The Artists of “Tangled”

By
on

“I had the great experience of working as an animator on Tangled,” writes Claudio de Oliveira, “and by the end of the production I found some time to put together this homage to keep some memories of the ‘people’ behind this amazing project. It would be great if you could pass it along and put some faces out, not only our work.” Just be careful guys, if people don’t like the film, they know what you look like now.

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  • http://www.youtube.com/user/2MKcreations Matthew Koh

    Is it me, or Glen Keane is acting like Milt Kahl?

  • Mark

    That should be renamed “The Animators of Tangled.”

  • Brad Constantine

    Very Cool!I hope some are still employed!

  • http://zeteos.blogspot.com/ Mick

    they seem like good solid silly folks (which are the best in my eyes.. the sillier the better). Lots of smiles
    and happy so good for them

    what was with the new agey ethereal singing?

    • http://www.copernicus.ca Murray Bain

      tired, coke guzzling ukulele goofballs with rueful smiles.
      brothers in arms!
      this makes me feel better about the film then any marketing or trailer thus far, although I agree Mick. It’s like the end of “LOST”; is Disney’s animation heaven?

    • Gobo

      It’s Bon Iver doing a cover of Peter Gabriel’s “Come Talk to Me”.

  • http://www.captainyolk.com Jeremy Bernstein

    Glad you made this Claudio! Great job. Good to see many of the ” Cloudy Meatball ” crew over there!

    • Markus

      Go Cloudy!

  • oh geez

    this is awesome.

    I bet all of these guys have better ideas for animated features than what Disney is currently putting out.

  • Matt E

    What is the music?? It’s great.

    Say what you like about the film but every clip I’ve seen looks gorgeous!! Wonderfully crafted.

    Matt.

    • Michele T

      The name of the song is “Come Talk To Me” by Bon Iver. There’s a credit in tiny letters on the bottom left of the screen at the end of the short. And I agree; nicely put together piece.

  • Kallisti

    Cool, but slightly disappointed by the lack of women.

    • Jeff Kurtti

      I’ll double check, but if I’m not mistaken, Jen Vera, Ted Newfield, Nicole Hearon, Amy Smeed, Becky Breese, Katie Rice, Miyuiki Kanno, Jennifer Hager, and Kira Lehtomaki all appear to be women…

      • http://kecky.etsy.com kecky

        Just because there are SOME women doesn’t mean there isn’t still a serious imbalance. If you made a list of all the dudes in the video, it would be ten times longer.

      • Tori

        Then how about all us women animators get together and create a feature film. Then we’ll all be working and in time we’ll take over the animation industry and the men will be begging to work with us.

      • http://los-utopicos.blogspot.com allari

        OMG Katie Rice!! She sould direct her own animated shorts!

  • Nathan Last

    What’s with that last little remark Amid?? You seem determined to knock this project whenever you get a chance. How about you wait till it’s out and then judge it?

    Did Disney do something to you at some point to make you so anti-them??

  • HB

    & once again I was reminded of the first time I realized I wanted to be an animator. These are my people. This is what I want my life to look like. Thanks guys.

    -Shallow question: How many of you strapping gentlemen are single?-

  • http://www.youtube.com/user/VujadeEntertainment#p/u/0/3HaupcJwAdk Steve Schnier

    Nice little video. Well done.

  • some girl

    mr. negativity amid. Anyway, this are my kind of people!!!

    • amid

      No negativity intended. It was meant to be a cute comment after all the unflattering buzz about the film. Perhaps I should have put a ;) after my comment.

      I think the video itself is lovely–something so honest and intimate that it could only have been created by the artists themselves.

  • http://MrFunsBlog Floyd Norman

    This is far better than any of the dumb ass marketing I’ve seen so far.

    Congratulations guys for a job well done!

  • diego

    lots of young people working in the film.

  • http://inspectorcleuzo.blogspot.com sandro Cleuzo

    I love this video! If Claudio is Brazilian I will say this: Valeu, Claudio!
    Lots of familiar faces here and I wish them all all the best and I hope Tangled is a success.

  • Pedro Nakama

    Not many women on the crew. Oh right. It’s Disney.

    • michael

      at least it’s not a bunch of white dudes with the same haircut. progress.

  • http://mattjonezanimation.blogspot.com Matt Jones

    This is really rather touching-looks like a happy, well bonded crew. Bodes well for the work they did on the picture . . .

  • Mike Gabriel

    No women? I saw every part of mankind represented in the earnest smiles of hard work and devoted love to a craft that is not always fair or kind or appreciative of their tireless efforts and the purified chunk of their time here on earth given out of faith in a project few believed in—-and yet they gave themselves in full measure to make sure it had every chance in the world to succeed. These are not just men, white men black men brown men, WTF look deeper than mere gender, race, religion or sexual preference— these are animators at the height of their skills—and I am honored to work among them.

    • Chuck R.

      Classy reply to a rather petty comment.
      I don’t consider myself the target audience for Tangled, but I’m looking forward to taking my daughters, and I wish everyone who worked on it all the luck in the world.

    • http://markpudleiner.blogspot.com/ Pudleiner

      NO WOMEN ???
      As the video clearly shows…

      Amy and Toni Smeed. Both women.

      Then there’s Linoette who is sitting there
      without her shirt on.
      A woman.
      A hairy woman, but still, …a woman.

      No Women Indeed !!!! WAKE UP !!! Hmmmppfff !!
      ;-)

  • Matt Bell

    A wonderful homage that transcends its context and just becomes a beautiful video of humanity / people.

    If only there was more stuff like this just generally floating around or on TV, the world would be a happier place.

    Thanks.

  • http://adreamer49.wordpress.com/ Jacob

    What a GREAT video. Many diverse characters working together to create some of the greatest character animation in the business!

  • Anonymous

    At 2:56, the only guy not labeled…Josh Earl?

    • Answer:

      That’s a second shot of Joel Reid, sans cola chugging.

  • Chandra Butkis

    It’s like Logan’s Run! Aside from a couple guys where are the people over 30?!!!!

    • http://spungella.blogspot.com Jean-Denis Haas

      Hahahaha! A Logan’s Run reference, awesome.

      Loved the clip though. Go Patrick!!

      • Brody

        If Hollywood animation is anything like the videogame industry, the over-30 types have been quietly put out to pasture.

      • http://www.bishopanimation.com Floyd Bishop

        I’m not sure where you work, but we’ve got lots of over 30 type guys here at Sony Online, and they kick ass with the best of them.

    • Jay

      After recognizing many of these animators, quite a few people shown are over 30, they just look young. Most animators are children at heart and will look youthful even by the time they have gray hairs.

      Also, the last “boom” of 3d character animation as a popular career began around 2000, so the people who graduated college around that time are just hitting 30. The feature film/video game animation industries in the 90′s were very small, so a small group of 90′s twentysomethings entering the industry then = a smaller percentage over-30′s working today. Wait another 5 years and there will be far more “over 30 year old”s working as the “boomer” crews age.

  • J.M.

    I just talked to the folks at marketing. They’re pulling this video from YouTube and replacing it with one with more “sass” and a “stronger appeal to young boys.” While they appreciated you using a cover of an older song by a modern group (an animation staple!), they’ve asked that you add a Nicki Minaj verse and a Justin Bieber sample or two. Other than that, they loved it!

  • A Dude

    What I love about this is that it shows some of the people who make these films. Too often people seem to assume that computers make these films, as ordered by some corporate boardroom. Or that they’re “crapped out” by what John K. offensively called “Disney’s evil gay computer.”

    Watch that video above, the perfect rebuttal. Congrats and hats off. I can’t wait to see the finished project.

    • pheslaki

      John K’s bout of homophobic ranting about this movie was really distasteful. Now there is someone who’s really a cranky old goat.

  • http://jessicaplummer.blogspot.com Jessica Plummer

    SO much more awesome than a mash up of faceless names scrolled on black at the end of the film when everyone is getting up and leaving the theater anyways. Not that credits are bad, but like A Dude said, it’s clearly people and not computers.

  • http://handdrawnrevolution.blogspot.com/ Rodger

    Now THAT is how the animation credits should be…

    (but I wonder if the “overseas” production staff look that happy)

    Wah wah, wahhAHHHahhhhhhhhh…..

    • A dude

      There’s no overseas production staff on Tangled. It’s all in-house.

    • Steve

      There was no “overseas” staff on Tangled.

      • http://handdrawnrevolution.blogspot.com/ Rodger

        Well alright then…perhaps domestic production is making a come back, good for Disney.

        What small town will be making the merchandise?

  • Enrique

    Fantastic!

    Now we have visual proof that Disney Animation uses the 20%-80% rule on projects. 20% older/experienced talent and 80% recent graduates. And when the show is over keep the 20% and replace the 80% with cheaper people.

    It will be interesting to know how many of those people in this video have been laid off and how many will, if ever, be rehired at Disney.

    It will be a shame when all these new animators get up in years, around 35-40 years old, because where will they work?

    At least they’ll be comforted to know its only business…nothing personal.

    Good luck with all of your on-line web series.

    • Miguel

      Sadly I agree Enrique. These guys are so young – kids
      really. I know why Disney’s films are so shallow
      on the most part. Cause they’re made by kids with little or none life experience. No offence to
      any of them but they all seem like they are
      just on the receivig end of synthetic corporate orders coming down the mega production pyramid. No voice, tired, fake-rueful smiles. Perfectly manageable and manipulatable. Go easy on the Coke, its bad for you.
      Too check out the ingredients of what your eating for lunch as the very coporation you animate for may be selling you GMO food on the other end. Nothing personal, I am sure your stretch/squash is some of the best in California. Despite clear passion and innocence
      of this video, I am left feeling a bit sad for theses
      guys. Not sure… there is something a bit offputing
      about the whole atmosphere it projects?

      • Jeff Kurtti

        Yep. No one of such youth can do anything worthwhile.

        Like these punks on “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs”:

        Ward Kimball: 23
        John Hubley: 23
        Marc Davis: 24
        Ollie Johnston: 25
        Frank Thomas: 25
        Jim Algar: 25
        Fred Moore: 26
        John Lounsberry: 26
        Ken Anderson: 28
        Woolie Reitherman: 28
        Milt Kahl: 28
        Shamus Culhane: 29
        Ken O’Conner: 29
        Art Babbit: 30
        Les Clark: 30
        Joe Grant: 30
        Eric larson: 32
        Bill Tytla: 33
        Norm Ferguson: 35
        Ham Luske: 35
        David Hand: 36
        Walt Disney: 36

      • http://www.bishopanimation.com Floyd Bishop

        Given the current revolving door at Disney and many other studios, a handful at best would hope to still be employed at the studio five or more years from now. This is not a reflection of the artists or the quality of work, but the management who wants to keep costs and complaints as low as possible. Schools keep cranking out animators in the thousands every year. Are they amazing right out of the gate? Not many, but they can all set keyframes with some guidance, and that’s what the studio machines are banking on… literally.

        Walt seemed to keep the best around for as long as he could, learning from each picture and using what they learned to make the next one even better (yes, I know there are exceptions to this). Today, most of the crew is jettisoned between projects to keep overhead low. When seats open up, they’re filled with young talent that will do what they are told and work for very little. This is not just Disney, but many studios are operating like this now.

        I think that’s why this video has a sad feel to it. This will most likely be the last time all of those artists work together at the same studio.

      • Stephan

        “Nostalgia is a fear of the future.” I like that youth comment. Never even considered it. It was such a different world back then.

    • http://www.willanimateforfood.net Adam

      Hey Amid, thanks for posting this video! It’s nice to see people responding so positively to it.

      I thought you guys might find this interesting:

      I did a quick count, and to my best estimation this is the age spread of the animators (not counting production and technical staff, of which there were 6 in the video)

      There were 12 animators in their 20′s
      There were 23 animators in their 30′s
      There were 17 animators in their 40′s
      There was 1 animator in their 50′s

      There were 7 apprentice/fix animators, who were all in their 20′s.

      Also, other than one animator, no one was fresh out of school, and many, if not most, had done 3 or more animated films before Tangled. Some of the fix animators were straight out of school, but other fixers had extensive careers in vfx and games before coming to Disney.

      I think maybe the goofy, silly nature of the video and candid-ness of the whole thing probably makes us SEEM younger than we are :) Of course we had no idea what Claudio was doing when he filmed this throughout production, but it presents a pretty accurate snapshot of the camaraderie of the Tangled crew in the middle of crunch.

      Im glad it was made public, even the embarrassing parts :) Thanks Claudio

    • http://los-utopicos.blogspot.com allari

      Those were other times, people grew up much faster then. A hard working 20 year old from the 30s was more hardier and mature than the idiot man-children of today.

      • Dan Spacik

        EXACTLY! You cannot compare the “lived life outside and studied classical art” animators from the 30s to the “spoiled, soft handed no history computer kid” animators of the present.

  • http://deleted OtherDan

    Nice video-sincerely. I only recognize about 20% of those guys. I guess that’s why they feel the need to be seen. Now I want to know what they sound like!

  • http://WWW.JOSESAENZ.COM Jose Saenz

    Cool…looks like it was shot with either a 5D or 7D.

  • Flyboy

    Enrique, I work with age 40+ animators for years and no one gets put of to pasture , they are here cause they kept up with the times and new technology and do a damn good job. at the end of the day you can be a 99 year old tranvestite hooker, if your portfolio is good you’ll get work. Stop blaming corporations for your own laziness.

    • Enrique

      I know many people that are over 40 that can dance circles around people when it comes to technology and talent that’s not the point the point is that the people that run things want cheap staff that they can order around and that’s why so many have been let go at Disney and other studios simply because they cost “too much” and speak up for themselves.

      And I would love to see a 99 year old transvestite hooker get past Disney HR and make their way into the hat building.

    • Yvonne

      Flyboy,

      I believe that you missed Enrique’s point. He probably has seen many of his peers, just like I have, all talented, qualified and passionate about their work, be let go for no reason more than cost. Someone who just graduated from animation/cgi school is far cheaper than a seasoned veteran. And a few years down the line they, these younger animators, will be replaced by younger,cheaper graduates. Sadly its a cycle that repeats throughout not just the film industry but all industries nowadays.

      And how quick you are to say that he is lazy for all you know he could be sitting next to you or one of your friends or be someone who creates the technology that you use to animate with which is what I do and I can even remember when “Star Wars” was in the theaters. Gasp!

      The best thing that you can do is learn from the people who have come before. It doesn’t mean you have to do it their way, but take in what they have to offer and improve on it. Just don’t dismiss what they say because they are older and you are younger. Just because you or your “ways” are old doesn’t mean they are wrong and just because you are young doesn’t mean that your ideas are right.

      Congrats for the video. Its a great keepsake for those involved. I wish someone had done that on one of the shows I work on.

  • Amelia

    Flyboy- Very well said. You speak the truth.

    Miguel – While I share your frustration with the shallow films Disney is making, you are 100% incorrect about the young people being the problem. You have it completely backwards. Think back to the early eighties when Disney was struggling. Was it because the new kids coming in had no life experience and were making shallow films? Quite the opposite. Young people come in with little experience and no power, but with tons of passion and new perspectives. They want to shake up the old system, but the old system wants to keep doing things the way they’ve always been doing things. Young people get little respect from the people in charge. Things can be very political inside these studios, and guess who has all the power? Not the young kids that just walked in, that’s for sure.

    And I don’t mean to say that old artists are the problem. Artist’s that have become stale and passionless are the problem. Not everyone who’s old is stale. But its kind of hard to be young and stale. You can be young and talentless, but then you probably won’t make it very far in the business.

    And come on people….yeah there’s a lot more men animators then women at Disney. That because there are a lot more men in animation then women PERIOD. Change is slow, but there is no discrimination at work here. There are just fewer women out there doing animation. As time goes by more and more appear, but its a slow process. Would you rather Disney just hire every imaginable woman animator they can find regardless of skill level, so they can have 50/50? No, you would rather them hire the most talented. And that’s what happens at Disney. There are just simply more men out there. I’m just really curious about what those complaining about it would do about it. I mean seriously how would you solve this problem? Would you have the animation schools accept more women then men regardless of skill level to even it out? That hardly seems fair.

    • http://kecky.etsy.com kecky

      I just had a problem with the comment that having a few women in the studio makes it okay, when they are still such a minority. It does suck, and if saying so makes it complaining then I guess I was complaining, but I know full well that all I can do about it is to become the most kickass animator possible myself. So I’m working on that. :)

      • Amelia

        Its definitely not “ok” that there are fewer women then men in animation, but when I see people comment on it I feel like they are implying that some kind of discrimination is at work here, or that when hiring Disney should put a person’s sex over having the right level of talent. It just feels like a big “shame on you Disney.” I just want people to know that the problem isn’t Disney, it’s that there are just less women out there. I’m not saying that’s not a problem, but you’re right, the only way to solve it is for more young women to say, “I’m going to by an amazing animator!” and to do it.

    • greg m.

      My friends and I never wanted to come in to Disney to “shake up the system” – we wanted to become a part of the company that gave us such wonderful childhoods and continue on that tradition for new generations. BUT that Disney had disappeared by the time we got there, and as many have pointed out here, the Studio became a “business” then, which is why people come and go from there anymore.

      There are only a couple of Artists who never seem to be laid off from there, and although I hope it isn’t so, I think that one man in particular, Glen Keane, who is a legendary talent, is looked at by management as a sort of figurehead and a beacon of hope for Artists who want to come to Disney. Management must realize that by seeing Glen there we artists will think that we might have the chance to be there indefinitely, and maybe one day make the kind of money he makes. In reality, Glen and ALL of the other great animators out there deserve to have positions at that place on each and every film they make – Our salaries are NOT the biggest cost on those films – especially at today’s rates.

      Back to Tangled – can’t wait to see it! Congratulations to the crew on a job well done!

      • Amelia

        But “continuing the tradition” isn’t just making the same movie over and over again. I love the Disney of my childhood too, but like it or not for Disney to make fresh quality films things need to be shaken up. The Disney studio of the golden age in the 40s was so great because it was constantly looking forward towards something new and exciting. Now all we do is look backwards and try to remake the movies that were successful before. It’s all backwards. I’m at Disney because I love good movies. I want to make good movies. And right now we can’t because there’s too many people looking backwards.

  • Flyboy

    sometimes look at the reels at work, and if you have awesome work you’ll get hired. usually only 20% are from women and as Ive said, the best reel gets hired. Can you give an example of an animator who disney would not hire as a staff animator because his salary request was too high? i cant think of some master whos made the transition to 3d and disney will not hire them. Most good older animators move on to directing or retire early after making some nice buck during the disneys 90′s movies. The point im getting at is these are the same cliches over and over with nothing to back it up and if you do with a real example im all for hearing it.

  • Tori

    Regardless of the age of the people making the film if the story stinks the animation won’t matter.

    For the sake of Disney Animation and those involved I hope it works.

  • Alex Curtis

    Honestly, I am baffled that someone can look at this video and come away with a negative impression. “Tired, fake-rueful smiles.” Are you kidding me? The only thing tired here is the attempt to spin everything related to Disney in a bad light.

    If you are going to knock Disney for not investing in its artists, take a look at Nate Greno and Byron Howard. They came up from in-betweeners, worked up through story and are now directing feature films. What more do you want?

    In terms of animators, these “kids” as you put it, are pushing our medium to new levels. They aren’t there because they are young, they aren’t there because they are cheap, they are there because they are the best.

    I was an intern at Disney this summer, and I would consider myself extremely lucky to be a part of that place again; Not only for the quality of the work, but for the sincerity of its people.

    • http://yeldarb86.deviantart.com Mr. Semaj

      Blame the John K. followers for making a mockery of the cartoon community.

      What I am concerned is if Disney will ever have a new team of all-star animators once Glen Keane, Andreas Deja, Mark Henn, and some other modern veterans decide to pass the baton.

      • Stephan

        Agreed with the “Blame the John K. followers”. I remember when John K. chose that rocket cartoon to talk about, people were confused, but changed their philosophies to follow his.

  • Alex Curtis

    Oh, by the way, I know animators my age who have fought in two wars, so please do not condescend about life experience.

  • http://storyfanatic.com Jim

    I like this video.

    Makes me want to work there.

  • McDoogle

    This video has made me want to see Tangled, 10x more than the trailers. Makes me want to work there too.

    Disney should think about using this as their marketing, rather than rip-off some internet meme.

  • Rooniman

    They seem like nice people.

  • NR

    Awesome video!

    The people who complain about “too many young people” are full of it.
    What’s wrong with young people in a studio? What’s wrong with having new talent? It actually give me hope for the future of animation that there are so many young, talented, animators out there. One of these guys may be the next Glen Keane, Mark Henn, James Baxter, or Eric Goldberg.

    • Kyle Maloney

      Exactly, our older animators are great, but won’t live forever.

      • NR

        Yep. It was the same situation at Disney in the 70s and 80s. The old guys were… well… getting old. They knew they weren’t going to live forever so they brought in new, young, talented guys like Glen Keane, Don Bluth, and Dale Baer among other young people who are now leading the animation industry.

        Some people are just very bitter. It leaves a bad taste in my mouth to come here sometimes and it breaks my heart at how angry and bitter a lot of people who post on here, as well as John K’s blog, are. I just hope I never get that way.

        John K’s blog in particular is dangerous to young talent because, and I’ve witnessed this on the blogs of the students who worship him, it teaches them that it’s perfectly fine to piss on your peer’s work and it makes those students old and bitter before they even reach their late 20s.

        The 9 old men were very interested in developing new talent at the studio. I’m glad Disney is opening their doors to new talent. It confuses the hell out of me, as well as other young animation students my age, when I see animation studio’s websites where they require “3-5 years of feature film/game experience” to work there… how the hell are you supposed to GET 3-5 years of experience if no one will give you a chance to prove yourself?

  • Punzie

    Disney is the BEST place I have ever worked. The people are amazing and this movie is excellent. I hope most you people’s dreams come true like mine did.

  • Claudio

    Hey people,

    Once again, the homage movie was intended to remind me and my colleagues about the hard work that each one of us put on such a challenging and rewarding journey.
    Also to show family, friends and anyone that loves the art of animation. An intimate look at the people (and not the machines), that are responsible for bringing those characters to life.
    To all other departments involved on that project, we salute you all for the AMAZINGLY AWESOME work done.
    And for the bitter comments… please… take another moment to watch it once again. But this time, with an open heart. Not thinking about the Disney studios itself, but looking at the struggles, tears and smiles of a group of animators living their lives doing what they are passionate about.
    Maybe you will feel some of the emotions i have every single time i watch it.

  • disneyfan

    Disney has great artists but poor management..

    The reason being john lasseter not creating a director driven studio.. he simply does not trust the artists/directors to make their own decisions.. this is evident in the number of directors demoted because they did not comply with his tastes..

    For all the hard work that these folks did, they still have to work within this box..

    Change can only start from the top

  • Sandy

    I have to thank Claudio again for making this video. This was a fantastic crew and I’ve watched and re-watched this countless times! I love and miss each and everyone of you … thanks for the good times and the memories!

  • Work Room

    Great video, Claudio… But where was the footage of the Layout dept. pool table??? ;)

    • Claudio

      to Work Room.
      Unfortunately i had no time to spread the memories around the other departments. I even missed 5 of the animators on the show.
      And i know that if i had someone from a different department, them i would need to get the whole studio on it.
      Maybe on the next opportunity i can get a week of and roll around the building capturing some memorable reactions.
      But don’t get fooled, the “Work Room” lives on my heart, no footage needed for that.

      • Haaaaaay

        It lives in my tummy!

  • RP

    the video isn’t working anymore….says its private…would really like to see it ;(

  • NateCook

    Yeah, the video isn’t working anymore. However, I’m quite interested in watching it – are there any re-posts, or ways to make this one work? Any help would be much appreciated.

  • http://jerzy3d.blogspot.com jerzy

    Hey, i would like to watch this video but I cant!!!
    When I play the video it say this video is private!