Author Archives: Laura

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Kenard Pak

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What is your name and your current occupation?
Kenard Pak Visual Development Artist at PDI Dreamworks.

What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation?
Nothing too crazy. I’ve flipped burgers, cleaned dishes + bathrooms, got yelled at for bad video rentals.

What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of?
I’m very proud of “Madagascar 3”. We were an excellent, inspiring, professional + fun art team. This doesn’t happen very often,
and I consider myself very fortunate to have been a part of it. The film that started my career, “Prince of Egypt”, is also very memorable.  Not only did I get my start on such a mammoth project, but I learned so much from the legendary artists that had designed it.  At Disney Feature I had a great time on their pre-production projects, and I also have some interesting memories working  with the director Monkmus on his “Topside Rag” shorts.

How did you become interested in animation?
Like many kids, I grew up enjoying cartoons like Merry Melodies and Woody Woodpecker. Unlike most kids, this fascination eventually became Continue reading

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Fraser MacLean

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What is your name and your current occupation?
Fraser MacLean, At-Home Carer (but, when time permits: Lecturer/Writer/General Animation Mongrel)

 

What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation?
I once spent an entire week working as an Assistant Film Editor on a 5-minute local news item (shot on 16mm co-mag) about a company that made heated dog baskets. On another occasion I had to drive across Glasgow with half a human brain in a perspex display case on the passenger seat, praying all along that nobody would rear-end the props truck since the safety belt wouldn’t fit around the case that the half-brain was floating in.

 

What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of?
“Who Framed Roger Rabbit”, “Space Jam”, “Tarzan”, “Little Dorrit” and the Animo animation software package.

 

How did you become interested in animation?
When I was a kid growing up in Scotland there was a regular early evening double-bill of Continue reading

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Francis Glebas

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What is your name and your current occupation?
I’m Francis Glebas and I am a storyboard artist and author. I’ve also been a director, vis dev artist and teacher.
What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation?
Newspaper delivery. It got crazy with the dogs. I taught cut-out animation at a summer camp. I built models for a model building company, like architectural models and airplanes. It gets old when you’re on your 100th airplane. I also designed and painted
stage sets. I’ve probably painted more square footage than most background artists. After getting into the business I once ran a brainstorming session at Los Alamos Laboratories that was surreal.
What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of?
Aladdin was a magical time, the studio was buzzing with excitement but we were still under the radar of the money people. I remember seeing the Whole New World that I storyboarded with crude drawings at the premiere and every department took it and
made it better. It was incredible. I also poured my heart into the ending of Pocahontas. Lion King and Ice Age 4 were also really great to work on. Space Chimps was really fun too. Sometimes it’s more about the people you work with. In pre-Pixar days, getting Ed Catmull’s TWEEN system to work at NYIT was exciting. It created automatic inbetweens and we used it on hundreds of commercials. Well, maybe we reached 100.
How did you become interested in animation?
To work out traumas from watching Continue reading

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Robb Pratt

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What is your name and your current occupation?
I’m Robb Pratt, story artist.

What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation?
For years I made stained glass windows in a little mom and pop shop in Studio City. There were actually some cool moments on that job. I got to meet Julian Lennon when I was installing some windows in his house! I’m a HUGE Beatles fan, so that was something that I’ll never forget! I also got to work for Erik Estrada, and Steven Adler, the drummer for Guns N Roses and future reality show star! What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of? I was very fortunate to be an animator for Walt Disney Feature Animation on every traditionally animated film AFTER “The Lion King”! I got to work directly with Bruce Smith, animating Kerchak in “Tarzan”, and John Pomeroy, animating to Michael J. Fox’s voice for “Atlantis”. After traditional animation faded out out Disney, I was able to work for Eric Goldberg on “Looney Tunes: Back In Action”. I actually got to animate Bugs Bunny saying his iconic “What’s up, doc?” line!

How did you become interested in animation?
Funny… speaking of Bugs Bunny, it was the Warner Bros. shorts that made me want to be an animator! I love the artform of shorts: get in, get a few laughs, then get out before you’ve warn out your welcome! I also was WAY into the Fliescher Popeye shorts. I just recently rediscovered them with Continue reading
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Carl Beu

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What is your name and your current occupation?
My name is Carl Beu, and I’m a background painter on Motorcity!
What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation?
I drew portraits at events and theme parks for a few years. You never knew who you were gonna draw, or what their expectations were. I drew everyone from biker gangs & 90 year-old grannies to Punk rockers and screaming babies.
What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of?
I’ve been fortunate enough to have worked with an absolutely amazing crew on every animation project I’ve been on so far, but Motorcity in particular has been pushing the bar very high. It’s exciting to be on such an ambitious show!

How did you become interested in animation?
When I was in high school, I attended the CSSSA summer program for animation at Cal arts. That experience, and the Continue reading