The name of Glen Keane might not tell you much, but how about Aladdin, Ariel, Beast? These Disney characters were brought to life by Keane, an animation legend. Now, after four decades at Disney, he gets to explore his creativity in VR, drawing characters exactly how he always imagined them #realitymagic
With virtual reality, Keane doesn’t have to work in 2D anymore; he can sculpt his characters, see every line in space and them at a natural size, with the help of a HTC Vive headset and 3D painting app Tilt Brush. His second experience with the new technology was captured in an interesting short documentary called “Step Into the Page“.
“In a way [VR] is making what happens already in my head a very tangible and practical thing. It’s always been VR in my head,” Keane stated in an interview. “When I animate, I think of sculptural drawing. I try to turn a character in space so I can prove to you this is not a flat drawing.”
Needless to say, Keane is happy drawing in virtual reality as a child playing with crayons. He seems to be in his element, learning fast how to manipulate the technology to serve his purpose. But, Keane thinks we’re going to spend a while mastering the craft: “You can’t just give someone a paintbrush who hasn’t held one before and ask them to create the Sistine Chapel … The tool is there, but it’s going to take patience and time.”
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