Here she is , just the way I like her. When I think of “Tink”, this is how I picture her. She say’s so much, even without actually talking. And, her many moods are one’s I think everyone can appreciate.  I was happy to be able to design a globe that was simple, and classic. Capturing a moment from a film I love, Peter Pan. Tinkerbell may not have a lot of screen time, but she packs a lot into the few minutes she’s there. I pitched this concept a few years ago, but at the time it didn’t quite get off the ground. Disney Stores are now celebrating 25 years , and so here it is. Storytelling the way we do best. I’ll see if I can dig up some drawings on this. available now @ disneystore.com

update - below was my concept sketch for this globe i dug out this morning. 

 I thought I would show two more Beauty and the Beast items you may have overlooked at the Disney Store. These came out around the same time as the snow globe featured in my previous post. A lot of thought and care goes into making sure items that a part of the same group look like they sit well together, but are different enough to offer guests something new. Maybe only one piece will really speak to them, maybe they want them all. In either case, each item should feel unique. Scale is important. The globe was quite large, the trinket box rather small and the music box somewhere in between. Something for everyone! :) Above all that, storytelling is a key piece of the puzzle when designing . We are, in a way, continuing the story of these characters through the product we create. Character pose, expression and surroundings all need to feel true to the characters we are working with. Otherwise the magic isn’t there, no emotional connection. I am always looking for that “awww” moment to connect with and hope it translates through to the finished product. You will see that the color story as well as ballroom and castle details continue here as they did on the snow globe, as well as a nod to the film’s famous rose. Below are images from a figural Belle music box, as well as a light up trinket box. 

  In honor of “Beauty and the Beast” being re-released (in 3D no less) , thought I would do a post about a snow globe I designed not to long ago. Beauty and the Beast has been around for some time now, and so it is a challenge to design product that feels fresh and new, while staying true to the source material. There are a lot of snow globes from this film, some of which I had worked on.  Can I stage it differently? Can I come up with a composition that isn’t necessarily in the movie , but still feels right? The answer is , yes. While glossing over the film I kept coming back to the ballroom scene as it is the most iconic scene in the film . So, the design I was working on had to be from the ballroom. Problem was, it’s been done a million times. While thumb nailing ideas I came to the above concept. The original drawing is a little over an inch tall, a scribble really. But, It had a grand feeling of the ballroom achieved with height , open space so you could see more of the main characters, design elements from the castle, and a place for all the supporting cast. Somehow this all came together in a way that felt natural. “Maybe they danced at this location in a part of the castle we’ve never seen?” I thought to myself.  You see, I didn’t change the story of these characters . When you see this piece you instantly feel that “moment”, but it’s new. I try to never put the characters in a situation that feels wrong or foreign to them.  Below are a few more drawings. The fleshed out concept,  color comp, rough character turns and poses, a few architectural details and the finished product. Many more drawings were done for this globe, as well as numerous sculpt overlays to get it just right. But I won’t bore you with all that. Just a little sneak peak behind the scenes. Beauty and the Beast came out the year I found out I had been accepted to CalArts to study character animation. Little did I know that just two short years after that I would begin my career with Disney. This film will always hold a special place in my heart. Now go catch “Beauty” in theaters while you can! :)

Normally the holidays are quiet at work for most people. But not for us. We’re actually very busy this time of year with everything that will be in stores next year for Christmas. It was amazing to take a break and talk to someone I have admired growing up and working for Disney all these years. I was lucky enough to be a part of the team that helped bring the “Animator’s Collection” toddler dolls to life for the Disney Stores. As some of you know, Glen played a big roll in these as did Mark Henn. Having Glen stop by my desk , chat and draw for a while was pretty amazing as I still get nervous around him. He couldn’t be a nicer guy, and had some nice things to say about my work as well.

A random shot I love from a few years ago when the “Snow White’s Garden” statues were in production. I was at the factory when these were awaiting final paint. It was and still is bizarre (in a good way) to see your drawings come to life as actual product. While there I saw space the size of a football field, filled with the garden statues I had helped create. The most amazing part was knowing that they were soon going to be on the way to people’s homes to appreciate.  I had hoped they would enjoy them as much as I did.