Meet Mark Henn: He’s the man behind many of Disney’s most
beloved animated characters, Young Simba from The Lion King, The Little
Mermaid's Ariel and Princess Jasmine from Aladdin. In a recent interview
the talented animator chats with Jennie Blizzard about living his childhood
dream, the effects of the 3D revolution, and offers words of wisdom
for students interested in the profession.



Mark Henn describes his time at Disney as a dream come true. “I can’t think
of a time as a young boy when I didn’t enjoy drawing. All I wanted was get my
hands on a piece of paper and pencil,” said Henn. While growing up in Dayton,
Ohio, going to Disney films became a regular routine in the Henn household.
“I saw the movie Cinderella when I was only a kid and that just left a mark on
me,” he said. “Although I was old enough to kind of understand the animation
process and the drawings involved—I didn’t know a lot of the ins and outs—
but was amazed by seeing an art that brought these characters to life.” Henn
credits Disney’s The Reluctant Dragon for influencing his career choice. The
film, allowed the audience to see behind the scenes of the animation process,
and Henn admits he was hooked.

As part of his entry in to the world of animation, Henn attended alongside fellow
student Tim Burton (director of hit films like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
and Alice in Wonderland) the California Institute of Arts’ Character Animation
program which trained a new generation of Disney artists, and where Henn was
taught by some of Disney’s premier animators. Upon graduating, he immediately
began work on his first animation assignment at Walt Disney Studios: Mickey in
Mickey’s Christmas Carol, marking the start of a 32-year career and numerous
contributions to timeless characters that have endured generations.

From the start, Henn knew that working at the Disney studio required a com-
mitment to excellence which he still diligently maintains. “You come in with a
certain level of expectation,” he said, “and in our case here at the studio, we
looked at the work that had been done before, which had a very high standard
already established.”

Even with decades of experience and countless accolades, Henn doesn’t take his
work lightly and still welcomes the opportunity to perfect his craft. “For me the
challenge is to constantly get better,” he explains. “I think this is particularly a
challenge for musicians and film actors and artists. There’s always this battle
against complacency and fighting the idea that you’ve arrived.”

Henn emphasizes that the chance to reinvent his work and hone in his art comes
with each new project. Through these and other countless opportunities, he's
managed to learn from mistakes and give the very best of his God-given talent.
In 2009, Henn embraced the honor of animating Disney’s first African-American
princess, Tiana, in The Princess and the Frog. Set in jazz age-era New Orleans
in the 1920s, the film centers around a young girl named Tiana and her fateful
kiss with a frog prince who desperately wants to be human again. Henn des-
cribed the experience of animating Tiana’s character as an adult, young girl and
frog—complex but fun. “Every character in every film is different and unique,”
he explains. “And while oftentimes people have said to me, ‘Don’t you get tired
of drawing the same thing over and over again?’ I’m like ‘Well, I would, but I
don’t do that’. Every day is different in a lot of ways.”

With the recent successful theatrical and DVD release of The Lion King in 3D
(earning a whopping $79 million in ticket sales in just three weeks) and plans
by Disney to release 3D versions of Beauty and the Beast and Finding Nemo
next year, Hen sees the new trend as a growing component in the film industry.

“3D isn’t what is at the heart of what our movies are about. But it’s one of those
things that towards the end of a production can help give a film a really exciting
look and bring the audience a different experience,” he explains. “It’s really
the story and the character that are the most important elements to a film and
whether it’s computer animated or hand animated, in a two-dimensional viewing
or three-dimensional, it’s really about what’s the best way to tell the story you
have in front of you and presenting the characters in the most exciting and
entertaining way.”

As technology continues to evolve, what is Henn’s advice to future students who
want to create the next classic animated character? “Get the best art training
that you can get. You still have to be an artist and have that academic foundation.
You need to train your eye, heart and mind as an artist. The animation part is
then the expression of that art that you’re learning.” He also strongly encourages
students to build on their computer skills.

Henn’s passion for art has led him on an exciting professional journey. And while
also an accomplished sculptor, who has created sculptures of Orville and Wilbur
Wright in his native Ohio, he remains humble and always ready to create the
next lovable animated character. “With the benefit of some hindsight, I clearly
see that this is a talent that God blessed me with,” he said. “He has allowed me
to live out my boyhood dream and made the path that I needed to follow. I’ve
had a lot of people mention that over the years. ‘You were so lucky. I wish I
had known so early what I wanted to do’, they say. And I have to agree—I’m
very blessed to have had this chance.”

Mark Henn’s Supervising Animator Credits:

Basil of Baker Street, Dr. Dawson – The Great Mouse Detective (1986)
Oliver, Dodger – Oliver & Company (1988)
Ariel – The Little Mermaid (1989)
Belle – Beauty and the Beast (1991)
Princess Jasmine – Aladdin (1992)
Young Simba – The Lion King (1994)
Mulan, Fa Zhou – Mulan (1998)
Grace, Wesley, Rusty, Pearl – Home on the Range (2004)
Tod – The Fox and the Hound 2 (2006)
Tiana – The Princess and the Frog (2009)
Winnie the Pooh, Christopher Robin – Winnie the Pooh (2011)