MARY
Mary Blair is hired to work in Walt Disney’s gigantic and rigorously maintained garden. As he welcomes her and invites her to get to work, she starts producing plants magically. Although he is amazed, Walt cannot refrain from correcting and toning down Mary’s work behind her back…
Contact production :
GOBELINS, l’école de l’image,
Moïra Marguin : mmarguin@gobelins.fr
What is your name and your current occupation?
Hey there, my name is John K. Lei. I am an animation director and artist. I recently finished up Assistant Directing on Johnny Test, season 5. Currently I am freelancing design and development, and working on my website and blog.
What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation?
Well, I worked as a graphic designer for a small company in Toronto. Of course, there were the long hours (my first day there was 15 hours) and crazy expectations (I had 3 days to conceive, create and put together all the art and signage for a fashion show). However, the craziest thing about that job were the unrelated skills I developed (fixing computers and photocopiers, painting the office, being the delivery boy and my favourite – fixing the phones). I’m surprised I got any of the design work done.
What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of?
I really like funny, zany shows like Johnny Test because our crew can have lots of fun. Also, working on features like Curious George is nice because we can afford time to create some beautiful artwork. I also liked illustrating the black and white art for some of the Franklin the Turtle books – it’s a nice break away from the typical animation production.
How did you become interested in animation?
Naturally, I got into animation by watching a lot of cartoons on television when I was a young kid. Some of my favourite shows were The Flintstones, Looney Tunes and Merry Melodies, Battle of the Planets (Science Ninja Team Gatchaman) and Starblazers (Space Cruiser Yamato). I was intrigued by Continue reading
Slate has a great interview up with both Dan and Swampy and if you loved the series like I do, you’ll enjoy this article.
As the final episode of Disney’s Phineas and Ferb airs this weekend I am proud to have been a small part of it and none of it would have been possible without Dan Povenmire and Swampy Marsh who were actually great bosses and did a fantastic job of bring the ‘funny’ out of everyone as we wrote and boarded the shows. I only worked on 7 of the episodes and did some revisions for the Phineas and Ferb Movie (which is how I got to be on the series full time) but everyone still let me feel like a part of the team which was a great feeling considering everyone else had two seasons under their belt. It also points to why it was so successful, because Dan and Swampy really were open to any sort of joke and they say as much in this interview.
From the site:
Povenmire: The reason we wanted to do several stories at once is Rocky & Bullwinkle, because that was what we grew up with. But they did it as an anthology, where they’d check in on one story and come back. The formula really came from Snuffleupagus onSesame Street, and how Big Bird had this big, furry, mastodon-type character that only he would see, and then he would, like, go to try to find other people to get them to bring them back and show them the Snuffleupagus, and then the Snuffleupagus would always …
You can read the entire article here.
What is your name and your current occupation?
My name is Maxwell. A. Oginni. I’m an animation director, animator & illustrator, working mainly in commercial advertising.
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What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation?
Way back in my student days, when I was broke & hungry, I once took on a Summer job as a street fundraiser… That was pretty crazy. I met some very “interesting” people… I also (mistakenly) once asked a woman when she was “due”… she wasn’t pregnant.
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 What are some of your favourite projects you’re proud to have been a part of?
Last year my good friend Gosia, who teaches at a primary school invited me to give an animation workshop/ pep talk to her graduating class of 11-12yr olds… Before my visit, I had the kids design their very own cartoon characters, as an exercise to explore their ‘personal’ creativity… The day finally came; the kids were so charming & adorable! Originally I was to choose only one winner from the bunch who’s character I would re-design & animate; but on seeing each design, I was so impressed by the effort & skill they had all put in, that I decided I’d get my industry pals involved… I made a quick announcement on my Facebook page inviting animator/ illustrator friends to help me in re-designing ALL the characters. Within two days I had over 20 artists on board! The project, which I hosted via my Facebook page, ran on for about a month or so. The re-designs were fantastic, & the response from everyone on my friends-list (artists/ non-artists) was great; people really got involved & it pretty much became it’s own thing… Anyways, I had all the re-designs sent over to the kids via their teacher as high-res images they could print & frame up as posters. According to Gosia, the kids nearly hit the roof once they saw their designs being “brought to life” by industry professionals… It was honestly one of the most rewarding experiences I’ve ever had.
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Where are you from and how did you get into the animation business?
I live in London, but was born in Benin- Nigeria. My story into animation I’m sure is pretty much the same as most other animators, really… As an introduction, back when I was a kid in Nigeria (about 5-6yrs old, late 80’s), I remember Continue reading
What is your name and your current occupation?
My name is Dan Forgione, and I am an Animation Director at Titmouse,Inc, working on Season 1 of Randy Cunningham: 9th Grade Ninja.
What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation?
My first job ever was as a caddy at a local country club, and in HS I worked in the food service dept at a local hospital where I was part of an assembly line putting together patient meals. I later went on to wait tables, bar tend, and even manage a restaurant during my first few years of college. Also I originally went to college to become a Phys Ed teacher, but transferred after a year an a half to art school.
What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of?
I’m proud of all the work I have done both past and present, but there are a few that stand out in particular. Most recently would definitely be the work I’m doing at Titmouse, as well as the work I’ve done at Six Point Harness, where I was able to work on a number of projects with great crews of artists, some of whom have become my closest friends since moving to LA two years ago. I also got to work on a very unique project back in NY with Flickerlab, where I got to traditionally animate an entire 2- min piece for BNY Melon on paper napkins which was then shot as stop motion.  Before that, there were numerous projects that I did with Dancing Diablo, including several spots for the Bronx Zoo .  And of course, the pencil test I did as my proposal to my beautiful wife, Amanda.
How did you become interested in animation?
I always tell people I consider animation my “astronaut dream.” You know when kids are asked what they want to be when they grow up, and they respond with “firefighter,” or “superhero,” or “astronaut,” mine was “Disney animator.” As a child I loved to draw and by the time I was old enough to Continue reading
