Andreas Deja

Andreas Deja is a Polish animator, who joined the animation department of Walt Disney Productions in the 1980s, and soon established himself as a supervising animator on several villains in Disney animated features. He is also known for his work for animating Mickey Mouse in his more recent animated appearances.

Early life

Deja was born in Gdańsk, Poland on April 1, 1957, but moved with his family to Dinslaken, Germany, in 1958. He credits seeing Disney's The Jungle Book as an 11-year-old with inspiring him to become an animator. After graduating from Theodor-Heuss Gymnasium (secondary school), he studied graphic design at the Folkwang Hochschule in Essen, Germany.

Career

A lifelong fan of Disney animated films, Deja was hired by the studio in 1980 after he had corresponded with Eric Larson, one of Disney's senior Nine Old Men of animation who ran the studio's training department. The first film on which he worked was The Black Cauldron, during which time he shared a cubicle with future film director Tim Burton.

During his rookie days at Disney, Deja sought mentorship and practical advice from seven of the then-living Nine Old Men, who were already retired before his tenure. Deja has collected information on the Nine Old Men over the years, and has stated that one of his ambitions is to publish one book for each of the Nine Old Men.

Deja is best known as the supervising animator of some of the most memorable Disney villains: Gaston from Beauty and the Beast, Jafar from Aladdin, and Scar from The Lion King. He also animated Roger Rabbit from Who Framed Roger Rabbit, King Triton from The Little Mermaid, the titular character of Hercules, Lilo from Lilo & Stitch, Queen Narissa from Enchanted, Mama Odie from The Princess and the Frog, and Tigger from Winnie the Pooh. In addition, he is the current resident specialist for the animation of Mickey Mouse.

In 2006, at the 35th Annie Awards, Deja was awarded the Winsor McCay Award for outstanding contribution to the art of animation. Recently, he began a blog where he shares some of his collection of the work of the early Disney animators.

In 2015, he was named a Disney Legend at the D23 Expo.

In 2017, The Walt Disney Family Museum hosted the one-man exhibition: Deja View: The Art of Andreas Deja.^[1]

Personal life

Deja is openly gay. His sexuality has been discussed as an influence on the development of some Disney characters.

Filmography Credits

Gallery

Artwork

Miscellaneous

Trivia

• He was the original animator behind Yzma back when production was known as Kingdom of the Sun. When production shifted into The Emperor's New Groove, Deja left the project as he felt that the new version of Yzma did not suit his style.

Refences

External links

• Andreas Deja on Wikipedia
• Deja View, Andreas Deja's blog
• Andreas Deja on IMDb
• Andreas' Facebook Account
• Andreas Deja on 𝕏
• Andreas Deja on Instagram

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1920s—1970s Disney's Nine Old Men: Milt Kahl • Frank Thomas • Ollie Johnston • Les Clark • John Lounsbery • Marc Davis • Ward Kimball • Eric Larson • Wolfgang Reitherman Animators: Bill Tytla • Art Babbitt • Lee Blair • Preston Blair • Fred Moore • Shamus Culhane • Cy Young • Don Lusk • Norman Ferguson • Hal King • Jack Hannah • Dick Kinney • Hal Ambro • Ken O'Brien • Judge Whitaker • Bill Justice • Don Bluth • Gary Goldman • Charles A. Nichols • Blaine Gibson • John Ewing • Walt Stanchfield • Rolly Crump • Fred Hellmich • Amby Paliwoda • Wilfred Jackson • Xavier Atencio • Ben Sharpsteen • Earl Hurd • Dale Oliver • Eric Cleworth • David Hand • Fred Spencer • Julius Svendsen • Jack Bradbury • Kenneth Muse • Rudolf Ising • Hugh Harman • Friz Freleng • Walt Kelly • Leo Salkin • John Dehner • Retta Scott • David Swift • Jack Cutting • Grant Simmons • Art Stevens • Frank Tashlin • Wathel Rogers • Tyrus Wong • Johnny Cannon • Bernard Wolf • John W. Dunn • Henry Selick • Tony Strobl • Chuck Williams • Burny Mattinson • Dave Suding • Andy Gaskill • Campbell Grant • John Hubley • Paul Murry • Harvey Toombs • Jane Baer Visual Development, Layout, Background Artists and Character Designers: Gustaf Tenggren • Mary Blair • Marjorie Ralston • Marcellite Garner • Lillian Bounds • Edna Francis • Virginia Davis • Joe Grant • Mel Shaw • Claude Coats • Don DaGradi • John Hench • Eyvind Earle • Ken O'Connor • Thor Putnam • Albert Hurter • Herbert Ryman • Don Griffith • Basil Davidovich • Jack Boyd • Peter Ellenshaw • Ruthie Tompson • Earl Duvall • Retta Davidson • Ub Iwerks • Vance Gerry • Hazel Sewell • James Bodrero • Lance Nolley • Grace Bailey • Maurice Noble • Dale Barnhart • Andy Engman • Eustace Lycett • John Emerson • Joe Hale • Leota Toombs • Ferdinand Horvath • Jerry Rees • Jim Coleman • Dorse Lanpher • John P. Miller • Dodie Roberts • Norma Swank • Becky Fallberg • Walter Peregoy • Collin Campbell • Joshua Meador • Hugh Hennesy • Helen Ogger • Charles Cristadoro Storyboard Artists and Writers: Bill Peet • Ralph Wright • Dick Huemer • Floyd Norman • Yale Gracey • Ted Sears • Erdman Penner • Joe Rinaldi • Winston Hibler • Otto Englander • William Cottrell • Bill Berg • Al Bertino • T. Hee • Homer Brightman • Ted Osbourne • Larry Clemmons • Harry Reeves • Jesse Marsh • Chuck Couch • Webb Smith • Dick Sebast • Peter Young Directors: Clyde Geronimi • Hamilton Luske • Jack Kinney • Ted Berman • Richard Rich • George Scribner • Riley Thomson • Dick Lundy • Jack King • Burt Gillett • James Algar • Bill Roberts • Larry Lansburgh • Richard Irvine • Hal Adelquist Producers: Walt Disney • Ron Miller • Ken Anderson • Don Duckwall • Perce Pearce • Margaret J. Winkler • Harry Tytle 1980s—present Renaissance Directors: Rob Minkoff • Roger Allers • Gary Trousdale • Kirk Wise • Chris Sanders • Mark Dindal • John Musker • Mike Gabriel Story Trust Directors: Ron Clements • Chris Buck • Byron Howard • Don Hall • Chris Williams • Rich Moore • Stephen J. Anderson • Nathan Greno • Fawn Veerasunthorn Producers: Peter Del Vecho • Clark Spencer • Roy Conli • Dorothy McKim • Don Hahn • Shane Morris • Peter Schneider Chief Creative Officer: Jennifer Lee Associated Figures: Bob Iger • Roy Edward Disney • Michael Eisner • John Lasseter • Ed Catmull • Jeffrey Katzenberg • Bob Chapek Signature Voice Actors: Jim Cummings • Alan Tudyk • Katie Lowes • John DiMaggio • Maurice LaMarche • Jodi Benson • David Ogden Stiers • Jesse Corti • Paul Briggs • Raymond S. Persi • Phil Johnston • Frank Welker • Bill Farmer • Brian Cummings Signature Musicians: Robert B. Sherman • Richard M. Sherman • Alan Menken • Kristen Anderson-Lopez • Robert Lopez • Lin-Manuel Miranda • Howard Ashman • Tim Rice • Phil Collins • Stephen Schwartz • Marc Shaiman • Danny Troob Supervising Animators: Glen Keane • Andreas Deja • Eric Goldberg • Mark Henn • John Pomeroy • Randy Haycock • Dale Baer • Tony Bancroft • Tom Bancroft • Anthony DeRosa • Russ Edmonds • Bruce W. Smith • Michael Surrey • Duncan Marjoribanks • Ruben Aquino • Nik Ranieri • Ron Husband • Rick Farmiloe • Tom Sito • Tony Anselmo • Will Finn • Kathy Zielinski • Hendel Butoy • Ellen Woodbury • Matthew O'Callaghan • David Pruiksma • Bob Walker • Aaron Blaise • Nancy Kniep • James Baxter • Tony Fucile • Sergio Pablos • Randy Cartwright Visual Development & Storyboard Artists: Dean DeBlois • Claire Keane • Brittney Lee • Jin Kim • Shiyoon Kim • Ryan Green • Sue C. Nichols • Michael Peraza, Jr. • Kevin Lima • Kelly Asbury • Toby Shelton • Barry Cook • Mark Kennedy • Carole Holliday • Jorgen Klubien • Brian Pimental • Donovan Cook • David Pimentel • Joseph Christopher Pepe • Rob Gibbs • Joe Ranft • Michael Giaimo • Perry Farinola • Randy Fullmer Other Animators: Kaaren Lundeen • Michael Humphries • Tim Burton • Brenda Chapman • Sandro Cleuzo • Gary M. Eggleston • Brad Bird • David Stephan • Ray Harris • Ruben Procopio • Barry Atkinson • Thomas Baker • Chris Bailey • Geefwee Boedoe • Daan Jippes • Pres Romanillos • Ash Brannon • Christine Lawrence Finney • Mike Cosa • Jymn Magon • Butch Hartman • Bill Waldman • Chris Sonnenburg • James Lopez • Bradley Raymond • Darrell Van Citters • Aaron Springer