Will a CalArts alum win Oscar # 12 for Best Animated Feature?
Click here for infographic charting over $46 billion dollars in box office returns generated by CalArts alumni
Valencia, CA, January 22—Since the category of Best Animated Feature was introduced in 2001, 11 of the winning films were directed by alumni of CalArts’s renowned animation programs. The last 6 consecutive Animated Features Oscars went to “CalArtians.” This year three alumni directed films, Incredibles 2, Ralph Breaks the Internet, and Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse have been nominated for Academy Awards.
This year’s alumni contenders: Two-time Oscar winner Brad Bird (Ratatouille) helmed Pixar Animation Studios’ Incredibles 2. Looking towards his second Oscar, alum Rich Moore (Zootopia) co-directed Walt Disney Animation Studios’ Ralph Breaks the Internet. Alumnus and first-time director Bob Persichetti co-directed Sony Pictures Animation’s Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.
Past winners: Last year, Coco, co-directed by first-time feature director and CalArts graduate Adrian Molina and Lee Unkrich, won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. Earlier award-winning films from alumni directors include The Incredibles (2004) and Ratatouille (2007) directed by Brad Bird; Finding Nemo (2003) and Wall-E (2008) by Andrew Stanton; Brave (2012) by alumni duo Mark Andrews and Brenda Chapman; Up (2009) by Pete Docter; Frozen by alumnus Chris Buck with Jennifer Lee and Peter Del Vecho; Inside Out (2015) by Pete Docter with Jonas Rivers, and Zootopia (2016) by alumnus Rich Moore with Byron Howard and Clark Spencer. (Alums are indicated in bold.)
The backstory: Founded by Walt Disney, CalArts is ranked number one among the Top 50 Animation Programs in the U.S. by Animation Career Review. Its Experimental and Character Animation programs are unrivaled in the world—educating successive generations of filmmakers who define the industry. Click here for more information about prominent alumni of the Character and Experimental Animation Programs. CalArts alums contribute to the creative economy—directing animated features that have generated more the $46 billion dollars in returns between 1985 and 2018.
The interactive infographic was designed by CalArts alumna Stephanie Smith.
Photo credits: Sony Pictures Animation, Spiderman: Into the Spider-Verse, © 2018 CTMG, Inc. All Rights Reserved; Walt Disney Animation Studios, Ralph Break the Internet, ©2018 Disney. All Rights Reserved; Walt Disney Pictures/Pixar Animation Studios, Incredibles 2, ©2018 Disney. All Rights Reserved.