Sheridan hosting international animation conference, June 16 – 19

Sheridan is proud to be the academic host of the 26^th annual Society for Animation Studies (SAS) conference this year, taking place June 16 – 19, at Corus Quay in Toronto and at Sheridan’s Oakville campus.  SAS is an international organization dedicated to the study of animation history and theory.  This academic conference is bringing together over 100 researchers and delegates from around the world to share their ideas, theories and published studies related to animation.

“It is an honour to be chosen by SAS as the host of this major international conference,” says Ronni Rosenberg, Dean of Sheridan’s Faculty of Animation, Arts and Design.  “Sheridan has been a leader in animation education for more than forty years, and we are renowned worldwide for the quality of our faculty and sustained success of our alumni.  We are delighted to welcome back the Sheridan graduates who will participate as keynote speakers or panelists. We’re also tremendously proud of our six faculty members whose papers were accepted for presentation at this prestigious international conference”

The conference is being chaired by Tony Tarantini, Sheridan Animation professor, along with Associate Chair Bruno DeGazio, a fellow Sheridan Animation professor.  Highlights of the event include keynote addresses by the following notable Sheridan alumni:

• Rex Grignon, Head of Character Animation, Dreamworks

Monday, June 16, 9:00 – 10:00 am, Corus Quay

• Charlie  Bonifacio, Animation Artist (credits include Land Before Time, The Legend of Mulan, Lilo and Stitch)

Tuesday, June 17, 5:00 – 5:45 pm, Corus Quay

• Michael Fukushima, Animation Producer, National Film Board of Canada

Thursday, June 19, 3:30 – 4:00 pm, Sheridan SCAET Theatre

The conference theme is “The Animator”, chosen by Sheridan to pay tribute to the late Norman McLaren, inaugural head of the NFB’s animation studio.  2014 marks the centenary of his birth.  The theme is also a nod to the thousands of Sheridan alumni from the Bachelor of Animation (formerly a diploma program) and post-graduate streams in computer animation, digital visual effects and character animation, who have fuelled the animation industry in Canada and the U.S. over the past 40 years.  In 2013, over 60 Sheridan alumni contributed to Oscar-nominated animated feature films.

The first day of the conference, June 16, is taking place concurrently with the closing day of the Toronto Animation Arts Festival International (TAAFI).  This ‘cross-over’ day will feature a panel hosted by Tony Tarantini on “40 Years of Sheridan”, featuring alumni panelists Kris Pearn (Director, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2), Peter Lepeniotis (Director and Writer, The Nut Job) and Frank Falcone (President and Creative Director, Guru Studio).  The panel will take place from 3:00-4:00 pm on June 16 at Corus Quay.

The SAS conference will also see the launch of a newly published book on the History of Animation at Sheridan, featuring student work, a photo essay on the day in the life of an animation student, and caricatures of faculty members.

For more details about the conference, visit: https://www.animationstudies.org/v3/2014-annual-conference/