The Kid Should See This

Step into the Page – Disney animator Glen Keane draws in VR

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This is what it’s like to draw in virtual reality (VR) — immersive 3D simulations driven by stereoscopic headsets, additional handheld controls, and a wide range of newly invented software. With VR, not only can you “walk” around the drawings to see them in three dimensions, but it’s also possible to walk through them. From The Future of Storytelling, Disney animator Glen Keane illustrates familiar characters in VR.

Over nearly four decades at Disney, Glen Keane animated some the most compelling characters of our time: Ariel from The Little Mermaid, the titular beast in Beauty and the Beast, and Disney’s Tarzan, to name just a few. The son of cartoonist Bil Keane (The Family Circus), Glen learned early on the importance of holding onto your childhood creativity—and how art can powerfully convey emotion. Keane has spent his career embracing new tools, from digital environments to 3D animation to today’s virtual reality, which finally enables him to step into his drawings and wander freely through his imagination.

Plus, check out Tiltbrush, the software that Keane is using:

Related videos: MIT’s inFORM, a shape-shifting 3-D display, Pardon My Dust – Dynamic Sketching with Peter Han, and Chuck Jones draws Bugs Bunny.

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