Daniel Jeannette has been hired by Animal Logic as the animation director on George Millers 3D-animated feature, HAPPY FEET, a musical comedy/adventure about a tap dancing penguin that cant sing.
For HAPPY FEET, Jeannette will be ensuring that the performance arc of the characters from motion capture and animation through to their on-screen presence fulfills Millers creative vision.
I am very excited to be working on HAPPY FEET, Jeannette said. The combination of Georges live-action sensibilities and Animal Logics renowned visual flair is the foundation upon which we will create this new and unique CGI-animated film.
Jeannettes career in visual effects and animation for feature film spans 20 years. Prior to joining Animal Logic, Jeannette spent 10 years with Industrial Light & Magics Animation team, with the last seven of those directing animation sequences. His credits as animation director include VAN HELSING (2004), GANGS OF NEW YORK (2002), THE MUMMY (1999) and THE MUMMY RETURNS (2001).
Throughout his career, Jeannette has received many accolades, including a BAFTA nomination for Achievement in Special Visual Effects for THE MUMMY in 1999, and Saturn Award nominations for Best Special Effects for THE MUMMY, THE MUMMY RETURNS and VAN HELSING. Jeannette was also animation supervisor on MIGHTY JOE YOUNG, which was nominated for a Best Visual Effects Oscar in 1998.
Jeannette is a member of The British Academy of Film and Television and The Visual Effects Society.
HAPPY FEET will be released in 2006 by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Ent. Co., and Village Roadshow Pictures in select territories. Miller (the BABE movies, the MAD MAX trilogy) directs this movie brought to life by motion capture and 3D computer animation. HAPPY FEET is also produced by Kennedy Miller in association with Animal Logic, which is responsible for all CGI and animation.
Animal Logic (www.animallogic.com) is a digital production company based in Sydney, Australia. Established in 1991 as a design-based visual effects house for television commercials, the company soon broadened its creative platform to include visual effects and digital animation for film and television series. Animal Logic's visual effects credits for feature film include HERO, HOUSE OF FLYING DAGGERS, MATRIX: RELOADED, THE MATRIX and MOULIN ROUGE. Recent television commercial credits include Baz Luhrmanns commercial for Chanel No. 5, starring Nicole Kidman and Visa 'Birds' starring Richard Gere. Animal Logic is also responsible for designing and building the 3D environments that feature as part of Cartoon Network's on-air look.
Bill Desowitz, former editor of VFXWorld, is currently the Crafts Editor of IndieWire.
