A look back at our DNEG Animation INSPIRE series in 2024!Our DNEG Animation team was delighted to wrap up 2024 with a jam-packed line-up of events, featuring remarkable experts from all corners of the industry.Read more about these fantastic sessions below!PIECE BY PIECEBack in October, we were thrilled to welcome to our London studio the creative team behind Piece by Piece, Director Morgan Neville and Producer Caitrin Rogers!A one-of-a-kind experience about one of musics most innovative minds told through the lens of LEGO animation, Piece by Piece invites audiences on a vibrant journey through the life of cultural icon Pharrell Williams. This unique cinematic experience was released in theatres on October 11th, and also features Gwen Stefani, Kendrick Lamar, Timbaland, Justin Timberlake, Busta Rhymes, Jay-Z, and Snoop Dogg.The duo treated our crew to a screening of the feature, then were joined by DNEG Animation Producer Shane Mulholland for an insightful discussion about the making of the film. From the initial meetings at Lego to bringing various celebrities on board, it was a fascinating conversation about how all the pieces finally fit together!Both coming from a background in documentary features and biopics, they were fascinated to discover the challenges and rewards that arose when communicating this genre through animation:It was very hard to reconcile documentary and animation. With documentaries, youre constantly going back. So much of it happens in the post process; youre refining and youre changing. In animation, the goal is to always move forward and at each stage were trying to not go back and change! And that was, I think, very hard for us.THE ANIMATED FILMS OF JOS PRATSIn November, we were fortunate to host Jos Prats! An award-winning Director, Jos worked at the British animation studio Aardman Animations between 2016-2021, where he created the colour script of the Oscar-nominated Robin Robin and the Netflix production Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget. Joining us via Zoom, Jos shared a screening of two of his most recent shorts, Adis and Umbrellas.Adis is an 8-minute long stop-motion short about family and growing up, centred on a father who is struggling to accept that his adult son is moving abroad. Part of the 2024 Graduation Short Film program of the National Film and Television School, Adis was selected for the Annecy International Animation Film Festival and San Sebastian International Film Festival.Umbrellas, a 2D animated short, tells the story of a young girl in a remote village where the rain never stops. Protected under her fathers umbrella beard, she typically never has to face the rain, which is her greatest fear until one night, when her beloved dog Nana disappears. Umbrellas was selected for the Clermont-Ferrand Film Festival and nominated for Best Animated Short Film at the Spanish Academy GOYA Awards!Following the screenings, Jos spoke with our crew about the making of each film, sharing inspirations and techniques, and also hosted a Q&A.PIXAR SHORT SELF WITH DIRECTOR SEARIT HULUFNext up in November, Searit Huluf joined us in our London studio to share a screening of her short film Self, the latest short from Pixars acclaimed SparkShorts program! The talented Director and Producer, whose credits also include Incredibles 2 and Turning Red, was so successful with her work on the short that it landed her on the 2024 Varietys Top 10 Animators to Watch List and won the Gold short film from the Collision Awards!Self is a touching story about a wooden doll who desperately wants to fit in. After making an ill-fated wish upon a star to blend in with her peers, she embarks on a journey of self discovery, challenging her perspective of both who she is and where she belongs.Following a screening of the short, Searit spoke about her inspirations behind the film, how her own life experiences shaped the story, and the process behind designing the character to honour her Ethiopian roots. She also shared several behind the scenes test footage, spoke about blending stop motion and computer animation to achieve the short films unique look, and brought in the stop motion doll for our crews to look at!LAYOUT ON INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE: VISUAL STORYTELLING WITH JAMES WILLIAMSFor the final INSPIRE session of the year, James Williams, Head of Layout for Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, shared details about the films unique visual language and his fascinating journey in feature animation!Joining us in our London studio, James, whose credits over the years also include Prince of Egypt, Spirit, Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs, Hotel Transylvania and The Super Mario Bros. Movie, discussed the character development and storytelling techniques used in the movie, emphasizing the use of camera movements, composition and visual elements to convey emotions and relationships between characters. In a conversation moderated by DNEG Animations own Head of Layout Hailey White, he also discussed the creative process behind the film and the challenges faced in adapting to the comic book style!When speaking on the importance of teamwork and clear communication and collaboration, James said:As a Layout Supervisor, your job mainly is not to dictate to your artists. Its to inspire your artists and then be an advocate for your artists ideas.Were so honoured to have been joined by so many esteemed and inspiring guests for this important series!Wed like to extend our sincere thanks to Morgan Neville, Caitrin Rogers, Jos Prats, Searit Huluf and James Williams for joining us for these special INSPIRE events.DNEG Animations INSPIRE Series invites inspiring speakers to share their knowledge and experience with our global animation crews. Launched in 2021, the series was created to encourage our teams passion for animation through exciting learning opportunities and celebrations of innovative new work within the industry. Learn more about INSPIRE from the creators here!