Born and raised in Okinawa, Japan, Ruben Aquino studied at the University of Pennsylvania and pursued a career as an architect before discovering animation. He was a supervising animator on Disney classics including 1989’s The Little Mermaid, 1991’s Beauty and the Beast, 1994’s The Lion King, 1998’s Mulan and 2002’s Lilo & Stitch, and retired in 2013 after a career at the studio that began in 1982.
Now he’ll be one of three to receive Winsor McCay Awards for career achievement. Named for the pioneering animator who created such early 20th century films as Gertie the Dinosaur, the honors will be presented virtually March 12 during the 49th Annie Awards, by organizers ASIFA-Hollywood, part of the Association Internationale du Film d’Animation (International Animated Film Society). Also accepting career achievement honors are computer animation pioneer Lillian Schwartz and Studio Ghibli producer Toshio Suzuki.
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In designing one of his most iconic characters — the adult Simba in The Lion King — Aquino says he began with early drawings that resembled voice actor Matthew Broderick. When viewers first meet Simba as an adult, “he’s been kicked out of the Pride Lands, so he’s trying to figure out everything and coming to terms with his responsibilities,” Aquino explains. “Some of the early drawings I did of him had the soulful, sad eyes, the disheveled hair, kind of depressed.”
Producer Don Hahn thought Simba’s original design didn’t “quite look heroic enough,” so they borrowed a little from Mufasa, Simba’s father (animated by Tony Fucile), who was “very regal and looked strong, and he had a great mane of hair.”
But Simba also needed to be believable, and Aquino says the team did research that involved studying lions and consulting with a biologist. He adds that the team also visited Tippi Hedren’s reserve, Shambala, in Acton, California, as well as the Los Angeles Zoo.
“There are so many nature documentaries, and also Disney was able to get some real animals,” he recalls, noting that lions visited the animators in the studio. “A bunch of the animators were there drawing, and we got pretty close to the lions. It was amazing how big they are. When you get really close, especially if they’re purring, you can really feel the vibrations.”
Aquino also supervised Belle’s father, Maurice, in Beauty and the Beast, the first animated movie to earn an Oscar nomination for best picture. “The early designs looked more like Rex Everhart, who was the voice of Maurice. … His career was mostly in Broadway, like a lot of our voice talents back then.”
Directors Gary Trousdale and Kirk Wise “wanted Maurice to be more wacky and crazy,” and Aquino drew some inspiration from Christopher Lloyd’s scientist Emmett “Doc” Brown in Back to the Future. “We looked at a lot of costumes and the gadgets. [Also] there’s a funny picture of Einstein that we found. Obviously most of his pictures are serious, and he’s very intelligent-looking, but there’s one of him where he’s got his tongue sticking out.”
Aquino says Maurice’s idiosyncracies needed to be charming: “I wanted to make sure he was a lovable character. It was important that the audience buy the fact that Belle loved her dad so much that she was willing to sacrifice herself [and] take his place at the beast’s castle.”
This story first appeared in the March 9 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. Click here to subscribe.
