Film Vault / Painted Stages Archive


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Background images are property of Disney Enterprises or their respective owners, shared here for portfolio and educational purposes only. Reproduction or distribution is prohibited.

 

Duck Studios


Imitation of Life, 2013, watercolors

Director Mathias Poledna’s animated short, featured at the 2013 Venice Biennale’s Austrian Pavilion and the Whitney Museum’s 2016 exhibition, pays homage to 1930s cinema. Inspired by Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Bambi, and Pinocchio, the film captures the visual language of early Disney animation.

These examples helped set the stage for the film’s environments.

 

Color Key for Imitation of Life, watercolor and digital media, 2013, Geraldine Kovats

Background art for Imitation of Life, watercolor and gouache, 2013, Geraldine Kovats



 

Traditional Disney background art—inspired by nature and fine art—traces its lineage to Claude Lorrain’s stage-like landscapes. I held onto that connection at work; I was grateful to be working with paints and brushes and am even more honored to have contributed to a hand-crafted legacy.

Outside of work hours and during “downtime” at the studio, I painted portraits of colleagues and joined a scrappy “secret society” of artists devoted to Disney’s old standards and the tradition of studying the masters.

Walt Disney himself collaborated with leading artists of his time to create distinct visual identities for each film—a tradition that continues today. Background paintings define a film’s atmosphere, with their quality often reflecting the spirit (and budget) of the production.

Each film’s background crew, typically 10–12 artists, produced 100–150 paintings each—totaling close to 1,000 backgrounds per feature. Below are examples of my contributions, painted with traditional brushes and pigments. For a deeper dive into the creative process behind this work, I recommend Hans Bacher’s Dreamworlds.

 

Working on a background in Disney’s Orlando studio, from The Making of Lilo & Stitch (screenshot)

 

Lilo & Stitch, 2003, watercolors

In a break from Disney tradition, director Chris Sanders requested that the film’s backgrounds be painted in watercolor rather than the usual acrylics. The crew spent a year experimenting with tools and techniques, striving for a non-grainy look. This process included a workshop led by watercolor artist Thomas Schaller, whose expertise shaped our approach to applying the paint. The result was a distinctively hand-made, beautiful look. I found this project especially rewarding.

 

Background art for Lilo & Stitch, watercolors, 2002, Geraldine Kovats

Background art for Lilo & Stitch, watercolors, 2002, Geraldine Kovats

This watercolor background established the painted look of the Hawaiian vegetation. Background art for Lilo & Stitch, watercolors, 2000, Geraldine Kovats

Background art for Lilo & Stitch, watercolors, 2001, Geraldine Kovats

Featured in Walt Disney World Feature Animation Exhibition, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Geraldine Kovats, 2002

(Layout by Andy Harkness)

Walt Disney Animation Studios, The Archive Series, Layout and Background, ed. John Lasseter

Background art for Lilo & Stitch, watercolors, 2001, Geraldine Kovats

Background art for Lilo & Stitch, watercolors, 2001, Geraldine Kovats

Background art for Lilo & Stitch, watercolors, 2001, Geraldine Kovats

Background art for Lilo & Stitch, watercolors, 2001, Geraldine Kovats

Background art for Lilo & Stitch, watercolors, 2001, Geraldine Kovats

Background art for Lilo & Stitch, watercolors, 2001, Geraldine Kovats

Background art for Lilo & Stitch, watercolors, 2001, Geraldine Kovats

Background art for Lilo & Stitch, watercolors, 2000, Geraldine Kovats

Color key, Acrylics, 2000, Geraldine Kovats

Background art for Lilo & Stitch, watercolors, 2000, Geraldine Kovats

Background art for Lilo & Stitch, watercolors, 2000, Geraldine Kovats

 

I appreciate John Singer Sargent’s advice on painting with watercolors, “Make the best of an emergency”.

 

 

John Henry, 2000, scratchboard and acrylics

This film took inspiration from Harlem Renaissance artists and the Gee’s Bend quilts. Illustrator Brian Pinkney generously shared his techniques and personal process with the crew.

 

Color Key Concept for John Henry Intro, acrylics, 1999, Geraldine Kovats

JohnHenryQuilt01.jpg

Background art for John Henry, acrylics, 1999, Geraldine Kovats

Background art for John Henry, acrylics and scratchboard, 1999, Geraldine Kovats

Background art for John Henry, acrylics and scratchboard, 1999, Geraldine Kovats


 

Brother Bear, 2003, acrylics

Background artist Xiangyuan Jie, who later became the film’s production designer, led the team in crafting the movie’s lush, painterly aesthetic. Directors Aaron Blaise and Bob Walker adjusted the aspect ratio to create a sense of “big country.”

As part of our research, the crew traveled to Jackson Hole, Wyoming, for an outdoor excursion with landscape painter Scott Christensen, followed by a color-focused oil painting workshop with Len Chmiel.

 

Background art for Brother Bear, acrylics, 2002, Geraldine Kovats

Background art for Brother Bear, acrylics, 2002, Geraldine Kovats

Background art for Brother Bear, acrylics, 2002, Geraldine Kovats

Background art for Brother Bear, acrylics, 2002, Geraldine Kovats


 

Mulan, 1998, acrylics

Production designer Hans Bacher infused the film’s backgrounds with the graceful simplicity of Chinese watercolor painting, creating a refined and unified visual style.

 

Background art for Mulan, acrylics, 1997, Geraldine Kovats

Acrylics on acetate, 1997, featured in Walt Disney World Feature Animation Exhibition, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, 1998

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Background art for Mulan, acrylics, 1997, Geraldine Kovats

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Background art for Mulan, acrylics, 1997, Geraldine Kovats

Acrylics on illustration board and acetate, 1997. This work established the painted look of the Emperor’s Palace. The large work had 26 moving layers revealing various levels of the palace, including its dramatic staircase. Geraldine Kovats

Background art for Mulan, acrylics, 1997, Geraldine Kovats

 

A 1998 photo of the background department, dubbed The Art Club, was taken for Mulan Reflections—a funny high-school yearbook project within the studio. Standing at the center in costume is Supervisor Bob Stanton as muse. Bob passed away in 2021, leaving a legacy. A portrait I painted of him rests beneath my hands in this photo—I now wish I had given it to him.


 

Tarzan, 1999, acrylics

The ambitious production of Tarzan required collaboration between Disney’s Los Angeles, Orlando, and Paris studios, assembling the largest background crew in Disney history—a total of 50 artists.

 

Background art for Tarzan, acrylics, 1998, Geraldine Kovats

Background art for Tarzan, acrylics, 1998, Geraldine Kovats

Background art for Tarzan, acrylics, 1998, Geraldine Kovats

Background art for Tarzan, acrylics, 1998, Geraldine Kovats


Film Vault / Books


The Walt Disney Animation Research Library

Walt Disney Animation Studios, The Archive Series, Layout & Background

2011 Disney Editions

Kiki Thorpe

Lilo & Stitch, Collected Stories from the Film’s Creators

2002 Disney Press


Film Vault / Colophon


 

Copyright Notice

Hand-painted background art by Geraldine Kovats. Written content and website design © 2025 Geraldine Kovats. Designed and hosted on Squarespace, New York, NY.

Background art © 1997–2025 Disney Enterprises or respective owners. The background art displayed on this site was provided as official Iris prints for portfolio purposes. These images remain the property of Disney Enterprises or their respective owners. No affiliation with or endorsement by Disney is implied.

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