Animator Darrin Butters on ‘Ralph Breaks the Internet’ and the Magic of Disney

Darrin Butters, a Disney animator from the new Wreck It Ralph movie, came to Harvard on Wednesday, holding a Q&A at the Carpenter Center. By Ryan N. Gajarawala

Just two weeks ahead of the Nov. 21 release of “Ralph Breaks the Internet,” the sequel to “Wreck-It Ralph,” Disney animator Darrin Butters delivered a presentation and participated in a question and answer about his animation career. Covering topics from princesses to character design to sloths, Butters gave his audience a sneak peek into the often underappreciated work behind the magic of Disney.

Butters began his talk by describing the twists and turns that led him to such a career. Growing up in a rural farming town, Butters likes to describe his childhood self as “that one kid,” which in this case refers to the kid with a puppet. Butters knew from a young age that, rather than spending the rest of his life in a farming town, he wanted to entertain. Following his puppetry stint, this desire to entertain saw Butters work as an actor and an illusionist, until he set his heart on a different sort of magic: Disney.

Since then, Butters has played a key role in the animation of several Disney classics, from his first credit for “Dinosaur” to more recent hits like “Tangled” and “Frozen.” However, according to Butters, “The height of my career was doing this shot in ‘Zootopia.’” The shot in question is one of the most popular, and difficult to animate, in the entire film: Flash, the ironically named Sloth, moving in incredibly slow motion while working at the DMV (Department of Mammal Vehicles). “So there’s my street cred,” Butters said.

Shifting focus, Butters then gave the audience a behind-the-scenes look at his latest project, “Ralph Breaks the Internet.” The sequel to the 2012 hit “Wreck-It Ralph” follows the titular character (John C. Reilly) as he embarks on a journey through the most dangerous terrain imaginable — the Internet — in order to save his best friend’s arcade game from being destroyed.

This attention to detail can easily be seen in the series of sneak peek clips Butters then premiered. In each of them, the Internet is portrayed as a big city, with digital cars zooming along the wire-based roads. This techno-urban environment lends itself to many web-related references, from the Google-esque “Search Bar,” to a series of vaguely familiar cat videos. In addition, the relevant topic matter allowed Disney to slip in some key lessons for children and adults alike.

“We didn’t just want to show what’s great about the Internet,” Butters said. “We felt we had a responsibility to show the things that are a little more complicated.” Anyone who has spent any time on the Internet can probably tell that Butters is referring to the potential evils of the comments section. Accordingly, this concept of cyberbullying is a major theme and tension that Ralph must face as he is exposed to Internet fame for the first time.

As an animator, Butters was particularly eager to show the ways in which concept sketches are transformed into the designs we see on screen. Of course, there are many different steps in this process, but each is integral to the overall product. One step that Butters particularly enjoys is going from still sketches to fluid movement. “With my performance background, I’m comfortable with acting out a shot for reference,” Butters said.

He also highlighted the ways in which costume design comes into play, particularly with the character Yesss (Taraji P. Henson), who constantly changes her outfit to keep up with the latest trends. Designing characters like Yesss is a continual project. “We go through many iterations in our designs and we’re very careful about how we portray our characters,” Butters said.

Another moment that demonstrates an extreme investment in character design is a scene in which Vanellope (Sarah Silverman) encounters Disney’s beloved princesses, many of whom are voiced by their original actresses. Butters described the exciting experience of designing these princesses’ 3D models, and he noted that Disney even employed the assistance of an animator who had drawn several of their original 2D designs many years ago. Butters considers this one of the most iconic parts of the film and, as the presentation moved into its question and answer portion, several audience members showed their appreciation for the princesses’ “casual-wear” designs.

The audience, which was primarily composed of members of a Fundamentals of Animation class, also asked questions that ranged from Butter’s previous jobs to the relationship between different departments in the production process. In response to the latter question, Butters remarked on the family-like environment in which everyone is more than willing to help each other out. “Everybody can contribute,” Butters said. “It’s a great atmosphere because we’re all creative and all trying to make the movie better.”

Most importantly, however, Butters gave valuable insights into the entertainment industry, particularly pertinent to the aspiring animators in the audience. “I was really excited for this presentation because the reason I started animating in the first place was because of a Disney short called ‘Feast,’” Caitlin Lam ’22 said. “To have the chance to listen to a Disney animator talk about his experience and how he got where he’s at now was a great chance to hear what my potential path will be.”

Butters’ presentation even taught lessons on par with those taught at Harvard itself. “One of the main takeaways I had, and I’m starting to realize the more time I spend at Harvard, is that there is really no one way to learn how to do a career or reach a specific goal,” Ramona Park ’22 said. “It’s all about self-motivation, especially in visual arts.”

This is a sentiment Butters may agree with, as becoming an animator is no small task. However, his childhood desire to entertain and to create magic pulled him through. As he noted toward the end of his presentation, “For many of us, working at Disney is a dream come true.”