Patrick Romandy-Simmons
is one of the skilled sculptors that contributes his talents to
the
award-winning Walt Disney Classics Collection produced by Walt
Disney Art Classics. Patrick grew up surrounded by Disney lore,
an influence inspired by his grandfather, the lead violinist for
the Walt Disney Studios Orchestra from 1929 until 1942.
Patrick’s grandfather can be heard on the scores to such
animated classics as Three Little Pigs, Snow White and
the Seven Dwarfs, Pinocchio, and Bambi.
Patrick, a
long time Disney collector himself, discovered his artistic
talents at a very early age and practiced character drawing and
development tirelessly. In the mid 1980’s, he worked as a
special make-up and creature effects artist for the motion
pictures industry. Soon after his movie experiences he
wholeheartedly dedicated himself to his sculpting craft and
networked his way into a position sculpting and designing
attractions for Japanese theme parks.
In 1990, Patrick
realized a life-long dream when he was given the opportunity to
work at Walt Disney Imagineering (WDI), the master
planning and creative development subsidiary of The Walt Disney
Company, responsible for the creation of the Disney Theme Parks
and their attractions. During his tenure at WDI, Patrick
sculpted pieces for almost every Disney Theme Park around the
world, including the Mickey’s Toontown Fountain and the King
Triton Fountain, both featured at Disneyland in California.
Since 1994,
Patrick has contributed his sculpting skills to the Walt
Disney Classics Collection, Disney’s line of fine animation
art sculptures that capture timeless moments from the library of
classic Disney animated films. His work includes beautiful
sculptures featuring such timeless Disney characters as Mickey
Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, Bambi, and Jiminy Cricket.
Among his many favorites, Patrick includes the detailed
Captain Hook’s Ship from Disney’s
animated version of Peter Pan, as well as his outrageous
tribute to that classic Disney villain, Cruella De Vil, with the
1999 Villains Series piece, "It's
That De Vil Woman" from Disney’s
101 Dalmatians.
One of
Patrick’s proudest accomplishments was sculpting the first
issue in the Signature Series entitled "Soup’s
On" depicting Snow White and the Seven
Dwarfs in a moment from the film’s lost soup scene. The
sculpture faithfully depicts a scene, never finished beyond
pencil-test form (and not a part of the completed film), which
developed a legendary status among Disney enthusiasts, who began
to call it The "Lost" Soup Scene. It is one of the most detailed
sculptures every produced for the Walt Disney Classics
Collection, and it presented Patrick with many challenges, the
least of which was having to create an interlocking armature
that would enable him to sculpt each of the characters
separately while still being able to place them close together
around a table.
Patrick’s most
recent contributions include the Walt Disney Collectors Society
Animator’s Choice sculpture, "Baby
Mine" depicting the beloved Mrs. Jumbo
and her baby boy, Dumbo, and the newest release in the
Villains Series, the evil
Scar from The Lion King.
Patrick Romandy-Simmons
brings a wealth of passion and zeal to his work for the Walt
Disney Classics Collection. I’m a Disneyaniac! boasts Patrick.
I’ve been a faithful Disneyana collector since the age of five,
so my fascination with the Walt Disney Classics Collection line
of sculptures is deeply rooted in the strong emotion I feel for
all the characters.
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