Zootopia Review

Spoiler Free

The other day I had the opportunity to see a Women in Animation screening of Walt Disney Animation Studio's "Zootopia", followed by a panel of amazingly talented women who worked on it.

Without much known to me about this film, I was really excited to finally see it. I feel like the marketing of Zootopia was a different strategy than past Disney films, where instead of them telling us everything in their trailers, I went into a theater without really knowing much at all about the plot of the movie.

Story: I was so happy with the plot of this film. It was essentially a buddy cop movie done right. The banter between the characters was smart and sharp. The twists and turns were actually unexpected at times. I feel like this is one of the most solid stories of any animation within the last few years for me. There was definitely a political/message undertone to this film, but there was no monologuing (thank goodness). For me, to have a film SHOW you the message, instead of a character telling you how to feel, means everything was a success. Yes there were a few things that I felt like could have been given more screen time to really flush out, but man, not much to really say about that.
        On top of that really good story base, the comic relief was just right. Usually in animated films, the comic relief characters lean towards more childish humor, but Zootopia did it right and had witty retorts and great acting to make us laugh.

Characters: What can I say. Judy Hopps, the protagonist rabbit of this movie, is a little perfect, but Disney did a great job of giving her some real flaws that I feel we all could relate to. She may look like she is always optimistic, but she has some really important character development scenes where you see her doubting and being frustrated by her circumstances. Her arc is fantastic and important and really the whole story.
       Nick, the fox, is a narcissist. His snappy remarks and heavy sarcasm easily makes him one of my favorite all time characters. The voice acting of Jason Bateman in the role is by far the most memorable of the cast (but they all were amazing).
        Now, there were A TON of supporting characters in this film, and the only one I wasn't too crazy about was the Shakira Gazelle. Mostly because I felt like the move of having a celebrity and music integrated into a film that much to be very... Dreamworks- esk. Though she does act as a catalyst near the end, representing the face of media in response to the climax, I felt her character to be a little shallow and un-needed. The rest of the supporting character all had wonderful moments and added to the story, they weren't just throw-aways. Two thumbs up Disney.

Visuals: Swoooon. As a CG artist myself, the intensely overwhelming amount of content in Zootopia makes me feel like I drank the Disney Kool-aid. There are so many different types of environments, animals, fur types, dynamics, animation techniques, just ... guuuwah. So good. The fur sims were incredible on Zootopia. Comparing this to their last "fur" movie "Bolt", its leaps and bounds above its predecessor. The way the fur interacts with the characters, with the wind, just wonderful. It has a real quality to it now, and there are so many different types of fur that I applaud Disney's LookDev team and all the hard work they did developing this. The animation... also INCREDIBLE. The animation and rigging teams really seemed to have worked together to create some very special acting moments. My personal favorite were all the micro expressions they had going with Nick and his rig (There was this amazing muzzle muscle that they going on the sides of his nose ridge. Such a small thing, but sold it all.) This CG film held up all the classic 12 principles flawlessly.

I have had some friends who have seen Zootopia and felt that it was too preachy for them, but for an animated film to resonate so deeply at a time that really depends on all of us to be open-minded and accepting, means the film succeeded.

It made us feel something more. More than just support for our sister, more than just wanting to find love, more than just our own lives. It said something important about society and made us listen. For both children and adults, this film is a don't miss.

9.9/10

Chewbacca Card

Happy Post Holidays!

Here was my holiday card I made for this year. I like doing cards every year. Though I don't consider myself a strong traditional artist, I like doing whimsical fun things. Enjoy!

Christmas Present

Here is a belated posting of my Christmas present to the boyfriend. He is always crazy active and doing martial arts all over the place. And I love to bake! I had initially intended to do a short comic, but time got the best of me and all I managed was a cover.

The Annie Awards and What It Means To Me

The Annie Awards recently announced its nominees for the 2015 year. Excited as ever, I chatted with some of my colleagues about it, only to find that many are still unaware of the Annie Awards and what they stand for. Others felt some powerful disdain for the ceremony. Why do we need it? Isn’t it just a popularity contest?

The Annie Awards were created by June Foray (that famous voice over artist of many loved cartoons) in 1972 due to the lack of awards for animation in Los Angeles. The Annie Awards is a ceremony done through ASIFA-Hollywood and is voted on by animation professionals who hold memberships.
This feeling of a lack of acclaim is still prevalent today in the awards circuit. Animation is generally looked at as a genre, rather than a medium. No real credit is given by other organizations to try and support animation as something more than just children’s television. This opportunity to support and acknowledge the amazing work done by our peers and mentors is the main reason I love the Annies. To really show off all this hard work and talent to audiences everywhere (the event is now livestreamed).

Not that it hasn’t had its own growing pains and trials along the way. There have been a few scandals in the past years, including a period where Disney and Disney/Pixar completely backed out. Some controversy about studios buying their employees ASIFA memberships to try and stack the votes. Also other ”technical problems” on their voting website during key hours. Yet things have come together the last few years and will continue to streamline.

Coming from a show that almost always lacks nominations, I can be bitter at times that our talent dont receive the proper recognition I think they deserve. I think that is normal. There is just so much talent everywhere and we all think we are the best; don’t let that spoil the whole thing for you.

In the end, I remember that this event means more to me than the actual award. Its the symbol of the Annies. Of a night where we can all come together, pat eachother on the back, and pay tribute to the amazing industry we all love.

The Good Dinosaur Review

Spoiler Free

Saturday I had the opportunity to see an early screening of Disney/Pixar's "The Good Dinosaur" through ASIFA,

I had mixed feelings about the film.

Story: Without giving anything away, the plot of this film was a bit bland for me. There were several moments that took me out of the movie where I thought, oh, this is Lion King, and oh, this is Homeward Bound. I didn't quite understand what the feelings behind the movie were supposed to be. Then there were the few moments where the plot decided to hit us over the head with things. Telling us what we should be thinking, rather than crafting a strong enough premise to ensure we come up with that ourselves. Also, I felt there was a great opportunity at the end of the film that they did not act on. However, there were several moments within the film that I loved. Some fairly moving, some pretty funny. Yet sadly, good moments does not make a great film.

Characters: The voice acting is something I want to immediately address. The choices they made to have very accent heavy voices was difficult for me. Every time the dad (with a strong southern farmer twang) spoke, all I could think of was a baked beans commercial. The main characters, Spot and Arlo, have a great connection and their relationship successfully imitated a boy and dog scenario. The supporting characters were pretty weak (with exception to the dad trex, he was great). If you don't know, I'm a huge villain fan. This was a let down of the film for me. There was no real villain in the traditional sense and I felt that lack of tension. Classic "man" vs Nature film.

Visuals: The juxtaposition of styles has been the reason behind a lot of my hesitancy for seeing this film since the first teaser. The hyper-realistic background design with the cartoony dinosaurs is just weird to me. It didn't mesh in my brain. After watching the film, my assumption as to why they did that is so that the characters would stand out against the lush environments. I get it. I didn't personally care for it. And hats off to the Pixar Shading and Sims teams. There were some shots in the beginning that looked like live action film and the water sims were just insane. The animation itself was gorgeous. There were moments I would watch the dinosaurs move and see how amazing the rigging was to allow for all these minute muscle movements.

After mulling on the film over the weekend, my overall feeling is good, but not great. Maybe its because this film is coming from Pixar and I have such high expectations of them, but I would rank it in the middle of their franchises (underneath WallE and Monsters Inc, above Cars and Brave). Definitely worth seeing, especially as an animation-holic, but don't expect to leave with your mind blown.

5/10

La Noria IndieGoGo

La Noria holds a special place in my heart for me. I started doing texture/shading work on this as soon as I graduated from Art Institute and I was so excited (that was over 4 years ago now!). I was blown away to be working remotely with so much talent and on a great concept.

Carlos Baena was a huge name to me. He animated Spanish Buzz Lightyear, and was a very loud voice in the animation community. I was jazzed to be helping. I also met some crazy talented fellow artists that I've kept in touch with.

I worked on a few props and set pieces, but it was so much fun and wish I could do it all over again.

Please check out and support La Noria.

Indiegogo Campaign

The Social Media Problem

 I have a love/hate relationship with social media.

 I love the ability to be inspired by artists all over the world. To instantly see what has been happening in the lives of my friends and loved ones. To peek into the lives of people I look up to and see all the amazing things they create and do. It can be great motivation to push myself harder and to start creating better work of my own.

 Yet, the downfall with social media is its one-sided. I never really see when my favorite artist tries to do a drawing and decides to start over. Instead, its just the magical perfect finished art piece. The process is lost. This leaves me to assume that everything comes easy for them, for everyone. Each person who's life I'm looking at through social media is only made up of the experiences they show.... and that's the lie. THAT is my issue with social media.

 We only see the successes, never really the process or the failures.

 Everyone wants to show off what they are proud of, and brush under the rug, or ignore, the things that they didn't do that well. The constant bombardment of only the success leaves me to feel like I am the only one struggling. I'm the only one who doesn't get their dream job right away, or who spends hours doing a sketch only to delete it in frustration. I look at my friends and their jobs and their lives. I see how much they travel, the fact they buy a new home or a new car, and I feel like the accomplishments I may have aren't nearly as cool or substantial. I feel like my life is a failure by comparison.

 Social media is dangerous for that reason. It can end up being a deep pit where all you do is compare your art and your lives to others. It can quickly get unhealthy.

 Instead one must remember that it only shows the good. These people you are comparing yourself to also got plenty of rejection letters, have to redraw things many times, and make mistakes in general.

 Glen Keane frequently says that he has to do many many bad drawings and "get them out" before he can start creating anything good.

 I always go back to that statement because its the truth. Its a reminder that nothing is easy for anyone. That there is so much more that goes into anyone's success. It's time, practice, perseverance, and effort. Behind the curtain of social media, everyone has failed at times.