When the credits roll at the end of DreamWork's new 3-D animated feature, "Shrek Forever After," theatergoers can spot the names of eight former Texas A&M visualization students who contributed to the film. Copyright ©2010 Paramount Pictures. All Rights Reserved.
COLLEGE STATION, June 18, 2010 — Theatergoers who stick around for the credits for current releases “Toy Story 3,” “Shrek Forever After,” “The A-Team,” “Iron Man 2,” “Marmaduke” or “The Last Airbender” can spot the names of dozens of Aggie “vizzers” — graduates from Texas A&M University’s master’s degree program in visualization sciences — who were leading contributors to each film.
A total of 13 Aggie vizzers are listed in the credits for Disney/Pixar’s “Toy Story 3,” which welcomes Woody, Buzz Lightyear and the whole gang back to the big screen Friday (June 18) after a more-than-decade-long absence. The film finds a teenaged Andy preparing to depart for college while his loyal toys, exiled to a daycare center crawling with untamed, sticky-fingered tots, scheme their escape.
Breathing life into “Far Far Away” and the colorful denizens of DreamWorks Animation SKG’s “Shrek Forever After” were eight more digital wizards who honed their craft at Texas A&M. After dominating the box office since its May 21 opening, the film made way last weekend for “The A-Team,” on which fellow vizzer James E. Price served as visual effects supervisor.
Texas A&M’s master of science in visualization sciences program, now offered through the Department of Visualization at the College of Architecture, has provided a steady stream of leaders in the growing field of digital and electronic visualization since its creation in 1989. Program graduates have achieved success as creative directors, computer animators, university professors and software designers, with the majority working in the animation, visual effects and electronic gaming industries.
Aggie “vizzers” are among the leading creative talent at Pixar, Blue Sky, Industrial Light and Magic, DreamWorks/PDI, LucasFilm Animation, Walt Disney Animation, Microsoft and Sony Pictures Imageworks and have been integral members of the teams behind such recent blockbusters as “Avatar,” “Star Trek,” “Alice in Wonderland” and “How to Train Your Dragon,” as well as the “Harry Potter,” “Transformers,” “Pirates of the Caribbean,” “Chronicles of Narnia” and “Night at the Museum” series. Eighteen Aggie vizzers also served on the Academy Award-winning team behind last year’s “Up.”
In addition to hiring Texas A&M visualization program graduates, Pixar and DreamWorks are ongoing supporters of the program, providing visiting artist lectures, one-on-one reviews of student work and scholarships for current students given by former students and matched by money from the studio, college officials note.
The program also offers a summer industry course that allows students to work with artists, technical supervisors and other CG industry professionals. This summer students are working directly with DreamWorks to produce animated shorts based on a DreamWorks-developed story idea. Last year’s course was led by Disney Animation Studios.
Another brand new animated film created with the help of Aggie Vizzers, Disney/Pixar’s "Toy Story 3" debuts in theaters June 18. The 3-D feature fines a teenaged Andy preparing to depart for college while his loyal toys, exiled to a daycare center crawling with untamed, sticky-fingered tots, scheme their escape. ©2010 Disney-Pixar. All Rights Reserved
Helping to assure the believability of “Toy Story 3” from Disney/Pixar were Aggie vizzers Jonathan (Jon) Kiker ’05, lighting artist; Christina Garcia Weiland (working on MS Viz degree), set dressing artist; Sarah Fowler Deluna ’04, character shading; Jesse Weglein, lighting technical director, marketing; Angelique Reisch (working on MS Viz degree), production training; Patrick James ’98, layout artist; Donald Fong ’08, character tailor; Eric Peden (working on MS Viz degree), render pipeline; Eric Andraos ’02, set shading artist; Vandana Reddy Sahrawat, master lighting artist; Chris Chapman ’95, shots department/FX; Jacob Brooks ’02, character grooming, simulation and effects artist; Don Bui ’06, DVD and promotion production.
The eight vizzers contributing to “Shrek Ever After” were Shaila Haque ’04, technical director; Rodrigo Huerta (working on MS Viz degree), animator: cycles; Pia Miniati ’00, animation rig engineer; Lei Han ’04, lighting artist; and in visual effects, Michael Losure ’08, Zeki Melek ’07, Zhang Xiao ’05, and Can Yuksel ’07.
Contact: Kelli Levey, News & Information Services, at (979) 845-4645 or Phillip Rollfing at (979) 458-0442 or prollfing@archone.tamu.edu.
Tags: animation, cartoon, Disney, Pixar, shrek, toy story, Visualization Sciences, viz lab, vizzer, vizzers