Mark Henn
Mark Alan Henn (born April 6, 1958) is an American animator and film director. His work includes 2-D animated characters for Walt Disney Animation Studios films, most notably leading or titular characters and heroines. He served as lead animator for includes Ariel in The Little Mermaid, Belle in Beauty and the Beast, Jasmine in Aladdin, young Simba in The Lion King, the title character in Mulan, and Tiana in The Princess and the Frog. He directed the short film John Henry for the company in 2000. Henn spent a total of 43 years at Walt Disney Animation Studios, from 1980 until his retirement in 2023.
Mark Henn | |
|---|---|
| Born | Mark Alan Henn April 6, 1958 |
| Occupation(s) | Animator, film director |
| Years active | 1978–2023 |
| Employer | Walt Disney Animation Studios (1980–2023) |
| Awards | Winsor McCay Award, 2013 |
Early life edit
Henn grew up in Ohio. In 1978, Henn was accepted into the Character Animation program at the California Institute of the Arts,[1] where he studied under Disney animators such as Jack Hannah and T. Hee.[1] Fellow students included Joe Ranft, Mark Dindal and John Lasseter.[1]
Career edit
Henn joined the Disney studio in 1980 and began work as an inbetweener for Glen Keane on The Fox and the Hound. According to Henn, Keane was finishing the climactic bear fight scene and Henn worked with him on that.[1] Henn has also worked on other animated features such as Mickey's Christmas Carol, The Black Cauldron, The Great Mouse Detective, Oliver & Company and The Little Mermaid.
Henn has also animated Mickey Mouse on Nighttime Spectaculars in DisneyParks and Resorts, including Celebrate The Magic in Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom, World of Color – Celebrate! The Wonderful World of Walt Disney in Disney's California Adventure Park, Ignite the Dream, A Nighttime Spectacular of Magic and Light in Shanghai Disneyland, Disney Illuminations in Disneyland Paris, Disney Gifts Of Christmas and Celebrate! Tokyo Disneyland in Tokyo Disneyland, and "We Love Mickey" Main Street Projection Show in Hong Kong Disneyland.
In December 2023, Henn retired from Disney Animation Studios, having worked there for 43 years.[2]
Awards and honors edit
Henn has been nominated for an Annie award four times: three times for Character Animation for The Lion King, Mulan, and Winnie the Pooh, and once for Short Animated Film Direction for John Henry. In 2017, Henn was the recipient of the Winsor McCay Award for lifetime achievement in animation.[3][4]
Filmography edit
| Year | Title | Credits | Characters | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | The Fox and the Hound (film) | Animator (Uncredited) | Vixey and The Bear | |
| 1983 | Mickey's Christmas Carol (Short) | Animator | Mickey Mouse | |
| 1985 | The Black Cauldron | Animator | ||
| 1986 | The Great Mouse Detective | Supervising Animator | Basil and Doctor David Q. Dawson | |
| 1987 | The Brave Little Toaster | Animator | Kirby and Plugsy | |
| 1988 | Oliver & Company | Supervising Animator | Oliver and Dodger | |
| 1989 | The Little Mermaid | Directing Animator / Supervising Animator, Florida | Ariel | |
| 1990 | Roller Coaster Rabbit (Short) | Animator | ||
| The Prince and the Pauper (Short) | Character Animator | |||
| The Rescuers Down Under | Supervising Animator | Bernard and Bianca | ||
| 1991 | Beauty and the Beast | Supervising Animator, Florida | Belle | |
| 1992 | Aladdin | Supervising Animator | Jasmine | |
| 1993 | Trail Mix-Up (Short) | Character Animator | ||
| Full House: "The House Meets the Mouse" (Part 1) (TV episode) | Voice | Animator | ||
| 1994 | The Lion King | Supervising Animator | Young Simba | |
| 1995 | Pocahontas | Animator | Pocahontas | |
| 1996 | Quack Pack (TV Series) | Supervising Animator - 1 Episode | ||
| 1998 | Mulan | Supervising Animator | Fa Mulan and Fa Zhou | |
| 2000 | John Henry (Short) | Director | ||
| The Emperor's New Groove | Additional Animator | |||
| 2002 | American Legends (Video) | Director - Segment "John Henry" | ||
| Lilo & Stitch | Lead Animator | Hula Dancers | ||
| 2004 | Home on the Range | Supervising Animator | Grace, Wesley, Rusty and Pearl Gesner | |
| 2006 | Bambi II (Video) | Supervising Animator | Ronno | |
| 2007 | Meet the Robinsons | Animator | ||
| Enchanted | Animator | Giselle | ||
| How to Hook Up Your Home Theater (Short) | Animator | |||
| 2009 | Pups of Liberty (Short) | Supervising Animator | ||
| The Princess and the Frog | Supervising Animator | Tiana | ||
| 2011 | The Ballad of Nessie (Short) | Supervising Animator | ||
| Winnie the Pooh | Supervising Animator | Winnie the Pooh and Christopher Robin[5] | ||
| 2012 | Wreck-It Ralph | Additional Visual Development | ||
| 2013 | Saving Mr. Banks | Animator: Walt Disney Animation Studios | Tinker Bell | |
| Get a Horse! (Short) | Animator | |||
| Frozen | Lead 2D Animator | |||
| Twisted: The Untold Story of a Royal Vizier (TV Movie) | Special Thanks | |||
| 2014 | Big Hero 6 | Lead 2D Animator | ||
| 2015 | Pups of Liberty: The Dog-claration of Independence (Short) | Supervising Animator | ||
| 2016 | Zootopia | Animator | Judy Hopps and Bellwether | |
| Disney Art Academy (Video Game) | Special Thanks | |||
| Moana | Animator | |||
| 2018 | Ralph Breaks the Internet | 2D Animation Supervisor/Animator | Mickey Mouse Humphrey Bear | |
| 2021 | Space Jam: A New Legacy | Supervising Animator | uncredited | |
| Binge Watching (Short) | Supervising Animator | Goofy | ||
| 2022 | Zootopia+ | 2D Animator/Opening Sequence Animator | ||
| Mickey in a Minute[6] | Animator | Mickey Mouse | ||
| Oswald the Lucky Rabbit (Short)[7] | Animator | |||
| 2023 | Once Upon a Studio | Animator |
References edit
- ^ a b c d Noyer, Jeremie (December 18, 2009). "The Princess And The Frog's Supervising Animator Mark Henn – Part 1: It All Started With A…Mermaid!". Animated Views. Retrieved 24 February 2014.
- ^ Amidi, Amid (December 16, 2023). "Animation Legend Mark Henn Retires After 43-Year Run At Disney". Cartoon Brew. Retrieved December 20, 2023.
- ^ "Disney pics populate Annie noms". 3 December 2012.
- ^ "Annie Award Nominations 2012". 3 December 2012.
- ^ "Interview with Mark Henn, Supervising Animator (The Princess and the Frog) • DLRP Magic! - Disneyland Paris at the click of a mouse!". www.dlrpmagic.com. Archived from the original on 28 July 2012. Retrieved 6 June 2022.
- ^ Hoepfner, Fran (March 19, 2022). "'Mickey: The Story of a Mouse' Film Review: Disney Doc Explores Character, Icon, Ubiquitous Mascot". TheWrap. Retrieved March 20, 2022.
- ^ "Oswald the Lucky Rabbit Stars in a New Walt Disney Animation Studios Short for Disney 100 Years of Wonder" (Press release). The Walt Disney Company. December 1, 2022. Retrieved June 25, 2023.
Further reading edit
- Belz, Emily (November 26, 2013). "Mark Henn talks about creating Disney's leading ladies". Movies. World News Group. Retrieved 10 September 2014.
External links edit
- Mark Henn at IMDb