Animation Guild | We are 839 Digital Magazine
Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1378252
SHORT AND SWEET The Primetime Emmys' Short Form Animated Program category recog- nizes an animated series or special 15 minutes or less. This year's submis- sions include Walt Disney Animation Studios' Once Upon a Snowman. We touched base with the film's director, Trent Correy, who's also been submitted for the Character Voice-Over Performance and Individual Achievement categories. HOW DOES ONCE UPON A SNOWMAN COMPLEMENT FROZEN? The original Frozen was my first film at Disney Animation, and Olaf was the very first character I animated. As a huge fan of Frozen and the summer- loving snowman, I couldn't help but wonder what happens between "Let it Go," when Elsa builds Olaf, and the moment Anna, Kristoff, and Sven all meet him. How does he come to life? How does he know what summer is? And most importantly, does he remember that Anna and Elsa built him as kids?!? These are all questions that my fellow director, Dan Abraham, and I set out to answer, with the hopes of adding an origin story to Olaf's existence and complementing the film by answering our burning questions. WHAT ANIMATED SHOWS INSPIRED YOUR CAREER? I've always just LOVED film. Being a '90s kid, I grew up with The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King, Toy Story, and of course, Jurassic Park. I also have a deep love for the history of animation. WHAT ANIMATED SHOW HELPED YOU GET THROUGH THE PAST YEAR? As soon as the pandemic hit and with a new subscrip- tion to Disney+, I decided to watch every Disney Animation and Pixar feature in chronological order, beginning with Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and ending when we finished our work on Raya and the Last Dragon … Anything to stay sane!!! now are children's cartoons with my kids, and I have to say that one that resonates with me as a mom is Bluey. After a long day of virtual schooling and working from home, it is easy to find yourself too tired and demoralized to want to participate in fun games, but every time I watch Bluey with the children, I feel inspired and motivated to be more present and play with them in more creative ways: If Bluey's dad can do it, so can I. CALVIN WONG SUPERVISING PRODUCER CLOSE ENOUGH CARTOON NETWORK STUDIOS WHAT DO YOU THINK MAKES CLOSE ENOUGH UNIQUE? Close Enough is great because it's got the edge and surreal twists of other adult animated shows, but it also has a nice sentimental cen- ter. We very much care about the characters. We're not a cynical show! I also like that our art style is looser, and we're not too strict about models. We like storyboard artists' styles to come through. DO YOU HAVE A FAVORITE MOMENT YOU CREATED FOR YOUR SHOW? We were really able to capture the world of skateboarding past and present in the first season episode "Skate Dad." I was particu- larly happy about a dream sequence I did where Josh floats around L.A. on a skateboard and flips off his rival. It was after a lot of dia- logue [had been] cut for time, and the sequence successfully said everything … with no words, in a much shorter amount of time, was funny to look at, and ALSO [paid] homage to The Big Lebowski! WHAT ANIMATED SHOWS INSPIRED YOUR CAREER? The Simpsons, Futurama, The Tick, The Venture Bros., DuckTales, Aeon Flux, Beavis and Butt-Head, Rocko's Modern Life ... off the top of my head! WHAT ANIMATED SHOW HELPED YOU GET THROUGH THE PAST YEAR? Elizabeth Ito's City of Ghosts. It's really inspiring to see a show that takes its time and is deliberate and comfy and profound. So many shows are so loud, and it's nice to see what happens when you're quiet. People listen! F E AT U R E Close Enough's "Josh Gets Shredded" sees Josh overdoing it in his attempt to play with Candice. Bottom left: Image courtesy of Walt Disney Animation Studios. Top: Image courtesy of Cartoon Network Studios. Opposite page: Image courtesy of Warner Bros. Animation. 28 KEYFRAME