Oct 31, 2017

Disney Artists who started their independent career with the new company "Taiko Studios".

Former Walt Disney Animation Studios artists have announced the launch of their own company, Taiko Studios.

The studio was founded by Xiao-Fu Chang, animator on "Big Hero 6," "Zootopia," and "Moana." Prior to that, he worked in animation at Sony Pictures Animation, where he won a Student Academy Award in 2011 for his co-directed film "Dragon Boy."

Two other veteran animators have important roles at Disney: Andrew Chesworth is the director of development and Bobby Pontillas is the art director. Chesworth and Pontillas also directed the studio's first project, "One Small Step," about Luna, a Chinese-American girl who dreams of becoming an astronaut.

"'One Small Step' is a love letter to everyone who has chased an impossible dream and to the families who have supported them," says Chesworth.

The film's stylized use of CG was developed by Pontillas, who says he wants the film to "combine the best of digital illustration and modern 3D animation in a fresh new direction."

Chang's studio was established as an international venture: in addition to his L.A. office, Taiko has opened an animation studio in Wuhan, China.

"We are proud to be a global company that offers a spirit of universal optimism and inclusion that speaks to all people," says founder Xiaofu Zhang. The company appears to be committed to creating projects that work in both the Chinese and Western film markets.

Other Disney artists include Joy Johnson and Andrew Jennings.

Johnson is a CG supervisor, responsible for building systems for the studio's animation production. She won a VES award for Elsa in "Anna and the Snow Queen" and also directed the character rigging for Nick Wilde, the main character in "Zootopia.

Jennings will assume the duties of pipeline supervisor. He served as technical animation supervisor on the Disney short "Inner Workings" and on many of Disney's recent feature films.

The studio also announced that veteran VFX animator Eric Lee will be the animation supervisor for China, and Stephen Horner will be responsible for music on the studio's first project, One Small Step.

One Small Step will debut on the festival circuit in 2018.