Sarasota, FL – February 27, 2017– Ringling College of Art and Design today conveyed congratulations to Walt Disney Animation Studios and the 23 Ringling College graduates who worked on ‘Zootopia’ on their Oscar® win for best animated feature film at the 89th Academy Awards®.
Ringling also congratulated graduate Patrick Osborne for his Oscar nomination for best animated short for ‘Pearl’ – the first virtual reality film to ever be nominated for an Academy Award. Patrick won an Oscar in 2014 for his animated short “Feast’.
“We want to thank the Academy for honoring the hard work and passion that each and every artist put into ‘Zootopia’ – the film, and its message of unity in a complex world, has been recognized in ways we couldn’t have possibly imagined,” Zootopia directors Byron Howard and Rich Moore and producer Clark Spencer commented upon Zootopia’s nomination.
The roster of Ringling College of Art and Design graduates who worked on ‘Zootopia’ include:
Lauren (Leffingwell) Albers ’09, Illustration
Ramya Chidanand ’11, Computer Animation
Christopher Cordingley ’03, Computer Animation
Ryan DeYoung ’09, Computer Animation
Ryan Duncan ’02, Computer Animation
Jason Figliozzi ’08, Computer Animation
Alex Garcia ’06, Computer Animation
Jorge Garcia ’09, Computer Animation
Kim Hazel ’08, Computer Animation
Bobby Huth ’07, Computer Animation
Sarah Kambara ’14, Business of Art & Design
Mike Klim ’10, Computer Animation
David Lisbe ’09, Computer Animation
Chris Nabholz ’07, Computer Animation
Katie Reihman ’08, Computer Animation
Brian Scott ’04, Computer Animation
Justin Sklar ’11, Computer Animation
Lindsey St. Pierre ’13, Computer Animation
Emily Tse ’09, Computer Animation
Kendra Vander Vliet ’09, Computer Animation
Dylan VanWormer ’11, Computer Animation
Yezi Xue ’10, Computer Animation
Nara Youn ’06, Computer Animation
“We are consistently amazed with the creativity and achievements of our graduates,” Ringling College President Dr. Larry R. Thompson said. “We applaud their recognition by the Academy last night and congratulate them and all of our graduates who have been honored through the nomination process by the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences for their mastery in telling powerful and moving visual stories.”
Ringling graduates were credited in two of the other Oscar-nominated animated feature films this year including, on ‘Kubo’: Michael Berger, Brett Carville, Katie Knudson, Tarun Lak, Onyee Lo, Jarred Love and Carolyn Vale, and on ‘Moana’: Jason Figliozzzi, Jorge Garcia, Michael Stieber, Kendra Vander Vliet, Nara Youn, Ryan DeYoung, Bryan Locantore, Brian Scott, Chris Nabholz, Lauren Albers, Dylan VanWormer and Reece Porter.
At the 2016 Academy Awards 13 Ringling College graduates worked on Pixar Studios Oscar®-winning animated feature film ‘Inside Out’ and in 2015 29 Ringling Graduates worked on Disney’s Oscar-winning animated feature film ‘Big Hero 6’.
The Oscar winning best picture ‘Moonlight’ also has Sarasota ties, with film producer Adele Romanski, a Pine View High School graduate, accepting the Oscar for best picture. Moonlight actor André Holland recently toured the construction site for Ringling College’s new soundstage and post-production complex, which is slated to begin operations this spring.
About Ringling College of Art and Design
For 85 years, Ringling College of Art and Design has cultivated the creative spirit in students from around the globe. The private, not-for-profit fully accredited college offers the Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in ten disciplines and the Bachelor of Arts in two. The College’s rigorous curriculum employs the studio model of teaching and immediately engages students through a comprehensive, first-year program that is both specific to the major of study and focused on the liberal arts. The Ringling College teaching model ultimately shapes students into highly employable and globally aware artists and designers. Find us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram and our website at www.ringling.edu.