WD-FM Shownotes: Museum Musings (March 2021)

In honor of Women’s History Month, join Ann Shen—Author and Illustrator of Chronicle Books’ Bad Girls Throughout History: 100 Remarkable Women Who Changed the World—for a workshop celebrating the legacy of one of Walt Disney’s most influential concept artists, Mary Blair. Hear about Blair’s influence on Shen’s career path and learn to draw and paint your own portrait of Mary Blair.

We invite you and your family to celebrate Women’s History Month with a Virtual Storytime of Star Wars: I Am a Padawan with Actress and Author Ashley Eckstein. In this special presentation, learn about Eckstein’s path to bringing the story of Star Wars’ Ahsoka Tano to readers around the globe.

As a former Disney Channel sitcom actress, a current voice talent for Star Wars and Sofia the First projects, and now, as the designer behind a sci-fi/fantasy-inspired fashion company for women, Her Universe, Ashley Eckstein has made a name for herself across the Disney landscape in a unique way. Moderated by the voice of Mickey Mouse, Bret Iwan, join us as Eckstein discusses the secrets to her success, what motivated her to create Her Universe, and how she transitioned from acting to creating her own successful fashion line.

Comics and storyboarding share a unique connection in how to tell sequential visual stories. In this two-week class, students will discuss the history and evolution of each form and their similarities and differences. Students will learn about transferring scripts to boards and panels, gesture drawing, and page layout as they practice creating their own versions. Using film studies and techniques such as silhouette, camera angles, staging, and story, students will design their own storyboard and comic from start to finish.

In this two-week class, students learn what it takes to be an animator by using animation principles in combination with unconventional items, exploring various experimental methods and practices. After multiple animation tests, students use their new skills to create a unique, final animated short film.

In this two-week class, students examine how drawings and story come together in the art form of comics. Join us as we explore the history of comics, visual storytelling, characters, and the craft of silent comics. Students will use techniques such as gesture, silhouette, page layout, and story pacing to design their own short comic from start to finish.

Synchronized musical scores have seamlessly blended with cinematic imagery for nearly a century. Whether music has served as inspiration for abstract and experimental sequences or has followed and amplified a narrative, it has become an essential element within the art of animation. Join us in this two-week class as we explore the correlation between music and art, musical notes, pitch, shape language, and color theory. After experimenting with various types of melodies, mediums, and storytelling, students will use a unique tune to create a musically-inspired piece of art.

From body shape to color scheme and clothing, every piece of a character gives the viewer insight about who they are. Join us for this two-week intensive class as we learn what it takes to design memorable and original characters, diving further into shape language, silhouette, and costume design. After experimenting with illustrations and the development process, students will transform their sketches into a final design of their characters.

The written word carries immense weight and meaning, especially in the unique art form of poetry. Whether a poem is written in limerick, haiku, or sonnet, words can illustrate an image. In this two-week class, learn about rhythm, typography, and how to visually represent and bring to life the meaning of words through animation. After experimenting with 2D digital animation, discover unique ways to develop stylistic designs that reinforce the tone and mood of the text. Follow the process from storyboard to short film as students employ techniques to visually represent or adapt a poem while creating an immersive and emotionally expressive experience.

This year, in honor of Walt Disney World Resort’s 50th anniversary, we will be making multiple stops around the Resort and delving into its history. Our first stop is EPCOT.

In World Showcase, guests eat delectable dishes from around the world. Join us as we explore various cultural dishes and traditions as we learn how to animate a character munching on their meal. Using principles such as anticipation, arcs, and exaggeration, create believable jaw movements that shows a character’s delight as they sink their teeth into their favorite treat.

This year, in honor of Walt Disney World Resort’s 50th anniversary, we will be making multiple stops around the Resort and delving into its history. Our first stop is EPCOT.

Walt Disney World Resort is no stranger to stories that go beyond our galaxy, and the forthcoming attraction Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind in EPCOT will be no exception. Join us as we take a closer look at intergalactic worlds, the evolution of space in animation, and aircraft. Explore perspective and three-dimensional spaceship design, then create a flight path to give the illusion that your ship is soaring through the galaxy at great speeds.