The 2024 CalArts Animation Portfolio Day took place last week! We’re very grateful to all who participated, from animation studio representatives to students from the Character and Experimental Animation programs. Special thanks to our team at CalArts for their work and dedication! Check out our students’ portfolios here.
Jorge R. Gutiérrez visits CalArts
CalArts alumnx and acclaimed filmmaker / artist Jorge R. Gutiérrez visited campus on January 18, 2024, and spoke to our students in the Bijou! Jorge gave an inspiring talk about his experience as a student at CalArts, his career, and advice for our students about artistic perseverance.
Jorge was kind enough to make his own poster for the talk; I took the photo below while the poster was projected on-screen, and Rafael Hernandez (CalArts’ Institute Photographer) and Jorge were on stage.
Rafael Hernandez (left), Jorge R. Gutiérrez (right), Bijou Theater, CalArts, January 18, 2024.
Q&A with Jeff Rowe, director of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem
CalArts’ Office of Alumnx and Family Engagement held a screening of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem (Paramount / Nickelodeon) on January 8, 2024. Character Animation alumnx Jeff Rowe directed the film, and I was fortunate to have the chance to do a Q&A with him after the screening!
It was great talking to Jeff about TMNT — hearing his thoughts about themes of family and belonging explored in the film, getting to hear about other CalArts alumnx who worked on it, stories about the amazing voice talent and composers, and more.
Photographs by Rafael Hernandez.
Procreate Dreams reveal, London, England
I had the honor of attending the reveal of Procreate’s new mobile app Procreate Dreams in London, England on September 8, 2023, along with several recent alumnx of the Character Animation program. The event was part of Playgrounds In Motion - London, and took place in the Outernet District. It’ll be so exciting to see the creative work that will emerge once the new app is available in November 2023. Congrats to the Procreate team, and big thanks for this opportunity!
Check out this CalArts blog post about our visit!
2023 Producers' Show opening
Check out the opening for the 2023 Producers’ Show, made by our fourth-year students, with help from our first-years! Jennifer Nie directed the opening, and Zoé Lacau produced it (full credits are in the video).
Here are some of the students who worked on it! They were so kind to give me artwork from the opening. 😭 From left to right: Jonathan, Maya, Zoé, Vivian, Jennifer and Noah.
2023 Character Animation Producers' Show
We gathered at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures for our annual Producers’ Show on May 3, 2023 to celebrate our students’ films. View the film list and official photos from the event.
This year, Procreate partnered with us for the first time on a new award called the Procreate Award for Creativity in Animated Filmmaking. We’re very grateful for their support of our students’ work!
Check out our 2023 YouTube playlist, and 2023 Vimeo channel to see all of our students’ films from this academic year.
2023 Character Animation Open Show
2022 Character Animation Producers' Show
The Producers’ Show took place on Wednesday May 4, 2022, at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures’ David Geffen Theater! This was the first time since 2019 that the event was in person. We screened 27 films made by our students (view the list here), with 600 guests in attendance. Our students made truly incredible films this year, it was such a joy to see their work on screen. Thanks to CalArts leadership, and our sponsors, for making it possible for this event to take place.
Health and safety protocols were implemented, including masking at all times indoors, and proof of vaccination or negative test. For safety reasons, food wasn’t served, but we provided small boxes of Godiva chocolates to everyone after the event.
Our students’ films can be seen on our 2022 Vimeo Channel and YouTube Playlist, please check them out!
2021 Virtual CalArts Character Animation Open Show →
Our annual Open Show event took place on Saturday April 24, 2021, viewable here!
Panel discussion "Inside 'Arlo the Alligator Boy'" →
The 2021 GLAS Animation Festival is currently taking place online — the festival is truly a must-see! It features a number of film competitions, retrospectives, Q&A’s, demos, and more. I was fortunate to have the opportunity to moderate a panel discussion about the upcoming feature film Arlo the Alligator Boy (Netflix), with creator Ryan Crego and several incredible artists from his team. The film will be available April 16, and the series I Heart Arlo later this year. Thanks to GLAS and the Arlo crew!
