Industry veteran Archie Donato heads to London as VFX supervisor on new studio project; Ted Ty brings 25+ years of 2D and 3D animation experience to Montreal as new global head of character animation.
DNEG Feature Animation has expanded its leadership team with two new senior creative hires. Ted Ty was named global head of character animation and will be based in Montreal; Archie Donato was named VFX supervisor on a major new project in London. The staff additions follow last year’s appointment of former Skydance executive David Prescott as senior vice president of creative production.
“We continue to build our talented feature animation team, particularly in North America, to accommodate an ever-growing demand from our clients for top-quality animated content,” commented Prescott. “I’m delighted to welcome Archie and Ted to the team. I’ve known, worked with and respected them both for many years, and they bring unique skillsets and experience to our senior creative leadership team.”
Ty joins DNEG Feature Animation with over 25 years of experience and understanding of both 2D and 3D animation. He started his career at Walt Disney Animation, where he worked as a 2D animator under the mentorship of animation legends such as Mark Henn, Ruben Aquino, and James Baxter, on animated features such as Mulan and Lilo & Stitch. Following a move to DreamWorks Animation, he contributed to 3D animated features such as Puss in Boots, How To Train Your Dragon 2, and Rise of the Guardians.
As an animation instructor, Ty has taught masterclasses at CalArts, CTNX Expo, DreamWorks Animation, SCAD, Pixel Quebec and iAnimate.net. He is also a Master Teacher at YoungArts Foundation. His most recent work was as head of animation and co-director on the animated action-comedy feature Fireheart.
“I’m super excited to join a company that shares so many of my own beliefs,” shared Ty. “I’m bringing the best of my experiences from other studios to help create something unique at DNEG Feature Animation - a studio where talent can be nurtured and supported, where there is a genuine culture of mentorship and continuing education, and where human and artistic goals are taken into consideration with no compromise on the quality of the work. That, to me, is really exciting!”
VFX supervisor Donato brings a background in live-action filmmaking to his new role, as well as experience at ILM, Digital Domain, Rhythm & Hues, and seventeen years at DreamWorks Animation. While at DreamWorks he worked on a number of studio’s feature films including CG lead on Kung Fu Panda, Megamind, Monsters vs Aliens, and Shrek Forever After. He served as lighting supervisor on Rise of the Guardians and CG supervisor on Mr. Peabody & Sherman. Most recently, Donato provided VFX supervision for episodic content on shows like Home Before Dark for Apple TV+, Messiah for Netflix, and The Loudest Voice for Showtime.
“The fact that I packed up in LA and moved to London during a pandemic should be an indication of how excited I am to be joining DNEG Feature Animation,” remarked Donato. “It’s not just the major animated event release that I am supervising that attracted me to this role - it’s also the opportunity to be part of a company that is well on its way to becoming a heavyweight player in the feature animation industry, backed by one of the world’s leading and most respected VFX companies.”
“I am delighted to welcome Archie and Ted to the team,” added DNEG Feature Animation’s Tom Jacomb. “This is a really exciting time for us, with our first feature animation project, Ron’s Gone Wrong, due for release later this year, three new projects in production, and a number of others in the pipeline. Both Archie and Ted have a huge amount of experience and expertise, and they are going to play key roles in leading and inspiring our talented global teams, ensuring that our creative output is second to none, and supporting our wonderful filmmaking partners.”
DNEG Feature Animation is currently in production on several animated projects, including animated musical feature Under the Boardwalk for Paramount Animation, and is in development on the very first animated adaptation of The Great Gatsby with Oscar-winning director William Joyce.
Source: DNEG Feature Animation
