The Walt Disney Discovery Camp has ended but the memories will last forever! We had an amazing time this summer with our campers, some of which traveled from as far away as Wisconsin to join us.
Pencilmation Camp, ages 14- 17, culminated with a gallery opening and a film screening of their new short Penny. This two minute animated short was a major accomplishment considering that it was created in 6 out of the 10 days of camp, and none of the campers had ever animated in traditional hand drawn animation.
Animation Everywhere Camp, ages 7- 10, explored many traditional hands on animation techniques such as zoetrope, flipbooks, cal animation, and pixilation. The campers had a chance to draw and then animate the drawings in the computer. It was really fun to see the reactions of these young animators when they first watched their work appear to come to life.
Art Adventures Camp, ages 8-11, gave campers a chance to develop the artist in them. Although most campers wanted to paint every day, they also explored sculpting and drawing, and learned how to care for their materials. The campers even designed and painted their own portfolios that they used to take their art work home.
Claymation Sensation Camp, ages 11-14, involved a lot of clay. Campers worked hard preplanning and building their stories and miniature sets. When it came time to animate the clay puppets, the campers had an exhilarating time slowly animating their scenes which resulted in six short films.
Campers were met by visiting artists and industry professionals such as: Chris Chua, Animator at Pixar, who shared his expertise on character animation. Alex Madrigal, Concept Artist at Spark Play Media, who talked about character development. We were also graciously visited by Mathew Luhn and Valerie Luhn, Storyboard Artists at Pixar, who stopped by on their own time to say hello and inspire the campers with art they created on the spot.
The film screenings of Disney films each morning really inspired the campers. The afternoons were filled with fun, laughter, problem solving, and amazing amounts of productivity.
The most memorable part of the camp was the new friendships that were created, especially during a very fun lunch time, and the creative environment that made this camp the best place to be an artist in the summer time!