Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs!

I'm all full of updates lately. After wrapping up on Bolt and taking a much needed break from work. I'm now more refreshed than ever and ready to start back up animating! Along with Mentoring at AM, I've started work at Sony... I'm animating on "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs"!

I can't even begin to express how inspiring this film looks... it's not for everyone, but I for one LOVE the style and look of the characters and animation! It's completely a dream project for me and I'm so happy to be working on it! Check out the latest word in this online article.

Coming Soon... Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs

Cheers and Happy Halloween all!

got AM Mentor?

I have some great news! I'm back at Animation Mentor.com!!! However this time, I'll be a mentor. I'm so excited to get back into the amazing culture which has brought such passion to the animation community and to my own work.

If your interested in becoming an animator... i HIGHLY recommend this school! Click on the image to check out the site for more info:

Madrid and new friends!

Mando much saludo's a mi amigos en Madrid! Gracias por todo, David y Patricia!!

Hi folks! Here's a pic of my friend David Alvarez and his "mujer" Patricia. They were kind enough to meet up and show us a great time around Madrid. I couldn't have asked for a better tour guide of the city and local scene.

By the end of the night we'd had quite a bit to drink but I still remember what a great night we had catching up!

... more pictures and posts to come when I find time ...

BOLT ANIMATION IS A WRAP!!!

BOLT is COMPLETE!

Well.... at least animation is! What a production, full of amazing work and incredible people. Every moment on Bolt has been an adventure...stressful and exhausting at times.... but awesome nonetheless.

So what now you ask?!?! A much needed vacation! I'll be traveling for the next couple of months.... catching up with old friends and exploring Spain and Italy!! (If anyone reading has any recommendations or advise shoot'em my way, I'd love to hear'em.)

I started my long overdue vacation with a brisk walk around the Hollywood Hills with my baby Rocco! Here's a cute picture I managed to snap while we were taking a breather.



I have friends and family who visit the blog so I'll certainly be updating it with a few pictures and details from my adventure. Keep an eye out!

Who is Rocket Johnson?

Last week we had a book signing party for "WHO IS ROCKET JOHNSON?" a graphic novel that the Disney Story Artists put together. It's a pretty amazing book, illustrated and designed by the top artists in the industry. I managed to snap a cool pic with my best friend (and amazing story artist/character designer) Tron Mai and Director of the up coming film RAPUNZEL (not to mention legendary animator of Tarzan) Glen Keane!

Overall a great event... thanks to all the Disney artist that help put this together!

Princess & the Frog

Here's a treat for all you 2D animation fans! It's the latest teaser trailer for the upcoming Princess and the Frog film.... very cool stuff.

Here's a film called "Yellow Sticky Notes" by Jeff Chiba Stearns. I came across this short film here at work and found it profoundly moving. We all focus intensely on our day to day lives often loosing sight of the bigger picture and larger world events. Check it out... what have you missed?

Where in the world is Matt?

This just made me smile... so i hadta share. Enojy!!

Wall-E + BOLT trailer!

Here's a great little treat... THE NEW BOLT TRAILER! It'll be playing in front of WallE, but here's a sneak peek in case you can't wait ;) I saw WallE last weekend in a special work screening and I thought it was amazing. Another job well done from the guys at Pixar. Keep up the inspiring work!

Presto Teaser

Here's a clip from Pixar's latest short film... due to come out in front of wall-E this weekend! Pretty cool... very... Tex Avery ... Chuck Jones ... style. Check it out!

The Animators Survival Kit - VIDEOS

Check it out... this is pretty sweet! I had the chance to take Richard Williams lecture class before he wrote his book and I found it to be amazing. Full of insightful wisdom and enthusiasm. I thought, "damn... every animator should get a chance to see this for themselves!" Of course his book came out and it pretty much says everything his lecture did... but without the added live aspect and entertainment that only a face to face lecture could give you.

So here's the next best thing!! ONLINE videos!! I live for this stuff!

Click on the image.

Dale Baer

We had a company meeting a few days ago and I was lucky enough to sit next to the legendary animator (and good friend) Dale Baer.... I took this fun little camera phone pic to capture the moment!

...if you haven't already done so... go check out his online/podcast interview at the Animation Podcast by Clay Kaytis! (Click on the image for link)

Real or Fake Smile?

Can you tell a real smile from a fake one? A fellow animator here at work sent out this link. It's fascinating to see if you can tell the difference. How many can you get right?

It's by author, Paul Ekman, who wrote the excellent book "Telling Lies."

Here's a pretty insightful article on BOLT as well as details on the next features coming out of both studios... Rapunzel, The Princess and the Frog, UP, Newt, The Bear and the Bow, Cars 2, and King of the Elves!

the 9th old man

A heartfelt goodbye to the last of the nine old men... Ollie Johnston passed away yesterday. He was 95. I had the pleasure of meeting Ollie a couple of years ago at his Birthday Party here at Disney Animation.

He will be dearly missed.

Disney Pixar Line up....

In case a few of you might not know... here's the latest line up of films coming out of Disney/Pixar! Some really cool projects!!

Zen - Doggy

I came across this pic and thought it was so moving I hadta share.

Horton Hears a Who!

Go see it!

The movie came out great... animation, visual development, and story are all amazing! It was amazing to be a part of such an amazing crew, yet again. I'll post my contributions to the film at a later date. 'Til then... enjoy the film!

Golden Compass WON!!

Wow... what a trip! Golden Compass WON the OSCAR for Best Visual FX!! It goes without saying, but every film is a "team" effort. Congratulations to all involved... it is a true honor to have been a small part of it.

Oscar Nominated

I found this really funny and kinda cool. A fellow animator congratulated me today on being an "Oscar Nominated Animator". I said... what? He said well Golden Compass has been nominated for a "Best Visual Effects" OSCAR... and since I worked on it... it inadvertently makes me... an "Oscar Nominated Animator".

It's a stretch... I know.... but still pretty cool I think!

Best of luck to all the Nominees!