Don’t miss the celebration! Join us as we reminisce movies that sparked the imagination in us, whether it was the thrill of speed, adventurous discoveries, or creatures that became friends. Another special feature includes Blizzard Entertainment who celebrates 30 years, a milestone anniversary. Presenters journey down memory lane with untold stories, the challenges, pioneering techniques not yet discovered, and the passion that propelled VFX forward.
Included in this stream:
- Space Jam: The Tech Behind the Classic
- Space Jam at 25: The Animators Behind the Classic
- 40th Anniversary: Raiders of the Lost Ark Through the Lens of Richard Edlund
- Blizzard Animation: Celebrating 30 Years of Epic Entertainment
- Celebrating 25 Years of DragonHeart
- Celebrating 20 Years of The Fast and the Furious
- Moulin Rouge! 20th Anniversary Panel
In November 1996, Space Jam arrived. Basketball legend Michael Jordan was joined by Bugs Bunny and the troop of Looney Tunes stalwarts in a live-action/animated sports comedy that ruled the box office to the tune of $230 million worldwide.
In this very special anniversary celebration, four members of Space Jam’s animation team - Allison Abbate, Tony Cervone, Bruce Smith, and Pepe Valencia - will reminisce about the making of the project and the impact that working on Space Jam had on their careers.
SPEAKER BIOGRAPHIES
Allison Abbate
Bruce Smith
Pepe Valencia
Founder & Creative Director // BARABOOM! Studios
(30 Coins, Klaus, Togo, The Nutcracker and the Fourth Realms)
Pepe Valencia is a Visualization and Animation Supervisor with 25+ years of experience in the CG field.
Pepe is the Founder and Creative Director of BARABOOM! Studios, a Visualization company. Some credits included the Academy Award-nominated Klaus, Emmy winner Pearl and Book of Life.
In 2007 he served as Director of Photography for the film Astro Boy.
Pepe worked at Sony Imageworks from 1996 to 2007, as Animation Supervisor on Peter Pan, The Aviator, and Charlie's Angels. Other credits include Surf's Up, Open Season, Stuart Little 1 and 2.
Before joining Imageworks, Pepe worked at Cinesite in 1996 as a Computer Animator on Space Jam which was his very first movie credit and a turning point in his career.
Pepe's passion for education took him to teach at CalArts, Animation Mentor, and Gnomon School of Visual Effects. He is co-author of the book “Inspired 3D Short Film Production”."
Tony Cervone
Director // Warner Animation Group
Tony is a 25-year animation veteran. He is a leading expert on the Hanna-Barbera and Looney Tune franchises for Warner Brothers Animation.
His first job was in Chicago on Steven Spielberg's Tiny Toon Adventures and Animaniacs as an animator and storyboard artist. He eventually ended up on the Warner lot in 1994, animating on the theatrical short Carrotblanca. From there, Cervone became the Director of Animation on the feature film Space Jam. Partnered with collaborator Spike Brandt, he went on to create and produce several television shows including the Emmy-award-winning Duck Dodgers, The Looney Tunes Show and Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated. He also produced and directed several feature-length videos — favourites among them include Scooby-Doo! Camp Scare and Scooby-Doo! and Kiss: Rock & Roll Mystery. In addition, Cervone produced six theatrical shorts including Daffy's Rhapsody and I Tawt I Taw a Puddy Tat in which the Looney Tunes characters were computer-animated for the first time, and which used the last of Mel Blanc's recordings. He also produced Joe Barbera's last Tom & Jerry theatrical short.
He directed Scooby Doo's first animated feature, SCOOB!, which was released in May of 2020.
Jinko Gotoh
Producer // Netflix
Jinko Gotoh is an Oscar-nominated producer and consultant. Her strengths and passion include the nurturing of creative talent, discovering new voices, and charting new technologies and creative processes.
Jinko is currently producing Escape from Hat for Netflix with Mark Osborne directing. Her other producing screen credits include: 2020 BAFTA winner and Oscar-nominated Klaus, The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part, The Little Prince, Oscar-nominated The Illusionist, 9, and Oscar-winning Finding Nemo.
Jinko serves as the vice president for Women in Animation, an advocacy organization to advance women and all under-represented people in the industry, as a member of the Academy of Motion Pictures and Sciences she represents diversity and inclusion on various committees, and as a member of board of directors for Symphonic Jazz Orchestra, which provides music education to underserved neighborhoods. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Applied Math and MFA in Film from Columbia University.
Don’t miss the celebration! Join us as we reminisce movies that sparked the imagination in us, whether it was the thrill of speed, adventurous discoveries, or creatures that became friends. Another special feature includes Blizzard Entertainment who celebrates 30 years, a milestone anniversary. Presenters journey down memory lane with untold stories, the challenges, pioneering techniques not yet discovered, and the passion that propelled VFX forward.
Included in this stream:
- Space Jam: The Tech Behind the Classic
- Space Jam at 25: The Animators Behind the Classic
- 40th Anniversary: Raiders of the Lost Ark Through the Lens of Richard Edlund
- Blizzard Animation: Celebrating 30 Years of Epic Entertainment
- Celebrating 25 Years of DragonHeart
- Celebrating 20 Years of The Fast and the Furious
- Moulin Rouge! 20th Anniversary Panel
In November 1996, Space Jam arrived. Basketball legend Michael Jordan was joined by Bugs Bunny and the troop of Looney Tunes stalwarts in a live-action/animated sports comedy that ruled the box office to the tune of $230 million worldwide.
In this very special anniversary celebration, four members of Space Jam’s animation team - Allison Abbate, Tony Cervone, Bruce Smith, and Pepe Valencia - will reminisce about the making of the project and the impact that working on Space Jam had on their careers.
SPEAKER BIOGRAPHIES
Allison Abbate
Bruce Smith
Pepe Valencia
Founder & Creative Director // BARABOOM! Studios
(30 Coins, Klaus, Togo, The Nutcracker and the Fourth Realms)
Pepe Valencia is a Visualization and Animation Supervisor with 25+ years of experience in the CG field.
Pepe is the Founder and Creative Director of BARABOOM! Studios, a Visualization company. Some credits included the Academy Award-nominated Klaus, Emmy winner Pearl and Book of Life.
In 2007 he served as Director of Photography for the film Astro Boy.
Pepe worked at Sony Imageworks from 1996 to 2007, as Animation Supervisor on Peter Pan, The Aviator, and Charlie's Angels. Other credits include Surf's Up, Open Season, Stuart Little 1 and 2.
Before joining Imageworks, Pepe worked at Cinesite in 1996 as a Computer Animator on Space Jam which was his very first movie credit and a turning point in his career.
Pepe's passion for education took him to teach at CalArts, Animation Mentor, and Gnomon School of Visual Effects. He is co-author of the book “Inspired 3D Short Film Production”."
Tony Cervone
Director // Warner Animation Group
Tony is a 25-year animation veteran. He is a leading expert on the Hanna-Barbera and Looney Tune franchises for Warner Brothers Animation.
His first job was in Chicago on Steven Spielberg's Tiny Toon Adventures and Animaniacs as an animator and storyboard artist. He eventually ended up on the Warner lot in 1994, animating on the theatrical short Carrotblanca. From there, Cervone became the Director of Animation on the feature film Space Jam. Partnered with collaborator Spike Brandt, he went on to create and produce several television shows including the Emmy-award-winning Duck Dodgers, The Looney Tunes Show and Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated. He also produced and directed several feature-length videos — favourites among them include Scooby-Doo! Camp Scare and Scooby-Doo! and Kiss: Rock & Roll Mystery. In addition, Cervone produced six theatrical shorts including Daffy's Rhapsody and I Tawt I Taw a Puddy Tat in which the Looney Tunes characters were computer-animated for the first time, and which used the last of Mel Blanc's recordings. He also produced Joe Barbera's last Tom & Jerry theatrical short.
He directed Scooby Doo's first animated feature, SCOOB!, which was released in May of 2020.
Jinko Gotoh
Producer // Netflix
Jinko Gotoh is an Oscar-nominated producer and consultant. Her strengths and passion include the nurturing of creative talent, discovering new voices, and charting new technologies and creative processes.
Jinko is currently producing Escape from Hat for Netflix with Mark Osborne directing. Her other producing screen credits include: 2020 BAFTA winner and Oscar-nominated Klaus, The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part, The Little Prince, Oscar-nominated The Illusionist, 9, and Oscar-winning Finding Nemo.
Jinko serves as the vice president for Women in Animation, an advocacy organization to advance women and all under-represented people in the industry, as a member of the Academy of Motion Pictures and Sciences she represents diversity and inclusion on various committees, and as a member of board of directors for Symphonic Jazz Orchestra, which provides music education to underserved neighborhoods. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Applied Math and MFA in Film from Columbia University.
