Q & A with Disney animator Andy Harkness
Andy Harkness, a 1991 graduate of Starkville High School, has gone many places and made a career as an animator with big names like Disney and Sony Pictures, but he said his home will always be in Starkville.
Harkness visited Starkville last week and two events were held for him to speak about his experiences and share his book, “Bug Zoo.”
To create his book, Harkness sculpted each scene out of clay, took a photo of the scene, and used Adobe Photoshop to add the color.
Before his book signing event at the Book Mart and Cafe, the Starkville Daily News had the opportunity to sit down with him for an interview. The full interview can be found at the SDN's website.
Q: TELL US ABOUT YOUR TRIP A: We are on an epic, 6-week family road trip, National Vacation-style. I have a 2-yearold and an 8-year-old and the car is getting very small, and we have about a week and a half left. This was our first stop when we started planning our trip because we knew we wanted to come. My dad lives here in Starkville and we moved here when I was about 12 years old in 1984, and I was here through a senior in high school. Then, I headed off to college.
I still very much consider this home … everything that was important in my youth and childhood happened right here, in this town. That's why I'm here.
Q: WHAT HAS YOUR JOURNEY BEEN LIKE FROM GRADUATING FROM SHS TO WORKING AT DISNEY?
A: I got a scholarship to the Columbus College of Art and Design in Ohio, and I went up there right after I graduated … and had two amazing years with really good foundation drawing and painting — the things that would really help me later on with my career.
After sophomore year I just really missed home. I missed my friends, I missed my parents and the pond that I fished in. I wanted to go home.
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