Screen Rant is excited to announce LightBox Expo’s talent and highlights for its return in late October. The event, which celebrates the visual arts, is slated to showcase some fan-favorite creators and works this year. From film to comics, the upcoming expo will feature over 600 artists and 300 creators.
This year will be the fifth LightBox Expo, which has become an annual event after its beginnings in 2019. The visual arts expo shifted to a purely online event for two years following its inception, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, it returned as an in-person event in 2022. LightBox Expo 2023 is ready to continue presenting informative and entertaining looks behind the curtains of hit films and the art industry.
LightBox Expo is an Event for Artists, By Artists
Scheduled for Friday October 27 through Sunday October 29 at the Pasadena Convention Center, LightBox Expo will feature programs involving Star Wars, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, and Nimona, among others. ND Stevenson, the creator of the graphic novel Nimona, will be joined by Nick Bruno and Troy Quane, the directors of its Netflix adaptation. They will discuss the adaptation process, highlighting the challenges of not just animation, but adapting comics/graphic novels to film. This program is titled, Guts, Glory, Transformation and HEART. The event will also feature panels involving the animated series Krapopolis and Disney’s new trading card game, Lorcana, highlighting the visual arts across various industries – not just film.
Additional LightBox Expo panels include: Hatching a Plan (focused on Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget), Creating the Spider-Verse (featuring designers from Sony Pictures Animation and Sony Pictures Imageworks), A Conversation with the Artists of Star Wars (designers presenting the process for creating droids, vehicles, characters, and more), and A Session with Character Design Legends. The character design event will feature Carter Goodrich, Peter de Seve, and Carlos Grangel, with Renee di Cherri moderating. These artists have collective experience working on animated hits including Corpse Bride, Despicable Me, Finding Nemo, Hotel Transylvania, Ice Age, Madagascar, The Prince of Egypt, and Shrek.
Bobby Chiu, a character designer and illustrator who co-founded the Expo, says:
We’re excited to present educational panels throughout the show that allow new and upcoming artists to hear about pathways into the industry. In addition, much of the programming allows artists of all levels to learn new tips, tricks and techniques to up their art game, making it the perfect place to come learn no matter where you are in your artistic journey.
Jim Demonakos, event organizer and filmmaker who is also a founder of LightBox Expo, adds:
LightBox Expo features over 600 artists, more than 200 panels and demos, plus over 300 creators in artist alley. Attendees to this year’s event will be able to purchase plush toys of the LBX Mascots, a hoodie specifically designed to cater to traditional and digital artists, a selection of custom sketchbooks and more!
Additionally, Jorge R. Gutierrez – a Mexican artist known for his writing, directing, voice acting, and paintings, with creations including The Book of Life, El Tigre: The Adventures of Manny Rivera and Maya and the Three – says:
LightBox is such a unique expo because it’s created and ran by artists who have nobly built their dream showcase of talent, young and seasoned, in all types of mediums. It really is a phenomenally special gathering.
LightBox Expo will also feature the Concept Art Awards. These awards recognize and bring awareness to the role concept artists play in film, television, video games, and other mediums. This year’s nominees include concept artists for Animaniacs, Elemental, Entergalactic, Nimona, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, Tales of the Jedi, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem.
LightBox Expo 2023 will run from October 27 to October 29.
