BRUCE LAU
WDCC Sculptor
Bruce Lau is an artist and sculptor whose long association with the Walt Disney Classics Collection helped bring more than a hundred animated characters and memorable scenes into three-dimensional form.
Originally aspiring to become an animator, his path ultimately led him to sculpture and character design, combining his love of animation with a career spanning collectibles, entertainment and theme-park projects.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Discover the artist behind the sculptures
Bruce Lau grew up in Pearl City, Oahu, Hawaii, with an early fascination for animated films and the ambition of becoming an animator. During high school, however, his artistic interests shifted toward sculpture, setting him on a different path within the world of character art.
While earning his B.A. at the University of Hawaii, Lau continued developing his artistic skills, including work in the art department of a local television station. After graduating, he furthered his training at the renowned California Institute of the Arts (CalArts).
His professional career began with the creation of animation and live-action props for the entertainment industry, particularly television. He later moved into designing models for film, television and theme-park attractions, bringing together his interests in character design and three-dimensional art.
BRUCE LAU & WDCC
Work for the Walt Disney Classics Collection
In 1990, Bruce Lau was invited by Walt Disney Art Classics to create prototype sculptures capturing the personality and appeal of classic animated characters. This marked the beginning of his long association with the Walt Disney Classics Collection.
Lau went on to become one of the collection's most prolific sculptors, creating more than 100 WDCC sculptures. His work ranged from individual characters to ambitious multi-character scenes, including Scrooge McDuck: Pool of Riches, The Three Caballeros and Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.
His WDCC work also extended to later animated films, with sculptures inspired by Alice in Wonderland and Toy Story 2, demonstrating a career that spanned characters from several generations of Disney animation.
NOTABLE WDCC CREATIONS
A selection of sculptures created by Bruce Lau
BEYOND WDCC
Other projects and collectible lines
Bruce Lau's work extended well beyond collectible sculpture. Early in his career, he created animation and live-action props for television before moving into the design of models for film, television and theme-park attractions.
He also created three-dimensional animation maquettes, reference models used by animators to study characters from different angles and maintain consistency while drawing them.
- Television and live-action props
- Film and television models
- Theme-park attraction models
- Feature Animation maquettes
- Television Animation maquettes
DID YOU KNOW?
A little story behind the artist
Among Bruce Lau's favorite sculptures for the Walt Disney Classics Collection is Scrooge McDuck: Pool of Riches, celebrating the Scrooge McDuck comics of Disney artist Carl Barks.
He also counted The Three Caballeros among his favorite WDCC creations, showing a particular fondness for some of the collection's more elaborate character scenes.