(Will, working on Iago for the Aladdin! Great Pic)

Again, with the help of my professor/mentor Tom Sito, I was very fortunate to be able to arrange an interview with another of animation's finest character performers, Will Finn! A few of Will's well known performances in feature animation include Cogsworth from Beauty and the Beast, Iago from Aladdin, and Laverne from The Hunchback of Notre Dame. He has worked in story departments as a story artist for Madagascar: Escape to Africa, The Rescuers Down Under, Pocahontas, etc. Will also directed scenes in films such as Home on the Range and The Road to El Dorado. Here are a list of a few of Will's animation accomplishments:

The Secret of NIMH (1982) (animator)
The Chipmunk Adventure (1987) (additional animator)
Oliver & Company (1988) (character animator)
The Little Mermaid (1989) (character animator, "Grimsby")
The Rescuers Down Under (1990)
Beauty and the Beast (1991) (supervising animator: "Cogsworth")
Aladdin (1992) (superving animator: "Iago")
The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996) (supervising animator: "Laverne"
The Road to El Dorado (2000) (Director)
Home on the Range (2004) (Director)

To see more of Will's career success see his IMDB page

Will also has a really great blog of his called the Small Room. He posts alot of great things related to his personal work and to the animation world. I think this is a great site for students of animation to follow and is a worthy read for anyone interested in Will's work and current bloggings. :)

I am super excited for the opportunity to meet Will and here his tale! I think he definitely has a distinct flavor to his performances that are truly unique to his aesthetic and I am interested to listen to his stories and learn. I will be excited to ask him about his takes on character performance in animation and the lessons he has learned through his years of experience! This should be a wonderful day! :)