Developing "The Zoo"

Development drawings for "The Zoo"

Back in the late 1990s I did some early development work for a Warner Bros Feature Animation feature film provisionally titled "The Zoo".  

The Zoo never made it to production, but the experience taught me a lot about the creative development process of a major studio. 

It also taught me an early lesson in the unpredictable nature of our industry, and why some projects never get made. 

Frederic Du Chau Visits Escape Studios 23 Jan 2023

Frederic Du Chau

Escape Studios is delighted to welcome Hollywood director Frederic Du Chau will visit our central London campus on Monday January 23rd, to meet our second year animation students, and introduce them to the principles underlying a successful Hollywood pitch. 

What is involved in a great pitch? How do aspiring artists and content creators pitch ideas to studios and production houses?  

Frederic Du Chau has directed many Hollywood films including "Quest For Camelot", "Racing Stripes" and "Underdog".  All of these projects began with a successful pitch. 

Frederic is also the author of the graphic novel "Ameluna", which has recently been released.

Lion King Raises The Bar for Animal Animation

Lion King (2019)

MPC have raised the bar for animal and creature animation with Disney's release of The Lion King, the re-make of the Disney classic which I was fortunate enough to work on back in 1993.

I went to a preview of the film last night fully prepared to dislike it - how could anyone top the original? And why bother with a re-make, other than to please the shareholders?

But the Lion King is a triumph not just of technology but of great storytelling, as the film-makers kept most of the original film but wove in new elements to keep the story fresh.

Netflix Breaks into Animation

At last week's Annecy Animation Festival, Netflix's presentation of their new animation line-up was one of the hottest properties at the festival.

Netflix's Lisa Cobb introduced the company, as well as a number of its artists, presenting (no photos allowed) its new line-up of original animation content to a packed-out audience.