VIEW 2024 Speaker Updates: Chris Sanders Talks “The Wild Robot”

VIEW ConferenceItaly’s premier event for animation and visual effects, announced that it will highlight the creative talent behind DreamWorks Animation’s upcoming animated film The wild robotSpeakers include the Oscar-nominated screenwriter and director of the film Chris SandersProduction designer Raymond Zibach and VFX supervisor Jeff Budsberg.

Taking place from October 14th to 19th in the beautiful baroque city of Turin, Italy, the conference brings together industry professionals, students and enthusiasts to celebrate the latest achievements in animation, VFX and gaming.

Register for VIEW 2024 Here.

The wild robotbased on the New York Times bestseller of the same name by Peter Brown, “is an epic adventure about the journey of a robot – ROZZUM Unit 7134, or “Roz” for short – who is shipwrecked and must learn to adapt to the harsh environment by gradually building relationships with the animals on the island and becoming the adoptive parent of an orphaned gosling. The animated adventure, starring Oscar winner Lupita Nyong’o, will be released in North American theaters on September 27, 2024.

• Sanders, a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, ASIFA-Hollywood and the Visual Effects Society, began his career at Marvel Productions and later at Disney Studios before moving to DreamWorks Animation. His animated films include Bernard and Pinochle in Kangaroo Land, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, The Lion King, Mulan, Lilo & StitchThe Shrek And Madagascar Franchise companies, Kung Fu Panda, How to train your dragonAnd The CroodsHe has received two Academy Award nominations, two BAFTA nominations, one Golden Globe nomination, ten Annie Awards, and three Visual Effects Society Awards.
• Zibach, a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Science and ASIFA-Hollywood, began his animation career in episodic television working on animated series before moving on to feature film animation. His feature films include Rover Dangerfield, Aladdin and the King of Thieves, And Space JamHe joined DreamWorks Animation in 1996 and worked on The road to El DoradoFurther credits are Megamind, Bee film, Sinbad – Lord of the Seven Seas, The Boss Baby: Family business, And The Boss BabyHe was a production designer on short films To: Gerard, which earned him an Annie Award nomination, ExposedAnd Bird karma. His work on the first three Kung Fu Panda Films earned him an Annie Award, a VES Award, and an Oscar nomination. Over the course of his career, he received five more Annie Award nominations and a VES Award.
• Budsberg has worked for DreamWorks Animation for 17 years and has been involved in the following projects: The bad guys, Disgusting, The Croods – Back to the Beginning”, How to Train Your Dragon 2, Mr Peabody and Sherman, Madagascar: Escape to Africa, Kung Fu Panda 3, The CroodsAnd Shrek Forever AfterHis work has earned him an Annie Award and nomination, as well as two Visual Effects Society (VES) Award nominations. Budsberg also received an Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences Technical Achievement/Sci-Tech Award for his groundbreaking work on the development and implementation of DreamWorks Animation’s foliage toolset. In addition, he has been involved in OpenVDB (an open source software library developed at DreamWorks Animation), which is recognized by the Academy of Motion Picture & Sciences.

Also announced:

Oscar-winning director Josh Cooley, director of Paramount Animation and Hasbro Transformers One will present a detailed master class on the subject of history. Cooley has worked on Pixar’s The Incredibles, Ratatouille, HighAnd from the inside to the outsideHe also directed the Oscar-winning Toy Story 4.

Sessions with creators of animated short films:

• Burk! Director: Loïc Espuche
• NUBEDirected by: Christian Arredondo Narvaez and Diego Alonso Sánchez de la Barquera.
• Joseph Wallace, the BAFTA Cymru nominated animator and director known for his 2022 animated short film Salvation has no namepresents “Handmade Fantasies: The Stop-Motion Worlds of Joseph Wallace.”

“I am thrilled to welcome Chris Sanders and his creative team to the 2024 VIEW Conference,” said Conference Director Dr. Maria Elena Gutierrez. “Chris’ reputation is nothing short of spectacular and I know his new animated film ‘The Wild Robot’ will blow us all away. I am equally thrilled to have so many talented animation short film directors on the VIEW Conference program, including the legendary Joseph Wallace and many more. Without question, 2024 is shaping up to be a banner year for animation and I am proud that the VIEW Conference will be at the center of it.”

Source: VIEW 2024

Dan Sarto is publisher and editor-in-chief of the Animation World Network.