James Ford Murphy, Jour ’86, helped Pixar Animation Studios win several Oscars for Best Animated Feature Film. Now he’s wrapping up his directorial debut of Pixar’s short film, Lava. Pixar Animation Studios bears little resemblance to Universal Studios or Disneyland — no Magic Kingdom, no wandering characters in costumes, no roller coasters or spinning teacups. The surprisingly compact 22-acre campus in Emeryville, Calif., is a haven for the artists, writers, dreamers, and nuts-and-bolts staff who’ve made some of the most beloved and successful animated movies — Toy Story, Cars, Finding Nemo and Monsters University, to name just a few. Murphy joined the Pixar family in 1996 and had a hand in winning many of the studio’s seven Best Animated Feature Oscars. He oversaw animation, art and story before taking his first directing job, Lava, a musical love story featuring Uku, a lonely Hawaiian volcano, and Lele, his volcano love interest. BY
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SHAPING AN ANIMATOR
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