I’d like to work at Disney aalmost as much as PIXAR, but honestly, I’d only work somewhere else if PIXAR absolutely wasn’t interested in me. 
Hey, it doesn’t hurt to have a job 
The demand for Pixar’s jobs is extremely high, so if I do end up following an animation path I expect to work at some other places for at least a couple of years before making it there.
That makes sense. PIXAR is just so tight-knit…and the people there seem so awesome…I like Dean DeBlois and love Chris Sanders, but I hate pretty much all the other directors at DW, so, yeah. I won’t say the artists, because they’re some hard working people.
IV: Yeah… but if you get the right people in there with a broader vision who have the right sort of pull, I’m sure DreamWorks could get a facelift. 
The DreamWorks folks don’t seem half bad, in my opinion. It’s just the administration seems so much more money-oriented than Pixar does, I guess. They’ve got to make all this money in so much time because they’re cranking out movies so stinking fast. Maybe if they cut back a little, the quality of their films would increase.
That’s why having the right people in there to change things around would be fantastic. But what can I say, right? 
Going back on topic, DW artists are phenomenal; same caliber as Pixar artists, I mean a lot of them probably went to the same schools. That’s why I really want to get into CalArts… they have a lot of people from these companies come in and give presentations and lectures sometimes, and I think it’d be amazing to sit and learn under that kind of talent. <3
little chef
I’ll admit, I like the art. This is my problem with Dream Works, and my only problem, besides the Shrek series, and Bee Movie, and the Madagascar sequels, and their other movies I despise. And Monsters Vs. Aliens!!! I HATE that movie. 
^ Uh-oh, my brother and I were thinking of trying out M vs. A.
And quit posting pictures of Katzenberg! I’m sorry, but he looks really creepy.
I’m sorry, I just love hating on him so much. And yes, he’s hideous…
Haha! I guess that kind of makes sense.
Wow… Lasseter looks so much better! shot
Anyway, I’d love to have any kind of position as an artist at PIXAR, it doesn’t matter what. Character design has always interested me. I wouldn’t mind sculpting either if I can refine my skills a bit. I always thought it’d be neat to do a voiceover too, but I doubt it’s gonna happen.
VIRGINIA! What did I tell you about putting pictures of frighting and scary looking middle aged men? lol!
All joking aside, I have no problem with anyone who works at Dreamworks. With the exception of J Katz.
I’m so sorry, guys!!
Here are your condolences for loss of sound mind.
And yes, John Lasseter is much prettier than J Katz!!
I love that last picture of them. Coolest people ever!
Ah, much better.
Yes, they do look a lot better than Katzenberg.
Which i sad, because they’re just as old. They’re all twice as pretty as him. I wouldn’t call any of them ugly.
Ellie-jessie-eve, thy are the coolest people ever!!
I’m wondering, for those who have their sights set on a career as an animator, story artist, etc., do you have any goals for how to reach that? You know, drawing from life, making a short film, writing a script… that sorta stuff. I could use some inspiration.
Those are all great ideas you listed queen_of_painting.
Another thing I would suggest is immersing yourself into Animation literature. Read autobiographys and biographys of animators, books on animation history, books on animation theory and art of animation. You’ll always learn something new!
My personal favorite (and one I believe every animator-to-be should read) is Chuck Amuck and it’s sequal Chuck Reducks. They’re by my favorite animator Chuck Jones, who’s responsible for many of the Warner Brother Looney Tunes). Even if you’re not a Looney Tune fan, check it out! He is a fantastic cartoonist and animator, and you’ll be sure to get many tips!
Jerry Beck is another animation historian, and he has countless books you might want to check out.
Ah yes, books are great resource, especially for those who aren’t fortunate enough to have certain art classes available (traditional animation, cinema, even drawing). Along with a bunch of books on the general history of Disney’s animated films, I have The Animator’s Survival Kit and a real nice copy of The Illusion of Life. My boss at my summer job, who crazy enough is a big fan of animation/Disney/Pixar/etc. recommended the Stanchfield lecture books to me. I might pick them up when I get more money.
I have Jerry Beck’s The Animated Movie Guide and I love it! I’m not sure if that’s at all what you were referring to but I love to browse through it.
As for what I want to do… Winter break is a month long, so a lot of drawings are going to happen, and I already have an idea for a story. I’m taking a course in illustration next semester that focuses on characters and developing a style. I think there may be assignments with illustrating a children’s book and drawing up storyboards. That will be a lot of fun. There are also open draw sessions (live model) twice a week.
To anyone here who is interested in becoming an animator, you must DRAW DRAW DRAW! And from real life! Draw your non-dominant hand twenty times and your reflection forty times if you have to. I can’t stress the importance of this. 
I went from being the kid who was picked on for loving to draw but sucked hard at it (this was like elementary school; kids are mean!), to the kid who got awards and art scholarships. All 'cause I drew from life and kept practicing.
I love drawing from live models! That was my drawing final, and I usually dont’ brag about myself, but I did well!
And as for the Draw Draw Draw thing you said. Absolutely true! You sound just like Chuck Jones. When he went to art school (Chouinard Art Institute, now called Cal Arts) his professor told the class:
“Each of you have 10,000 bad drawings in you. The sooner we get them out, the better”
Basically, if want to draw better, practice practice practice!
I’m aiming for a career in animation. I’m going to school for it actually! Right now I’m working on a short film for my Senior Project. Going through all the phases of production which is interesting - script to storyboard to animatic to concept art to modeling to rigging to animating to textures to lighting to the final render.
I’m primarily a 3D animator, so I haven’t been drawing as much as I should. Trying to get in the habit of drawing people at cafes or something - just simple gesture drawings to capture motion and personality. I do a lot of reading on animation. I’m constantly on different animators’ blogs and other animation related websites. The Walt Stanchfield books you mentioned are amazing! Highly recommended! I also like to watch a lot of animated films/shorts for inspiration. I pretty much eat, sleep, and breathe animation. haha
Good luck to everyone pursuing their dreams! 
That sounds like a good philosophy. I sort of teeter in and out of obsessive animation phases (by animation, I also mean story-writing and sketching). When I took an animation course at SAIC during high school, I spent 40 hours a week in there on a stool that hurt my toosh pretty badly. Sometimes I’ll literally fill an entire sketchbook in one night, and I’m so involved in my work that I forget to eat, shower, and go to the bathroom when I’m supposed to. Other times, I don’t draw for weeks, perhaps months. I’d like to find a balance between the two, so I can constantly be sketching but so that it doesn’t take a toll on my lifestyle otherwise. I don’t want to be smelly and hungry!
I think it’s pretty cool that you actually go to a school that teaches animation. While mine has a good art program, we have one non-traditional animation class and that really has very little to do with what I’m interested in (more about technical things like lighting and editing and such; sometimes my professor would literally instruct us NOT to have a story for our films). It’d be better for me to do independent studying and take life drawing, film (analysis), and creative writing classes. Do you have any computer animation programs to recommend, one compatible with Macs? I think that might be ideal for me.