Masterclass Disney Animator: Mark Henn

Mark Henn (6 april 1958)

Mark Henn has been a leading figure within hand-drawn animation at Walt Disney Animation Studios since 1980 when he started as an in-betweener on “The Fox and the Hound.” Less than a year later, he was given the plumb assignment of animating Mickey Mouse in “Mickey’s Christmas Carol” (which marked the first big screen appearance for Mickey in thirty years). Henn has since gone on to become one of the most prolific and respected animators in the industry, and was honored with the Winsor McCay Award from ASIFA-Hollywood in 2013 for lifetime achievement in animation at the Annie Awards.

Following “Mickey’s Christmas Carol,” Henn rose quickly through the ranks. Taking up the mantle once held by animation giant Marc Davis, he became known for supervising the animation of some of Disney’s most beloved princesses/heroines including Ariel, Belle, Jasmine, Mulan, and Tiana. In his first stint as supervising animator, Henn animated Basil, Dr. Dawson, Olivia and Flaversham in “The Great Mouse Detective.” His other Disney feature film and featurette credits include “The Little Mermaid,” “The Rescuers Down Under,” “The Prince and the Pauper,” “Beauty and the Beast,” “Aladdin,” “The Lion King” (supervising Young Simba), “Mulan,” “Lilo & Stitch,” and “Home on the Range.” He also served as an animator on the title character of “Pocahontas” and animated Giselle in “Enchanted.” Additional credits include “Winnie the Pooh” (as supervising animator for Winnie and Christopher Robin), “Meet the Robinsons,” and “How to Hook Up Your Home Theater.” In 2000, Henn traded his pencil for a director’s chair and directed the award-winning short, “John Henry,” based on the popular American legend.

Henn’s recent assignments include “Wreck-It Ralph” (as lead 2D animator), “Frozen” (lead 2D animator), “Moana” (animator), “Ralph Breaks the Internet” (lead 2D animator), and “Frozen 2.” He also contributed animation to the Cirque du Soleil show, “Drawn to Life,” was supervising animator on the hand drawn “Disney Presents Goofy in How to Stay at Home” episode “Binge Watching”, and lent his talents as animator and supervising animator on numerous projects for Disney Parks and Experiences around the world.