The Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) has announced SCADFILM’s third annual SCAD AnimationFest. The festival will bring together innovative talent and leading experts from the animation industry September 26-28 at the university’s state-of-the-art theater SCADshow in the heart of Midtown Atlanta.
This year’s guests can enjoy a “screenings-only” pass that provides access to all special screenings throughout the festival, including global shorts and student work. On Thursday, September 26, the festival will present a distinguished award to actor, singer, dancer and songwriter Lucas Grabeel, honoring his prolific career voicing animated characters for series including Spirit Riding Free, Family Guy and Netflix original Pinky Malinky — two episodes of which will screen immediately following.
AnimationFest will also feature a special preview showing of the highly anticipated DreamWorks Animation and Pearl Studio co-production Abominable (in theaters Sept. 27) starring Chloe Bennet, Tenzing Norgay Trainor, Albert Tsai, Eddie Izzard, Sarah Paulson, Tsai Chin and Michelle Wong. The animated feature, written and directed by Jill Culton, takes audiences on an epic 2,000-mile adventure from the streets of a Chinese city to the breathtaking Himalayan snowscapes.
Participating guests from Fox TV, Adult Swim, Dreamscape Immersive, Bunnygraph Studios and many more will be highlighted throughout the festival.
“SCAD AnimationFest celebrates the oldest genre of filmmaking. From special screenings to in-depth panels with industry professionals, this year’s programming is sure to delight fans of this celebrated medium. And AnimationFest is much more than a good time. Top companies such as Disney, Pixar, and Dreamworks visit SCAD in search of top talent. Think of this as a three-day job interview — with movies and popcorn!” said SCAD President and Founder Paula Wallace.
SCAD AnimationFest will feature elevated presentations, discussions and screenings on the dynamic facets of the animation industry such as “Storytelling Thru Advanced Content: Exploring Transmedia”, “Behind the Scenes: Toy Story 4”, Springfield Confidential: Secrets of the Simpsons”, “Cinematic VR: The beauty of animated storytelling in a virtual environment” and “Virtual Theme Parks”.
Guests scheduled to appear at the 2019 AnimationFest include:
John Heinsen, producer; Bunnygraph Entertainment
Jennifer Cook, head of production; Dreamscape Immersive
Mark McCray, senior director of programming; Adult Swim
JR Schmidt, motion lead; Google Creative Lab
Mike Reiss, writer/producer; The Simpsons
Shannon Ryan, president of production; Baobab Studios
Laura Green Berry, producer; Primal Screen
Jeremy Seymour, creative director, Primal Screen
Shannon Ryan, development producer; Baobab Studios
Ken Fountain, animator; Baobab Studios
Jay Li, animator/project manager; Secret Sauce Studio (MA Advertising Design, 2009)
Jules Premus, character designer; Floyd County Productions (MA Sequential Art, 2018)
Becki Tower, directing animator; Pixar Animation Studios (MFA Animation, 2008)
Jalysa Leva, lead animator; Primal Screen (BFA Animation, 2015)
Animation is the largest of SCAD’s preeminent degree programs, and is considered a top program for preparation of a growing field that encompasses film, television, interactive media and video games.
With the only university-run casting office in the country, SCAD helps drive the multibillion-dollar film and television industry in Georgia. Of the nearly 15,000 SCAD alumni from entertainment and digital media disciplines, more than 3,000 work in the Georgia film industry. SCAD students, alumni and faculty have won Oscars, Grammys, Emmys, Golden Reels, Tonys, Annies, and more.
For a complete SCAD AnimationFest schedule or to purchase passes, visit scad.edu/animationfest.
