Adult Animation Revolution: Disney Renaissance Artist Dominick R. Domingo Teaches The Art of Storytelling
by Tito W. James
As part of the 2021 Creative Talent Network, Dominick R. Domingo offered an online lecture series titled Story and Image the Language of the Soul. Domingo has worked on classic Disney Renaissance films including The Lion King, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and Tarzan.
In the lecture series, Domingo gives a detailed and witty exploration of story structure, the neurochemistry behind artistic catharsis, and an Artist’s role in society.
As someone who’s taken several writing classes and written fiction professionally, I believe that Story and Image is an incredibly layered and thought-provoking series. There’s a frustrating amount of bad writing advice on the internet and especially YouTube. I sometimes worry that aspiring creatives are being mislead or discouraged. That’s why it’s such a breath of fresh air to have a seasoned professional give their decades of insight in an engaging manner.
As with any writing class, take the advice with a grain of salt and utilize whatever works for you and ignore whatever doesn’t. Creatives use “writing tools” not “writing rules” and storytelling principles should be thought of as a compass rather than a map or checklist. After seeing how much thought went into the Disney Renaissance films, it doesn’t surprise me that they still resonate with audiences to this day. I hope that artists and storytellers of all stripes learn something new for the class that will strengthen their work.
