Chelsea

Describe something that you learned from your mentors.

My mentors taught me how to get a shot from 90% to 100%. It's always the last 10% that is the hardest because you need a really good eye for color, light, detail and how all those things relate to the story. My mentors are amazing artists and were so patient with me. I learned what it really takes to make a shot beautiful and impactful, which is something I've always admired about Disney films.

Looking back to when you were applying, and knowing what you know now, what advice would you give yourself?

I would tell myself to not be so shy asking for feedback from other people in the animation industry! Everyone is so nice and extremely helpful. Oftentimes I felt like I was alone and I didn't really know what I needed to succeed and that confusion could have been easily cleared up if I hadn't been so shy. I could have avoided a lot of unneeded stress!

What will you take away from your experience and how will you apply it?

I think the biggest thing I want to take away is the knowledge that what makes Disney amazing is the amount of collaboration involved in the film-making process. For every image I work on, I get rounds of feedback from my supervisors, director of cinematography, and even my office mates. So in the end, each one is a collection of the best ideas from some of the bests artists around. I want to make sure that I'm always getting feedback and collaborating with those around me, since two heads are better than one!

What are 3 words you would use to describe your experience?

Rewarding, Exciting, Friendship

What are you most proud of from your program?

I'm proud that I've learned how to voice my opinion! I usually am very shy, so I don't like to draw attention to myself, but everyone here is so nice and encouraging, I feel like its helped me find my own voice and be more confident as an artist

What do you like about working at Disney Animation?

I love the people! The artists here are so passionate about animation and its an incredible environment to work in.

What was your favorite Disney movie growing up?

The Princess and the Frog

What's the most surprising part of working at Disney Animation?

There's a cereal bar!

What Disney character do you connect with most?

I connect with Tiana the most! Sometimes, I find myself working too hard and I lose sight of what's really important and I feel like Tiana went through the same thing in her movie. She and Naveen are such a good example of learning to meet in the middle and compromise. It's really inspiring.

What is your favorite memory while working at Disney Animation?

Going to Disneyland with the Talent Development program!

Meet Chelsea