Jon Reisch and Gary Bruins, both of whom have logged many hours in the College of Architecture’s Visualization Lab at Texas A&M University, were recently nominated for Annie Awards for their work on Pixar’s blockbuster animated feature “Ratatouille.”
The Annie Awards, considered among the animation industry's highest honors, are presented by the International Animated Film Society, ASIFA-Hollywood.
Bruins and Reisch will be competing against each other with nominations in the Individual Achievement, Animated Effects category. Reisch completed a Master of Science in Visualization Science degree at Texas A&M in 2006. Bruins, a former Vizzer, as Aggie visualization students are known, began work at Pixar before completing his degree.
“Going to the Viz Lab was the best thing I could have ever done for my career and education in the industry of computer graphics and visualization,” said Bruins after learning of the nomination. “The Viz Lab is highly revered at Pixar. Viz Lab grads do very well here.”
“Ratatouille” bagged a total of 13 Annie nominations, the most of any film nominated for in this year’s awards. The movie, about a charming Paris rodent with a taste for fine food, is up for Best Animated Feature, as well as individual awards for directing, writing, character animation, animated effects, production design, storyboarding, character design, character animation, music and voice acting.
Annie winners will be announced during a Feb. 8 awards ceremony at Royce Hall on the University of California, Los Angeles campus.
To learn more about The Annies, visit the ASIFA-Hollywood website at
http://annieawards.org/foryourconsideration.html
Also, to learn more about Reisch’s and Bruins’ Annie nominations and their Viz studies at Texas A&M, read Charlotte Sellmyer’s Bryan-College Station Eagle report on online at:
http://www.theeagle.com/am/2_Aggies_nominated_for_film_animation_award
