Arthur Christmas has opened in theaters and so far it’s getting some nice reviews! It was a fun movie to work on and am proud to have been a part of it. I’ve had the chance to see the film twice already and can say it’s a fun one for the whole family. Definitely check it out if you have a chance!

Making of the Smurfs

Here’s a great little video on how the Smurfs were made. They were definitely fun characters to animate!

Click here to view the embedded video.

What a busy year this has turned out to be! After animating on Yogi Bear at the end of last year, I started over at Sony Pictures Imageworks in Culver City to work on The Smurfs movie. I had a great time working on The Smurfs and now I’m animating on the next Aardman/Sony Animation project, Arthur Christmas. You can check out the trailers for both films below if you haven’t already seen them. Enjoy!

Click here to view the embedded video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Here’s a quick collection of the shots I animated for Alvin & The Chipmunks: The Squeakquel. It was a fun project to work on and I’m really thankful for the experience. If you still haven’t seen the film yet, it’s now conveniently available on DVD & Blu-Ray!

Geez, it’s been a little while since I last posted but I’m back! Here’s a walk cycle I was playing around with that I thought I’d share.

One thing I’ve heard from some very experienced animators is to actually animate what you see in the animation books (rather than just reading it). It’s definitely a great way to really understand what’s being explained and gives you a more intimate sense of how that particular animator might approach something. So, after having perused several chapters of Eric Goldberg’s Character Animation Crash Course at various times, I decided to read it from start to finish. It’s a fantastic book and I highly recommend it. I really liked Eric Goldberg’s approach to attitude walks (is there really any other kind?) so I decided to animate the example from the book. Well, it’s not really an exact copy but I took the main idea and then embellished from there. I always remember how hard it is to do a good walk with so many principles happening simultaneously. But, that’s what I came up with. Feel free to leave feedback if you like. More posts to follow!

Today is the release of Alvin and The Chipmunks: The Squeakquel. I worked many months on this film so it’s really great to see it finally hit the big screen! A few weeks back I got to attend a special advanced screening at Fox Studios and I can say the film is pretty darn hilarious. If you like the Chipmunks or you have kids that do then definitely go see it.

Click here to view the embedded video.

The Editing of Gladiator

The Editing of JFK

The Editing of Black Hawk Down

Working with Directors

The book is a beautiful hard-bound edition and it features the original animation pencil drawings of Disney greats; Ub Iwerks, Grim Natwick, Art Babbitt, Fred Moore, Bill Tytla, Frank Thomas, Ollie Johnston, Milt Kahl, Marc Davis, Glen Keane, Andreas Deja, and Eric Goldberg just to name a few! There are tons of drawings here from Steamboat Willie through Disney’s latest, The Princess and the Frog. As you can imagine, the drawings are amazing to look at and many also feature the original timing charts.

While working at Rhythm & Hues I was treated to many Disney animation originals that happened to be hung along the walls. Some days I would literally get stuck in the hall, completely mesmerized by a drawing before finally making it back to my desk. It’s truly a gift to be able to see these up close and now with this book you can.

I highly recommend picking up a copy!