Former Vizzers earn Annie Award nominations for work on 'Brave'

For their work on Disney/Pixar’s summer smash hit movie “ [Brave] (http://one.arch.tamu.edu/news/2012/8/3/brave-pixar-aggies/) ,” two former Texas A&M visualization students are nominated for an [Annie award] (http://annieawards.org/) , the highest honor bestowed by the International Animated Film Society.

Chris Chapman and Keith Klohn, development and effect artists at Pixar, were nominated in the competition's Animated Effects in an Animated Production category.

Winners will be announced at the 40th Annual Annie Awards ceremony scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 2, at UCLA's Royce Hall.

"I am very excited about this year's slate of nominees," said Frank Gladstone, president of the IAFS Hollywood chapter. "We had more submissions to choose from this year than any other year in Annie award history, from big studio features to indie films, television series to internet shows, games, and shorts, all showcasing the huge variety of venues, creativity, technical innovation and storytelling that our art form has to offer."

A grand adventure full of heart, memorable characters and signature Pixar humor, “Brave” is an imaginative tale in the mysterious Highlands of Scotland where the headstrong princess Merida defies an age-old custom and inadvertently unleashes chaos, forcing her to discover the meaning of true bravery before it’s too late.

The film’s crew included 24 former Texas A&M [visualization] (http://viz.arch.tamu.edu/) students, who contributed as, shot lighting artists, rendering and optimization artists, user interface designers, character supervisors and more.

posted December 5, 2012