Interview: Don Hahn on Alchemy of Animation
Veteran Disney Producer Talks About His New Book
Oct 29, 2008
Don Hahn's first credit was as an assistant animator on 1977's Pete's Dragon. After shifting to producer for Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Hahn's been a mainstay at Disney, producing countless animated films including The Lion King, Beauty and the Beast, and Atlantis.
Suite 101 recently chatted with Don about his new book, The Alchemy of Animation, and working at Disney for so many years.
Why did you write The Alchemy of Animation?
"I was always approached by students or animation fans asking how animation was done and how could they get into animation. This is the book I wish I could've had when I was in high school."
How is it different from your previous book, Disney's Animation Magic?
"This book is more detailed and written for the serious animation fan. Animation Magic covered mainly 2D animation and I wanted to cover multiple techniques. 3D is the norm now, so it made sense to highlight some of my favourite 3D movies and talk about the talent behind the scenes. I'm working on a stop-motion film, and have always been a fan of stop motion animation, going back to Ray Harryhausen. It was a great opportunity to combine those three techniques into one book."
Why is it exclusively about Disney Animation? Did you try talking with other studios, other animators?
"I think Disney and Pixar do it the best. There have been great animated films from other studios (Iron Giant comes to mind) but Disney and Pixar have been at the forefront of feature animated films. I feel the same about The Nightmare Before Christmas. I love Corpse Bride and Rankin & Bass' Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer, but the high water mark for stop motion is Nightmare."
There have been a lot of books published about Disney Animation. What sets yours apart?
"Alchemy is not a history book, nor is it a retrospective about the art of animation. It is a very current book, even using examples from films that have not yet been released. Others are better Disney historians, but when it comes to writing about current trends and techniques, this is your book!"
On pg. 29, you have several cartoons from a production called Wild Life. Why was it shelved?
"So many ideas get shelved over the years. Charles Solomon even wrote about recently shelved movies in his book Disney Lost and Found. Wild Life had some spectacular artwork that I wanted to show in the book. Sometimes great work gets done but the idea as a whole doesn't come together. That was the case with Wild Life. Great work and design was done, but it was clear that the film wasn't coming together. It's valuable to recognize when it's time to move on."
You've worked in the Card Walker/Ron Miller era, the "animation renaissance," the post-Katzenberg Eisner era, and now with Iger/Lasseter. How would you describe the working atmosphere?
"In each era, there were good people trying to make great films. Ron Miller was responsible for rejuvenating animation during a time when many veteran artists were retiring. Ron and Card had Marc Davis, Eric Larson, Walt Stanchfield and others set up a recruiting and training program that brought in artists like Musker and Clements, Brad Bird, Tim Burton, John Lasseter, Glen Keane Joe Ranft, and others.
"The business of animation took off because of this early training, and because of the passion and energy Eisner and Katzenberg brought to the business. Some call it a second Golden Era, and time will tell if that was the case.
"We had a few soft years of animation at Disney, but working with John Lasseter and Ed Catmull has been a huge lift. I think audiences will enjoy some amazing movies, starting with Bolt."
What's your take on Catmull and Lasseter's leadership?
"They're very tough on story and character, and are pushing the crew in a positive way to create at the highest possible level. They really understand the legacy of Walt Disney and the crew at Disney Animation Studios is right there with them."
You were an assistant director with Woolie Reitherman. What was that like?
"I worked with Woolie on The Fox and the Hound. He was probably one of the key inspirations on my career.
"He was very clear and strong in his point of view, but also delegated artistic authority to people like Frank Thomas, Ollie Johnston, and Milt Kahl. He surrounded himself with great artists and wasn't afraid to lead. He also had a great legacy as an animator and artist, one of the most extraordinary talents in this studio. Walt Disney himself picked Woolie as the guy to carry animation forward and, for many years, Woolie was the guy who kept it all alive creatively.
"He would always say, 'Never lose the respect of the artists.' Those have been words to live by during my career."
What was probably your favourite movie to work on? What was the most troublesome?
"Roger Rabbit was the most difficult. It suffered almost every setback you can imagine, from budget cuts to schedule delays. The artistic ambition was the highest, and there were many times when we weren't sure if we could get it done.
"Beauty and the Beast was a very special experience, but the strongest and most powerful film I've worked on, and probably my favourite, is The Hunchback of Notre Dame."
You're the executive producer on Frankenweenie, Tim Burton's next stop-motion film. What can viewers expect to see?
Stop motion animation . . . Tim Burton . . . an adaptation of the Frankenstein story . . . what more do you need to say? It's going to be fantastic!"
(A big thank-you to Fumi Kitahara for his assistance in setting up this interview)
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