Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1547068
j u ly • a u g u s t • s e p t e m b e r 2 0 2 6 c g w 1 9 Universal & Dreamworks' Forgotten Island Universal & Dreamworks' Forgotten Island Disney & Pixar's Hoppers ing the release of Forgotten Island, the new original animated fea- ture from Universal Pictures and DreamWorks Animation. Directors Joel Crawford and Januel P. Mercado will take the stage together to discuss the creative journey they undertook, sharing stories and in- sights about the production of this highly anticipated animated film. "I am always excited to see a movie that celebrates human emo- tion and diversity while exploring the furthest boundaries of art," Gutierrez stated. "I know that Forgotten Island will be such a movie, and I cannot wait for Joel and Januel to share their filmmaking jour- ney with our international audience in the gorgeous city of Turin this October." Joel Crawford joined DreamWorks Animation in 2006 and quickly became an integral part of the creative process, working as a story artist on Shrek Forever Aer, Rise of the Guardians, Bee Movie, and all three Kung Fu Panda films. Aer serving as head of story for the smash musical adventure Trolls in 2016, Crawford directed the Trolls Holiday Special for NBC. He made his feature film directorial debut on the DreamWorks Animation feature film The Croods: A New Age. Crawford directed the 2023 Academy Award, BAFTA, and Gold- en Globe nominated hit film Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, which amassed nearly half a billion dollars at the global box office. Prior to joining DreamWorks, his story artist credits include The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water and Alvin & The Chipmunks: Chipwrecked. Januel P. Mercado worked alongside Crawford, his long-time col- laborator, as co-director on Puss in Boots: The Last Wish. He first joined the story department of DreamWorks Animation in 2008 and has contributed his talents as a story artist on a number of iconic films, including Kung Fu Panda, Penguins of Madagascar, and Trolls. For the 2020 film The Croods: A New Age, Mercado stepped into a leadership role on the film and served as head of story, where he su- pervised a team of story artists. Additional credits include Warner Animation's LEGO Movie franchise as well as a leadership position as supervising director at Nickelodeon Animation. H O P P E R S : D I R E C T O R D A N I E L C H O N G & P R O D U C E R N I C O L E P A R A D I S G R I N D L E Daniel Chong and Nicole Paradis Grindle, the director and produc- er of Disney and Pixar's action-packed comedy Hoppers will also be presenting at this year's conference. Appearing live on stage, the team will share their secrets behind the creation of this fun and orig- inal animated feature. "When an original animated film lights up the screen as brightly as Hoppers, it is a cause for celebration," noted Gutierrez. "Welcom- ing Daniel and Nicole to VIEW Conference 2026 gives us even more reason to celebrate. I know their presentation will leave our audience hopping with energy. Roll on October!" Daniel Chong joined Pixar Animation Studios in February 2009 as a story artist, and has worked on several short and feature produc- tions including the Cars Toons, TV special Toy Story of TERROR!, and the feature film Cars 2. He also worked on the Academy Award-win- ning film Inside Out. Prior to joining Pixar, Chong worked as a story artist for Disney Feature Animation, Blue Sky, Nickelodeon, and Illu- mination. He also created the Emmy-nominated TV series We Bare Bears for Cartoon Network, which ran for four seasons and led to an original TV movie.