Celebrated animation artists Glen and Claire Keane are both well-known for their heavy focus on storytelling through design.
Glen is famous for his work on characters in The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, and Tarzan, where his expressive drawings and character animation brought strong emotion and personality to the screen.
Claire Keane, known for her visual development work on Tangled, Frozen and her illustrated books, brings a more dreamy and imaginative style that creates magical worlds.
This exclusive and in-depth interview discusses how animation is not just about making things look good, but about using art and design to tell meaningful stories and connect with the audience.
GLEN KEANE
Glen Keane is veteran of Walt Disney Animation, training under Walt Disneys Nine Old Men. Glen created many beloved Disney characters such as The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, Beauty and The Beast, Tarzan and Rapunzel.
In 2012, he departed Disney, founding Glen Keane Productions as a way to further exploration of animation, design, and film. He has since collaborated with partners such as Google Spotlight Stories and the Paris Ballet. Glen’s collaboration with John Williams and the late Kobe Bryant Dear Basketball received the 2018 Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film.
In 2020, Glen’s animated feature Over the Moon, in partnership with Netflix and Pearl Studio, was released and nominated for the 93rd Academy Awards.
Glen Keane also served on Netflix’s preschool series Trash Truck as both executive producer and the voice of Trash Truck, created by GKP Creative Director Max Keane.
CLAIRE KEANE
Claire Keane is an author-illustrator and visual development artist whose work bridges animated film and children’s literature. Raised in a family of artists, she developed an early love for drawing and storytelling. She studied at École Supérieure d’Arts Graphiques in Paris, an experience that helped shape her artistic voice and interest in narrative illustration.
She began her career at Walt Disney Animation Studios, where she spent nearly a decade as a visual development artist contributing to films including Tangled, Frozen, and Wreck-It-Ralph, notably creating the painted murals seen in Rapunzel’s tower in Tangled.
Today, she divides her time between animation and illustrated books known for their poetic storytelling and expressive imagery.
Her latest book, Who Are You? follows a young girl exploring nature as she reflects on the experiences that gradually shape her sense of self.
