‘Sketchbook” Reveals The Inspiration And Creativity Behind Iconic Disney Characters

Like many people, I have grown up watching Disney animated movies. In fact, one of my earliest memories is going to a drive-in theater with my aunt to see “Peter Pan” when I was about 5 years old. Disney and Pixar artists have created an impressive lineup of iconic, generation-defining characters, from Winnie the Pooh and Snow White to Simba and Woody to Nemo and Olaf. A new series from Disney+, “Sketchbook,” takes viewers behind the scenes with the artists who created some of these characters—providing an intimate look at the influences and inspirations that go into the process.

Each episode of “Sketchbook” focuses on a single artist teaching us how to draw a single iconic character from a Walt Disney Animation Studios film. As the artist shares the steps to drawing these characters, viewers also discover that the artists themselves each have a unique story to tell about how they made their way to Disney and their chosen character. The series gives viewers of all ages a new understanding of how these beloved characters come to life on screen and reveals the tools and people that make it happen.

The Genie from Aladdin

One episode focuses on the artist who created The Genie for “Aladdin,” Eric Goldberg. Goldberg has a long history with Disney, and a number of impressive achievements—including receiving the 2011 Winsor McCay award from ASIFA-Hollywood for lifetime achievement in animation, and his recent work creating animation for the “Drawn to Life” Cirque du Soleil show performed at Disney Springs in Orlando, Florida.

Goldberg’s animation knowledge started early, creating flipbooks at age six and moving on to making prize-winning Super 8 films from the age of 13. He joined Walt Disney Animation Studios in 1990 to supervise the animation of the wise-cracking Genie in “Aladdin.”

Aladdin is one of my favorite movies, and the Genie—voiced by the imitable Robin Williams—is one of the favorite and most well-known characters ever. I was very excited to have the opportunity to speak with Goldberg about the inspiration and creative process for Genie.

It was very interesting to me to learn which comes first—the proverbial chicken or the egg. I wondered if the voice acting drives the animation, or if the animation influences the voice acting. Goldberg told me that the voice acting generally comes first, and then it is his job to develop animations that capture the tone and inflection—that display the emotion of the voice acting in an animated character.

In many cases, the artist might have a pretty good idea of what the voice actor will say because they mostly follow the script. However, Robin Williams was well-known for improvising and just riffing off of whatever thoughts ran through his head. The result is a ton of awesome content that wasn’t in the script, but that an artist like Goldberg has to play back and interpret into animation. And he didn’t just have to capture the emotion from Robin Williams’ voice acting, he had to translate it to a blue genie in a way that comes through to the audience as authentic.

Goldberg also told me there is research involved. There are scenes where Genie is imitating Robert De Niro from the movie “Taxi Driver,” or dancing like Cab Calloway. To render those convincingly, Goldberg had to study the original artists and materials and find a way to merge it with his artistic vision for Genie and the voice and emotion of Robin Williams.

Creating Iconic Characters

Everyone has their favorite Disney animated movies and characters. It does seem somewhat generational—similar to how people have a favorite James Bond actor that is usually dependent on when they grew up and first started watching James Bond movies. Regardless of your favorite movie or character, though, it is very interesting to learn about the back story and to get an intimate look at the techniques and processes that led to their creation. It is a combination of art and science and technology and creativity that all mesh together to bring a character to life.

The 6-episode series premiers April 27 on Disney+.