All About the Art of ‘Tooning

When the first World Animation Celebration debuted Monday in Pasadena at its Civic Auditorium and adjacent venues, it represented the culmination of years of effort. The event’s honorary chairman, industry veteran Terry Thoren, CEO of the animation production company Klasky Csupo, worked with many of his colleagues and competitors to present offerings for professionals and the public alike.

“If you’re a hard-core professional in animation, there will be incredible networking opportunities for you. If you’re a fan looking to be entertained, there will be something for every animation taste,” said Thoren in a recent phone interview. “The festival is as diverse as the gems from Disney’s ‘Unseen Treasures’ to the best of the 1,000 animated works that were submitted to the festival from 67 countries. So it goes from the traditional to the cutting edge, from the contemporary to the classic.

“We solicited the support of all the animation studios to combine forces to attract young talent to our industry. Right now there’s a boom in animation, but there’s not enough talent around to produce all the needed product, which is in great demand. So we’re bringing in, for example, 2,000 high school and college students, who will form teams to produce feature-length animation films in one day.”

During the day, he said, the students will receive video presentations on career opportunities in animation. When the day is over, they will be given information about the colleges and universities that offer animation education. In the same packet, there will be the names of the recruiting people at all the animation studios.

Another key event, Thoren said, will be the international business conference for television animation, which will focus on finding ways to keep the spirit of independent production alive.

“There is no school for independent animation production, except for hard knocks,” he said, “so we’re trying to short-cut that process so that fresh talent can break into our industry.”

Thoren said the other critical component of the event is the new animation technology exposition, which will expose animators to the latest in digital technology. “It will take them to the next level in the production process, by having the new tools that will enhance their storytelling abilities and enable them to become complete filmmakers.”

This weekend’s events include Viacom Chairman Sumner Redstone’s keynote address Friday at 5 p.m. Through Sunday, along with screenings, there will be a wide variety of conferences, career tutorials and seminars, a celebration of Japanese anime and an Internet colloquium. For information and schedule: (818) 991-2884.