Disney’s ‘Zootopia’ head writer is a Pinay!

  • Page Views 3369
  • Another Filipino artist rises atop the global animation stage with the release of Disney’s new animated feature, “Zootopia” whose co-head of story is Filipino-American Josie Trinidad.trinidad-pinay-head-writer-zootopia (1)

    She oversees the story team, which is responsible for translating the script to its first visual form.

    Trinidad joined Disney Animation Studios in 2004 as a story apprentice. Once she completed training, she was hired as a story artist. Her Disney credits include 2009’s feature film “The Princess and the Frog,” the 2010 adventure “Tangled,” the arcade-game-hopping “Wreck-It Ralph,” and shorts “How to Hook Up Your Home Theater” and “The Ballad of Nessie.”

    Before she joined the Disney team, she worked as an illustrator for toy company MGA Entertainment, as well as Klasky Csupo on animated commercials.

    She was inspired to pursue animation as a career at age 8 while watching “Robin Hood” on VHS.

    Entertainment ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1

    “We accidentally paused the movie and it continued to play in slow motion,” says Trinidad. “I saw each frame change and move. It was stunning how beautiful each drawing was. I realized someone actually had to draw each frame of animation, and I knew I wanted to do that.”

    Trinidad attended UCLA, majoring in English literature and fine arts, and studied character animation at CalArts.

    The Filipino-American animator shares a special connection with Judy Hopps, the protagonist bunny in “Zootopia.” In a particular scene, Judy has just moved to the big city and beginning to regret her choice.

    “This is the exact same thing I went through when I moved to New York,” she explains. Although the scene changed a little bit from inception to final, the piece is still near and dear to Josie’s heart.

    “We set out to make a funny animal movie,” says director Byron Howard. “But the more digging we did, we saw an opportunity to talk about something important—while still having great fun with the world, the characters and the story.”

    According Trinidad, filmmakers first looked at prey versus predator and how that would affect a community like Zootopia.

    “Then we leaned into animal stereotypes—elephants never forget, foxes are sly, rabbits are timid—everyone has a stereotype they’re fighting against. That’s something everyone in the audience can appreciate.”

    Disney’s “Zootopia” is a place where no matter what you are—from the biggest elephant to the smallest shrew—you can be anything. But when rookie officer Judy Hopps arrives, she discovers that being the first bunny on a police force of big, tough animals isn’t so easy.

    Determined to prove herself, she jumps at the opportunity to crack a case, even if it means partnering with Nick Wilde—a fast-talking, scam-artist fox—to solve a mystery.

    Opening across the Philippines on February 17, “Zootopia” is distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures International through Columbia Pictures. (Jocelyn Jimenez, PS)

    Share

    New Posts Recently publish post More

    • Photo by the Canadian Armed Forces.
      14 November 2024
      17 mins ago No comment

      How Filipinos contribute to Canada’s diverse military

      As one of the biggest racialized populations in Canada, Filipinos are helping build a diverse and inclusive society. Filipinos are found in almost every aspect of life in the country, including the military. In the lead-up to this year’s commemoration of Remembrance Day and Veterans’ Week, Statistics Canada on ...

    • 07 November 2024
      1 week ago No comment

      Marcos congratulates Trump

      President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. of the Philippines has congratulated Donald Trump for winning the November 5, 2024 U.S. presidential election. “President Trump has won, and the American people have triumphed. I congratulate them on their victory in an exercise that showed the world the strength of American values,” Marcos ...

    • Pope Francis addresses the crowd from the window of the apostolic palace overlooking St. Peter's square during the Angelus prayer on October 27, 2024 in The Vatican.
      04 November 2024
      1 week ago No comment

      Pope prays for Kristine victims in Philippines

      MANILA, Philippines — Pope Francis has offered prayers for Filipinos affected by Severe Tropical Storm Kristine. At Sunday’s Angelus address at the Vatican, the 87-year-old pontiff reportedly mentioned praying for the victims of Kristine. “I am close to the population of the Philippines, struck by a powerful cyclone. May ...

    • 04 November 2024
      1 week ago No comment

      Duterte: no apology, no excuses for drug war

      Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on October 28, 2024 offered no apologies or excuses for his actions as he faced a Senate investigation into his widely criticized bloody war on drugs for the first time. Before reading his prepared statement during the hearing of the Senate blue ribbon subcommittee, ...

    • 24 October 2024
      3 weeks ago No comment

      Marcos-Duterte feud: “now a fight to the finish”

      The raging spat between the two most powerful political dynasties in the Philippines isn’t showing signs of letting up. As one political observer noted, the fight between the camps of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. and erstwhile ally Vice-President Sara Duterte-Carpio has reached a point of no return. “This ...