
Inside Walt Disney Animation Studios with Elise Scanlan: Production, Passion Projects, and Creative Side Quests
The Production DeskShow Notes
Our guest, Elise Scanlan, Production Supervisor at Walt Disney Animation Studios, joins us with stories from her work on many Disney films, including the Oscar nominated Zootopia 2. She also talks to us about her creative side quests including co-producing an animated short and writing romance novels. PSA: Production people are creative AF! Plus, is this the year Alexis and Natalie attend the Annecy Animation Film Festival??? Check out Elise’s books here: https://elisescanlan.com/books/
More from The Production Desk
Wrapping a show is a milestone, but what happens when the work stops and the routine disappears? In this Coffee Break, Alexis chats with Ciara Doll, a Production Supervisor at Netflix Animation Studios, about the emotional side of coming off a show, the pressure to figure out what’s next, and why it’s okay to slow down, reflect, and give yourself a little breathing room before jumping into the next thing. Steps trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tNV4i3BqUGY
Alexis and Natalie chat with Kacy McDonald about her journey from Disney Toons production assistant to VP of Production at Rising Sun Pictures in Australia. Kacy talks about storytelling across mediums, her Substack “Production Is An Art,” and shares tips for keeping calm when production chaos ensues. Plus: Kacy reveals that karaoke is her secret weapon for managing stress https://kacymak.substack.com/p/production-is-an-art?r=2ibhdb&utm_medium=ios&triedRedirect=true
Today we put Natalie’s parents in the hot seat! They share embarrassing stories from Natalie’s childhood, what they’ve learned about animated movies, and remind us to change our oil every 2,000 miles. Plus, Natalie freaks out when she learns where Alexis got married.
Grab a coffee and join us as we discuss a recent Variety article that poses the question: why doesn't Hollywood respect animation? Alexis and Natalie have surprisingly different views. And if you listen to the end, you’ll learn which one of us grew up an award-winning horse rider and which one got a participation award for a mandatory jog-a-thon.
Alexis and Natalie sit down with Virginie Lavallée, an animation and VFX producer and founder of The Happy Producers. She shares her unconventional path from French literature to producing, the origins of her production training courses and what AI means for production management. So will the AI bots replace us? We discuss what current AI tools can and can't do, the hype versus reality, and why clean data and soft skills remain irreplaceable. Plus, Virginie inspires us with her latest car...