Zootopia 2 is in theaters now and if you've seen it, watch the Q&A below. But be warned there are a few spoilers if you haven't seen the film yet.
While I filmed the entire Q&A, I had a slight problem with the video when I was editing it together. The screen went black, but I could still hear the audio. I tried everything to get this video back up, but could not find a solution. That's why it switches to a title card.
So you can now enjoy it as a podcast and learn how they make films at Disney. The video does pop back on at the very end.
Animateducated 2026 calendars are still available at my ko-fi shop and am posting links to other interviews too. If you don't need a calendar and like Animateducated, you can donate to my Ko-Fi.
I'm currently finishing up animation classes at CSUF and CSUN soon and will be looking for new interviews and episodes to produce in 2026. If you have an suggestions for show ideas, please let me know. And if you need a calendar...
Has it really been 4 years already? I recently got a few posts to my Linkedin page letting me know I have been teaching online at CG Spectrum for 4 years now.
Before CGS, I started teaching online animation for a sketchy online service with students who only would try it out for one or two sessions and then would not return. I was also paid a very small fee where most of the income went to the website. I was not very happy and did not trust this situation.
Eventually, a good friend of mine told me about CG Spectrum and I am so glad he did. It is a very professional outfit where Mentors teach online to a small group of students. At the time, I had about 4 at the most and usually it was more like 2 or occasionally only 1 student for the 12 week term.
Students learn from video instruction, given an educational license to ToonBoom Harmony, work on the weekly assignments and meet online with their Mentor for a 1 hour Q/A meeting every week.
The best part in my opinion is that no grades given. The Mentor is there to give their feedback and help guide the student in their own way. It allows the student to learn from their mistakes and giving them more knowledge and experience than just watching a video tutorial.
Below is a recent advertisement for CG Spectrum. The first animation you will see was done by one of my students, Craig Morris Jr. I was so happy to see that 2 of his works made it into this video. Congrats Craig!!!
I am still a mentor at CG Spectrum and hoping to be there for another 4 years. If you are interested in learning more about CGS, click on this link to learn more.
If you are a fan of the Netflix series "Arcane" or new to it like , I went to a Q&A with the creators of the show which was moderated by Amid Amidi, publisher and editor of Cartoon Brew. Please enjoy the videos below.
At this event at Netflix, they handed out the Arcane the art and making book. Its a large book of art from the series. Here are a few pages.
Here is a video review of the book.
If you enjoyed these videos, please leave a comment or a like or subscribe to see more.
Kent Melton was a character sculptor and maquette builder who worked on some of the most famous animated films -- someone had to sculpt the genie from Aladdin!
Puppetmaker Maria Andreotti was lucky enough to work as Kent's assistant on her first film, Boxtrolls, and was soon fangirling about the amazing sculptures and maquettes he had created at Disney, Laika, Dreamworks and Pixar for such movies as The Incredibles, Paranorman, Prince of Egypt, Treasure Planet, Tarzan, Hercules, Mulan and more.
Kent eventually became Maria's good friend and mentor and when hewas diagnosed with a life-threatening illness, Maria was inspired to make a documentary about him. She created a Kickstarter campaign and has so far raised over $100,000 (and counting) to finish the film.
Well, here we are beginning 2025, another new year and I'm still working on projects from the last one.
Over the Summer of 2024, my family and I flew over to Ireland to drive around and brush up on our driving skills. We visited Dublin first and then drove out to visit Kilkenny the home of Cartoon Saloon and where I got to meet and interview Fabian Erlinghauser, one of the directors there and creator of "Dorg Van Dango".
At the time, he was busy finishing up work on "Silly Sundays" and working on a new project. Here is a quick promo to the upcoming interview I will be posting soon.
There is another upcoming interview I am currently editing with Animation Director Iain Gardner who I met while we were visiting Edinburgh, Scotland.
He had completed his animated film, "A Bear named Wojtek" which has a very similiar animation look to the films of Frédéric Back (The man who planted trees and Krak).
I visited Iain at his studio space called Animation Garden during this year's Fringe. And later, we met again when he was in LA for the Animation Summit. I am happy to report that "Wojtek" has made the shortlist for this year's upcoming Academy Awards.
Below is a short look at some of the people who visit the "Wojtek" statue in Edinburgh.
And finally, an interview I had with one of my animation heroes, Paul Driessen. He recently publish his autobiography called "My Life in Cartoons". I was amazed to find out that he worked on the first Beatles cartoons which eventually lead to an animation job on "The Yellow Submarine". This was his animation school for learning what he liked to do and eventually making his own films.
I hoping to get these all finished up before February or so. Until then...
A lot of the time I find someone who I would like to interview and spend a good amount of time researching what they have done and contact them through email. This recent interview with Paul Demeyer was the result of a good friend of ours who recommended us to met each other through email.
And so, I contacted Paul and we discovered that we had a lot in common. For one, we both had won a Student Film Awards when we were in College. Paul has been working on his illustrated book about his life called "Walking on Clouds" and he includes a few pages about winning the award in 1977.
Then 10 years later, I won my Student Film Award for my animated film called "Cat & Rat" back in 1988 and I remember getting to see a screening with the crew of "Who Framed Roger Rabbit". I had a long week and cannot recall how I got a ticket to the screening, I only remember I was in a seat on the first row looking straight up at the screen. I was one of the first people at Columbia College to see the film, but the worse viewing although I was so excited I didn't care.
So I contacted Paul and we can up with this interview which took me a while to edit together since we taked about so much. Anyway, here's the interview which I hope was worth the wait.
This year was the 50th anniversary of the Student Film Awards which I took Paul with me to see it in person. We had a great time and were amazed that most of the winners had a small crew which shared the award. We remember how awkward we had felt getting up on stage alone to accept our awards. We were impressed by how these new winners were all very confident and professionals at accepting their awards as well.
If you enjoyed this posting, please leave a comment below or go watch more Animateducated videos on YouTube!
Here are a couple of new documentaries that you might not know about, but will enjoy watching.
Friends of mine made this documentary about Albert Ruddy, who was the producer of "The Godfather". Directors are usually more well known than Producers by the general public and the result of only two meetings, Smith and Bradley discovered they had enough footage to make "Tough Ain't Enough: Conversation with Albert S. Ruddy".
The film was released to the film festival circuit in 2013, however only recently has the film been distributed by Indie Rights.
Tough Ain't Enough is a very inspiring and fun documentary told by Al Ruddy himself about his adventures in the film industry as a producer.
And finally, everyone can see and hear his story which is now streaming on Amazon PrimeandYoutube.
"Dear Ike: Lost Letters to a Teen Idol" is a personal documentary about young Dion Labriola's quest to contact with the young actor Ike Eisenmann through writing many letters to him to star in an animated science-fiction epic he was developing in middle school.
After an exhaustive string of failed attempts, a magical turn of events points Dion directly toward his goal in the most unexpected of ways - 40 years later.
Here's the Animateducated interview with Dion Labriola and link to watch "Dear Ike" for free through PBS SoCal.
Hope you get a chance to see these films and leave a comment below if you watched them.
Torsten Schrank was learning to be an animator while in University, but eventually got more into character designing. Below is a recent interview of him explaining how he designs characters.
Here are some of his concept art and character designs.
Here are a collection of model sheets of caharacter designs from "Klaus".
Enjoyed this post and the interview? Subscribe to Animateducated on YouTube.
This year I've started a Live Stream show called "Animating Stuff" on my YouTube channel, Animateducated. It's a live format where I will either bring in a topic to talk about or show and the audience can text their feedback or questions.
Well, that's the theory. So far I've been starting this on Wednesdays @ 7pm PST and am working on finding that sweet spot when an audience might turn up to watch. So far, the audience have been pretty small and often times, I feel like I'm just talking to myself, which I usually am.
So, please help me find the best time to do this live stream. Below is a recent live stream which I edited down to include the most interesting bits. You let me know if I'm right or not.
Any suggestions for topics or things to animated or solutions to problems, please send an email at animateducated@gmail.com.
It's a brand new shiny New Year and I have complied a short Bucket List of things I would like to happen in 2024.
Animateducated, the YouTube channel, has grown a lot in 2023 than the year before. I am hoping the channel will finally pass the required 4000 watch hours to qualify for monetization. Then I can't wait until my interviews will be interupted by ads about how you can make thousands of dollars a week without doing anything!
I have several interviews ready to edit and some new ones which will require some travel and/or begging.
Andrew Chesworth is a 2d/3d animator who recently posted his film, The Brave Locomotive to YouTube where it has gotten a lot of attention. I wll be editing his interview in the new year, here is a short promo.
I'm working on an interview with Felicity Moreland, who is has a new documentary about 2d animation called, Hand-Drawn: Documentary.
I'm working on getting an interview with John Musker about his short film, "I'm Hip". John's film has qualified for the Short List for this year's Oscars! Before the announcement, I had ask him if he would like to talk about his film and he has agreed. We are now making plans when to do the interview.
In the coming year, I hope to visit Michael McMaster and his shop to meet some of his creations.
Here's a fun video he made several years ago, featuring these two very famous robotic characters.
I am also looking into contacting artist and filmmaker, Jim McKenzie who has recently made this very fun film about his latest artwork called "Potato Face".
Hey Jim, you can contact me yourself, because I would love to find out how you made this film and what your new projects in 2024 might be. If anyone knows how I can contact him, please let me know.
This Summer, my wife and I are also planning a trip to the UK and would like to visit a few animators and animation studios to create few interviews while mine there.
But before this happens, I have to get in better shape and start my walking routine again. As animator, I sit a lot at my computer. When I worked at studio jobs, my weakness was free drinks like Pepsi or Coke. I drank it like water and I discovered by simply not doing so, I would loose weight and walking helps as well.
So this Summer, I don't want to squeeze myself into an airplane seat and be out of breath from walking up a few steps. I don't want to be the fat American tourist, so I'm starting now to get into an exercise routine and hopefully watch my weight go down.
Animating Stuff will return in 2024 where I will have a weekly live streaming episode where I will be working on or talking about something about animation. If viewers show up to listen in or participate that's always makes a better episode.
A big Thank You to the 1605 subscribers and the future subscribers! Do you have any ideas for me to pursue in the new year on Animateducated?
A good friend of mine was diagnosed with Leukemia last year and had to stay in the hospital for treatment. Dino Crisanti teaches Stop Motion at Columbia College in Chicago and was teaching 3 animation classes during the beginning of his treatment. He had two students who helped the on campus students in class while Dino was in the hospital.
During his first treatment, Dino knew he would not be a very good patient unless he was making something. And so, he came up with a short stop motion idea to keep him busy called "Me versus Leuk. Here's an episode which I hope you will enjoy called "Dino versus Leuk".
Gabriel Augerai, Romain Augier, Laurie Pereira de Figueiredo, Charles Di Cicco and Yannick Jacquin
met as students at Ecole des Nouvelles images of Avignon, France. On their 4th year, they came together to create a student project called BOOM.
BOOM won the 1st place Gold award for the best animated film of the 50th Student Academy Awards of 2023! Here is an interview with 4 out of the five directors about how they made the film.
If you enjoyed this interview, please leave a comment below or subscribe to Animateducated to help support the channel!
This Summer, I got a chance to visit the Walt Disney Family Museum in San Francisco. There were no special exhibits at the time, but I spent several hours spending my time reviewing the lifeworks of Walt Disney.
The very first photography that caught my attention was of Mary Richardson Disney, who was Walt Disney's Grandmother from Freshford, County Kilkenny, Ireland.
As I wandered through the museum wondering if I might be related to the Disney family, I shot some video below...
If you enjoyed this blog post, please leave a comment below!
The Oscars are happening on Sunday, March 12 and I recently interviewed Luigi Allemano, who is a music composer and sound designer on an Oscar nominated animated short film entitled "The Flying Sailor". In the interview below, Luigi talks working with directorsAmanda Forbis and Wendy Tilby, and about his curse of working on nominated films, but never winning the Oscar.
Enjoy the thought provoking film based on a true story...
We are crossing our fingers in hopes that "The Flying Sailor" wins the Oscar and helps break the "Curse of Luigi" for once and for all. If you enjoyed this post, head over to Animateducated on YouTube to subscribe or leave a comment.
Animatededucated surpassed the 1,000 subscribers, but still needs to obtain 1500 or more Watch Hours in order for YouTube to start monetizing to pay a fee for my content. Not sure when that might be, but so far we are up to 1039 subscribers and people seem to be enjoying what I am posting.
Here's a short for the New Year if you like playing the guitar...
Here is an episode about Ray Patin, a Disney animator who went on to have his own animation studio and created many animated commercials back in the early 60s. You can see a pencil test from a Donald Duck cartoon called Sea Scouts as well as some rare home movies he shot during his days at the Disney studio during Snow White. He also shot some footage during the Disney Strike from 1941.
I have several interviews which are in the works, the next one you will meet 2d Animation artist Tina Nawrocki.
Tina brought her 1930's rubber hose character style to the Cuphead videogame and loves animating on paper! She will tell you all about her Archery on Horseback riding and how she made the switch to animation.
I also will be talking to Tony White about his new Animation book for students.
Lots of new things in the New Year and if you liked what you see, please subscribe to the Animateducated YouTube channel to show your support!
Here is an interview with Hasani Walker, a very talented artist, designer, stop motion artist who's work can be seen in the upcoming Guillermo Del Toro's "Pinocchio" on Netflix.
Orginally from Phoenix, Arizona, Hasani moved to Portland to work at Liaka on "Missing Link" where he made contacts and was eventually hired onto "Pinocchio".
Please enjoy his Animateducated interview below and subscribe if you like what you see.
You know it must be bad when I start posting weather conditions. Usually, the last bit of August and the beginning bits of September decide to end Summer as hot as possible. So here is Burbank, we are hit with a heat wave of about a week of 100,103 and even 107 degrees of heat.
The Animateducated YouTube channel is slowly chugging closer and closer to 1,000 subscribers and half way to the 4000 watch hours required to get annoying, but paying ads to the channel. Really not sure what to expect when we get there, but I do need to post some more videos.
Working on some ideas where I would document making a short animation which I posted here. I have a sound recording outtake from an episode of "Thundercats" which I have always wanted to add animation to. So here I am introducing you to my plans below.
I have discovered that I am currently teaching 8 animation classes this semester and so far, I'm keeping everything juggling along. I only have one in person on campus class teaching animation principles and the rest are all online. Its a full schedule for sure, but I have managed to have Saturday and Sundays, so I can't complain.
This summer, we planted tomatoes, cucumbers, beans, corn and luffa. We discovered a few surprises like a large bush of cherry tomatoes seen above looking quite confused and angry. We also got several vines of butternut squash and one cantaloupe.
The tunnel of corn...
Here's my Scare Crow...
Have been enjoying the corn, cucumbers and tomatoes, but curious about those hanging Luffa plants. Once they grow larger and dry out, you can peel off the dry skins to reveal Loofah bath sponges!
You've might have heard that women have odd cravings during their pregnancy? I've heard someone wanting pickles and ice cream, but again I believe it was a very clever advertising campaign by some company that either sold pickles, ice cream or both.
Here are a few commercials selling Vlasic pickles and that idea. These were animated in very limited animation style, before Vlasic created their Stork character who sounded a lot like Groucho Marx.
Well there you have it... How to sell more Pickles.
You are invited to an Animation Hour (or less) with me(Jim) in a Zoom meeting situation to try out this new live streaming Animateducated event. I would like to show some animation, talk about animation or possibly animate something!
Mike Jittlov as the "Wizard"
Not sure what to expect really, but if you would like to attend its happening this;
This Friday, May 20th @ 7pm PST
Click here to register for free, no hidden costs or fees, just stop by and say hello...
Every kid who is now an adult, either still interested in animation or are a working professionally started off by making a flip book one time or another. You may have been the bored kid in math class who would scribbled drawings in the corner of the thick math book. Or you might have made some animated epic using a small note pad of paper or index cards clipped together. Either way, you remember the fun in making your drawings move around by simply flipping through the pages rapidly to see the drawings suddenly come to life.
Meet Raul Garcia, as a young boy going up in Spain, Raul did all of the above and recently created a very unique 6 in one animated flip book made by Flipboku. Please enjoy the interview below and share it with your flip book friends.
Hope you enjoyed this interview, and you did, kindly leave a comment below!
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