photo courtesy of Andreas Deja, (c) Disney

Dynamic Exhibition Features Animator Behind Memorable Disney Villains Jafar and Scar

San Francisco, CA, February 22, 2017–The Walt Disney Family Museum is pleased to introduce an original exhibition of works from one of the most accomplished and versatile character animators working today, Andreas Deja. On view from March 23 to October 4, 2017, Deja View: The Art of Andreas Deja will showcase original works on paper and maquettes of Deja’s most iconic Disney characters, from menacing villains such as Scar and Jafar to larger-than-life muscle men like Gaston and Hercules, and the much-beloved Mama Odie and Lilo Pelekai.

In addition to his work for The Walt Disney Studios, Deja is known for independent projects, including his upcoming short film Mushka. The film — featuring a young girl and her tiger in “a story of love and sacrifice set in Russia” — is animated in a colored pencil style. Art from Mushka is showcased in this new exhibition, along with Deja’s Disney application portfolio and wire-frame sculptures.

In 1967, when Deja was 13 years old and living in Germany, Walt Disney’s The Jungle Book inspired him to become an animator for the Walt Disney Animation Studios. He wrote the company a now well-known letter to inquire about the application process, and he began to realize the dedication and skill it would take to get there.

“The day I received a letter back from Walt Disney Productions expressing the necessity to become a master in the mechanics of drawing, it lit a fire in me to truly become an outstanding animator,” said Deja. “After years of art school and dedicating my personal time to studying animal anatomy and behavior, I was accepted into the animation training program at The Walt Disney Studios in August 1980 and didn’t look back once.”

Deja View: The Art of Andreas Deja is organized by The Walt Disney Family Museum and is being presented in the Theater Gallery from March 23 to October 4, 2017.