Belle, Mulan, Ariel, Pocahontas, Jasmine … these are the names of some of Walt Disney Studios’ most iconic and popular characters, and part of the immensely popular Disney Princesses franchise.

Well, you know their names and who they are, now meet the man who was instrumental in bringing them to life on screen.

Mark Henn was the supervising animator at Walt Disney Animation Studios for the title characters of Mulan and Pocahontas, Ariel in The Little Mermaid, Belle in Beauty And The Beast, Jasmine in Aladdin, Tiana in The Princess And The Frog and Young Simba in The Lion King.

He was also lead 2D animator on the Oscar-winning Big Hero 6 and Frozen.

Henn was in Manila, Philippines recently, doing publicity for the studios’ upcoming feature film, Ralph Breaks The Internet, for which he is the 2D animation supervisor.

Many of the Disney characters Henn worked on in the past will be making an appearance, especially the Disney Princesses.

“Working with the princesses again is a unique situation because usually we spend years on a film and then never revisit those characters again. So, to be able to revisit them again here was like being back with old friends and family members,” he said.

While Henn himself did not do the actual animation for the princesses in Ralph Breaks The Internet, he did work with the animators to reinterpret the 2D character designs into a 3D world.

“I was hoping they would be kept 2D, but this works better. We had to make sure we kept the characters and personalities the same, so that when people see Tiana or Belle or Ariel, they would know it is them,” he said.

“We also get to meet the girls in a unique situation – altogether in a group, so we had to take advantage of the situation, but at the same time, have the same love and respect for the characters.”

According to Henn, his role on Ralph Breaks The Internet is more of a mentor to the animators working on the movie.

“I look at their work and offer comments, criticism and encouragement. Sometimes I’d sit and doodle or sketch out little ideas,” he explained.

“There are usually two meetings involving animators. One, where the animators present the scene to the animation supervisor, and the second one is animation dailies, where we all meet with the directors to get approval or direction and ideas.

“I’m always there looking at the scenes, and talking about how they can maybe get better posing, better expressions. I offer different ideas on what are the entertainment or funny values for the scene, how to make an emotional moment more emotional, and so on.

“Basically, it’s drawing on my years of experience and talking to the team to make sure they can produce the best animation they can.”

As part of the old guard in the animation industry, Henn is excited about the way the industry is heading, as well as the new generation of animators.

“The new generation of animators are equally enthusiastic and energetic, and I’m excited to be a part of it. I’m still excited about creating new characters and new worlds.

“Most of the changes have been primarily technical, the CG world and technology that go along with it. But whether it is hand drawn or CG, the philosophy of how we develop stories and develop characters hasn’t changed.”

So, who is his favourite princess then?

“Technically, she’s not a princess, but I do tend to lean towards Mulan. It was the first feature at the Florida studio I was working at the time.

“But I’ve enjoyed working on all of them, and now I’m in the unique situation where I get to work with them again!”

Ralph Breaks The Internet will be released on Nov 22.