Tag Archives: Comic Con

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Axel Ortiz

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What is your name and your current occupation?
Hello my name is Axel Ortiz…I am a Development Artist based in Los Angeles. I mainly do conceptual work not only in animation..also in video games, theme park and live action. I also work on my own projects as well.

What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation?
 Well, I wouldn’t say my past jobs were crazy….more like working with mentally nutty people. Worked Sears in the kids dept…dealt with crazy customers. I worked at a Pioneer Chicken for two weeks so I can make enough money to buy a comic book back issue. Before heading out to school to the Art Center….I worked at the airport down in the ramp…where I would get passengers’ luggages into the plane. In all of these places I worked with colorful characters…I would always be drawing in my sketchbooks during my breaks….or on the clock. 😛

What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of?
There’s a few projects that I liked working on…like Big Guy and Rusty show from Sony Animation was very cool to work on…I’m a fan of the Geoff Darrow and Frank Miler book that the show is based on. I also liked working on developing characters for pitches for clients as well…getting the chance to create something new is always fun…I’ve done stuff for Nickelodeon, Bento Box, Midway, Activision, Animax and others. Lately I’m excited to be developing characters for two animated show ideas for two clients of mine. One will be pitched to Disney…let see how that goes?

 

Where are you from and how did you get into the animation business?
I’m from the greater Los Angeles area of the South Bay….not far from the beach. I got into the animation just by chance…Sometime after I graduated from the Art Center College of Design…I was doing freelance jobs and working on my own project at the time…I got a call one afternoon from Continue reading

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Dave Thomas

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What is your name and your current occupation?
My name is Dave Thomas, and I am a Producer and Director on Nickelodeon’s TUFF Puppy and The Fairly Oddparents.


What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation?
I always had fun jobs. I worked in a comic book store, and a baseball card shop. But my best non animation job was as a waiter at Farrell’s Old Timey Ice Cream Parlor. We’d bang drums, sound sirens and run sundaes around the place. I was even there when a car smashed through the front of the building and into the candy shop. Some mother left her kid in the car with the engine running while she ran inside. The kid put the car in gear and WHAM! The crazy part is this happened all the time – twice while I worked there. And again after I left!

What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of?
There was a web cartoon Tod Polson and I collaborated on in the early days of the internet called “Mantelope.”Art: Tod Polson. We were working on a TV series for Wildbrain, who were also making internet cartoons for CartoonNetwork.Com. They more or less demanded we pitch something as a condition of continued employment. Since we were overwhelmed with the series, we intentionally pitched the stupidest thing we could think of, hoping they’d hate it and we wouldn’t have to do it. (“Half Man, Half Antelope – MANTELOPE!”)But Cartoon Network did like it, and Wildbrain gave us three weeks to ram the whole thing out! We had to move quick, but I have really fond memories of making it. And in the end we made something we’re all pretty proud of.I’m also really proud of El Tigre, (a show I was Supervising Producer/Director on.)We had an amazing collection of super talented artists and writers who all worked really hard to try to make something good. I’ve never seen so many talented people so happy to be working so hard.That’s all due to the creators, Jorge Gutierrez and Sandra Equihua, who were absolutely the best. They created not only a great show, but a creative environment that inspired everyone to do their best work. And it paid off:In 2007 the crew of El Tigre brought home 4 Emmy awards – the most of any Nickelodeon show ever.

How did you become interested in animation?
It began with watching Warner Bros. cartoons on Saturday morning with my older sister. I idolized her, and loved anything she did. Since she loved cartoons, I loved cartoons. It was that simple.
Where are you from and how did you get into the animation business?
I’m from San Diego, and grew up surrounded by animation and comic books. The Spike and Mike Festival is based there, and then there’s Comic Con, which was enormous even then. I also lived near an animation gallery and got to meet Chuck Jones and a number of the Nine Old Men. All of that made me feel like this was a very real and attainable thing to do. My lucky break came when Continue reading

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Aidan McAteer

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What is your name and your current occupation? 
My name is Aidan McAteer and I’m Episodic Director at Kavaleer Productions in Dublin.
What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation?
It wasn’t crazy (kind of the opposite), but I did a brief stint in a financial firm which I thought was supposed to be animation.  I turned up on the first day and they said – hello, design our new mobile website.  I should have known something was up when they said I had to wear a suit!
What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of? 
I’ve been lucky to work on lots of great stuff – I did a show in UK called “The Secret Show” for the BBC, it was really fun, but never found a huge audience, which is a shame.  I also worked on Peppa Pig (which is massively popular in the UK) with a host of very talented people.    I  had a great time working in Vancouver – it’s an amazing city and I really have landed on my feet back in Dublin working for Kavaleer on a new show called “Wildernuts”.
Where are you from and how did you get into the animation business?
I’m from Dublin (Ireland). When I left animation college, there wasn’t much work there, so I moved to London. I got my first job in a traditional animation studio owned by a great guy,  Philip Vallentin, called Espresso Animation.  I  was a Continue reading
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Mike Scott

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What is your name and your current occupation?
Mike Scott, director / animator.

What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation?Waiter, DJ, promos, runner for a film crew.

What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of6 Goldfish animated music videos, working with David O’Reilly on some [adultswim] idents, my ‘MooseBox’ Nickelodeon project, music videos for my brother’s band ‘The Kiffness’.

How did you become interested in animation?
I’ve always been interested in animation, I’ve drawn since an early age and had tried various animation tests growing up. One of my mother’s friends gave me a book on animation as a birthday present, I guess that all helped.
Where are you from and how did you get into the animation business?
I was born in Johannesburg, South Africa, went to junior school there, high school in Natal, Fine Art in Grahamstown, business degree in Johannesburg, then moved to Plettenberg Bay and I currently commute between Plett and Cape Town. One of my friends from University was working for a comedian and she said Continue reading

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News: THE BOXTROLLS ARE PACKING FOR COMIC-CON 2014

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News: THE BOXTROLLS ARE PACKING FOR COMIC-CON 2014

Focus Features, LAIKA and The Boxtrolls are headed to Comic-Con for a highly anticipated Hall H Panel, “Eat Like THE BOXTROLLS” food truck experience and more. Full details below.

THE BOXTROLLS ARE PACKING FOR COMIC-CON 2014

KEEP AN EYE OUT FOR LIFE-SIZED BOXTROLLS ROAMING COMIC CON. SNAP YOUR PIC AND TWEET USING #THEBOXTROLLS

FRIDAY, JULY 25

#EatLikeTheBoxtrolls

Bug Chef David George Gordon will dare you to EAT LIKE THE BOXTROLLS as he cooks up some of his famous bug and insect edible creations

2:00PM- 4:00PM

Location: Petco Park

2:00PM-3:00PM Univision Radio will be hosting the experience. Stop by for a limited edition signed Fish poster by Isaac Hempstead Wright.

3:00PM-4:00PM Nerdist will be hosting the experience. Stop by for a limited edition signed Shoe poster by Isaac Hempstead Wright.

SATURDAY, JULY 26

THE BOXTROLLS COMIC-CON PANEL

1:30PM-2:30PM

Location: HALL H / Convention Center

Participants: Sir Ben Kingsley, Isaac Hempstead Wright, Elle Fanning, Directors Anthony Stacchi and Graham Annable, and Producer and Lead Animator,and LAIKA president and CEO, Travis Knight

Moderated by Fandango’s Dave Karger

#EatLikeTheBoxtrolls

Location: Petco Park

2:00PM-3:00PM: Cinema Blend will be hosting the experience. Stop by for a limited edition signed Oil Can poster by Isaac Hempstead Wright.

3:00PM-4:00PM: Coming Soon will be hosting the experience. Stop by for a limited edition signed Shoe poster by Isaac Hempstead Wright.

DOWNLOAD THE BOXTROLLS CHARACTER POSTERS: http://www.42west.biz/BOXTROLLS/CharacterPosters.zip

THE BOXTROLLS releases in theaters on September 26!

Story: A family event movie from the creators of “Coraline” and “ParaNorman” that introduces audiences to a new breed of family – The Boxtrolls, a community of quirky, mischievous creatures who have lovingly raised an orphaned human boy named Eggs (voiced by Isaac Hempstead-Wright) in the amazing cavernous home they’ve built beneath the streets of Cheesebridge. When the town’s villain, Archibald Snatcher (Academy Award winner Ben Kingsley), comes up with a plot to get rid of the Boxtrolls, Eggs decides to venture above ground, “into the light,” where he meets and teams up with fabulously feisty Winnifred (Elle Fanning). Together, they devise a daring plan to save Eggs’ family.

Directors: Anthony Staachi and Graham Annable

Writer: Based on the novel Here Be Monsters by Alan Snow

Voice Cast: Ben Kingsley, Isaac Hempstead Wright, Elle Fanning, Jared Harris, Toni Collette, Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Richard Ayoade, Tracy Morgan

MPAA Rating: PG

 

For additional information please visit: http://www.focusfeatures.com/the_boxtrolls

To view the official trailer please visit: http://youtu.be/z3eHd87dx6M

 

Get social with the Boxtrolls:

https://www.facebook.com/theboxtrolls

http://instagram.com/theboxtrolls#

https://twitter.com/TheBoxtrolls

http://www.theboxtrolls.com/

#boxtrolls #animationnews #animation #cartoons #animatedfeatures #laika

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Kim Narsete

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What is your name and your current occupation?
Kim Narsete, Storyboard Artist.

What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation?
Receptionist, Cosmetics Clerk, Shoe saleswoman

What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of?
Hmmmm, that’s an interesting one. I really liked working on Strawberry Shortcake. She was my childhood favorite and it was honor to storyboard on the DVD. It was kind of like life coming full circle.
How did you become interested in animation?
As a kid I had always liked drawing. My Mom would give me a piece of paper and ask me to draw her something while we were at a restaurant. I guess it kept me occupped, lol. She would also take me, my brother, and sister to Walt Disney World during the summers. However, the actual inspiration to get me to study animation was Continue reading