CHICAGO—Walt
Disney Animation Studios, for the second year in a row, will debut an
all-new VR short film at the SIGGRAPH conference. Part of the
third-annual SIGGRAPH 2019
VR Theater, the experience hails from within the studio’s Short Circuit experimental program.
Directed
by Bruce Wright, “a kite’s tale” combines classic hand-drawn animation
and the latest innovations in virtual reality to tell this whimsical
tale of two kites; a playful puppy (with a wagging tail) and a pompous
dragon who clash, tangle, and ultimately must learn to live with one
another subject to the winds of fate.
“I'm
thrilled that ‘a kite's tale’ is premiering at SIGGRAPH 2019's VR
Theater,” said Wright. “Virtual reality has the ability to bring us into
new worlds of story, and touch the hearts of the audience in never
before dreamt of ways. It's an honor to showcase our film at SIGGRAPH
for the innovators and artists who are shaping the future of this
medium.”
“a
kite’s tale” was created within Disney Animation’s innovative Short
Circuit program, which gives anyone within the studio the opportunity to
participate in a blind submission and be selected for the opportunity
to direct their short film idea. The program has produced 20 short
films, thus far, with “a kite’s tale” being the second VR film (the
first, “Cycles,” debuted at SIGGRAPH 2018).
“We’re
still on the cusp of a powerful new medium, and I cannot wait for
audiences to experience what Disney has done with its second VR short,”
said SIGGRAPH 2019 VR Theater Director Maxwell Planck. “It’s encouraging
and exciting to see studios and artists with proven success in more
traditional computer graphics contribute to the next evolution of
storytelling, and further proves that the seeds we are planting are
strong.”
Born
in Los Angeles, and raised in Redondo Beach and Lomita, California,
Bruce Wright’s interest in animation was awakened in 1985 when, as a
high school newspaper reporter, he attended a special screening of the
Disney classic, “Fantasia,” followed by a discussion with legendary
Disney animators Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston. Inspired, he purchased
a Super-8 film camera and started making movies. After attending Cal
State, Long Beach, where he majored in film and television studies, he
went on to work at Paramount Pictures, where he founded an experimental
desktop graphics and visual effects lab, and contributed to such
projects as “Addams Family Values” and “Star Trek: Generations.” He
began his association with Disney in 1996 as a live-action visual
effects animator at Dream Quest Images, where he worked on “Armageddon”
and “George of the Jungle.” His Disney Animation feature credits include
effects animation on “Tangled,” “Wreck-It Ralph,” “Big Hero 6,”
“Zootopia,” “Ralph Breaks the Internet,” and, most recently, “Frozen 2.”
Bruce and his wife, Tekla, have a teenage daughter. An accomplished
magician, he can often be found dabbling in sleight of hand as a member
of the world-famous Magic Castle.
