Animators and enthusiasts draw inspiration from the Downtown Burbank Arts Festival
The Downtown Burbank Arts Festival has become more than an annual event to draw in people to the downtown area.
Now in its 14th year, the two-day event is a place where fans and enthusiasts of animation can come together and talk with those in the animation industry.
There will be more than 200 artists and animators scattered along San Fernando Boulevard between Angeleno Avenue and Magnolia Boulevard, where attendees can meet and get tips from those currently working in the animation field.
The festival will be held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, and admission is free.
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The Creative Talent Network, a Burbank-based entertainment group that puts the public in touch with those in the animation community, has been at the forefront of ensuring that animation thrives.
Tina Price, who worked for Disney for 23 years and founded the Creative Talent Network, said that animation has become prevalent in everyday life.
“Everywhere you look, there’s animation,” she said. “It’s not just SpongeBob SquarePants or what you see on TV. There are huge careers in animation outside of a studio environment. For example, a lot of the commercial ads are all animated. Those are not photo shoots anymore. Animators are sitting down, constructing these models and animating them in 3D and creating these commercials.”
Price added that animation can be found in items such as slot machines, smartwatches and even greeting cards.
The arts festival not only allows enthusiasts to meet their favorite animators in person, it also lets animators get out and draw in a different environment.
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“Animators don’t go outdoors,” Price said. “They stay inside, and they work in dark rooms. It just warms my heart to see them have fun with the event.”
It can be argued that Burbank is the animation capital of the world, with the Walt Disney Animations Studios and Nickelodeon calling Media City their home. Price said the city has always given established and up-and-coming animation studios a place to set up and share their work.
“Burbank has been open to provide an arena where people could start their animation studios and start a seedling community here,” she said. “There’s a lot of people that want to start their own companies and do their own thing.”
anthonyclark.carpio@latimes.com
Twitter: @acocarpio
