Looks like "the Lasseter Theory" has righted the ship. It's truly amazing how he's been able to plus the system at the Walt Disney Animation Studio. Nothing but great work all around! Here's a great write up on the film from Susan Wloszczyna on www.rogerebert.com.
Personally, I found Big Hero 6 to be more in line with a Pixar Film. WDA has surprised me twice, the first being Wreck-It-Ralph, which I had the opportunity to see some story art back in 2011 when I visited the studio while attending my second session at CalArts. The amount of visual pleasure, balanced with a story that I can see being tent poled in at least two more films. great to see the team winning.
However, I personally thought Laika’s Boxtrolls deserved the accolades for Best Animated Feature. Not only does it offer visual innovations, but the animation marvel of Snatcher hasn’t been seen since the days of Milt Kahl when it comes to personality and empathy. But this a story for the Hands of Laika blogpage…
As a bonus here is my first attempt at podcasting. I was fortunate enough to meet Zack Parrish, Head of Animation on Big Hero 6, during my first week here in San Francisco. He was kind enough to talk about issues concerning the student process and its application on entering the workforce at Walt Disney Animation. Enjoy.
