Alumni and students behind some of the year’s best work in animation.
OAKVILLE, ONTARIO -- Nine graduates of Sheridan College have been nominated for 2016 Annie Awards recognizing the year’s top achievements in the field of animation. The International Animated Film Society, ASIFA-Hollywood will announce the winners of the Annie Awards, the industry’s top honor, on February 6, 2016 in Los Angeles. Sheridan is proud to report that four of the nine nominees graduated from Sheridan’s Bachelor of Animation program within the past five years, further strengthening the program’s ongoing reputation for excellence.
The following Sheridan alumni have been nominated for 2016 Annie Awards:
- Tapan Gandhi (Bachelor of Animation, 2009): Outstanding Achievement, Character Design in an Animated Television/ Broadcast Production, Pickle and Peanut, Episode: “Swim Lessons” (Disney Television Animation)
- Kevin Martel (Classical Animation, 1996): Outstanding Achievement, Character Animation in a Live Action Production, Jurassic World – Indominus Rex (Universal Studios / Legendary Pictures)
- Taha Neyestani (Bachelor of Animation, 2015): Best Student Film, ed
- Alexander Poei (Art Fundamentals, 1996 & Classical Animation, 1999): Outstanding Achievement, Character Animation in a Live Action Production, The Revenant – The Bear (Regency Enterprises, New Regency Pictures, Anonymous Content, M Productions, Appian Way, RatPac-Dune Entertainment)
- Allison Rutland (Computer Animation, 2003): Outstanding Achievement, Character Animation in a Feature Production – Inside Out (Pixar Animation Studios)
- Domee Shi (Bachelor of Animation, 2011): Outstanding Achievement, Storyboarding in an Animated Feature Production, Inside Out (Pixar Animation Studios)
- Jeffrey Thompson (Art Fundamentals, 2003 & Bachelor of Animation, 2010): Outstanding Achievement, Production Design in an Animated Television/Broadcast Production, Gravity Falls, Episode: “Xpcveaoqfoxso (Weirdmageddon)” (Disney Television Animation)
- Melody Wang (Bachelor of Animation, 2015): Best Student Film, The Casebook of Nips & Porkington.
- Stephen Wood (Technical Animation, 1989): Outstanding Achievement, Animated Effects in an Animated Production, Home (DreamWorks Animation)
Students in their third year of Sheridan’s Bachelor of Animation program were nominated in the Best Student Film category as well for Mother: Stephanie Chiew, Joan Chung, David Du, Matthew Fazari, Ana Gomez, Rui Hao, Jessica Jing, Seeyun Lee, Nick Nason and Danny Wang.
The creative talents of Sheridan alumni are behind many of the productions nominated for Annie Awards this year. Sheridan graduates have contributed to the films nominated for Best Animated Feature, including Inside Out, The Good Dinosaur (both Pixar Animation Studios), Shaun the Sheep The Movie (Aardman Animations) as well The Peanuts Movie (Blue Sky Studios and Twentieth Century Fox Animation).
Sheridan graduates are also part of the teams whose work garnered nominations in the categories of Best Animated Television/Broadcast Production for Preschool Children and Best Animated Television/Broadcast Production for Children. Nominated studios including Nickelodeon, Nelvana, Disney Television Animation and Cartoon Network Studios employ many Sheridan alumni.
Sheridan is renowned for its animation programming, which includes a Bachelor of Animation and post-graduate certificates in computer animation, visual effects and digital character animation. In 2013, Sheridan introduced a Bachelor of Game Design program.
Source: Sheridan College
Formerly Editor-in-Chief of Animation World Network, Jennifer Wolfe has worked in the Media & Entertainment industry as a writer and PR professional since 2003.
