Animation Guild | We are 839 Digital Magazine
Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1544997
Ryan Quincy has worked around his fair share of what he calls "titans of the industry." Well-known names like Glen Keane, James Baxter, and Craig McCracken. But when asked who inspires him, his thoughts jump back to his first animated feature job. Coming off Mad TV, he was hired as an animator on South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut. So too was first-timer Jack Shih. "We were in the trenches on South Park," Quincy says of the years they worked on the franchise in various roles, Quincy as Animation Director and Lead Animator, and Shih as Animation Director and Producer. Quincy eventually moved on to his own series, Out There, and says he "did my time" at studios like Disney TVA, Nickelodeon, and Warner Bros. Then in the fall of 2024, a friend asked if he knew of anyone for the role of Animation Director on the series Long Story Short. Quincy replied: "How about me?" Quincy's job is to oversee an in-house team of about a dozen animators. Once an episode returns from the overseas studio and is reviewed by the show's leaders, he addresses their notes, going through them with a fine- tooth comb. "Everything from 'oh, his head's missing for three frames' to a very emotional moment where we need to land the nuance of a specific kind of acting," Quincy says. "Really hands-on, nitty gritty." For this kind of work, Quincy finds inspiration in working with Shih—again. Shih is the show's Supervising Director, and while the two are peers with their own notable achievements, including Emmy wins for each, Quincy says he finds himself learning under Shih's leadership. He notes how Shih is invested in the importance of detail, from what kind of iPhone was out during a specif- ic year to the look of a ticket stub from a Golden State Warrior basketball game during a particular season. "We would get down to miniscule minutia," Quincy says. But it wasn't just about Shih wanting to make sure every detail was perfect. Quincy emphasizes how good Shih is at it, and not only when it comes to interesting props. In some of the show's especially emotional scenes, Quincy says he would think they were nailing it, but Shih would continue trying to improve. "Things that the layperson or everyday Joe wouldn't notice," Quincy says. "A head tilt or an eye- brow [lift]—he would really push to get it just right." Keeping details straight is tough enough on a typical linear series. Long Story Short has a shifting timeline that spans from 1959 to 2022. Quincy observes that Shih excels at not getting overwhelmed: "He's like, all right, we have all these plates spinning. Let's just not break them." They use timelines taped to their office walls to track continui- ty, and Quincy calls it "A Beautiful Mind, red yarn kind of setup," noting that Shih is also able to keep all of the in- formation in his head. "Jack really has a great knowledge… I think that's what's most inspiring," he says. While Quincy admires what Shih is capable of doing, that admiration is grounded in how Shih engages others in the process. "He wants to get the best out of people," says Quincy. "There are guidelines, and there are ways to go about things, but [the show] definitely encourages creative freedom. That's what Jack is great at." Having known Shih for so long, Quincy values the trust they share and the relationship they've built. "We were kids on South Park, and now we have families—it's fun to go on these parallel paths and then come back together and see how we've both grown." ATTENTION TO DETAIL RYAN QUINCY Animation Director Long Story Short, Netflix/ShadowMachine INSPIRATION JACK SHIH "[Jack] wants to get the best out of people, and he likes to challenge people at times." Long Story Short images courtesy Netflix. Ryan Quincy portrait by Tim Sullens. Photo by Agnes Shih F E AT U R E 28 KEYFRAME