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 Joyce Lee (@jyckl) walks us through her journey as an Art Director and Visual Development Artist at Walt Disney Animation Studios, and shares her insight on the importance of Asian representation in the animation industry. Joyce, thank you for sharing your story with us! Tell us a little about your background and how it has influenced your perspective as an artist!
I’m from Korea and I came to the United States at a weird age. Immigrating and adjusting was difficult and I missed out on childhood cartoons. Now, I’m really grateful that I can bring both sides to the table today. A lot of stories being told right now expand upon immigration stories, and I am able to pitch in and help that story. What led you to specialize in visual development? I love painting and designing, but I also like working together with so many people. It’s very exciting seeing what ideas everyone pitches in since there are so many different ways to illustrate something. Creating worlds is fascinating, and in animation there’s no limit to its reality. Animation can be very specific in terms of how it looks, but I want to break that by being more experimental. Since you first started out in the animation industry, how have you noticed Asian representation evolving in the workplace? When I started, there wasn’t much diversity. There are more Asian women in the roles of Visual Development Artists and Art Directors. Victoria Ying was the first person where I was like, “Oh my gosh, she made it!” At the time, Helen Chen was also in talent development. They were both so inspiring and made me realize how important representation is. I want to be part of that and add to it. At school, there wasn’t much diversity either. It was Caucasian, male teachers who had a conservative way of looking at the industry and even a bit of a sexist tone. I actually teach at ArtCenter College of Design now, and there’s more people of color teaching. It’s nice to see Asian female students taking my class and saying to me, “You are an example of where I want to be.” Is there any advice you would give to your younger self? It was a bumpy ride to be at the place where I wanted to be. Starting is hard, and I want to be honest about that. But all the hardships and struggles I went through made me stronger and led me to where I am. I would tell my younger self not to be so hard on myself since there is a light at the end of the tunnel. How would you like to see Asian representation improved for future generations watching animation? It would have been really nice to see more characters of Asian descent when I was younger. I see potential in characters that are beginning to look like me, but there is still much work to be done in ensuring that Asian characters really do look Asian. It’s getting there, but I still think it could be pushed further. What role do you see animation playing in the improvement of Asian representation in TV shows and movies? Representation is so important, especially in entertainment. When kids watch a film about someone else’s culture, it brings so much awareness about different stories and backgrounds. I didn’t have that growing up, so people didn’t understand what it was like being an immigrant, being Asian, and having a certain type of culture and family dynamics. I like films like Turning Red since it answers some of those questions in a fun, inviting way. It is important to bring awareness to all the different types of stories, people, and cultures. Writers: Jordan (@deadswampsofsadness) | Point Person: Gaby, AIA Team Comments are closed.
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