Andreas Deja

This inspiring man leads an openly gay life which is said to have influenced the development of some Disney characters.

Deja is said to be one of the most influential animators in Disney history. His skill working with realistic movements and interesting characterization has influenced artists and animators worldwide.

This talented animator was born on April 1, 1957 in Gdańsk, Poland. His family moved to Germany a year later, where he spent his childhood immersed in the world of Disney.

In 1968, the visionary viewed ‘The Jungle Book’ for the first time, and he was instantly inspired to become an animator for Disney Studios. He was so serious about his dreams that he wrote to the studio and asked them how to go about becoming one of their animators.

In the late 1970s he attended the ‘FokwangHochschule’ focusing on graphic design in Essen, Germany. While still in school, he sent his best drawings to the head of the training program for Disney, Eric Larson.

After seeing the student’s drawings, Disney invited him to a four week training course and subsequently hired him in 1980. He excitedly accepted and moved from Germany to America.

In 1985, he worked on his first film as character designer and animator for ‘The Black Cauldron’. His extensive knowledge about Disney’s previous animators prevented him from working at full potential, as much of the animation mirrored earlier models too much.

In 1986, he animated the Queen in the ‘Great Mouse Detective’. In this film, he was able to better highlight his personal style while working with three-dimensional drawing.

In 1988, he began work on ‘Oliver & Company,’ but eventually turned down the film to work on ‘Who Framed Roger Rabbit’ animating the main character, Roger Rabbit, and nearly every other character except Jessica. This film is where he really found his personal animation style while successfully incorporating the old animator’s styles as well.

One his more successful films came from his animation of King Triton in ‘The Little Mermaid’ in 1989. He successfully created a balance between realistic and comic that paved the way for future Disney animators.

Deja’s work on ‘Who Framed Roger Rabbit’, in 1988, launched his career forward as he animated a toon universe that is intertwined with real life action. The film created a new interest in animation and revived the industry.It is said to have begun the modern era of American animation.