What I Learned Working on "Pocahontas"

"Their skin's a hellish red, they're only good when dead"

One of the best experiences of my animation career was working at the Disney Studio in Los Angeles in the summer of 1994 on "Pocahontas", animating the villainous Governor Ratcliffe supervised by lead animator Duncan Marjoribanks. 

Duncan was a generous mentor, and I learned a huge amount under his guidance, as well as learning from directors Mike Gabriel and Eric Goldberg. 

A Masterclass in Character Animation

"Oh, can't I?"

Duncan Marjoribanks is a great animator, and to me he was an endlessly patient mentor, carefully going over my key poses and making sure I was always "on model" - and that the performance was consistent. 

Staying "On Model"

Working on a character animation team, especially in the 2D days, was a big challenge, just trying to keep the drawings and performance consistent.  But it was a pleasure to work on Governor Ratcliffe - he was well designed, fun to draw, and Duncan gave Ratcliffe a solid skeletal structure that was easy to replicate. In addition, we had a great voice performance provided by David Ogden Stiers.  .

Live Action Reference

"Make sure every man has a musket"

Director Eric Goldberg filmed a great deal of live action reference, and the animators were expected to follow it closely.  

The shot to the right - "every man has a musket", for example, was animated this way. 

This was the first time I had learned how to use live action to inform an animated performance - a crucial lesson for me. Later, on films such as The Road to El Dorado, I would shoot live action for many of my scenes, especially the big long shots involving complex actions. 

Learning at Disney Animation

"Kill Them!"

Working at Walt Disney Animation in the mid-1990s was like attending the best animation university in the world - and (best of all) being paid to learn. 

All around me were master animators - such as Glen Keane, the lead animator on Pocahontas, who handed out animation worksheets to the junior animators - worksheets which I still refer back to today.  

Member of an Orchestra

Being at Disney was a bit like being a player in an orchestra. Each animator had their own instrument, their own small section of the film, and everything we did was about serving the overall performance. 

What I Learned

Duncan Marjoribanks

From Duncan, I learned the value of making clear, strong key poses, and a sense of discipline in planning the shot.  Before a single drawing was made, Duncan would meticulously plan the shot with thumbnail sketches, so that the outcome was clear in his head.  

Great Animation is in the Planning

It’s a lesson I still share with my students today: great animation is all about the planning - and this starts long before you touch the keyboard or stylus.

Working on Pocahontas was a formative experience — not just because it was Disney, but because it taught me how much care, craftsmanship, and collaboration go into even the smallest moments on screen.

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