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Henry Selick, Doug Chiang, and Hal Hickel to Speak at VIEW 2023

The stop-motion legend, Lucasfilm executive creative director, and senior ILM animation supervisor, respectively, will head to Turin to deliver a suite of in-person talks and workshops; Italy’s premier international event on Computer Graphics, Interactive Techniques, Digital Cinema, 2D/3D Animation, VR and AR, Gaming, and VFX runs October 15-20.

The VIEW Conference, Italy’s premier international event on Computer Graphics, Interactive Techniques, Digital Cinema, 2D/3D Animation, VR and AR, Gaming, and VFX, has announced award-winning stop-motion film director Henry Selick, Lucasfilm’s Doug Chiang, and ILM’s Hal Hickel will participate in person at the upcoming event, delivering a suite of talks and workshops.

VIEW 2023, an English-speaking event, takes place October 15-20, 2023, in the beautiful baroque city of Turin, Italy. Tickets are now available from the official VIEW Conference website.

Henry Selick:

The Academy Award-nominated director of stop-motion animated films, including Laika’s BAFTA Award-winning Coraline, will attend VIEW in person, sharing his wealth of talent and experience via an onstage presentation and a special workshop.

Selick directed Disney’s The Nightmare Before Christmas and James and the Giant Peach, both produced by Tim Burton. In 2022, he returned to stop-motion feature animation as director of Netflix Animation’s Wendell & Wild, based on an original story by Selick; the film was co-written and co-produced with Jordan Peel.

Doug Chiang:

As Vice President and Executive Creative Director of Lucasfilm, Academy Award-winner Chiang oversees designs for the Star Wars franchise, including films, theme parks, games, and new media. He will attend VIEW Conference 2023 in person, delivering an onstage presentation and a hands-on workshop.

Chiang’s Star Wars experience spans over 25 years, beginning in 1995 when George Lucas selected him as Head of the Lucasfilm art department for the Star Wars prequel films. He has since been Lucasfilm’s principal designer for Disney World Resort’s Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge and Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser and Production Designer on Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.

Hal Hickel:

One of Industrial Light & Magic’s most experienced Animation Supervisors, Hickel, will appear on stage at VIEW Conference with a presentation on the animation and visual effects of the award-winning Disney+ Star Wars streaming series The Mandalorian – Season 3. He also brings his unique skills as a mentor, inviting the VIEW Conference audience to ‘ask him anything’ about the world of animation and VFX.

Hickel joined Industrial Light & Magic in 1996 as an animator on The Lost World: Jurassic Park, then served as lead animator on Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace, and as animation supervisor on Steven Spielberg’s A.I. Artificial Intelligence. In addition, he has worked on multiple award-winning films, including Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, Guillermo del Toro’s Pacific Rim, and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. He also served as animation director on the Academy Award-winning Rango, ILM's first animated feature.

“I am thrilled to reveal our first trio of speakers confirmed for VIEW Conference 2023,” said Conference Director Dr. Maria Elena Gutierrez, “and even more excited to announce that they will all be attending this year’s event in person. With their incredible suite of presentations and workshops, Henry Selick, Doug Chiang, and Hal Hickel will bring a special magic to VIEW Conference and give everyone who attends the event a unique opportunity to meet their heroes. And this is just the beginning! I cannot wait to announce some of the other legendary masters who will be speaking this October in beautiful Turin.”

In anticipation of VIEW Conference 2023, the conference has hosted several successful online “PreVIEW” events, including the March one-hour panel with the directors of the five films competing for the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. Guests included Guillermo del Toro and Mark Gustafson (Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio); Domee Shi (Turning Red); Joel Crawford (Puss in Boots: The Last Wish); Chris Williams (The Sea Beast); and Dean Fleischer Camp (Marcel the Shell with Shoes On).

Source: VIEW 2023

Debbie Diamond Sarto's picture

Debbie Diamond Sarto is news editor at Animation World Network.