Disney Animator Alex Kupershmidt Explains What Makes Stitch So Popular
In case you haven’t noticed, today is June 26, also known as “626 Day!”
Throughout the day today, we have been celebrating Experiment 626, aka Stitch!
Photo: Disney
From new merchandise to Stitch snacks and themed wallpapers, Disney is pulling out all the stops to celebrate the adorable blue alien on his big day!
Meet Alex Kupershmidt
Considering the theme of the day, it is only right that we also heard from Alex Kupershmidt, who served as the lead animator on Stitch for Lilo & Stitch.
Photo: Disney Wiki
According to the veteran animator, he was inspired to become an animator after seeing The Three Caballeros in college. Watching the animated segments in the classic film, he knew he wanted to work for Disney.
What Makes Stitch So Popular
When Kupershmidt was initially designing Stitch, he wanted the alien to look as cute as possible, almost like a stuffed animal. According to the animator, however, Stitch moves like a lizard, meaning he has quick and unexpected movements.
Photo: Disney+
It was this combination of Stitch’s cuteness and his unpredictability that helped make the character so popular!
While Stitch is a more modern Disney character, Kupershmidt says that he was inspired by Disney’s classic animated films, which stressed fundamentals, including that characters should move with maximum appeal.
Photo: Disney
The Lessons Continue to Apply
Even as Kupershmidt moved from hand-drawn animation to computer animation, he remained dedicated to those same principles.
Photo: Disney
Disney’s computer-animated films are “inspired by prior Disney work from Pinocchio to Fantasia to Sleeping Beauty. That translates into our language today,” he says.
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