Directors encourage authenticity at Pixels and Pencils Directors Roundtable
Written by Alexia Baptiste and Maddie Marks. Graphic by Alexia Baptiste.
Yesterday at the Lucas Theater, SCAD Savannah Film Festival held the Pixels and Pencils Directors Roundtable, a panel with five of the directors behind the top animated films of the year. Variety senior awards editor Clayton Davis led the conversation, which included directors Walt Dohrn of “Trolls Band Together,” Joaquim Dos Santos, Justin K. Thompson and Kemp Powers of “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse,” Troy Quane and Nick Bruno of “Nimona,” Jeff Rowe of “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem” and Peter Sohn of “Elemental.” All of the directors encouraged audience members to embrace authenticity and find inspiration by listening to others.
“So much of it has to do with listening,” said Sohn. “The idea of trying to connect with someone has to do with listening.” Both “Elemental” and “Spider-Man” stemmed from personal experiences, which might be part of the reason why the stories resonate with so many viewers. Thompson talked about his experiences raising fifteen-year-olds and how their lives and relationships are always changing, which is something he wanted to capture with Miles in “Spider-Man.”
“Animation is the most beautiful industry in the world,” said Bruno. He talked about the big hearts of the people he works with and how much of an honor it is to tell so many different stories. Sohn reflected this sentiment, saying, “What a wild thing it is that while we’re making things frame by frame, the heart still comes through.”
At the end of the panel, a student was picked from the audience, invited onstage and asked what their dream would be in the animation industry. The student told a heartfelt story of their relationship with animation and said that animated movies make them feel seen. Each of the directors gave the student advice on how to achieve their dream of making an award-winning animated film, then invited the student to sit with them on the panel while the audience cheered.
The panel ended with encouragement and support from all of the directors. “You have the ability to tell stories,” said Bruno. “You already got it — you don’t need sh*t from us.”
