by Tia Calvin | Nov 20, 2019 | Arts and Entertainment, News Slider
Disney has re-entered the world of ice, castles, and comedy with its long-awaited sequel, Frozen 2. In the past, Disney has admittingly had trouble with remakes and sequels. However, the animation giant seems to be regaining its quintessential magic with its newest release. The last two Disney sequel releases, Incredibles 2 and Toy Story 4, shattered box office records to become the top two highest-grossing animated features of all time and the Frozen sequel is already right on their heels. Currently, the film is taking the third grossing spot and outpacing these two films in presale tickets alone. Despite a nearly six-year gap since the first Frozen release, Frozen 2 seems to recognize that the fan base itself has grown while leaving room for younger kids to also enjoy the film. Both Elsa and Anna lose their signature braids and dresses in favor of sleek ponytails and pants, seemingly to mark the transition from innocent young girls to courageous adult women. Their quest: to find the origin of Elsa’s ice powers and reunite the kingdom of Arendelle with its mysterious enchanted forest counterpart. Over the course of their adventure, Princess Anna (voiced by Kristen Bell) worries that her sister’s ice powers aren’t enough to protect her from the world beyond their safe home. Queen Elsa (voiced by Idina Menzel) battles the elements to learn that she’s valued and deserving of a greater purpose than just being queen. Olaf, the living snowman, is given youthful humor that peaks at naivety while Kristoff and Sven, the former iceman/reindeer duo, figure out how to pop the question to an unsuspecting Anna. And...
by Colleen Casner | Oct 27, 2014 | News Slider
Aspiring animators learned from the careers of veteran Disney animators during ProWeekend Animation and Illustration Weekend Artist Seminar on Saturday in Lipscomb’s Shamblin Theater. Headlining the event were three Disney animators, Tom Bancroft, Ruben Aquino and Claire Keane. Their experiences represented different periods of Disney animation as Bancroft and Aquino designed and animated characters from 1990’s films like The Lion King, Mulan and Beauty and the Beast, while Keane has worked on more recent films such as Tangled and Frozen. The event consisted of lectures by each of the three artists, a character design contest and a question-and-answer session with the artists. Attendees particularly enjoyed learning from the artists’ experiences. Gene Fayne enjoyed hearing how classic Disney characters evolved during the design process, but the most important part of his experience was being inspired by the artists’ success. “The biggest thing I’m taking away from it is to just be inspired and just continue to draw and practice, and hopefully I can get to where those guys are,” Fayne said. Lipscomb sophomore Elena Stewart said about her experience, “The most important thing I’ve learned about animation just this weekend is how important it is to do research and to tell a story.” Stewart is particularly excited about Bancroft’s new position as artist-in-residence at Lipscomb’s new animation department, a part of the College of Entertainment and the Arts. She has lofty ambitions for her career; her dream is to work at Pixar. “I can’t believe that I’m going to be working with Tom Bancroft. I just can’t wait to learn from someone who is so knowledgeable in the field. I...
