SCAD AnimationFest 2023 has wrapped, and here is everything we saw at the festival. Screen Rant got the opportunity to attend the animated film festival in Atlanta, Georgia, with the event going all-out to deliver three days of exciting panels, Q&As, and exclusive premieres. SCAD Animation Fest 2023 highlighted some of the exciting student films coming out of SCAD, the biggest filmmaking innovations in Atlanta, and some major animated TV shows and movies from some of the most notable studios in the industry. So, here is a full list of everything that happened at SCAD AnimationFest 2023, including news from big name franchises like Adventure Time, Krapopolis, and Nimona.
SCAD AnimationFest 2023 is one of the many festivals that SCAD holds throughout the year, but this one focuses on one of the school’s most popular subjects: animation. While the film industry is booming in Atlanta, animation is the heart of the city, with major animation companies and visual effects designers residing in the southern city. SCAD AnimationFest is growing every year, with the 2023 festival bringing together some animation industry titans for the exciting yearly event.
14 Animation Director Ted Ty Gave A Look At The Development Of Nimona
Thursday morning started out with a special panel on Nimona titled Once Upon A Time: Animating Netflix’s “Nimona,” with it being hosted by Ted Ty. Ted Ty was the animation director on Nimona, with the talented artist also working on films like The Lion King and Kung Fu Panda. Ted Ty touched on the inspirations behind Nimona, the techniques used in developing the film’s signature art style, and the influence that Blue Sky Studios’ closure had on the project. Screen Rant later interviewed Nimona‘s Ted Ty to get a better look at the film’s history.
13 Georgia’s Local Film Industry Highlighted How The State Is Growing
The second panel at SCAD AnimationFest 2023 was titled Industry Insights: Georgia’s Digital Boom. Atlanta, Georgia is one of the fastest-growing cities in the film industry, and this panel touched on how the city has been shifting over the past few years. Representatives from Georgia-based industry organizations like the Georgia Game Developers Association and the Georgia Department of Economic Development sat down with SCAD professors to discuss the future of film and tech in Georgia.
12 FuseFX Showed Off Their Latest Tech
FuseFX is a Georgia-based effects company that has done work for major production companies like Disney and HBO. Head of FuseFX and senior VFX supervisor Brian Kubovcik highlighted some of the strategies and tech used in the company’s operations, showing how VFX-heavy films are made. The Emmy-nominee also spoke to SCAD students about how to enter the industry of VFX, giving tips and tricks on how to improve in some of the most commonly-used pieces of software used at FuseFX.
11 Animal Repair Shop Showed Off A New Batman AR Game
Animal Repair Shop is a company designed in innovating entertainment experiences for the next generation, and their board game branch Infinite Rabbit Holes appeared at SCAD AnimationFest 2023 to show off a brand new game. The company introduced the world to Arkham Asylum Files: Panic in Arkham City, an immersive AR game based on the Batman franchise. Described by SCAD as “part board game, part escape room, and part puzzle box,” the demonstration of the game was truly a sight to behold, showing how mixing tech with board games can create all-new experiences.
10 Inspector Sun & The Curse Of The Black Widow Had Its US Premiere
SCAD wrapped up its first day with the United States premiere of the animated film Inspector Sun and the Curse of the Black Widow. The film is an animated murder mystery centered on the world of bugs in the 1930s, with the story following the famous spider Inspector Sun as he attempts to solve the murder of a rich passenger on a swanky plane. The film was definitely a wild ride, and while it had some problems, it was a big deal for SCAD AnimationFest to premiere the film ahead of its October 27 theatrical release date.
9 Successful SCAD Alumni Hosted A Panel
SCAD AnimationFest 2023 kicked off its second day with the SCAD Alumni Voices panel hosted by some of the school’s most recent and most successful alumni, with these talented artists answering the questions of SCAD students regarding how to succeed in their various career paths. Panelists included Jalysa Leva, creator and director of Jelly, Ben & Pogo, Trent Bellet, associate character technical artist with Blizzard Entertainment, Julianna Mercado 3D artist for Meptik, Brendan Wilson 3D motion designer for Territory Studio, and Zeno Padinjattekara, motion graphics designer for the Atlanta Hawks.
8 SCAD Animation Studios Showed Off The Last Dungeon
SCAD Animation Studios showed off their most recent animated short film: The Last Dungeon. The student-made short film was screened and followed by a panel with director Alex Young, technical director Kate Meine, producer Andrew Nelson, and visual effects supervisor Ash Brock.
7 The Gaming Industry Highlighted Advancements In Transmedia
The Constructing a Career in Transmedia panel was hosted by Gearbox lead cinematics animator Aaron Deerfield. In the panel, Deerfield highlighted the ways in which storytelling has evolved over the past years, showing how visual storytellers can adapt their mediums to the exciting new field of transmedia.
6 Adam Muto Screened Fionna & Cake & Held An Adventure Time Panel
SCAD AnimatioFest 2023 day two wrapped up with an appearance by Adam Muto, a storyboard artist and showrunner for seasons 5-10 of Adventure Time and the creator and executive producer of Adventure Time: Fionna and Cake. Episode 6 of the Max series was screened as well as several exclusive deleted scenes from Adventure Time: Fionna and Cake as well as the original series. Muto then hosted a Q&A panel. Screen Rant also interviewed Adam Muto about Adventure Time‘s future.
5 SCADpro Introduced An Innovative New Public Art Piece
SCAD AnimationFest 2023 opened with a look at a public art piece known as Find Yourself On the Green. The work can be found at Phipps Plaza, with it being created by SCADpro. The art piece uses Adobe Aero’s latest technology to add augmented reality to the mural. Artists Kent Knowles, Grace Martin, and Christian Solis as well as vice president of SCADpro Paul Stonick appeared in a panel to talk about their time working on Find Yourself On the Green.
4 Annecy International Animation Film Festival Made An Appearance
Annecy International Animation Film Festival is an incredibly famous film festival that has been hosted in Annecy, France since 1960, but the organization came to SCAD AnimationFest 2023 to show off some of its best films. At the Best of Annecy panel, the following films were shown off: Persona, directed by Sujin Moon; The Record, directed by Jonathan Laskar; Steakhouse, directed by Spela Cadez; Of Wood, directed by Owen Klatte; Anxious Body, directed by Yoriko Mizushiri; Amok, directed by Balázs Turai.
3 SCAD Students Showcased Their Short Films
SCAD AnimationFest 2023 also highlighted the future of the film industry by showing off some incredibly animated short films from students at the SCAD Animation Showcase. The list of films shown include Bunny to the Moon, Three Raccoons in a Trench Coat, GARG!, Goro Goro, Chupacorn, Fred and Frankie, Prozaic, When We Sleep, Crossing Over, and The Sun is Bad.
2 Krapopolis Episode 3 Premiered With A Panel
The final panel of SCAD AnimationFest 2023 was Going Greek with the FOX series ‘Krapopolis.’ At the panel, Krapopolis episode 1 and an early screening of episode 3 were shown, giving a look at FOX’s new animated comedy. Supervising director Pete Michels and lead character designer Andy Ristaino then hosted a Q&A panel that was moderated by Variety TV editor Michael Schneider. Michels and Ristaino also sat down with Screen Rant for a Krapopolis interview.
1 Animation Industry Titans Were Presented With SCAD AnimationFest Awards
Throughout the festival, SCAD honored three animation industry titans with prestigious awards. Nimona animator Ted Ty was presented with the SCAD AnimationFest Outstanding Achievement in Animation Award. Academy Award-winning Katana developer Steve LaVites was presented with the first-ever SCAD45 Award. Adventure Time: Fionna and Cake creator Adam Muto was presented with the SCAD AnimationFest Spotlight Award. These three are just some of the many individuals that helped make SCAD AnimationFest 2023 possible.
