Glen Keane, legendary Disney animator behind characters such as Ariel from Little Mermaid and Beast from Beauty and the Beast, draws in virtual reality, using an HTC Vive headset coupled with the 3-D painting app Tilt Brush. Of technology, Glen has said:
“I am convinced that animation really is the ultimate form of our time with endless new territories to explore. I can’t resist its siren call to step out and discover them.”
Via Endgadget:
The film, directed by Ashley Rodholm, shows how virtual reality allows Keane to finally bring his characters to life. “When you draw, you’re expressing something that’s real, visceral,” he says in the short. “By making a line, it’s sort of a seismograph of your soul.” Instead of a paper and pencil, Keane draws life-sized versions of Ariel and Beast in the short with an HTC Vive headset and the 3D painting app Tilt Brush app (which is now owned by Google). And rather than just being static on a page, he’s able to walk around his characters as if they were fully three-dimensional. Most impressively, the short, which was shot in a day, only documents Keane’s second time using VR tech. There’s still plenty of room for improvement.