Acclaimed CG animator Tim Cheung will head Imagiâs Hong Kong animation team as vp of animation. Cheung will oversee the animation for all of Imagi's CGI feature films, and will manage Imagiâs some 400 Hong Kong-based animators, according to deputy chairman/co-ceo/cco Francis Kao.
During his 12 years with DreamWorks, Cheung received many kudos for his contributions to the SHREK trilogy, where he was directing animator, supervising animator and head of character animation, respectively. He was a senior animator on ANTZ, plus wrote and directed two award-winning shorts, ROLLING STONE (1995) and GABOLA THE GREAT (1997).
âMany industry insiders consider Tim Cheung to be one of the most accomplished animators in the world,â said Kao. âTim will be both an important individual contributor at Imagi, and a mentor for our entire animation crew.â
Cheung's initial assignments are the films GATCHAMAN and ASTRO BOY, both to be released worldwide in 2009. âImagi is doing the most innovative and exciting work in CGI animation today,â said Cheung. âThe company is broadening the demographic appeal of animation by bringing in action hero themes and spectacular, high-energy effects sequences.â
âTim Cheungâs arrival speaks volumes about Imagiâs bright future, and more broadly of the coming of age of the entire Hong Kong CG entertainment industry,â said Nicholas Yang, ceo of Hong Kong Cyberport.
Michael DiComo, computer graphics supervisor of Industrial Light & Magic, offered, âTim is one of the very best animators in the world. He has invented techniques that transform good animation into great animation. The CG animation art form is still in its infancy, and Tim is one of the handful of visionaries who is shaping its future.â
Imagi International Holdings Ltdâs principal business is the development and production of CG-animated theatrical feature films. Imagiâs first theatrical movie TMNT was released in March 2007, opening #1 in U.S., only the third time in history that an Asian-made film has done so. Imagi has development operations in Los Angeles, (which just signed with The Animation Guild) and CG production studios at its Chai Wan (Hong Kong) headquarters.
