Disney Surprises Local Illustrator Ellie Yong With A Golden Opportunity

An unexpected email presented young illustrator Ellie Yong with the chance of a lifetime. The alumna of The One Academy revealed that she was surprised when receiving an email from Disney – the entertainment and media giant, inviting her to be one of the designers for the movie poster of Raya and the Last Dragon earlier in March. She initially thought it was a scam, even more so as she did not submit any application for the opportunity. However, upon verification, the incredible offer proved to be genuine, and she could hardly believe it!

The 28-year-old currently works as a concept artist at Metronomik, a Malaysian independent video game development studio founded by Wan Hazmer and Daim Dziauddin. Although Ellie did not have any prior experience in the video game industry, she took her chances and said yes to the invitation to come onboard the studio.

But how did she catch the eyes of the Disney? The animation giant had used MEOKCA X Poster Posse, a platform that connects creatives with industry clients, to scout for artists to design promotional movie posters! MEOKCA has collaborated with many world-renowned film and television production companies, such as Disney, Twentieth Century Fox, Marvel, Netflix, Warner Bros, Lucasfilm and more. Prior to the launch of the films, these companies enlist the help of MEOKCA to invite artists to design posters using their own style and creativity. These posters are then uploaded on to their social media platform and the chosen artist are compensated.

Truly surprised, Ellie recounts that she was one of the few local artists selected to work with Disney, a golden opportunity indeed. Within a month after the email, she had sent them several sketches of which one was chosen. They chose my second favourite sketch; it clearly shows the expression of the protagonist Raya. In the movie, I felt that she has experienced a lot of heartbreak and her sad expression touched my heart. I used purple and black in the background to express my feeling about the movie”, she explained.

Her interest in art started from young and thanks to her mother, this passion was cultivated through art classes, art-related work and more, helping her become the artist she is today. Pursuing a Diploma in Illustration at The One Academy, Ellie worked as an animation background designer and visual marketing designer before signing on at Metronomik.

Speaking on her art style, she said it was formed unknowingly around four years ago when people remarked on how her work showed a kind of “fluidity’ and was mainly women. “I was surprised because I couldn't see it myself, haha!", she exclaimed.

She had joined a “MerMay Challenge” where the artist is required to draw and upload one mermaid art a day for the entire month. As drawing women and the fluidity of mermaids were interesting to her, Ellie took up the challenge and over the past four years, has come up with as many as 124 works, each one different from the other. This allowed her to grow as an artist and create my own style.

Her style is inspired by artists that she likes from which she extracts and combines the elements such as lines, colours, composition and more. Currently, the talented artist has her sights set on improving her skills and increasing her standard of satisfaction. “My satisfaction standard increases with creation and I hope that every work I do can reach a higher standard of satisfaction”, she said. Ellie Yong is a shining example that opportunities can come from anywhere so long as one has the passion and drive to succeed!