because taking on that role and taking on a team and giving them the tools to do their job, making sure they do it well and better than they have ever done it in their careers was so satisfying to know that the team is one of the best animation crews in the world and I was a part of that. So I feel a responsibility for the whole movie and not just one character or individual scenes. I think my job is done because the movie turned out so well. So that\u2019s definitely my proudest moment and the nice thing about that too is 16-17 years into this it can still get better and more satisfying which was very reassuring you don\u2019t want your peak to be back on\u00a0Bugs Life!<\/em><\/p>\n [They laugh]<\/span><\/p>\n John Kahrs<\/strong>: Those were great times though!<\/p>\n Clay Kaytis<\/strong>: It\u2019s nice to know it can get better.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n What are you all working on at the moment?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n JK:<\/strong> Right now I am directing a short film \u2026 that\u2026 is all I can say at the moment!<\/p>\n PB:<\/strong> This is the toughest question for everyone!<\/p>\n JK:<\/strong> It hasn\u2019t been announced \u2026 it\u2019s going to be amazing, since it hasn\u2019t been announced at all \u2026 the fact that I said I am doing it is kind of enough.<\/p>\n CK:<\/strong> I have been focusing on the film that comes out after\u00a0Pauls<\/em>\u00a0film, so if his is unannounced then mine is certainly unannounced!!<\/p><\/blockquote>\n These are all shorts?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n CK:<\/strong> No, features but the good underlying message is that there is a lot going on in the studio!<\/p>\n JB:<\/strong> Yeah I am extremely excited about the future because of the leadership in place, I am excited about our directors and there amazing filmic sense and there ability, I am working with\u00a0Chris Williams<\/em>\u00a0on a film that\u00a0Chris\u00a0<\/em>is directing he just has one of those great story minds. I am excited about the future.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Clay Kaytis, Paul Briggs, John Kahrs, Thank you very much for talking to Skwigly today!<\/em><\/p>\n I would like to take this chance to thank Julia Orr and Dawn Rivera-Ernster for their assistance in organizing this interview<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The Walt Disney Company has certainly come a long way since the days of the \u2018Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio\u2019.\u00a0 However, one key strength within the company has continued to remain strong throughout; the company\u2019s ability to recognise and promote great talent.\u00a0 Disney himself, a slightly above average artist but an excellent businessman took it upon […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":194,"featured_media":20342,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[247,755],"tags":[256,11,257,258],"class_list":["post-1303","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","category-interviews","tag-clay-kaytis","tag-disney","tag-john-kahrs","tag-paul-briggs"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n