If Disney's chief creative officer John Lasseter is keeping an eye out for talented animators – I have a tip for you.
Anna Dittman is a 13-year-old friend of my kids and an unbelievable artist. She created this beautiful hand-drawn animation of herself twirling in a long dress and posted it to YouTube.
Anna drew each and every frame by hand with pencil and paper: 114 seperate drawings. "I got cheap paper because it's a lot of paper," she said.
I'm amazed at the draughtsmanship and how beautifully fluid it is. And she's just an 8th grader!
Of course, she got a little bit of help. First Anna made a movie of herself twirling and played it back on the computer. She traced several key frames on the monitor. The remaining she drew freehand. (Nothing the old masters didn't do: Hockney's camera obscura)
Her elder sister Caroline scanned the drawings into the computer and imported them into Windows Movie Maker. All in all, a couple of evenings' work.
"I'm surprised," she said. "I didn't think it would turn out so well."
And didn't it? Under California labor law, its only 8 years till Disney can hire her.
