15 minutes as Disney artists

In my early days, I often wondered what it would be like to work for Disney. I toured the illustration studio at Disney World in Orlando with wide eyes and big dreams. I loved the simple shapes that came to life and transformed into their beloved characters.

Unfortunately, when we went back in January with my daughters, I was disappointed to find that they no longer offered the tour. My girls love to draw, and I had hoped to share in their artist tour experience.

While we had a wonderful visit with many memories to cherish, I still felt a little sad about the fact that they were unable to see Disney artists in action.

Fast forward 6 months… Disneyland, here we come!

When we decided that we’d make the trip up to Disneyland from San Diego this summer, I was delighted to discover the studio visit was still available in California. Wonderful news!!

Both of my girls are perfectionists. They were a little hesitant to enter the studio. It looked more like a movie theater than an art studio. We were all given sketch materials and asked to find our seats.

During this session, our mission was to draw Jack Jack from the “Incredibles” movie. Our artist started with those simple shapes I remembered from my initial tour so many years ago. She moved quickly through the material and the girls got a little frustrated with her speed. Each of my daughters felt the need to start over after reviewing their initial progress. Did I mention that they are perfectionists? Good grief, are they ever!

In the end, our short stint as Disney artists turned out well. (1-4 is youngest to oldest.) I left the studio with a little sense of closure, quite content about circling back to the simple shapes that I’d first fallen in love with all those years ago.

If you’re ever in the neighborhood of Adventureland, stop in and give it a whirl. You’ll be glad you did.

Kim Schlepp