Andreas Deja
| Andreas Deja | |
|---|---|
 At the 35th Annie Awards in 2006 |
|
| Born | 1 April 1957 Gdańsk, Poland |
| Occupation | Animator |
| Years active | 1980–present |
Andreas Deja (born 1 April 1957[citation needed]) is as an animator most noted for his work at Walt Disney Animation Studios. Deja's creations include the Disney villains Gaston from Beauty and the Beast, Jafar from Aladdin and Scar from The Lion King. He is a recipient of the 2006 Winsor McCay Award.
Contents |
[edit] Early life
Andreas Deja was born 1957 in Gdańsk, Poland. Deja moved with his family to Dinslaken, Germany in 1958. Deja credits his first seeing Disney's Jungle Book when he was 11-years-old with inspiring him to become an animator.[1] After graduating from Theodor-Heuss Gymnasium (secondary school), he studied graphic design at the Folkwang Hochschule in Essen, Germany.
[edit] Career
A lifelong fan of Disney animated films, Deja was hired by the studio in 1980 after he had corresponded with Eric Larson.[2] The first film on which he worked was The Black Cauldron, during which time he shared a cubicle with the film director Tim Burton.
During his rookie days at Disney, Deja sought mentorship and practical advice from seven of the then-living Nine Old Men (who were already retired before his tenure).[3] On an interview with Clay Katis on the Animation Podcast, Deja stated that if the podcast needed anything on the Nine Old Men, to refer to him because of the vast amount of information he has collected over the years. He later revealed that one of his ambitions is to publish one book for each of the Nine Old Men.
Deja is best known as the supervising animator of some of the most memorable Disney villains: Gaston from Beauty and the Beast, Jafar in Aladdin and Scar from The Lion King. He also animated Roger Rabbit from Who Framed Roger Rabbit, King Triton from The Little Mermaid, the title character from Hercules, Lilo from Lilo & Stitch, and Queen Narissa from Enchanted. In addition, he is the current resident specialist for the animation of Mickey Mouse.
In 2006, at the 35th Annie Awards, Deja was awarded the Winsor McCay Award for outstanding contribution to the art of animation.[4]
On February 2, 2010 Andreas appeared on the children's BBC television show Blue Peter in promotion of the UK release of The Princess and the Frog. On the show he briefly described how he devised the look for character Mama Odie, and how the eyes are key to animation design by showing how Jafar's eyes tell that he is "up to no good". Andreas is currently working on Tigger in Winnie the Pooh.
Recently he started up a blog where he shares some of his collection of the work of the old Disney animators.[5]
[edit] Personal life
Deja is openly gay.[6] His sexuality has been discussed as an influence on the development of some Disney characters.[7][8][9][10]
[edit] Animation Credits
- Gurgi - The Black Cauldron (1985)
- Queen Mousetoria - The Great Mouse Detective (1986)
- Roger Rabbit - Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988)
- Character Designer - Oliver & Company (1988)
- King Triton - The Little Mermaid (1989)
- Supervising animator - The Prince and the Pauper (1990)
- Gaston - Beauty and the Beast (1991)
- Jafar - Aladdin (1992)
- Scar - The Lion King (1994)
- Animation Supervisor - Runaway Brain (1995)
- Adult Hercules - Hercules (1997)
- Animator on "Rhapsody in Blue" / Mickey Mouse - Fantasia 2000 (1999)
- Lilo - Lilo & Stitch (2002)
- Supervising animator - Home on the Range (2004)
- Animation consultant - Mickey's Twice Upon a Christmas (2004)
- Animation consultant - Bambi II (2006)
- Queen Narissa - Enchanted (2007)
- Goofy - How to Hook Up Your Home Theater (2007)
- Mama Odie and Juju - The Princess and the Frog (2009)
- Tigger - Winnie the Pooh (2011)
[edit] References
- ^ "Deja views", Features, The Northern Echo, 30th January 2010
- ^ Ghez, Didier, Interview with Andreas Deja, Paris, January 1995
- ^ Andreas Deja : " ... If you take the drawing out of Disney, it just isn't Disney" Interview, Jim Hill Media, June 20, 2007
- ^ Winsor McCay Award, The Annie Awards, annieawards.org retrieved on 2008-10-26
- ^ http://andreasdeja.blogspot.com/
- ^ Seymour, Craig (October 6, 2000). "Yep, Theyr'e Gay". Entertainment Weekly. http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,277857_2,00.html.
- ^ Dines, Gail; McMahon Humez, Jean (August 2002). Gender, Race, and Class in Media: A Text-reader. Sage Publications. p. 209. ISBN 978-0761922612.
- ^ Schweizer, Peter (September 1998). The Mouse Betrayed. Regnery Publishing. p. 148. ISBN 0895263874.
- ^ Provenzano, Tom (June 28, 1994). "The Lion in Summer". The Advocate: 66.
- ^ Elser, Daniela (March 4, 2011). "Gay families in Disney movies only a matter of time, says Lion King animator Andreas Deja". news.com.au. http://www.news.com.au/entertainment/movies/mickey-has-two-dads/story-e6frfmvr-1226015944009.
