FMX 2017

Creating the world of Vaiana was a challenge that required creative and technical collaboration between multiple disciplines - a blending of art and technology. Of the many departments involved, the effects animators and software engineers spent months developing a new tool set, aptly named Splash, which allowed for a more natural feel to the water and smooth movement of the waves. Dale Mayeda, Co-Head of Effects Animation, and Alexey Stomakhin, Sr. Software Engineer, share how Disney Animation’s teams came together to create this compelling world.

The world of Zoomania is as colorful and diverse as its animal citizens. Each part of the city had to be fully built out to provide the large urban scale required to tell the story. This session will give an overview of the process, take a closer look at the Esri CityEngine pipeline integration, and show some results that were featured in the film.

The art direction of Vaiana called for hand-drawn animation and CG animation to be intimately mixed. New workflows were developed not only to achieve the very specific look but also allow direct interaction between the various CG and hand-drawn elements. Exploring these workflows has further bridged the gap between hand-drawn animation and CG animation artists and artistry, opening the way for continued exploration into hybrid animation.

Designing and implementing software tools to be used by artists requires empathy and insight into the art itself. Alexey and Brian will discuss their approaches and show examples of working closely with artists to develop tools and systems that support and enhance creative expression while managing complex data.

Justin Weber will talk about the animation department’s approach to bringing characters to life; including the creative challenges of delving into the personality of the character, the aesthetic challenges of posing and animating, and the technical aspects of working with our tools.

While simulation is an integral part of our work, design, composition, timing and cross departmental collaboration play a critical role so that we can convey emotion and support story telling with our effects animation. We will delve into some examples of how we use effects in support of story and art direction as well as what characteristics we look for when hiring new talent into the effects department at Walt Disney Animation Studios.

The Studio Insights track is focused on the business side of the industry where topics ranging from production, changing business models and new forms of content creation are discussed in an “in conversation” format. The conversation is unscripted but the topics and general subject matters are discussed and agreed prior. The intent is to provide a safe forum for executives to share a bit about their perspective on the industry and for the audience to gain rare insight into a part of the business that many people never get to see. It begins with a 1:1 chat followed by all three panellists on the stage for a panel discussion and Q&A.