Steven Universe Creator Set for OIAF Animation Exposé

The Ottawa International Animation Festival (OIAF) has revealed the lineup for Animation Exposé, headlined by Rebecca Sugar, creator of the Cartoon Network hit Steven Universe.

On Saturday, September 28, OIAF will host a day of high-profile talks at the National Arts Centre. Sugar will be a key speaker at Animation Exposé and will introduce a special screening of the TV movie Steven Universe The Movie the day before.

Filmmaker Matthew A. Cherry will be speaking about his passion project Hair Love, a short film about an African American father attempting to do his daughter’s hair for the first time. Cherry is joined by fellow director Bruce Smith (creator of The Proud Family, animator on The Princess and the Frog) to present the making of the short.

Trent Correy (supervising animator on Frozen 2, animator on Moana) and Mitch Counsell (character technical director on Moana, Zootopia, Big Hero 6) have exclusive world premieres of their films Drop and Fetch, which are part of Disney Animation’s Short Circuit program.

Also in the spotlight is True and the Rainbow Kingdom from Guru Studio, a Netflix original that was executive produced by Pharrell Williams. Brandon James Scott (creative director) and the team of art directors and designers at Guru Studio will present how they brought the aesthetic and spirit of art collective FriendsWithYou’s colorful and immersive artwork to the screen.

Warner Bros. Animation presents the next chapter in the iconic Looney Tunes story with Looney Tunes Cartoons, a series of new short-form cartoons starring Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig and the many other classic Looney Tunes characters. Executive producer and director Pete Browngardt (creator of Uncle Grandpa) presents a behind-the-scenes look inside the production process.

The day kicks off with a recruiter panel and features key Career Tidbits by the team at Walt Disney Animation Studios at the beginning of each talk.

“This year’s Exposé lineup will definitely leave audiences inspired,” said OIAF’s director of industry programming, Azarin Sohrabkhani. “We are excited to showcase fresh voices who are changing the face of the animation industry.”