We are very excited to announce and showcase the work of the winning animators of our Second Annual Bay Area Teen Animation Festival!
This year’s overall festival winner was Marcus Emery from Saratoga High School for his 2D Digital Short, “Dooble – the Small Winged Quail.” Our overall runner-up was Paola Delgado from New Technology High School for her 2D Traditional Short, “Playmate.” Both of these animations showcased the students’ skills in timing, character, and most importantly, story. Check out their work below!
The Bay Area Teen Animation Festival, or “BATAF” for short, gives the opportunity for teens around the San Francisco Bay Area to showcase their original animation tests and short films. In just one year, our reach has grown from 9 different schools to over 20, and this year we had over 130 submissions from high school and middle school students throughout the Bay Area. Our categories ranged from hand-drawn, digitally drawn, experimental, and computer generated animation - all of which included work that sparked emotion and told compelling stories. All festival submissions were judged by professional animators from DreamWorks, SJSU animation professors and students, and our own staff at the museum. Out of over 130 submissions, there were 20 category winners and an overall festival runner-up and an overall festival grand prize winner.
Over two days, the student work was screened in our theater for family, friends, and museum guests to view. On Saturday, we invited our category winners to an awards ceremony with a special presentation by Pixar animator Michal Makarewicz, giving tips about the different ways animators develop ideas for stories and characters, along with behind-the-scene stories of some of Pixar’s most popular films. Following the presentation, our overall winner was announced and awarded with a grand prize tour of Pixar Animation Studios and a family membership to the museum.
On Sunday, students were invited back to listen in on a panel discussion with Edric Yamamoto, a San Jose State University (SJSU) animation student and Jenna Calvao, a 2D animator and the Community Programs Coordinator at the museum. The panel was moderated by DreamWorks animator Steve Hickner. The panelists gave advice on what to look for in a school’s animation program, how to prepare to apply to such programs, and the importance of staying persistent in your career.
If you're a teen between the age of 13 to 18 and you're interested in participating in next year’s festival, be sure to bookmark https://www.waltdisney.org/education/special-events/teen-animation-festival-international-2018 and check our calendar for upcoming workshops, classes, and deadlines!