This month, I caught up with busy feature animation director Ash Brannon (“Surf’s Up,” co-director “Toy Story 2,” and the upcoming “Rock Dog”) about voicing roles, the importance of improv, and more!
Jen: How did you get started in animation? Ash: I was an animation fan from childhood. By the time I was 10, I knew I wanted to be an animator. I attended the CalArts Character Animation program and the timing was fortunate: At the time, there was a resurgence in feature animation. I landed a summer internship at Disney and worked on “The Little Mermaid.”
Jen: What was the first recording session you attended and who was the actor? Ash: Pixar was making “A Bug’s Life” and they were recording Dave Foley. John Lasseter kindly let me come down to watch a session and see how the process worked.
Jen: What do you recall from watching Dave Foley? He’s a genius! Ash: His improv skills. It was the beginning of cracking something open for me that I really enjoy: directing actors for animation and incorporating the improv process. It became a key component for me in terms of getting the best material to go back to the studio and
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