The university’s founder and the Dean of the School of Animation and Motion discuss the array of top speakers and program highlights, including Genndy Tartakovsky receiving the Award of Excellence and Toby Wilson presenting 'Blue Eye Samurai,' at the annual celebration of animation, which starts tomorrow, September 26, running through September 28.
Starting tomorrow, September 26, Savannah College of Art and Design’s annual SCAD AnimationFest 2024 kicks off with executives from DreamWorks, Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, Warner Bros. Animation and others discussing trends in the growing industry of animation. The festival, created by SCAD founder and president Paula Wallace, runs three days and features screenings of films like Adam Elliot’s 2024 Annecy Cristal award-winning stop-motion feature Memoir of a Snail, a panel with the production designer of Emmy Award-winning series Blue Eye Samurai, spotlights of SCAD student films and a special award ceremony honoring animation legend Genndy Tartakovsky.
And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
Events will take place from morning until evening every day of the festival, with Q&As designed to give aspiring creatives the chance to learn from the masters and gain insight into a field constantly changing to embrace new and exciting challenges. Tickets are still available on SCAD’s website.
SCAD AnimationFest provides a unique chance to bring students and professionals together to celebrate their passion for storytelling and AWN got the chance to talk with Wallace and Dan Bartlett, Dean of the School of Animation and Motion at SCAD, to discuss the history of the festival, the events they’re most looking forward to attending, and get some detailed insight into what to expect for each of the featured events happening at the festival.
Victoria Davis: What are some unique animation industry topics and themes being discussed at this year's festival panels? Are there any you’re particularly looking forward to attendees experiencing?
Paula Wallace: I created SCAD AnimationFest for two reasons: to celebrate and elucidate the latest and greatest shows and trends in the industry, and to introduce studios and animation
leaders to the world's most talented new pros: SCAD students.
The whole week's a party and a platform for industry movers to court SCAD talent — and we waste no time getting right into the action with the first session, "Meet the Executives," featuring leaders from Cartoon Network, Bad Robot, Warner Bros Animation, and The Animation Guild. I'm also especially looking forward to the panel on the making of Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio, with three SCAD alumni who helped transform del Toro's masterful vision into an Academy Award-winning feature.
VD: As you’ve said, on Thursday the festival is being kicked off with a conversation with executives from some of the biggest studios in the industry. Is this the first time such a large group of studio big wigs have been brought together for a group discussion like this? How did this come about?
Dan Bartlett: We are fortunate that over the past eight years that we have been hosting SCAD AnimationFest, we have attracted the best in the business to present, including many who are SCAD alumni. Top networks, streamers, and studios are actively recruiting and hiring SCAD graduates. So, this event is a great opportunity for them to connect in-person with our students.
VD: Memoir of a Snail has gotten plenty of acclaim recently and it's exciting that a project like this will be screening at the festival, especially given it’s a stop-motion indie film made with a much smaller budget than most features in such a high-demand medium. What would you like students to consider as they attend this screening and as many of them prepare to head out into the professional world themselves?
DB: In all the films he's made, Adam Elliot has consistently proven that grounded, impactful storytelling is the key to engaging audiences. Having a sizable budget is great, but it's never the defining factor in creating amazing, animated experiences. With a project like Memoir of a Snail as an example, it's really key that our students graduate SCAD understanding that telling stories that matter and really reflecting upon the world around them is the secret to success in our industries.
VD: Genndy Tartakovsky is receiving the Award of Excellence this year. What would you say about him as a creative and his work that has earned him this SCAD recognition?
PW: Our Bees deserve to learn from the best in the business, like Tartakovsky, who's
enchanted whole generations of SCAD students with Dexter’s Laboratory, The Powerpuff Girls, Samurai Jack, Star Wars: Clone Wars, Primal, and the Hotel Transylvania franchise. Our SCAD AnimationFest honoree has stoked the highest professional ambitions of SCAD students, practically reinventing animation, for example, with his precisely telegraphed sense of dialogue—and its absence.
Tartakovsky's characters stay with you, and his stories resonate across demographics. Our SCAD students are lucky to learn from this legend up close.
VD: There's also plenty of student recognition at this year's event, with not only the usual Alumni Voices panel, but also a spotlight on student films like Time Flies and Chelita, Como Me Duele Quererte (Chelita, How It Hurts to Love You). What can you share about these films and why should festival attendees make a point to attend these panels?
PW: SCAD takes our mission as seriously as notable creatives like Hayao Miyazaki take their storytelling. I created this university to transform talented students into elite pros and launch their careers. SCAD Animation Studios, where our students write, animate, and produce animated features — under the guidance of expert professors — can help them to elevate their demo reels and win big on the festival circuit. This year's two films promise to be a highlight of the festival.
Chelita pays homage to Cine do Oro, the Golden Age of Mexican Cinema, following a heroic female revolutionary who devotes herself to the liberation of Mexicans. The joyous romp Time Flies (a Rookie Awards finalist) invites viewers to peer through the eyes of two common flies on quite an uncommon adventure. We expect a packed SCADshow theater for both films.
VD: Blue Eye Samurai creatives will also be hosting a panel and, in light of their recent Emmy win for Outstanding Animated Program, do you expect this one to be a lively discussion and full house as well?
DB: Animation is the number one degree program at SCAD and Blue Eye Samurai was selected early on in our planning to present due to its incredible storytelling and popularity with our students. We are fortunate the Television Academy felt the same way, awarding the series with the Emmy for Outstanding Animated Program this year, which makes it even more exciting.
Our students are learning from the best in the industry and this presentation from production designer Toby Wilson is no exception.
VD: Do you have a personal favorite part of the event you're looking forward to?
DB: In addition to the SCAD Student Showcase, which is always one of my favorites, I am, like Paula, really looking forward to The Making of Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio. Though it sometimes can feel slightly exhausting to be around so many remakes and reboots of known stories, it's so refreshing to see an artist execute a retelling that is truly visionary. Pinocchio is a genuine work of art, a masterpiece, and I am confident that we will be studying it for years to come. I'm really excited to be able to attend such a fantastic event.
Victoria Davis is a full-time, freelance journalist and part-time Otaku with an affinity for all things anime. She's reported on numerous stories from activist news to entertainment. Find more about her work at victoriadavisdepiction.com.
