Aaron Blaise (born February 17, 1968) is an American painter, animator, film director and art instructor. He is known for his work on Beauty and the Beast (1991), Aladdin (1992) and Brother Bear (2003). He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature Film for Brother Bear with Robert Walker.[1]
Aaron Blaise | |
|---|---|
| Born | February 17, 1968 Burlington, Vermont, U.S. |
| Education | Ringling College of Art and Design |
| Known for | Painting, animating, illustrating, art education |
| Notable work | Brother Bear (2003) |
| Website | creatureartteacher |
Life and work
Aaron Blaise was born on February 17, 1968, in Burlington, Vermont. He graduated from Ringling College of Art and Design in 1989 as an illustrator.In 1989 he started working as an animator and supervising animator at Walt Disney Animation Studios for 8 years on such films as The Rescuers Down Under, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, The Lion King, Pocahontas, and Mulan. Starting in 1997, he worked as a director for 12 years, and co-directed Brother Bear, a nominee for the 76th Academy Award for Animated Feature. After its release he relocated to Disney's Burbank animation studios where he developed several projects.
On March 11, 2007, his wife died, and he left Disney.[2] In 2013, he worked at Paramount Pictures for less than a year as a visual development artist. From 2010 to 2014 he worked at Tradition Studios as a director on The Legend of Tembo but the company went bankrupt.[2] In 2012, with his business partner, Nick Burch, he started CreatureArtTeacher, offering lessons and tutorials based on Blaise's long career.[2]
Filmography
Animation department
| Year | Title | Credits | Characters |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Roller Coaster Rabbit (Short) | Assistant Animator | — |
| 1990 | The Rescuers Down Under | Animating Assistant | Wilbur |
| 1991 | Beauty and the Beast | Animator | Beast |
| 1992 | Aladdin | Animator | Jasmine, Rajah |
| 1993 | Trail Mix-Up (Short) | Character Animator | — |
| 1994 | The Lion King | Supervising Animator | Young Nala |
| 1994 | The Lion King (Video game) | Supervising Animator | Young Nala |
| 1995 | Pocahontas | Animator | Pocahontas |
| 1996 | Quack Pack (TV Series short) | Animation Director - 1 Episode | — |
| 1998 | Mulan | Supervising Animator | Yao and The Ancestors |
| 2013 | John Lewis: The Bear & the Hare (Video short) | Supervising Animator, Character Designer | — |
| 2016 | The Dream Catcher (Short) | Creature Design | — |
| 2020 | Spread the Love (Short) | Animator | Bear Hugs |
Director
| Year | Title |
|---|---|
| 1999 | How to Haunt a House (Short) |
| 2003 | Brother Bear |
| 2014 | The Legend of Tembo (cancelled) |
| 2020 | Art Story (pre-production) |
Art department
| Year | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Mum (Short) | Illustration / Painter |
| 2020 | Wolfwalkers | Concept Artist / Visual Development |