Disney feature animators, directors headline animation and illustration workshop June 12-13

Kim Chaudoin | 615.966.6494 | 

Inquiring minds interested in how animated films are made will get the inside scoop from animators and animation directors who have worked at Disney, Universal Studios and Don Bluth Productions at the ProWeekend Animation Seminar June 12-13 at Lipscomb University.

Hosted by Lipscomb’s College of Entertainment & the Arts, these educational ProWeekend lectures are presented by TaughtByAPro.com, a Nashville online art and animation training company. The event will feature animators who have worked on some of the best-animated films of all times, such as “Aladdin,” “Beauty and the Beast” and “Secret of NIMH.”

The seminar is an opportunity for artists to learn techniques, tips and tricks used by professional animators, comic artists, character designers and concept artists who have worked on well-known and popular movies. In addition to the lectures, there will be an exciting character design contest and plenty of opportunities to ask questions of these talented artists.

Headlining the event are:

  • Eric Goldberg, Disney animator/director who was the supervising animator of wisecracking Genie in “Aladdin.” In addition, Goldberg co-directed the successful “Pocahontas,” animated the satyr Phil in “Hercules” and directed, wrote and animated two critically-acclaimed sequences, “Carnival of the Animals” and “Rhapsody in Blue,” in “Fantasia 2000.”  He also spent a year at Universal Studios developing Maurice Sendak’s “Where The Wild Things Are.”  He will overview his career and discuss how to create memorable characters, including character conception, acting choices and finding unique behaviors and movements for characters.
  • Aaron Blaise spent 21 years at Disney Animation helping create some of the most acclaimed animated films ever made. During that time he worked as an animator or supervising animator on “The Rescuers Down Under,” “Beauty and the Beast,” “Aladdin,” “The Lion King,” “Pocahontas” and ”Mulan.” In 2003 he co-directed “Brother Bear,” for which he earned an Oscar nomination for best-animated feature film. He will discuss his career as well as the process of finding the path of a story for a major feature film.
  • John Pomeroy, animator and directing animator, began working at the Walt Disney Company in 1973 and achieved the rank of full animator in 1974 to work on “Winnie the Pooh and Tigger, Too.” In 1979, Pomeroy and others left Disney to form the independent studio Don Bluth Productions, which produced the film “Secret of NIMH.” Pomeroy returned to Disney as the supervising animator of John Smith in “Pocahontas.” He then continued on to create masterful animation for Disney including the Firebird in “Fantasia 2000,” Rabbit in “The Tigger Movie,” the lead character Milo in “Atlantis: The Lost Empire” and Captain Flint and his crew for “Treasure Planet.” He will talk about his career experiences as well as discuss the process of making an animated feature film and will share many never-before seen clips, rough animation and storyboards.

“We are excited to partner with TaughtByAPro.com to bring this unique seminar to Nashville,” said Mike Fernandez, dean of the College of Entertainment & the Arts. “Typically these workshops are offered on the West Coast and not in our part of the country. This seminar will give artists an opportunity to interact with these top-quality animators as well as to enhance their work.”

Several attendees will also have an opportunity to have their work reviewed by these experts.” Workshop events will also include a character design contest, Q & A sessions with the featured artists and autograph opportunities. A VIP dinner will be held Friday night, June 12.

Registration is $125 for a limited time. (Price increases to $175 after May 31.) Lipscomb Academy and Lipscomb University students may register for only $75. Valid Lipscomb student ID required. Registration includes all sessions on Saturday.

A VIP dinner featuring visiting pros along with other surprise guests kicks-off the seminar on Friday, June 12. Tickets are $99 (in addition to the seminar registration fee). Seating is limited.

For more information or to register visit taughtbyapro.com/proweekend/.