| Glen Keane | |
|---|---|
| Born | April 13, 1954 Philadelphia Pennsylvania |
| Occupation | Animator Author Illustrator |
| Years active | 1973–present |
| Spouse(s) | Linda Hesselroth |
Glen Keane (born April 13, 1954) is an American animator, author, illustrator and director. Keane is best known for his character animation at Walt Disney Studios for feature films including The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast and Tarzan. Keane received the 1992 Annie Award for character animation and the 2007 Winsor McCay Award for lifetime contribution to the field of animation.
Contents |
Life and career
Keane was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the son of cartoonist Bil Keane, creator of the The Family Circus, and Thelma "Thel" Carne Keane. He was raised in Paradise Valley, Arizona.
Keane's interest in art developed as a child by observing his father's work as a cartoonist.[1] (Glen's younger self is represented in his father's comic strip as the character of "Billy"). In his early attempts to draw, his dad gave him a copy of Burne Hogarth's Dynamic Anatomy, and instructed him to analyze the body forms and the creative approach to life drawing. After high school, Glen applied to the California Institute of the Arts-School of Art, opting out of accepting a football scholarship from another college. In a lucky twist of fate, his application was accidentally sent to the Program in Experimental Animation (then called Film Graphics), where he was mentored under the now-renowned animation teacher, Jules Engel.[1]
Keane left CalArts in 1974 and joined Disney the same year. His debut work was featured in The Rescuers as an animator for the characters of Bernard and Penny, alongside the famed Ollie Johnston. He then went on to animate Elliott the Dragon in Pete's Dragon. Keane animated the climactic bear showdown in The Fox and the Hound. In 1982, after being inspired by the groundbreaking film Tron, he worked with director John Lasseter (Toy Story, Toy Story 2) on Where the Wild Things Are (available at YouTube), a 30-second test greenlighted by Tom Willhite that integrated traditional character animation and computer-generated backgrounds. This test, which like Tron was a cooperation with MAGI, was also Disney's first experimenting with digital inked and painted characters[2]. But the project turned out to be too expensive, and the studio was unwilling to invest further in the planned featurette. Where the Wild Things Are was revolutionary for its time, and a predecessor to the famous ballroom scene in Beauty and the Beast.
In 1983 Keane left Disney as a contracted employee and worked as a freelance artist.[1] During this time he worked on the character of Professor Ratigan in Disney's The Great Mouse Detective. He also did some work on The Chipmunk Adventure. He returned to Disney to work on the characters of Fagin, Sykes and Georgette for Oliver & Company. Keane rose to lead character animator, becoming one of the group sometimes referred to as the "Nine New Men". In this post he was responsible for animating some of Disney's most memorable characters in what has been referred to as the "New "Golden Age" of Disney Animation. Keane designed and animated the character of Ariel in the 1989 film The Little Mermaid. Then the eagle Marahute in The Rescuers Down Under. Subsequently, Keane worked as the supervising animator on the title characters for three Disney hit features: Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast and Pocahontas.
While living with his family in Paris, France for three years, Keane completed work on Disney's 1999 Tarzan for which he drew the eponymous character. Keane then returned to Disney's Burbank studio as the lead animator for Long John Silver in Treasure Planet. In 2003 Keane began work as the director of Disney's CGI animated film, Rapunzel, slated for release in 2010. In Rapunzel, Glen and his team hoped to bring the unique style and warmth of traditional cel animation to computer animation. In October 2008, due to some "non-life threatening health issues", Keane stepped back as director of Rapunzel, but remained the film's executive producer and an animating director.[3]
In addition to his work as an animator, Keane is the author and illustrator of a series of children's Bible parable books featuring Adam Raccoon and King Aren the Lion.
Keane married Linda Hesselroth in 1975, and they are the parents of design artist Claire Keane, and computer graphics artist Max Keane.
Quotes
- "People are who they are by the way they react to things."[4]
Filmography
| Year | Title | Credits | Characters | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1973 | Star Trek: The Animated Series | Layout artist | TV series by Filmation Studios | |
| 1977 | The Rescuers | Character animator | Penny [5], Bernard [5] | |
| 1977 | Pete's Dragon | Character animator | Elliot the Dragon [5] | |
| 1979 | A Family Circus Christmas | Animator/Models | ||
| 1981 | The Fox and the Hound | Supervising Animator | The Bear [5] | |
| 1982 | A Family Circus Easter | Models | ||
| 1983 | Mickey's Christmas Carol | Animator | Willie the Giant [5] | |
| 1985 | The Black Cauldron | Character designer | Gurgi, Eilonwy [1] | |
| 1986 | The Great Mouse Detective | Supervising Animator | Professor Ratigan [5] | |
| 1987 | The Chipmunk Adventure | Animator Storyboard artist |
||
| 1988 | Oliver & Company | Supervising animator Character designer |
Sykes [5], Georgette [5], Fagin [5] | |
| 1989 | The Little Mermaid | Directing animator Character designer |
Ariel [5] | |
| 1990 | The Rescuers Down Under | Supervising animator Character designer |
Marahute [5] | |
| 1991 | Beauty and the Beast | Supervising animator | Beast [5] | |
| 1992 | Aladdin | Supervising animator | Aladdin | |
| 1995 | Pocahontas | Supervising animator Visual Development Story |
Pocahontas | |
| 1999 | Tarzan | Supervising animator Story |
Tarzan | |
| 2002 | Treasure Planet | Supervising animator | John Silver | |
| 2003 | Mickey's PhilharMagic | Animator | Ariel | |
| 2010 | Rapunzel | Executive producer Animation director Story |
(in production) |
Publications
- Keane, Glen (1986). Adam Raccoon and the King's Big Dinner. Colorado Springs, Col.: Chariot Victor Pub.. ISBN 9780781400398. OCLC 49002064.
- Keane, Glen (1987). Adam Raccoon at Forever Falls. Elgin, Ill.: Chariot Books. ISBN 9781555130879. OCLC 14588033.
- Keane, Glen (1987). Adam Raccoon in Lost Woods. Elgin, Ill.: Chariot Books. ISBN 9781555130886. OCLC 14905950.
- Keane, Glen (1987). Adam Raccoon and the Circus Master. Elgin, Ill.: Chariot Books. ISBN 9781555130909. OCLC 14931727.
- Keane, Glen (1989). Adam Raccoon and the Flying Machine. Elgin, Ill.: Chariot Books. ISBN 9781555132873. OCLC 18050595.
- Keane, Glen (1989). Adam Raccoon and the Mighty Giant. Elgin, Ill.: Chariot Books. ISBN 9781555132880. OCLC 19397210.
- Campbell, Stan; Jane Vogel; John Duckworth; Jim Townsend (1992). Quick studies: Philippians–Hebrews. Glen Keane (ill.). Elgin, Ill.: D.C. Cook Pub. Co.. ISBN 9780781400282. OCLC 28687078.
- Campbell, Stan; John Duckworth; Jim Townsend (1992). Quick Studies: James–Revelation. Glen Keane (ill.). Elgin, Ill.: D.C. Cook Pub. Co.. ISBN 9780781400299. OCLC 28687002.
- Keane, Glen (1993). Adam Raccoon and the Race to Victory Mountain. Elgin, Ill.: Chariot Books. ISBN 9781555133634. OCLC 25367425.
- Keane, Glen (1995). Adam Raccoon and Bully Garumph. Elgin, Ill.: Chariot Books. ISBN 9781555133672. OCLC 32745892.
- Keane, Glen (1995). Cookie time: a first lesson in obedience. Elgin, Ill.: Chariot Books. ISBN 9780781402064. OCLC 37453329.
- Keane, Glen (1995). Follow the king: A first lesson in trust. Elgin, Ill.: Chariot Books. ISBN 9780781402071. OCLC 37453329.
- Keane, Glen; Samii Taylor; Joe Yakovetic (1995). Parables for Little Kids. Elgin, Ill.: Chariot Family Pub.. ISBN 9780781402583. OCLC 33440835.
References
- ^ a b c d Ghez, Didier, Interview with Glen Keane, Walt Disney Feature Animation France, Montreuil: May 2, 1997 retrieved 2008-08-10
- ^ A Critical History of Computer Graphics and Animation
- ^ Glen Keane leaving Disney's RAPUNZEL. Who's stepping up?, Disney in-house memo, Ain't It Cool News, October 9, 2008
- ^ Glen Keane Lecture, California Institute of the Arts, March 2 2007
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Cawley, John Glen Keane How to Create Animation, Interviews, August 22 1990
External links
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
