Mark Henn and his Magical Disney Characters

Mark Henn and his Magical Disney Characters

When young Simba hopelessly watched his father’s fall into the stampede, the audience lamented with Simba. Simba’s unforgettable and emotional reaction was animated by Mark Henn, in 1994. Henn animated Simba’s emotions, unique personality, and physical features. He successfully did the same for other legendary Disney animations.

He created beloved characters such as Jasmine in “Aladdin”, Belle in “Beauty and the Beast”, Ariel in “The Little Mermaid”, and many more magical characters. “Each character has a unique personality and role… It was challenging but as young animators we were taught to observe the world around us, personalities, mannerisms, and memorize things,” stated Henn when asked about his inspiration to create characters. It is no doubt that Henn’s animated characters resemble his own friendly and humble personality. Henn spoke passionately about his animations and when asked who was his favorite character, he said he could not choose because it was “like choosing your favorite child”.

Henn’s more recent project is his contribution to the animated film “Winnie the Pooh”. This project was lighter because he built on characters that were already created. He worked with “Winnie the Pooh” and “Christopher Robin”.

Henn recently attended the premier of the “The Lion King” released in 3D. This new 3D version allows new generations to follow the touching story of Simba and meet Henn’s magical characters into an unforgettable journey.