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This list includes only the characters from Disney feature-length films where Glen Keane served as a supervising/directing animator (and not just as a character animator or a character designer.)

The Bear from The Fox and the Hound

Professor Ratigan from The Great Mouse Detective

Sykes from Oliver & Company

Georgette from Oliver & Company

Fagin from Oliver & Company

Ariel from The Little Mermaid

Marahute from The Rescuers: Down Under

Beast from Beauty and the Beast

Aladdin from Aladdin

Pocahontas from Pocahontas

Tarzan from Tarzan

Long John Silver from Treasure Planet

Rapunzel from Tangled

My favourite is Pocahontas. I'm not taking into consideration the character's personality since that is also a product of the writer's and not solely of the animator's.

Pocahontas looks and moves more naturalistic, her anatomy is more realistic, her physical proportions and her movements are less caricatured. Her overall animation is subtle, detailed, and highly evocative.

My god... what a career. I was lucky enough to meet him very very briefly last year - he's so humble for someone that is arguably the most influential animator of the last 30 years.

For me, I have to say the Beast. The transformation scene is the reason I wanted to become an animator, and I have Glen to thank for that.

Rapunzel is a close second, just because he has been so passionate about that character, and hearing him talk about his inspiration for her being his daughter was very moving.

SWillie! wrote:The transformation scene is the reason I wanted to become an animator, and I have Glen to thank for that.

Yes, that scene is indeed breathtaking. Very artistic. His fine art background is clearly evident in that scene.

This seems trivial... But, I guess I think Ariel is his best designed character.

My mom often bragged that all of her children were born with pencils in their hands, and I've been told I was drawing before I could talk. I always, always loved animation as far back as I can remember and wanted to be one of those people that made the cartoons.

And with that being said, Glen left a huge impression on me when I was only five years old, when The Illusion of Life special first aired (1981). I can remember sitting and watching it with my dad, who explained how it took years to make an animated film, which absolutely boggled my mind. I remember watching Glen flip the sketches of the bear and the various clips explaining the other aspects of putting a movie together. When I was ten or so, I was lucky enough to tape the special when a local station aired a "Disney Day Off," Disney specials all day long during a school holiday. I got a lot of my early Disney exposure from various Disney specials, since Disney VHS tapes were still in their infancy and very few were available (of course there were also records, books, various merchandise, and the actual theater).

I could never understand why none of my friends were interested in the behind-the-scenes specials like I was, but I'd always get excited when I'd see Glen in a new special, talking about a character from a new movie (like Georgette when Oliver & Company was still under production).

But to get to the point, he's always been my favorite animator. Design-wise, I'd have to pick Pocahontas. Just a gorgeous, noble design. I love how he explains that she's pretty much the opposite of Ariel with the eyes, cheekbones, lips, etc. I also love how her hair has a life of its own. And interestingly enough, Ariel is probably my favorite character of his overall. She has so much life and personality, even though she's mute throughout a good portion of the film. I should give Rapunzel an honorable mention even if (or perhaps because) she physically resembles Ariel so much. Most of you have probably seen this already, but I colored one of his sketches of her a while back.



While I love how the CG turned out, I still prefer how she looks hand-drawn.

I also have always been a huge fan of Glen's, probably because I fell completely in love with Ariel. She's my fave, though Rapunzel is very, VERY close! She actually turned my fave two Disney girls into a fave 3 (of course, the other is Tink, ha, and it would be wrong of my not to mention Sailor Moon in my fave toon girls group).

Definitely The Beast. One of the best character designs in Disney history. Not too scary. Not too over-the-top. Just a perfect-looking character, who could be frightening and sympathetic even at the same time. What a talent Eric Goldberg possesses.

RIPJoeRanft wrote:What a talent Eric Goldberg possesses.

True, but he animated the Beast?

there's different aspect of certain characters I like.

I love the majestic imagery of the Big Eagle. It's a powerful imagery.

I love the heavy weight of the bear.

I love Ariel's "girl next door" imagery and design

I like Pocahontas serious tone and realistic design.

I love the anatomy and muscle structure that's made of blocks and shapes as well as weight of Tarzan's

I love Rapunzel's hair and facial expressions.

While Glen not my favorite of Disney animators, he does holds big influences to many out there in art and animation field.

Here are my top three Glen Keane characters:

Number one is The Beast. Design wise, it might be one of the most complex in the Disney canon. Technically, it could be said that Keane was inspired by both the Jean Cocteau black and white film and the Ron Perlman TV show, but to me, his design for the Beast was so, so good that I think anyone that tried to adapt Beauty and the Beast in animated form would tried to emulate Keane's design. Such is the case with the Beast from Happily Ever After's version of the story:
http://fc08.deviantart.net/fs70/i/2012/ ... 4o4r1n.png

Just look at how he has a large build and is a mix of many creatures (rhino, camel, bear etc.). There's no denying that the designer was inspired by Keane's Beast. I think it shows just how good his design was. But even with his complexities Keane nails the performance, especially in the subtle actions. Beast has a weight and presence in the story. Done wrong and it can be hard for him to convey subtle emotions. But Keane did it, and why it's my favorite character of his.

Second would have to be Tarzan. Compared to Beast he is very simple. Yet, the character does have a lot of complexity in both the action sequences as well as the subtle moments of character developments. The scene where he meets Jane and he puts his hand on her hand is AMAZING. Yeah, it happened after an awkward moment where he tried to get overly personal, but the delivery of this quiet scene is so, so good! Not to mention that Keane was able to fully convey a man ape. The other Tarzan interpretations were usually just the guy grunting and speaking as an ape. Keane's Tarzan however moves and acts as if he was raised by apes. It makes sense how he moves like an ape. Then seeing his evolution so he is both man and human evenly is amazing.

Finally, Rapunzel is amazing. In a way, she is a blonde Ariel, meaning that I should favor her over Rapunzel. To me, however, I prefer Rapunzel even though he only designed her and she was animated by computer. But if you look at all the artwork and design sheets for her you can see that Keane was all over it. The CG animation perfectly captured Keane's ability to act through his characters. The way she smiles, how she is able to convey innocence through her eyes, her subtle yet overt emotions. The best Keane characters often display these qualities and Rapunzel is able to perfectly present them in CG form. It is amazing, and it pains me to see people overlook the movie because it is in CG. Keane did CG animation RIGHT and people should give it more credit for it.

Rapunzel and Ariel.

Ariel had been my most favorite Disney princess for a long time. She starts out as a mermaid who can sing, and almost becomes a different character as a human without a voice. I also LOVE how bouncy her hair is. Even when in thin air, it almost functions as its own sub-character.

...which led me to make this sketch.



Rapunzel has become my new favorite princess. I just can't get enough of her. I can't stop favoriting Tangled fanart at DeviantArt, and I bought The Art of Tangled book from Amazon last October. Rapunzel brought the beauty of Disney's heroines to a new level, in both CGI and hand-drawn, and not just because of her hair.

Glen Keane has become a top inspiration for my art, and a part of why I enjoy drawing female characters. A large part of this involves hair, which I'm still experimenting with both colored pencils and in Photoshop.

Glen Keane's animation never fails to astound me. My favourites are probably Ariel, the Beast and Tarzan. All absolutely amazing, as is his other work.

I even made a video paying tribute to his work around the time Tangled opened:

<iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/xGjJISWlO3g" frameborder="0"></iframe>

This is certainly a difficult decision, but I just have to go with Ariel. Everything about the way Keane draws her is magical. I love Tarzan, Beast and Pocahontas, too, but Ariel is definitely at the top. The Little Mermaid is probably my most watched DAC, so I got to revisit that character and Keane's animation very often.

Super Aurora wrote:There's a different aspect of certain characters I like.

I agree with what you said. All of Glen's characters have different and unique aspects that I like.

Even though I like virtually all of them, Aladdin is possibly my favourite; other 'prince' or 'hero' Disney characters had a ridigness in their motions, but particularly in "One Jump Ahead" Aladdin bends, bounces and jumps around, and his movements are refreshing compared to the stiffness of characters like Prince Philip. I also like how he isn't too muscular yet not too scrawny, and his poses as Prince Ali when deepening his voice are hilarious.

However...I might prefer Ratigan, because he is a relatively large, imposing character, yet his mannerisms are almost soft and dainty pre-climax. But during the fight on Big Ben, Ratigan's transformation into a monstrous beast is really well animated, and his final appearance is memorably designed. But Ariel is also a superbly-designed, and her hair (especially in "Part Of Your World") is beautiful. There are just too many great designs to choose a definite favourite from.

Just because no one else has yet, I'd like to throw some compliments to his job with Long John Silver, particularly when you have the added challenge of working with his 3D elements. I don't know if I'd say he's my FAVORITE character, per se, but it's another piece of excellent work in an underrated film.

Tough one guys... I have to say Beast! The design is mindboggeling. The transformation sequence has already been mentioned, but let's not forget the great emotional range Glen has brought to this character. I can think of few characters that have as much depth as Beast. Kathy Zielinski's Frollo is among my other favorite characters..

My favorite would have to be Rapunzel I love how naive she is, and she is beautiful with blonde and brown hair. I love how Glenn gave her his daughter's passion for painting. And I just love the whole feel to the story. For me this has got to be the best CGI Fairytale there is. Even with BRAVE coming out this summer I still don't get that anticipation I did for Tangled. For me the whole concept of Tangled has completely changed the way I feel of CGI animation!



My runner up would have to be Pocahontas. She is so different from the other Disney Princesses and I think the franchise does not do her any favors, always depicting her as a moody native. I love her will for excitement and her singing voice is great. I love how different her animation is compared to that of Ariel!

Ariel...lovely in every way PLUS to animate her underwater must have been a real challenge.

Animation-wise, it's Pocahontas with Aladdin close behind. Pocahontas is just gorgeous, while Aladdin has some great expressions. Ariel has some beautiful scenes, too, but the budget causes some inconsistencies there. I also agree that Silver is very well-animated.