Prasansook “Fawn” Veerasunthorn

Head of Story, Raya and the Last Dragon, Disney Never underestimate the powerful impact a high school visit from an animator can have. Just ask Prasansook “Fawn” Veerasunthorn, the head of story on Disney’s winter 2020 feature release Raya and the Last Dragon. “I didn’t even think a career in animation was possible, until a Thai effects animator who was working at Disney Animation came to give a talk at my high school in Bangkok. His career and story inspired me to apply to art college.”

Veerasunthorn, who has previously worked as a story artist on Disney’s Ralph

Breaks the Internet, Zootopia, Moana and

Frozen, studied at Columbus College of

Art & Design. “Although I knew next to nothing about baseball or football, I got my first job as an animator at a scoreboard animation company in Ohio called

Jamination!” she says.

She names a wide variety of animated movies and TV shows that have inspired her through the years, and they include Dumbo, I Lost My Body, Detective Conan, Sailor Moon and Crayon Shin-chan.

“I love the challenge of starting from a blank page and having to come up with something interesting to engage the audience,” she adds. Of course, she’s most excited to reflect the rich colors and visuals of her own culture to Disney’s Raya and the Last Dragon. “I’m super excited to bring the beautiful Southeast Asian cultures to the big screen. I’m especially excited to be drawing a female teenage warrior being unapologetically athletic and awesome. I can’t wait for the world to see what we’ve been up to.”

The 37-year-old Thailand native says she would love to direct her own project one day and leaves us with this helpful advice: “The best career advice I got was to apply for a job you want, even if you might not feel ready,” she shares. “And the worst advice was to settle for a comfortable job instead of the one that challenges you!”