Creating Genie

Aladdin animator Eric Goldberg shares how his love of drawing was sparked and his experience working on some of Disney’s most beloved animated films.

- Corey Noles

It’s not often we get to step behind the curtain at Disney Animation, but a new series has shown us a glimpse of life behind the scenes of the original animators.

The six-part original series Sketchbook with Walt Disney Animation Studios is available on Disney+.

Audiences get an insider’s look into the animation process as talented artists teach them how to draw beloved Disney characters, including Kuzco from Emperor’s New Groove, Olaf from Frozen, Genie from Aladdin, Captain Hook from Peter Pan, Mirabel from Encanto and young Simba from The Lion King.

An intimate instructional documentary series, Sketchbook takes us onto the desks and into the lives of talented artists and animators as they teach us how to draw a single iconic character from a Walt Disney Animation Studios film. Each episode focuses on a single artist illustrating a character that either they helped create or inspired them to want to be an artist at the Studio.

As we learn the steps to drawing these characters, we also discover the artists each have a unique story to tell about how they made their way to Disney and their chosen character.

Eric Goldberg, the creator of the iconic Genie from Aladdin, recently sat down with Innovation & Tech Today to share his story. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Innovation & Tech Today: There was a quote in the very beginning I really liked. You said for anyone who has a little fear about drawing, just do it. And I was wondering, was that a struggle for you early on?