Scot Forbes was Co-Creator and Art Director at Disney Interactive on the "It's a Small World: The Animated Series" project that Powerhouse Animation had the privilege to work on with Disney.
"Imagine for a moment the weight of taking a beloved IP such as the "It's A Small World" ride and being tasked with creating something new and innovative that was true to such an iconic piece of Disney history. Scot was able to lead the art team through this difficult task and keep the project fun and exciting for everyone involved. The feeling of true collaboration on this project was unlike many projects of this level tend to have, and that was due to Scot's ability to communicate efficiently and his artistic leadership and direction.
Due, in large part to Scot's leadership, we created something true to the original that has a new and unique feel and kept all the brand decision makers and clients happy. I hope that we have the opportunity to work with him again soon."
"Imagine for a moment the weight of taking a beloved IP such as the "It's A Small World" ride and being tasked with creating something new and innovative that was true to such an iconic piece of Disney history. Scot was able to lead the art team through this difficult task and keep the project fun and exciting for everyone involved. The feeling of true collaboration on this project was unlike many projects of this level tend to have, and that was due to Scot's ability to communicate efficiently and his artistic leadership and direction.
Due, in large part to Scot's leadership, we created something true to the original that has a new and unique feel and kept all the brand decision makers and clients happy. I hope that we have the opportunity to work with him again soon."
Brad Graeber
Chief Executive Officer, Powerhouse Animation Studios, Inc.
Chief Executive Officer, Powerhouse Animation Studios, Inc.
"As Art Director on “it’s a small world: the animated series,” Scot oversaw and lead the visual development of the entire series. The design of the characters, environments, and all our graphics was created by him or under his direction. During his tenure with Disney Interactive, Scot was key to all our graphic design work. He very creatively executed the many graphic needs of our productions, from title logo design to character design, to every presentation deck created here – and always inside tight deadlines."
Ed Squair
Video Producer at Disney Interactive
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Read more about the design in Disney Insider, featuring... me!
Design Behind the Scenes, The Making of it’s a small world: the animated series
Behind the Scenes of the teaser.
Featured on CARTOON BREW. Click here for link.
Final artwork by Powerhouse Animation
VP of Disney Interactive, Jimmy Pitaro announcing the series at the D23 Expo.
VP of Disney Interactive, Jimmy Pitaro announcing the series at the D23 Expo.
India style guide
India style guide
India- as seen in episode 1.
India- as seen in episode 1. Jammin'
B&W logo sketch
This old album cover was a big inspiration to the whole project!
Early concept drawing (Artwork by Disney Visual Dev Artist Ekatia Oloy)
...which eventually turned into the final product.
The famous facade of the ride in Disneyland...
...and here it is in the video intro.
Camel from the ride. (Photo from the Disney archives)
Note the camel in this scene. I wanted to make sure every little detail was true to the experience and paid homage to the 'it's a small world' Disney legacy.
Me inside 'small world' Disneyland walk-through, doing research.
The plaid hills of Scotland were very inspiring to really "go for it" visually.
Scotland style guide and concept art.
Scotland- as seen in the final episode.
Billboard in Walt Disney World. Very exciting!
On Disney.com show page.
Paris concepts from style guide.
rough
(Powerhouse Animation)
Paris as seen in episode.
(Powerhouse Animation)
Character development
Ling development
Ling concept
Final "Ling"
Full character lineup.
As part of the series’ goal of representing cultures from around the world, my team created the concepts for each character’s design, paying specific attention to the details of each child’s costume. As the children travel the world in their hot air balloon, their outfits change to match the country they visit that day.
(Character designs by Disney Visual Dev Artist Ekatia Oloy)
Early Wazoh concept. I like this one, but he's a little too Puffin-esque.
Final Wazoh.
Wazoh toy prototype
"Words with Wazoh" logo mockup
Final logo (above)
Here's the "Words with Wazoh" show (played at the end of each Small World episode)
Here's the "Words with Wazoh" show (played at the end of each Small World episode)
