The big FILMSTARS interview with studio president Clark Spencer for Walt Disney Animation’s 100th anniversary

Walt Disney Animation Studios turns 100 this year! To celebrate the anniversary – after a spectacular 90-second Super Bowl commercial as the starting gun – a variety of events will take place throughout the year under the Disney100 motto.

On this occasion, we met Clark Spencer in Berlin, who has not only won two Oscars (for “Zoomania” and “Encanto”) in his 30 years with Disney, but also holds the position of President of Walt Disney Animation Studios since August 2019.

But before we get on with him about the past (and coming) 100 years in the animation business, let’s talk about Bruno for a second, even though the title of the most recent highest-grossing Disney song of all time is “We Don’t Talk”. About Bruno” actually advises against it…

MOVIE BEGINS:

Clark Spencer (laughs): You can never really predict something like that. When Lin-Manuel Miranda gave us the demo, we immediately felt like we were dealing with a phenomenal song. But even when the audience voted “Not a word about Bruno” as their favorite song at a preview, we never imagined it could become such a hit. When you consider the cultural footprint “Let It Go” left behind and whatever the song means to Disney Animation as a company, the success of “Not a Word About Bruno” is pretty incredible.

MOVIE BEGINS:

clark spencer: It was certainly very surprising. You can’t just sit down and say, we’re going to do the next “Let It Go” now, that’s an impossible task. Especially since “Not a word about Bruno” is also an ensemble song – and yet it won an Emmy two weeks ago. Duos win Emmys, bands win Emmys, solo artists win Emmys, but ensembles never really win anything. That also speaks to the incredible melody that Lin-Manuel Miranda gave us.

MOVIE BEGINS:

clark spencer: Not many companies manage to live to be 100 years old. So it’s not just an incredible milestone for us. It is also time for Walt Disney Animation Studios to give special thanks to two groups: the artists who created all these stories, worlds and characters, but also the fans who made us a part of their lives who came to the cinema and fell – just like us – in love with the characters.

MOVIE BEGINS:

clark spencer: They showed us the place maybe four or five days before it aired – and it was very emotional. When you go to work every day, you usually don’t take that step back to reflect on what that moment actually means. But when you look at the commercial, with all those characters created by Walt Disney Animation and the fans in the theme parks, you’re touched that you’ve been talking about it for a year. That left an impression – I remember it like it was yesterday. So now when I see the kids on the scene, I know what it means – and now to be a part of it myself is pretty cool.

MOVIE BEGINS:

clark spencer: Of course, anyone can point to something that they personally wish had been there. But the fact that the spot starts with “Open Your Eyes” from “Encanto” of all things really got to me. And then it ends with “Rapunzel – Neu Verföhnt” – also a movie that means a lot to me personally, because it ushered in a new musical renaissance of Walt Disney Animation and made movies like “Frozen”, “Vaiana” and “Encanto” possible. So for selfish reasons alone I was very happy with the selection.

MOVIE BEGINS:

clark spencer: For me, the essence of animation is storytelling, and computer animation has not changed that. Technology is part of our job – and Walt Disney has always been at the forefront of innovation. Of course we remain committed to surprising the audience and to be able to tell stories that were not possible before. The visual impairments are guaranteed to become less and less. But as terrifying as it may seem to want to go back 100 years after 100 years of innovation to making animated films, ultimately it’s about telling tall stories.

MOVIE BEGINS:

clark spencer: Everyone is talking about it now and trying to understand what it means. Where is the added value and where are the potential problems. However, we believe that the handmade nature of our work is extremely important. It’s a misconception that artists have played a smaller role since the move to computer animation — the storyboard artist still draws every panel, the visual animation artist still paints every frame, and the animators still animate every character 24 frames per second. second. If it gets too perfect and looks too realistic, there’s no reason to do it as an animation project at all. The use of artificial intelligence is not only about how we can make our lives easier, but above all how we can still guarantee the handmade character of the product.

MOVIE BEGINS:

clark spencer: For us, the biggest event is definitely coming in November with our new movie “Wish”. A classic Disney Christmas movie with an amazing world and incredible music. But what really blew my mind was the visual style – it’s reminiscent of the watercolor look you see in many Disney classics, but with a modern twist as CGI allows the camera to move much more freely. The story is also about wishes – and what better way to celebrate a 100-year Disney anniversary…

MOVIE BEGINS:

clark spencer: It’s ironic that you say five years of all things. It was actually 2018 when Jennifer Lee and Chris Buck, after completing Frozen 2, started thinking about what would make sense for a 100th anniversary story. It wasn’t a business assignment, they just brainstormed together – and “Wish” came out. The movie captures the 100 years beautifully without feeling like we’re stuck in the past, it’s still a current original story. There are those moments in a movie where you just feel it – and you feel it with Wish…

Now if you feel like immersing yourself in the 100 year history of Walt Disney Animation: Just in time for the anniversary, Clark Spencer has compiled his favorite shorts from the studio’s long history – and you can even watch most of them directly on Disney+: