How Disney's Animated Hair Became So Realistic, from 'Tangled' to 'Encanto'
The complex helical curl shape seen on Mirabel in "Encanto" is something you haven't seen in an animated Disney movie until now. The blockbuster musical was Disney's first animated movie to feature every category of hair texture, from 1A to 4C. Getting there took a decade of building the animation, simulation, shading, and grooming tools to represent the full range of hair types, colors, and styles. We spoke with four members of the "Encanto" team to find out how they did it: Character Look Development Supervisor Michelle Lee Robinson, Consultant for Afro Colombian Representation Edna Liliana Valencia Murillo, Associate Technical Supervisor Nadim Sinno, and Character Look Artist Jose "Weecho" Velasquez. They help trace the evolution of Disney's 3D-animated hair over the past ten years, from Rapunzel's 70-foot long mane in "Tangled" and Elsa and Anna's braids in "Frozen" to the curly-wavy hair in "Moana" and diversity of textures in "Encanto."
