Drawn to Disney
A Winter Garden artist with deep ties to Mickey Mouse inspires others to tap into their own creative side
Artist Jason Zucker always believed that he and Disney were destined to be together – and not just as a fan visiting the Most Magical Place on Earth.
“I knew our paths would cross in some way, shape, or form,” says Jason, 53, who lives in Winter Garden with wife Rhonda.
He was right. Mickey Mouse eventually became his boss, with Jason working for the Walt Disney Company for 25 years, primarily in animation and merchandise design. Today, Jason is a freelance artist who teaches classes for kids and adults, paints murals for residential and business clients, and has even been known to draw live at local concerts.
Born on Long Island, New York, Jason moved to Florida with his family in the mid-1970s, settling in Clearwater. The Zuckers were frequent visitors to Disney’s theme parks, and Jason grew up on a diet of television cartoons and animated films. As a child, he was always doodling. Jason’s mom took note of his talent and enrolled him in art classes, where he learned traditional art techniques that proved to be valuable tools later in life. But at the time, Jason yearned for something more aligned with his interests.
“I didn’t want to paint trees,” he recalls with a smile. “I wanted to draw superheroes and robots and all this stuff.”
Jason went on to attend Jacksonville University, where he took art classes, developed a love of art history, and worked as a cartoonist for the school paper. After graduating in 1995, he decided to continue his art studies, enrolling in the Ringling College of Art and Design in Sarasota. While he was at Ringling, Disney animators often came to speak to the students, advise them on what to study, and critique their artwork, which inspired Jason and fueled his desire to follow in their footsteps.
After graduating, he took an entry-level job at Disney’s Hollywood Studios (then Disney-MGM Studios) in Orlando, working at one of the attractions. At the time, animators worked in their own studio at the theme park. Although Jason was a bit starstruck by the artists he thought of as legends, he worked up the courage to show them his portfolio and ask for advice. They were happy to offer tips and encouragement, and Jason continued to fine-tune his burgeoning skills. His hard work and persistence finally paid off when he was tapped to join the team of animators.
A Whole New World
For Jason, it was an exciting time that was cut short when Disney announced in 2004 that it was shutting down its animation studio, as part of the company’s move away from hand-drawn cartoons to computer-generated ones. However, he successfully transitioned into becoming a Disney merchandise artist, primarily designing collectible pins. His creations featured everything from Jack and Sally from The Nightmare Before Christmas to mashups of Disney and Star Wars characters. One of his proudest creative moments was designing a Star Wars-themed R2-D2 ear hat in 2006.
“I had been drawing R2 since I was five years old,” says Jason. “When it finally got stamped and approved, I was over the moon. I still see the hats today.”
Jason’s magical time at Disney was put on hold in 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic hit and theme parks shut down (along with most everything else in the world).
He kept busy with other art gigs, however, including drawing caricatures and pet portraits, teaching classes via Zoom, and doing commission work. But Jason wanted to reach the 25-year mark as a Disney employee, so he took a job driving guests around the parks (Disney’s version of Uber). He put his own creative spin on the driver gig, using his down time to draw Mickey, Minnie, and other beloved characters.
“Every passenger got a drawing,” he says. “They’d say, ‘Wow, you should be an artist here!”’ To which Jason would reply, ‘I was.’”
Pure Imagination
Once Jason hit that 25-year mark, he left Disney to become a freelance artist – one who draws and paints a wide variety of subjects for his clients, not just iconic cartoon characters.
“My biggest thrill is bringing somebody’s idea or concept to life,” he says. “That to me is one of the greatest pleasures.”
In recent years, Jason has collaborated with Central Florida Community Arts (CFCArts) on several occasions, drawing live during Hand-Drawn Jazz concerts, one of which was at the Pargh Event Center at Rosen JCC as part of its Arts at the J series. The partnership between Jason and CFCArts was the brainchild of Justin Muchoney, conductor and artistic director of the organization’s Symphony Orchestra and Big Band. While the band played music from TV and movie cartoons such as Looney Tunes and Disney’s The Jungle Book, Jason stood on stage with the musicians and drew corresponding characters such as Bugs Bunny and Baloo.
“It’s been an honor to bring Jason into several CFCArts experiences,” says Justin. “The Big Band and the audiences love his personality and talent. There’s a certain magic to the process of creating art – both live music and live drawing. Taking fun, familiar music and combining it with a friendly atmosphere and other sensory elements – like the visual of a live drawing – makes it more accessible.”
For Jason, the desire to share his knowledge about Disney characters, or any of the other cartoons he loves to draw, continues to drive him.
“I don’t want people to just draw the character; I want them to know about the character,” says Jason, who considers himself fortunate to have a career that doesn’t feel like work. “In the 25 years I was with Disney, I can honestly say I never worked a day.”