We were honored to sit down with Disney Legend Andreas Deja as he reflected on decades animating some of Disney’s most beloved characters and the making of his hand‑drawn short film Mushka. He even took us behind the scenes to the initial sketches of characters like Gaston, Lilo, and Scar.
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About Andreas Deja
Andreas Deja was named an official Disney “Legend” in 2015, honoring a 30-year career at Walt Disney Animation Studios. He animated and supervised some of Disney’s most memorable characters, including King Triton in The Little Mermaid, Gaston in Beauty and the Beast, Jafar in Aladdin, Scar in The Lion King, Mickey Mouse in the Oscar-nominated short Runaway Brain, the title hero of Hercules, and Lilo in Lilo & Stitch.
Deja also shares his love of animation as an author of books including The Nine Old Men: Lessons, Techniques, and Inspiration from Disney’s Great Animators and Walt Disney’s The Jungle Book: Making a Masterpiece. He also co-authored Mickey Mouse: From Walt to the World. Andreas has also curated major exhibitions for The Walt Disney Family Museum, is collaborating on an art book celebrating Milt Kahl, and is currently serving as a consultant for a new villains-themed land coming to Disney’s Magic Kingdom.
You can see Andreas Deja’s full credits here.
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