The Attainable Dream of Fon Weerasunthorn, Disneys First Thai Female Director, with the Film WISH

Many Gen X and Gen Y individuals grew up watching various Disney cartoons, which made working as part of the Disney world a common childhood dream. Fon Weerasunthorn was among those with this dream, and she pursued it until she made it a reality.

Fon Weerasunthorn was born and raised in Chonburi Province. Her life has been inspired byDisney animationthroughout, just like many of her generation. She never stopped chasing her dream, even though she initially studied science. She followed her passion for the arts, earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the Columbus College of Art and Design in the United States. She then pursued her dream by applying to Disney three times over 3-4 years without giving up, until her day finally came.

The beginning of her dream chase

“I always wanted to work at Disney since I was a child. When I first started working in the industry, Disney seemed almost unreachable, but I wanted to try. I applied and sent my portfolio. The first two times, I wasn’t selected. On the third try, I decided to replace the production work in my portfolio with cartoons I had drawn and published online. That was the turning point that led Disney to call me for an interview because they liked the cartoons I created myself, which helped them see who I really am.”

Fon spoke about the beginning of her dream pursuit in youth, which succeeded when she started working as a storyboard artist for Walt Disney Animation Studios in 2011. It has now been 12 years that she has thrived in Disney animation.

She has showcased her skills in several Oscar-winning animated films such as Frozen, Zootopia, Moana, Ralph Breaks the Internet, and Frozen 2.

In 2021, Fon was appointed Head of Story for the animated film Raya and the Last Dragon, inspired by Southeast Asian culture and introducing Disney’s new princess, Raya. Creating the character Raya wasn’t difficult for her because she grew up with classic films and wanted to craft a character similar to those she admired as a child.

Dreams are within reach if we don't give up

Fon admits that on her journey to achieving her childhood dream, she often felt the goal was far away and sometimes discouraging. What she discovered was the importance of taking one step at a time, steadily gaining experience without giving up.

“If I can’t work at Disney today, that’s okay. I can do something else. As long as I keep following that path, I may find that today I draw better than yesterday, or I understand storytelling more than before. All these things add up to make the journey fulfilling. It’s not like you dream of something and immediately get it — the reality is often different.”

Before joining Disney, Fon worked in animation for TV shows and movies at several studios, including Illumination Entertainment, Nickelodeon, Warner Bros., and also served as Animation Director at Six Point Harness Studios.

Having fulfilled her dream from her first day at Disney to now holding important behind-the-scenes roles, Fon told Thairath Lifestyle Online that she once thought growing up in Thai culture, very different from American culture, would mean guessing what Disney wanted or how to draw in a way that would be accepted. But reality was quite different.

“What I discovered is that I didn’t need to do that. Growing up in Thailand gave me inspiration from many sources. Although Disney was my main inspiration, I was also influenced by content from many continents. This blend shaped who I am, and Disney liked that. I feel free to draw characters however I want and tell stories important to me, and they can still connect, even if our backgrounds differ.”

Disney’s first Thai female director and a work celebrating Disney’s 100th anniversary

In 2022, Fon was appointed director of Disney’s Wish, a musical comedy animated film celebrating Walt Disney’s 100th anniversary, set to be released in Thailand on 23 Nov 2023 GMT+7. Not only is she Disney’s first Thai female director, but she also co-directed the film with Christopher James Buck, known as Chris Buck, and had Jennifer Lee as the screenwriter. The three previously worked together on both Frozen films and have a close, familiar relationship.

“After finishing work on Raya the Last Dragon, I talked with Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee about Wish, whose core story is about chasing dreams. I think my own experiences gave me a clear perspective on this topic. All this led to my first opportunity as a director.”

She explained that the idea for Disney’s Wish came from looking at Disney films from the past 100 years to find common themes. They found that when characters feel hopeless and seek answers, they often look to the sky or stars. This inspired the story of someone wishing upon a star.

“The heart of this film is the belief that no power in the universe is greater than the power of someone with a true dream. Wish takes us to a pivotal moment where one person’s determination and courage connect with the magical power of the stars.”

Beyond combining Disney’s classic elements, Fon and her team designed Wish to blend beautiful watercolor painting styles from the past with modern 3D CG animation, giving it the look and feel of other studio films.

“Our fairy tale kingdom retains the magic and elegance of classic fairy tales but feels fresh and vibrant. Our visual effects developers created a charming, colorful new world with memorable, adorable characters. Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Julia Michaels and Grammy-winning producer Benjamin Rice also contributed to the film’s soundtrack.”

Fon hopes viewers will feel inspired to pursue their dreams by starting small steps that bring them closer, just as she has pursued and achieved her own dream today.