Summit Ascending
The third annual World Animation and VFX Summit thrilled and enlightened attendees in the intimate setting of the California Yacht Club in Marina del Rey.
Mr. Peabody and Sherman director Rob Minkoff; Mulan director Tony Bancroft; Maxon US CEO Paul Babb. Second row: Disney TV Animation’s Troy Underwood and Mattel Playground Productions’ David Voss; The LEGO Movie filmmakers, from left Pablo Plaisted, Dan Lin, Chris Miller and Chris McKay. Third row: The Boxtrolls co-directors Graham Annable and Anthony Stacchi, The Book of LIfe director Jorge Gutierrez and Cartoon Saloon co-founder Paul Young; Nickelodeon Studios senior VP of animation production David Steinberg. Fourth row: Pascal Blais and Guru Studio’s Mary Bledon; Daniel Gregoire of Halon and Ron Frankel of Proof. This page, clockwise from top left: Nancy Cartwright, the voice of Bart Simpson; and The Simpsons director David Silverman; Cartoon Saloon co-founder Paul Young; Animation Magazine president and publisher Jean Thoren with honoree Phil Roman; How to Train Your Dragon 2 writer and director Dean DeBlois; Paul Rigg of Copernicus Studio and Frank Saperstein of Tricon Films; DreamWorks Animation’s Simon Otto, talk show host Craig Ferguson, honoree Bonnie Arnold, composer John Powell and DeBlois. And the party was just the start of it. The programming kicked off the next morning with a stirring keynote address from Mr. Peabody and Sherman director Rob Minkoff before delving into a slate of deep panels that included a case study of the making of Disney’s Big Hero 6; an Oscars panel with the directors of five of the year’s biggest animated releases; a deep look into the making of The LEGO Movie and a stunning presentation of Glen Keane’s interactive app Duet.
The second day quickly resumed the intense pace with a keynote from David Steinberg, se- nior VP of animation production at Nickelodeon Studios, followed by spotlights on the animation business in Canada and around the world. Maxon CEO Paul Babb delivered a keynote that was followed by a look at the latest technology poised to change the world of animation.
The evening cocktail party was abuzz with excitement for the vision of the future of animation the summit presented, as well as the camaraderie animation folks are well known for.
“The deeper level of engagement and the sharing of information is so exhilarating, it made it hard for me to sleep at the end of each day, as my mind was so turned on,” says Kathy Messick, president of Cyber Optics Entertainment.
The summit wrapped up with a tour of Cartoon Network Studios, Mousetrappe and RGH Themed Entertainment.
And now before we start looking forward to next year’s summit, we’d like to thank our sponsors: MDEC, DreamWorks Animation, CelAction, Mattel Playground Productions, Atomic Cartoons, Maxon, Illumination Entertainment, RGH, Stereo D, Sony Pictures Animation, Mondo, Big Bad Boo Studios and Natural Talent.
See you next year!
Top 10 Home Entertainment Titles 1. 2.
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5. 6. 7. The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (Lionsgate) The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (New Line) Thor: The Dark World (Disney) Gravity (Warner) Divergent (Lionsgate) Transformers: Age of Extinction (Paramount) Captain America: The Winter Soldier (Disney) The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (Sony) 300: Rise of an Empire (Warner) X-Men: Days of Future Past (Fox)
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