Rising Stars of Animation 2023

They’re gifted, articulate and smart and their animation careers are on fire. Yes, we are talking about this year’s brilliant group of rising stars. They have worked or are currently putting the finishing touches on some of our favorite animated shorts, TV shows and movies of the year. We are so glad to be able to spotlight these amazing individuals and can’t wait to see what they come up with next as they climb the ladder of success.

Kai Akira

Director, My Dad the Bounty Hunter (Netflix Animation)

Age, Birthplace: 30; Phoenix, Arizona. Cartoons/movies I loved as a kid: Some of my fondest memories were huddling around the TV in the living room with my siblings and cousins, perusing the massive collection of VHS tapes my parents had collected over the years — The Meteor Man, Galaxy Quest, Men in Black, My Favorite Martian, Jumanji, The Lion King; and then when we upgraded to DVDs — The Iron Giant, A Goofy Movie, The Pagemaster, Dark Crystal, The Labyrinth, The Hobbit, The Wiz, Spirited Away, the list goes on. I was also big on the entire Disney Afternoon Block. I watched a lot of shows with my older sibs, too — Daria, Hey Monie!, Dragon Ball … my oldest brother recorded as many episodes of Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog as he could fit on 20 or so tapes. We ran those things into disrepair!

I knew I wanted to work in animation when: I’m not even sure it was a conscious choice — as early as I can remember, my dream was to be “a cartoonist.” But the second, surefire moment I knew was around my third year of college, after my oldest sister passed away. To cope with the loss, I dove back into the comforting world of cartoons, Phineas and Ferb in particular. Eventually, I realized how much watching these shows anchored me during that painful time, and I too wanted to help create stories that would help uplift others’ spirits the way they did my own. First job in animation: My first job was as a storyboard intern at 6 Point Harness. I was miraculously hired from a two-day storyboarding workshop, and they kindly welcomed me into their fold. About three weeks into my internship, I was asked if I’d like to be a full-time storyboard artist — and who could refuse that??

What I love about my current project: The people, always. Many of them are new, now treasured friends, but there were a few familiar faces from the Dad crew that came along with me for this ride — and what a ride it is! I’m grateful to have the relationships I do with all the folks I’ve worked with on other projects, and this one is no different in that respect.

Biggest challenge: Quelling the overwhelming urge to accomplish an infinite number of things within a finite amount of time. Being satisfied with what I have done thus far and knowing that all that I eventually do will have been more than enough. A big part of that is the excitement (and frustration) of coming up into an industry that’s finally starting to truly embrace diverse storytelling over tokenization — we have so much more to do, people! One step at a time though, ha ha … Also, protecting my energy!

Best career advice: Always try to exercise humility in what you think you know, as well as what you can know. In our highly collaborative field, there’s always more to learn about our work, ourselves, others and Life. We have to make everything that appears on the screen, and at the heart of it all is quite often just that — heart. Try to remember that what you create is precious and cannot truly be replicated by anyone or anything else.

Shir Baron

Animator, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish (DreamWorks Animation)

Age, Birthplace: 30, Israel.

Cartoons/movies I loved as a kid: My favorite animated movie was The Little Mermaid. I was mesmerized by Ariel’s curiosity and fascination with the simple things in our world. My favorite TV show was Nickelodeon’s As Told By Ginger, which I found a lot of comfort in as it dealt with issues I was experiencing as a teenager.

I knew I wanted to work in animation when: In Israel, you pick majors in high school, and for me that was art and computer science. I also worked in the local movie theater after school hours. That was an amazing year for films — Tangled, Toy Story 3, How to Train Your Dragon. As the children would step out of the movies, I’d ask them if they enjoyed it. They would smile and say, “It was amazing!” That’s when it hit me: Animation has the power to influence and inspire everyone! I realized animation is a career path that includes so many things that I love (art, tech and films) and is able to create joy, smiles and laughter!

First job in animation: While I had a few internships and worked on some fun projects with friends, DreamWorks is technically my first full-time job in animation! And I love it here.

What I love about my job: The team! Puss in Boots: The Last Wish was the most amazing project to work on. I’ve learned so much, worked with such amazing artists and got to work on something that I feel extremely proud of. I’m so thankful to have had the opportunity to work with this team, and really appreciate the amount of trust they’ve put in me.

Biggest challenge: One big challenge was joining the industry during the pandemic. There is a lot to learn from those around you, and I am so glad to be on campus now! Another big challenge is the distance from family and loved ones. Being away from that support system and culture is hard. Starting at DreamWorks and moving to a new state during the peak of the pandemic made it a tough start. The people at the studio are what make it so great and I found an amazing support system here.

Best career advice: Make friends, not connections. Your friends are your strongest allies, and there is so much you can learn from one another. At the end of the day, they are the people who are most likely to recommend you to positions, so working together and helping each other grow will advance everyone’s career and help us achieve our common goal: creating meaningful content.

David Chung

Art

Director, Gabby’s Dollhouse & Unannounced Horror Series (DreamWorks Animation)

Age, Birthplace: 40ish; Albany, NY.

Cartoons/movies I loved as a kid: I spent most of my childhood in Hong Kong and Taiwan, so most of the shows I watched were either in Chinese or they were dubbed. Since Chinese is my second language, whenever I got a hold of American cartoons, they were like gold to me. My dad used to rent me collections of Looney Tunes and HannaBarbera shows on VHS or laser discs. As soon as we were able to “obtain” cable, I was introduced and obsessed with shows on Nickelodeon and MTV like Ren & Stimpy, Aaahh!!! Real Monsters, Liquid Television and Beavis and Butthead. When we finally moved back to the States, shows like Tiny Toon Adventures, Animaniacs, Batman: The Animated Series, The Tick and X-Men were built into my weekly routines.

I knew I wanted to work in animation when: I actually didn’t plan on working in animation! I majored in Illustration and was making most of my living through selling paintings at galleries and doing freelance. The animation thing sort of happened by chance through the crowd I was hanging out with, many of which were working in the animation industry while showing in the same galleries as me.

First job in animation: My first job in animation was for Spaceballs: The Animated Series. We all have to start somewhere, right!? Despite that and many other similar work experiences that I’ve had, I’ve been able to meet a lot of amazing people along the way and learn how not to be while working in animation … or anywhere, really. What I love about my current project: My current project is a CG-animated horror series that revolves around a family and their adventures. While developing the look, we really wanted it to stand out from the crowd by challenging the status quo. We really wanted to give it a 2D look by paying homage to classic EC-style horror comic books. I am so proud of the work we’ve accomplished. It’s definitely a love letter to several genres of horror that we admire. It has truly been one of my most favorite and fun shows I’ve had the privileges of working on and I can’t wait for audiences to see it.

Biggest challenge: Since the style hadn’t fully been done before at the studio, we had to do a lot of outside the box thinking on altering the existing pipeline to make everything work for what we were trying to achieve within the time and budget given. Thankfully we have some of the best people in the industry at DreamWorks, who are amazing to collaborate with. They’ve helped us elevate the look of the show higher and higher every step of the way.

Best career advice: The thing that I’ve found to be the most consistent and beneficial for me is to leave my ego at home and work on building strong mutual trust with the team that I’m working with. If you can’t listen, trust and support one another, it’ll come out in the show.

Angela Collins

Senior Animator, Sonic Prime (WildBrain Studios)

Age, Birthplace: 27; Abbotsford, BC, Canada.

Cartoons/movies I loved as a kid: The Aristocats

I knew I wanted to work in animation when: I found that 3D animation was a viable career for monetarily supporting myself while still making art.

First job in animation: The Deep Season 2 at DHX Media (now WildBrain).

What I love about my current project: I love the people! Everyone on my team has been a genuine pleasure to work with and I’m so proud of them all! They constantly push the bar and inspire everyone to work more creatively, and it truly shines in their work.

Biggest challenge: By far my biggest challenge has been managing and maintaining my mental and physical health. Burnout is such a common side effect of this career in the animation industry. And without the understanding of how your body is affected under stress, it’s quite difficult to maintain consistency.

Best career advice: Don’t be tempted to let this career define your worth or your identity. As with any job, maintaining a level of passion over a long period of time is very hard. I have benefitted endlessly from having passions outside of my work to refuel and energize me and I’m constantly on the hunt for more!

Lee Ann Dufour

Art Director, Hailey’s On It! (Disney+, Disney Channel)

Age, Birthplace: 34, raised in Québec, Canada. Cartoons/movies I loved as a kid: When we were kids, my sister and I watched animated movies on repeat until we could recite them by heart. My favorites were The Land Before Time, All Dogs Go to Heaven, Oliver & Company, A Goofy Movie and Aladdin. I remember really wanting to become Princess Jasmine so I could have a pet tiger when I grew up. I knew I wanted to work in animation when: My mom came home from work one night and asked me if I was interested in studying animation. Her boss had seen one of my drawings in her office and told her about Sheridan College’s animation program. I had no idea it was a career option, but I loved drawing and it felt like a path that would make me really happy. I scrambled to put my application together in time for the admissions deadline and never looked back. First job in animation: When I graduated in 2010, I didn’t get a job in the industry right away. I worked at a bank for two years and did some freelance work while building up my portfolio. Eventually, that paid off and I was hired to work on Ever After High as a character cleanup artist by Guru Studio in Toronto. I had an incredible time on that project. I learned so much and met some of my closest friends.

What I love about my current project: I’m really grateful for the amazing team of artists I work with. The best part of my job is seeing everyone’s contributions to the show. It feels like every day I review designs where the team has gone above and beyond with their assignments in a way that makes the project so much better. It’s really inspiring to see.

Biggest challenge: The schedule is the most challenging part of this project. I always wish we had more time. Everyone on the team is so passionate and hardworking, it makes even the most challenging days worth it.

Best career advice: Being open to trying roles I wasn’t actively searching for has been really beneficial in my career. Along with various art department positions, I’ve had the chance to work in production, development and recruiting. I’m often surprised by how much of those skills are transferable to my day-to-day job as an art director.