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How to Train Your Dragon 2's dragon vocalizations are a combination elephant, dog and horse. Audio for animation has come a long way since Tom and Jerry. Even on the animated TV series Rabbids Invasion, which resembles Tom and Jerry in its slapstick comedic style and lack of dialogue to drive the storyline, there's a focus on making the show sound realistic. The world of Rabbids Invasion sounds very real, with ambience rich in detail, Foley, hard effects, and reality-based sound design. There are no boings, zings, or slide whistles. Realistic sound for animation is also the foremost trend in the film industry. Sure, we all know dragons aren't real, but the creators of How to Train Your Dragon 2 don't want you to believe that, at least while you're watching the film. To achieve realistic vocalizations for the dragons, the audio post team at Skywalker Sound recorded hundreds of hours of real animals in order to capture a few moments of sound that will make the audience believe the animated dragons are real. On the animated TV series Rick and Morty, which is in no way bound to the limits of reality or time or space, there is still a focus on making the show sound realistic. There is Foley, detailed backgrounds, hard effects, and other sounds to fully build Rick and Morty's reality, no matter which Rick-reality they're in. Even though the trend is to sound more realistic, like live-action, there are a few advantages that can be had in animation when it comes to soundtracks. Namely, the lack of a production track and all its technical chal- lenges, the ability to step into the creative process much sooner, and the creative opportunities for sound that the unrealistic perspectives of animation afford us, like how the world sounds when you're a tiny fairy. THE PIRATE FAIRY Todd Toon is a supervising sound editor at For- mosa Group (http://formosagroup.com), located on The Lot in West Hollywood. Formosa Group is a full service audio post company that's home to numer- ous multi-award winning supervising sound editors, sound designers, and re-recording mixers. Toon, who's Audio Audio Audio Audio Audio Audio Audio Audio Audio Audio Audio Audio Audio Audio Audio Audio Audio Audio Sound designers embrace the creative opportunities animation affords them. By Jennifer Walden