Kent Melton is one of the finest sculptors of animated characters in the field. His three-dimensional portrayals of characters in current and past animated films are unique in capturing the feeling of the original rough drawings. They have been used as aids in animating every character from Genie in ALADDIN to POCAHONTAS. Kent is currently completing sculptures for two new features at Disney, where this interview was conducted.
Nancy Beiman: Could you tell me some- thing about your background?
Kent Melton: started out getting in trouble by drawing too much as a kid. My parents were always concerned about the fact that I was an artist. To them, an artist is someone who has an unhappy life. They thought I might grow up to be Van Gogh or someone like that. Actually, I've always been really happy all my life because I was an artist. I was born in southern Missouri and moved to Illinois in the fourth grade. I grew up out in the country. My parents felt that that was the best place for their kids. And it was very nice. It was inspiring to me. I'm really thankful I was able to draw, because if I didn't, it might have been tough entertaining myself out there.
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