Portland has long established itself as a significant hub for animation, tracing its roots back to Will Vinton’s pioneering efforts in the early 1970s.
The city continues to garner attention, particularly from renowned studios such as Laika Studios, known for hits like “Coraline” and “ParaNorman”, and ShadowMachine, the studio behind Guillermo Del Toro’s “Pinocchio”.
A notable recent event, the Animation: Script to Screen exhibition, was held at the Lakewood Center for the Arts during the Lake Oswego Festival of the Arts from June 20-22.
Co-curated by Tiffany Schuster and the newly established Museum of Stop Motion Animation, this event brought together a rich array of animated art, showcasing the extensive techniques of stop motion and featuring a range of objects from films like “Pinocchio” and “Wendell & Wild”.
The weekend featured an impressive series of presentations from acclaimed animators, making it a celebratory occasion for the animation community.
One of the highlights of the event was local animation legend Bill Plympton, who made a special appearance.
Originally hailing from Oregon City, Plympton traveled from New York to conduct a master class in 2D animation and to screen his latest hand-drawn feature titled “Slide”.
Plympton described “Slide” as a wacky musical Western comedy reflecting on what would happen if Mel Brooks became a cartoonist, filled with a unique array of villains.
The plot follows a vigilante navigating a corrupt small timber town, where he defeats two corrupt characters using his slide guitar instead of a conventional weapon.
In his master class, Plympton emphasized the practicalities of sustaining a career as an independent animator.
He discussed the secrets behind his success, showcased his iconic characters, and provided feedback on attendees’ portfolios.
The dedication to animation that he displays is impressive: he wakes up at five in the morning to draw and often works until eight at night, which he admits sometimes gets in the way of taking breaks for meals.
Conversely, another prominent animator present at the event was Lead Animator Anthony Scott, whose technical expertise in studio-based animation spans over three decades.
Scott’s animation journey remarkably began under the mentorship of Art Clokey, the creator of Gumby.
By the age of seven, Scott was creating original characters, and by eleven, he was experimenting with various forms of animation using a Super 8 movie camera.
His career took off in California after he submitted a demo reel to Clokey, landing a job that would set him on the path to working with industry legends such as Henry Selick.
From 1993’s “The Nightmare Before Christmas” to 2022’s “Wendell & Wild”, Scott has been a key figure in numerous notable stop-motion projects.
His enduring contributions also include supervising roles on films like Tim Burton’s “Corpse Bride” and the Oscar-winning “Pinocchio”.
Scott revels in working across diverse projects, appreciating the contrast between big-budget films and smaller, experimental endeavors that invigorate his creativity.
A favorite project of his, the 2015 film “The Little Prince”, allowed for intricate paper animation, providing a refreshing change from large-scale endeavors.
Scott admits that while supervising roles can be rewarding, they often distract from the core creative aspects of animation, prompting him to return to direct animating in order to reconnect with his passion.
Animation, as Scott remarks, possesses a magical quality—the ability to breathe life into inanimate objects.
However, the evolution of computer-generated imagery (CGI) and artificial intelligence continues to challenge the traditional methods of stop motion.
Scott, though, maintains a balanced perspective on technology within animation, recognizing the benefits of CGI for specific scenarios while still advocating for the integrity of stop motion.
Acknowledging past fears for the future of stop-motion animation, Scott recalls the initial pessimism surrounding the release of “Toy Story” and “Jurassic Park”, which many believed would signal the end for stop-motion.
Yet, rather surprisingly, the success of “The Nightmare Before Christmas” in the same era provided a resurgence for stop-motion, proving the genre’s resilience and adaptability.
With the advancements in technology now making animation more accessible, Scott believes that a democratization of creativity encourages new experimentation and artistic exploration within the field.
The Animation: Script to Screen event underscored these themes, celebrating the rich tapestry of Oregon’s animation legacy while offering a glimpse into the exciting future of the art form.
image source from：orartswatch
