I talk with Post Production Supervisor Chris Keith about how his job was to be the last person to see an animated episode before it went out to the audience, ensuring the proper mix of dialogue, sound effects, and music. He talks about his work on Goof Troop, Bonkers, Biker Mice from Mars, Darkwing Duck, and the 2nd season of Family Guy (including some great stories about working with Seth MacFarlane), as well as working on the original Tron film. In our "Back in Time" segment, Chris reveals...

I meet the podcast's youngest guest ever, Josh Young. At just 13 years old, he is already set up to become an incredible cinematographer and stop-motion animator. While his current productions are short and with a very low fps (frames per second), his attention to detail and camera angles already betrays a bright future ahead. We talk about how his younger brother's obsession with The Nightmare Before Christmas got him interested in Stop Motion and later in the interview, he shows how he is...

I chat with Doug Engalla, a Researcher at the Walt Disney Animation Research Library (ARL) about his work preserving the art of Disney Animation. We talk about how Disney has accumulated approximately 65 million artworks in the 100 years of the Walt Disney Company and how Walt himself started the archive to create a repository to learn from past works and be able to reference older works at any time. We also talk about the impact Disney has had on the world of animation, including the...

I chat with Taylor Aseere, Layout Lead at Dreamworks Pictures about what is layout, how it's different from storyboards and how pre-vis is the counterpart in live-action films to layout in animation. Plus we talk bout Taylor's own company Shattered Glass Films, which mainly does "pre-vis", or pre-visualization. In my "back-in-time" segment, we talk about Taylor's journey from college to where she is now and how she didn't exactly start in layout, but found a job in the industry that got her...

This is Inside Animation's first interview with an Oscar Nominee. Adam interviews Pablo Berger, director and writer of Robot Dreams, Nominated this year for the Best Animated Feature Oscar. They talk about the process of taking an animated feature to an Oscar nomination, or at least the steps he took. Also, as this is Pablo's first foray into animation, the differences between live-action directing and animation and how it takes much more patience for animation. Then, in the "Back in Time"...

We start off the 4th season on a positive note with the self described biggest pessimist in the world of animation, Mike Smolev. We talk about how he got into creating an animated show because he wanted good sound design and his harrowing journey so far, including 3 different attempts at a pilot and why he is doing stand up as a way to be able to pitch the show. Plus we find out the one animated show he thinks is any good and I squeeze a bit of advice out of him. To find out more about The...

In the Season Finale for Season 3, I chat with composer and songwriter Kevin Smithers, who has worked for many projects from HBO to Disney Channel, even video games, and most recently worked on Frankelda's Book of Spooks on MAX. We briefly talk about the differences between narrative composing for animation and composing video game music before diving into Frankelda's Book of Spooks and how his first collaboration with Cinema Fantasma led to it becoming a musical series. Plus we go back in...

In another Inside Animation first, I talk with Howard Benjamin, Interviewer for the ABC Radio network and The Interview Factory LLC. We dive indepth into how interviews happen and why it's best for the interviewer to bring their own equipment (we actually used Howard's equipment to record this episode!). In my "back in time" segment, Howard talks about how his wife founded a company that allows radio stations to order a celebrity interview like a pepperoni pizza! And I bring back my "how we...

I talk with fan of the show and Stop Motion producer Harrison Killian, who is currently working on a 5 minute preview of a stop motion feature film called Rider on the Storm, in which the stop motion is augmented by CGI. We get into the nitty gritty of everything that goes into making a stop motion animated film and how he's doing it pretty much all himself. I my "back in time" segment, we talk about how Harrison started learning photography and design and how that led to stop motion. We also...

Adam talks with Composer Mark Evitts about his process for composing an animated series, how he went from "On the Road" to "Frog and Toad", and just how much of a Simpsons fan he really is. Plus, great advice for musicians that want to get into composing. You can watch Frog and Toad on Apple TV+ or follow Mark at @markevitts on social media. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/inside-animation/message Support this podcast:...

I talk with Lance Falk, an Animation Artist who specializes in prop design and has worked on such shows as Johnny Quest, Animaniacs, Rick and Morty, Solar Opposites, and more. We talk about how props are different from character design and background design. In my "going back in time" segment we talk about Lance's influences growing up from Looney Tunes to the original Johnny Quest and why everything is someone's favorite thing. Plus great advice for animators on how to break into the biz...

I talk with Artist in Animation Shana Dixon, who is currently working on Minnie's Bow Toons (available on Disney+ and Disney Junior's YouTube Channel). We talk about the importance of color in animation and especially for kids shows how color, like many other aspects of animation, can tell a story. Also, we talk about how long it takes to work on a 3 minute animated episode and how Disney doesn't do all of their animating in the house of Mouse. Plus, great advice as always and a trip back to...

Adam chats with Lance Daniel, creator of the animated series "Carbuncle" about a wise cracking (but caring) attorney who guides oddball clients through crazy cases inspired by current headlines. You'll find out exactly what a Logline is, how "Carbuncle" was begun and continues through spite, and how to keep going when people tell you no as well as how much needs to be done before the show is even pitched. Inside Animation is brought to you by Bob's Tire Town and McCurdy's Kitchen. ---...

I talk with Digital Cinematographer Gary H Lee, who has worked on Over the Hedge, The Life of Pi, Star Wars Episode 3, and many other films, all about Pre-Vis. You'll find out what pre-vis is and what it does for both live action and animated films. Plus, we talk about the difference between cinematography and digital cinematography and how they aren't that different. You'll also hear the incredible story of how Gary started his love for animation through Manga comics and was one of the first...

I chat with Anik Rosenblum, the director and founder of Dancing Line Productions, an animation studio that focuses on short form animation with an emphasis on commercials. We talk about the process of creating an animated commercial, how there's actually more room for creativity in commercials than you think, and how there's a surprising amount of VO in short form animation, at least, surprising to me. Plus, we get into Anik's journey to becoming an animator from growing up in Lithuania to...

We talk with VO Agent Portia Scott with Coast to Coast Talent about the role an agent plays in the career of a voice actor. We cover the entire scope of an agent's job, from taking on new clients, to what auditions look like, and what happens when you book. Plus her interesting path to becoming an agent and advice for those who want to get started on their path to becoming an agent. For more information and to see what her clients are booking and who won a Golden Globe, follow her on...

In our 2nd episode of Season 3, we go to the Gotham of Latin America, Bogota Colombia (virtually of course), to chat with animation director and owner/founder of Lucy Animation Studios, Silvia Prietov. We chat about the state of animation in Latin American countries such as Colombia and how they're still far behind animation powerhouses like the US and even Europe, but they're certainly growing. We also talk about the backwards route she took to get to where she is, starting as a...

For our season opener, I talk with Animator, Supervising Director, and Executive Producer Mike Hollingsworth, who's worked on Bojack Horseman, Tuca and Bertie, Inside Job, and other animated series. We talk about how Aaron Paul earned his EP credit on Bojack, what exactly Executive Producers do (or don't do), as well as the job of a Supervising Director. Plus great advice for those who want to get into animation and how you can "Be the coal".  For more information and to see his work, follow...

This episode I talk with long time Voice Actor, Judith Smiley, who got her start doing commercial VO in New York where she and her husband started their own recording studio which became one of the most popular studios in the city. We talk about the process, hierarchy, and randomness of recording studios in the 70s and 80s as well as how agents were different vs today. We also talk advice and why relationships and networking are important in a Voice Acting career. If you want to be scared out...

Some times it takes a bit longer to reel in a bigger fish, and a bigger fish we have. Tom Bancroft, who has done animation for Disney and several other companies, is the CEO of Pencilish, a new animation studio being crowdfunded through StartEngine. We talk about what the day to day is like running an animation studio, the staggering of episodes, his 3 Phase plan for the company, plus advice for how to start your own company with crowd investment. For more information on Pencilish, go to...

Are you Cornholio? Do you need TP for your bunghole? If you recognized those last two questions, you'll love our next guest, who was a producer on Beavis and Butthead, as well as Daria and other shows. We talk about how he went from "Schoolhouse Rock" to "High School Dropouts" and the various jobs of a producer on an early cartoon show on MTV. We also discuss who had the brilliant idea to incorporate music videos into the show and how the test audience reacted. Plus, as always great advice...

This episode I chat with high school orchestra member Noah Bruening about his recent experience with a longstanding Disney tradition where high school bands and orchestras are invited to Disneyland to perform. In his case, his orchestra was able to see how professional orchestras record music for animated films and series. We also talk about what drew him to music and the double bass in particular as well as great advice for budding musicians and the existential crisis of what to do after...

This episode, I talk with Animation Professor Walter Santucci about the process of teaching Animation in a modern world and how things changed during the COVID pandemic. We also talk about some of his successful students and how he feels their success is mostly their own (though he's fine with them making him look good). As always there's great advice and we talk about how easy it is to begin teaching a class, but how it's a little harder to become a full fledged University Professor.  ---...

We now are entering a new phase of the Inside Animation Podcast. For one, we will no longer be putting out new episodes every single week, though to make up for previous weeks, this will be an extra long episode. Also, in this particular episode and potential future episodes, I don't interview someone directly involved in the Animation Industry.  In this episode I talk with former child actor Henry Laster, whom you may have seen on the Nickelodeon show Salute Your Shorts. While he only did...