Guillermo Martinez

Head of Story, The Mitchells vs. the Machines Sony Pictures Animation

When Guillermo Martinez was only five years old, he got his heart set on the Disney Villains book and begged his mother to buy it for him. “It was the greatest Christmas present I’ve ever gotten,” says the 37-year-old animation pro. “I would read it every night. My desire to be an animator really kicked in when I went to Disney/MGM’s Art of Animation resort. As a kid, getting to watch 2D Disney animators was a revelation. At that point, I knew that animation was my calling.”

Born in Bayamón, Puerto Rico, Martinez got his first big break when he was hired to work on a couple of projects at Portland’s Laika Studios, one of which was Kubo and the Two Strings. “It was an amazing experience to work with story crew in that film,” he says. “I learned so much from some of the best story artists in the industry. After Kubo, I was asked to help Chris Butler on his film Missing Link, and got to board some great sequences in the film.”

This year, Martinez is head of story on Sony’s upcoming movie The Mitchells vs. The Machines, directed by Michael Rianda. “The best way to describe the film is as a road trip/robot uprising movie for the whole family,” explains Martinez. “It’s been without question the most gratifying professional experiences of my life. It’s super rare when I get to work on a project that matches my comedic sensibilities so closely. We’ve lucked out with the talent on this movie! I love that almost everyone in the film is both young and hungry to make the funniest, coolest movie ever.”

Citing Satoshi Kon, Chuck Jones, Masaaki Yuasa, Peter Chung, Brad Bird, Ward Kimball and Chris Sanders as some of his idols, Martinez

points out that Paranoia Agent and Liquid Television had a profound effect on him as a young man. “The Simpsons was also a revelation,” he notes.“The moment my mother banned me from watching it I knew that the show was something special. To this day, no piece of entertainment has shaped me as a writer/animator/storyteller like The Simpsons!”

Martinez says the best piece of advice he can give wannabe animators is, “Being technically skilled can get you a long way, but nothing speaks louder than making sure that your work has your voice in it.” He adds: “If something happened to you that is crazy, hilarious and you feel that other people would identify with, write it down. Turn it into a short. Draw it and post it on your Tumblr. Show the world the amazing storyteller that you are!”