That's okay.

You just keep reminding yourself I can do it.

But also I belong here.

That energy, can we get that on t shirt, That energy!

Hello everyone.

I'm Shay Stone, I'm an animator for walt Disney Animation Studios and I recently worked on in Kanto and I'm Halima Hudson, manager of creative relations at walt Disney Animation Studios.

Elena, thank you so much for joining me here on Disney Plus voices during Women's History month to discuss the importance of diverse perspectives and filmmaking and I'm excited for this conversation with you.

I've been looking forward to it always, I'm not gonna say I googled you but I googled you a little bit.

So I've got some questions I'd love to know just more about your journey and animation and maybe leading up to your role um working on in context.

I mean I wanted to be an animator since I was seven years old, so I was always fascinated with Disney movies and things like that.

So I used to observe you all the time and I, that was my interest, my interest was people animation just only exaggerated everything that I already was right because our job is to observe how people walk how they talk and they're I darts and you know the little mannerisms and the little nuances within their personality.

I like to take it a step further and figure out you know what's going on inside this character's head, I joined Disney animation Studios last year in May and for foreign content.

You know one thing I loved about working on the content was just how attention to detail, how detail oriented work.

It's so beautiful to finally have this movie and know that we personally did it the correct way.

We had Colombian consultants, like we were just very serious about representing them in the way that and what they are, you know, beautiful, beautiful, loving, cultural, soulful people and uh and I think in console represents all of that and I'm so blessed to be a part of it.

That's what's up.

That's one of my favorite things about our studio is that this is not something that we're just doing, this is something that has to happen and if it has to happen it has to happen the right way.

So talk to me a little bit about your role as the manager of creative relations, jennifer lee became our Chief Creative Officer.

I've always worked so closely with her, I was working with her as her executive assistant and writing assistant and we used to talk about things that could happen for the company in the future and there's things that we wanted to do and when she stepped into that role, it was like, okay, now I remember one of her first meetings addressed in the studio, she said we always look outward for our talent for writers, for our directors, for to make these things, but we have so much internal talent, you want to write if you want to direct, if you want to produce, I want to know.

And so everybody's like oh my gosh, that's so great.

And then she was like but email Halima and I was like what happened?

What'd you say?

What is this?

It became this thing of being put in position to look at our internal talent and see who wants to do what and start cultivating and growing that talent along with like our development department.

I got to leverage my position and jen's office and now I'm doing stuff in diversity and inclusion and so I got to put my hand in many buckets within our studio and say what's what, how can I help and how can I take this back to jen and say this is what everyone is saying, this is what we need.

These are some changes that we can make.

I don't think you have an and contour if you don't have a studio behind and console saying yes, push it.

They were just like put it all out there and let's just see what happens.

And I think, I think that's a beautiful thing over the years.

What kind of differences have you noticed in the workplace for women, especially women of color and what do you hope for in the future?

What do I hope for in the future?

I'll start there more black women more of us.

Let's go.

The biggest difference that I have noticed is that women are no longer were not silent anymore.

We are present and we are making our presence.

No, we are pushing to say I deserve this.

I should be here.

I earned this.

I don't need a handout.

I earned this.

Seeing more women in leadership positions has changed my understanding of what I can do.

And then seeing more black women, more women of color in leadership positions have changed my understanding of how far I could go.

You know what I mean?

And so in the future, I hope for more of that.

I hope to see more black women.

I hope to see more women of color.

I hope to see more women who are just coming into the studio at whatever level being like, oh she up there that I got it.

Um, that's why I'm going.

What I would say to young black women who want to get into animation.

I would say go do it if you're seven years old, 78 years old.

If you're 13, 14 years old and you love to draw, you're halfway there, sweetheart.

And now it's just about creating that pathway to get to where you want.

One of the best pieces advice advice I have ever been given was you don't need permission That freed me in ways.

I did unlock something in me and that's what I tell people all the time you want to do this.

You don't have to wait when you get to those places of opportunity that there's going to be someone that's going to open that door and pull you in and when you get in that door you turn around and you pull someone else in.

I hope in the future that we can empower individuals, empower these boys and girls, expose them to opportunity and bring them to a new world and show them what's possible.

I want those people you give me a little bit, I'm kicking down the doors, right?

Just because I'm kicking down the doors and I'm reaching back like, y'all we in here because why not tie it back to like Incanto, Mirabel knew she didn't have an external gift, but she knew that there was something that she can contribute to that family.

She had to go against everything that was saying you don't fully belong with us here to say I do, but I do and I can't, you know what I mean?

And so it's like if you have to speak big and dream wild until it happens, that's okay.

And on that journey you just keep reminding yourself I can do it.

But also I belong here, Right?

That's that's mirabel energy.

Right, okay, can we get that t shirt?

Right?

Mirabelle energy, It's just like I'm persistent, I'm determined, I'm gonna do whatever I want, whether it's helped my family or whether it's to be an animator at walt Disney animation studios, What impact do you think Incanto had on audiences for both adults and kids being able to see a reflection of their families in their world and say finally, you know what I love is one thing that we always say is the more specific we get from cultural standpoint, the more specific we get, the more universal it will land.

And I think that's something that a lot of people don't realize.

It's like go specific, tell those stories, show those moments that makes that you think only this culture, this family will understand.

And that's the thing that connects the world.

I think it's more than just, you know, diversity as far as looks that we need to continue forward with.

I think it's diversity and thought diversity and perspective, you know, and diversity and family and relationships, you know, and we have the stage to do that.

It wasn't just you know, us as a kids movie.

No, I've watched this movie at least seven times now without the kids.

That's the beauty of a story like this, that it's just it's for all of us, You know, and everybody is saying and we need more movies like this.

It has been so thrilling to see how the world has reacted to Encanto for you personally, what does it mean to have this movie recognized at this scale by like our peers in the industry and the world.

I'm a little bit speechless to be honest.

And I think one of the biggest battles for me is to not take these moments for granted.

Right?

So this is my first Disney movie and I couldn't ask for a better first Disney movie right?

To see people like recreating the songs dancing to the song, right?

Making their own little versions.

I mean even seeing people act out my shots, it's just so insane.

But like I said again, it's so beautiful because I've heard some meaningful stories behind it to see the impact, the reward for Disney.

The reward for the people, the audience, me, the people of color, everyone wins here.

Let's do things for ourselves, for our people.

Shay I have to say it's been really great connecting with you today.

It just has been wonderful.

Thank you so much for joining me in this amazing conversation.

I have loved everything you have said and just learning more about you, thank you so much.