The 2024 World Animation Summit, the leading West Coast event for staying current with the latest trends and technologies in animation, has announced a deep-delving and diverse program of panels and keynotes, featuring industry leaders and celebrated creatives who are ready to share their insights. Taking place November 3-6 at historic North Hollywood hotel The Garland, the Summit will also feature networking breakfasts, lunches and cocktail parties, special screenings and an opening night awards gala celebrating this year’s Hall of Fame honorees.
Timed to this announcement, the Summit is offering three free tickets to Animation Magazine readers in the Los Angeles area. Details can be found at the end of this post!
As previously announced, this year’s Hall of Fame awardees are Pete Docter (Chief Creative Officer, Pixar | presenter: Kelsey Mann), Lisa Henson (CEO, The Jim Henson Company | presenter: Craig Bartlett), Nick Park (creator & director, Wallace & Gromit | presenter: Merlin Crossingham), Claudia Katz (executive producer, Futurama | presenter: Rich Moore), Studio of the Year: Bento Box Entertainment (Joel Kuwahara, Co-Founder & President of Production | presenters: Lizzie & Wendy Molyneux), Kay Wilson Stallings (EVP / Chief Creative Development & Production Officer, Sesame Workshop | presenter: Teri Weiss), Raymond Zibach (production designer, The Wild Robot | presenter: Jeff Hermann) and Kevin Michael Richardson (voice actor; Invincible, The Simpsons, The Super Mario Bros. Movie | presenter: Tom Ruegger). The ceremony will be hosted by Emmy-winning Looney Tunes voice actor Eric Bauza (The Day the Earth Blew Up).
Just announced, the Hall of Fame award presenters include Wendy and Lizzy Molyneux, Rich Moore, Craig Bartlett, Tom Ruegger, Kelsey Mann, Teri Weiss and Merlin Crossingham.
Schedule highlights of the 2024 Summit include Creative Keynotes presented by Craig Bartlett (Hey Arnold!, Dinosaur Train), Dan Hernandez & Benji Samit (LEGO Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy), Natasha Kline (Disney Channel’s Primos) and Minnow Mountain (Undone, Apollo 10 1/2) principals Steph Swope and Craig Staggs.
This year’s lineup of informative panels includes:
- Awards Feature Contenders (in two parts) with Kelsey Mann (Inside Out 2), Simon Otto (This Christmas), Vicky Jenson (Spellbound), Josh Cooley (Transformers One), Chris Sanders (The Wild Robot), Merlin Crossingham (Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl), Dana LeDoux Miller (Moana 2), Shannon Tindle (Ultraman: Rising), Mike Mitchell (Kung Fu Panda 4), Alex Kirwan (The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie)
- Get Ready for the Future with L.A.’s Own Creative Studios with Eric Towner (Stoopid Buddy Stoodios), Dana Tafoya-Cameron (Bento Box), Timothy Reckart (Sycamore Studios), Ben Kalina (Titmouse), John Andrews (moderator)
- Games Without Frontiers with Arnaud-Loris Baudry (Arcane), Tim Miller (Secret Level), Curtis Lelash (Head of Film & TV, Supercell), Tasha Huo (Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft), John Derevlany (Pudgy Penguins)
- Hot Topic: Thoughts on Animating the Climate Change Dilemma with Bobs Gannaway (WondLa), Carmiel Banasky (Undone), Jennifer McCarron (Wonderoos), Mary Bredin (Jade Armor)
- AI and Animation: Replacing Dystopian Nightmares with Positive Solutions with Lin Tam (Immix), Sixte de Vauplane (Animaj), Luisa Huang (Toonstar), Todd Steinman (Kartoon Studios), Evan Baily (Consolidated Baily)
- Getting to Greenlight! Top Animation Execs Offer Tips on How to Get Your Shows Made with Katie Petrachonis (Warner Bros. Animation), Daniel Weidenfeld (Bento Box), Kari Kim (Nickelodeon), Josh Fisher (I Josh Around), Jason Caparaz (DreamWorks Animation Television)
- The Delicate Art of Balancing Personal Visions and Industry Needs with Jorge R. Gutierrez (Maya and the Three), Vivienne Medrano (Hazbin Hotel), Sanjay Shah
(Everybody Still Hates Chris), Rodney Clouden (Marvel’s Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur), Juston Gordon- Montgomery (Invincible Fight Girl), Michael Hollingsworth (BoJack Horseman) - How to Find the Right Global Partners with Bob Higgins (Trustbridge Entertainment), Adrianna Cohen (Mikros Animation), Rick Mischel (Artists Animation Studio), Frank Falcone (Guru Studios), José Carlos Garcia De Letona (Anima), Sander Schwartz (Sandman TV & Film)
- Independents’ Day with Morgan Neville (Piece By Piece), Adam Elliot (Memoir of a Snail), Usman Riaz (The Glassworker), Tim Harper (Ozi: Voice of the Forest), Archita Ghosh (Rezolution Pictures)
- Riding the Animated Shorts Wave (in two parts) with Nicholas Ashe Bateman (An Almost Christmas Story), Iain Gardiner (A Bear Named Wojtek), Damián Perea (Animayo, In the Shadow of the Cypress), Toby Cochran (LUKi and the Lights), Maral Mohammadian (Maybe Elephants), Pablo Leon (Remember Us), Searit Huluf (Self), Sean Pecknold (Tennis, Oranges)
- ASIFA-Hollywood Presents: Annie Award Winners Discuss the State of Animation and How to Save the Industry with Sanjay Patel (Ghee Happy), Justine King (The Little Poet), Amber Noizumi (Blue Eye Samurai), Raymond S. Persi (Welcome Home, Franklin), Aubry Mintz (ASIFA President)
- Playing for Success with Rob David (Mattel), Yvette Sittrop (Moose Toys), Laura Clunie (Spin Master), David Shayne (LEGO Star Wars specials, Mech Cadets), Nicole Dubuc (Transformers: EarthSpark), Rob Hudnut (Tea Town Teddy Bears)
- Making Toons for the Preschool Set with Rich Magallanes (Dora), Stephanie Simpson (Mighty Monsterwheelies), Jennifer Oxley (Wonder Pets: In the City), Lynne Southerland (Disney Jr.’s Ariel), Leanne Preston Cortez (Moonbug Entertainment), Rita Street (Stomp! Stomp! Rhinos!)
- Business of Show Business with Strawn Dixon (UTA), Peter McHugh (The Gotham Group), Eddie Gamarra (Gamarra Media), Frank Saperstein (Surprise Bag)
- The Next Wave of Adult Animation with Travis Willingham (The Legend of Vox Machina), Mark Levin (Big Mouth), Dean Lorey (Kite Man: Hell Yeah!, Creature Commandos), Kiahna Manker (Arcane), Steve Levy (Krapopolis), Mark Hoffmeier (writer, producer & creative consultant)
- A Conversation with Three Major Studio Leaders: Kristine Belson (Sony Pictures Animation), Margie Cohn (DreamWorks Animation) and Ramsey Naito (Nickelodeon Animation & Paramount Animation)
- Fireside Chat with DreamWorks directors Chris Sanders (The Wild Robot) and Joel Crawford (Puss in Boots: The Last Wish)
The World Animation Summit 2024
Ticket Giveaway
Los Angeles area locals can enter to win one of three free passes to the 2024 World Animation Summit. (Passes do not include access to the Hall of Fame gala.) Enter to win by answering the following trivia question via email to ramin@animationmagazine.net:
Q: How many movies has Chris Sanders directed, not including this year’s The Wild Robot?
Learn more and register to attend The World Animation Summit 2024 at animationmagazine.net/summit.
