FA+
Shop
Blue Sky Studios Shut Down
3 years ago
What's Reptu up to this time?
Okay, so this happened more than a year ago, but I just found out today, for some reason. I did see YouTube titles about it, but I thought they were exaggerating for clickbait, but no; they're no joke.
If you don't know, Blue Sky Studios was a popular animation company that made Ice Age, Robots, Rio, and Horton Hears a Who.
Why is this so important to me? Well, this is the studio that smashed my dreams of becoming a professional animator. By "smashed," I mean it in the best of ways. They smashed a dream that I thought I wanted for so long until I found out that it really wasn't my dream.
Here's the full story of how Blue Sky smashed my feature film animator dream. It's pretty long.
Part 1 (the interview)
Part 2 (my thoughts after the interview)
But overall, yeah, it just feels weird that this studio is gone. The studio does mean a lot to me, that it was an actual animation studio that I came face-to-face with to review my work, a studio that has made animated films that I have enjoyed from being a child to this day. Their demise is definitely meaningful to me, because they're the reason for the demise of a dream I've had for 12 years (2007-2018), making an actual animated cartoon series/movie with my OCs at a big studio.
It's a mixture of feelings going on inside of me: kind of happy because I felt so humiliated in that interview, and now the studio doesn't seem so significant. But it's sad as well, because I really did like their animated movies, and despite the immense failure I've had with the company, they got me to open my eyes about the career path I was heading towards.
In all, it was for the best this dream to work for a big animation studio ended.
My reasons:
1. I'd be miserable doing so much artwork on such tight deadlines.
2. I wanted to work only with anthropomorphic animal characters; I would hate working on human characters.
3. Had my OCs been part of a movie or TV show, I couldn't stand to let them go and have these corporations make unwanted changes on them. My OCs are safe here, just with me owning them.
So yeah, a bit of a reflection about this news I had to sort out here.
If you don't know, Blue Sky Studios was a popular animation company that made Ice Age, Robots, Rio, and Horton Hears a Who.
Why is this so important to me? Well, this is the studio that smashed my dreams of becoming a professional animator. By "smashed," I mean it in the best of ways. They smashed a dream that I thought I wanted for so long until I found out that it really wasn't my dream.
Here's the full story of how Blue Sky smashed my feature film animator dream. It's pretty long.
Part 1 (the interview)
Part 2 (my thoughts after the interview)
But overall, yeah, it just feels weird that this studio is gone. The studio does mean a lot to me, that it was an actual animation studio that I came face-to-face with to review my work, a studio that has made animated films that I have enjoyed from being a child to this day. Their demise is definitely meaningful to me, because they're the reason for the demise of a dream I've had for 12 years (2007-2018), making an actual animated cartoon series/movie with my OCs at a big studio.
It's a mixture of feelings going on inside of me: kind of happy because I felt so humiliated in that interview, and now the studio doesn't seem so significant. But it's sad as well, because I really did like their animated movies, and despite the immense failure I've had with the company, they got me to open my eyes about the career path I was heading towards.
In all, it was for the best this dream to work for a big animation studio ended.
My reasons:
1. I'd be miserable doing so much artwork on such tight deadlines.
2. I wanted to work only with anthropomorphic animal characters; I would hate working on human characters.
3. Had my OCs been part of a movie or TV show, I couldn't stand to let them go and have these corporations make unwanted changes on them. My OCs are safe here, just with me owning them.
So yeah, a bit of a reflection about this news I had to sort out here.
Hm, even so, the amount of work to make an animated cartoon through the Internet would be astronomical. For now, I see myself putting my time and effort into furry commissions.
Seriously, crunching the numbers shows how practical a dream/career path may be.
I don't know what my current dream is, but I'm sure it has to do with anthro animal characters.
But that's pretty interesting Reptu. I'm kinda surprised myself they shut down..
Honestly, having control of your own characters is often the way to go, and making something meaningful on your own can be more rewarding than working on something you're not happy with.
Hope you can get to do more 3D animation in the future! Little by little!
And you're right on that. It is more rewarding. Granted it's much more work to do projects on your own, but it's nice to build up myself and what I'm interested in. That way, 100% of the work I do goes to something I want.
Oh yeah, of course. I hope so too. 3D animation is difficult, but it's such a cool way of seeing one's characters come to life. I admit my 3D work has slowed down, because I'm trying out this new method. But once it's done, I'll be ready to go.
But if in the future, you feel that you want to, no hard feelings. Things change, you know.
*vice hugs reptu TIGHTLY*
*I feel warm and fuzzy inside with Vice petting my back. And I gently rest my head on Vice's.*
*gentle pat*
Aw, thanks, Retro. Even though my dream is done, please don't stop yours. You having a dream really inspires me. I want to see yours happen while I try and find a new one.
And Even... Just Imagine... An Indoor Theme Park in Connecticut. I don't know why I just wrote somethinglike that? It just an thought an Theme Park somewhere in New England States.
Anyway, I like their movement of the Animations. When I was a Kid, I've watched First movie, "Ice Age" and "Robots." Those was the good Old Days.
From T.L.
Huh, I guess some studios have theme parks like that. Wouldn't that be the glory to see people with costumes of your OCs being cherished by thousands of fans?
YES! Those were the good old days with those feature films. Yeah, Robots was a good one. I know animation critics tend to downplay that one, but come on. It was pretty great. Man, the 2000's were my happy days. Thanks for bringing that up.
I can imagine your feelings, but they made you better, and it's normal yoûve got affected that much.
Dreams, some succeded at making them real but fir us, it's even harder, because if the fact we act and learn differently, but this doesn't lean we should give up, like you did, you continue to live your life doing what you like, and many are loving what you do.
The most important being to do things we love.
I had an experience like this, i wanted si ce little to be engineer. But when i tried to enter in a big school, i've been rejected, inve realizing i will never become what i wanted to. Took me two years to admit it and now i just do what i love! Itns the most important.
Stills sad the studio got shut down, i wonder what would have happened if 20th Century Fix never sold the studios to Disney
Wow, I never knew that you wanted to be an engineer since you were little. Yeah, what you felt with your big school really was the same feeling I got with my interview. That's pretty cool, Xhhy.
Yeah, it truly is important to do the things we love. Sometimes I feel like I go wrong going pursuing that direction, since what I love doesn't make money. But hey, we have only one life to live. I'm so happy that I get to share what I love here and connect with others with similar interests.
That's a good question. Yeah, you never know what would have happened. It's possible they still could have been around today.
4. You work with a style guide, made by a famous artist for each character. You can change NOTHING of that guide, not even add a line or miss a pantone shade color. Do it and you will work extra hours all night.
5. Your finished work pass to the review of dozens of departments: Censors, target content, VIP people, management, copyright lawyers and image content. So is very likely that your work will be approved each leap year if you are lucky.
So we didn't made it in time thanks to the nice people in NY that rejected and changed all of our work until deadline. It's a way of them also for reject a project without being direct. So as I stated again, I won't work again for such big companies after see the misery behind doors.
The best path for you is to release your cartoon in short videos in some place like you tube. With free royalty music and using family/friends as voice actors. Then make sure the show lists all your OCs and state that you are the copyright holder.
Did I? Wow, that makes me feel better that I did not go down this route. That sounds like a huge drudgery. Missing the slightest of details sounds like there will be adverse consequences.
Yeah, I've heard that the animation industry can be harsh and cutthroat.
Omg that sounds terrible. Ugh, it's like your team is being exploited. I'm glad to hear your anecdotes, because they have given me some insight of what it's like working for such a business. It's truly is misery, huh? That's insane.
Oh, thanks for the advice. That's awesome you know so much about this industry. YouTube is the platform to put your original content out there. That's a far better route to get your own cartoon series than working at a professional animation studio.
It's fun if your project have success and you get credited. I can say freely (all secrecy contracts expired anyway long ago) that the project was about the first live action Spiderman movie. They (Marvel comics) gave us the Huge Spiderman binder of all the images, artwork, stickers and stills of the movie (yes we got spoilers but shh! say something and we sue you). The idea was made an interactive site with games and animations. All were rejected for things like "Page 45 logo B-2 should placed 15.5% bigger than the sponsor logo" or "your image have the wrong red pantone code because it's adjusted to a Samsung monitor and not the Adobe CYMK standard. Redo all work for tomorrow".
So all the tales about crunch mode are real. We used to work sometimes like 24x24 hours, at worst 48x24 hours. Bad sleep, eat only cold pizza, soda and coffee have consequences in the mid run. And actually this is often the common way to work in that industry (and videogame industry too).
I would talk about more experiences with another brands, but usually is a clash with the legal and creative dept of the client vs the freedom of what we can do with the copyrighted character. (Spoiler: A client did consider that his beloved mascot holding a basket of toys made it look pride parade rainbow gay *rolleyes*). So your ideas get really slaughtered everywhere.
You worked as a junior animator. What kind of animation? 3D or 2D?
Yikes, up to 48 hours with cold pizza, soda, and coffee? That's extremely unhealthy along with getting burnt out. So harsh.
Whew, little did I know about the evironment of creative ideas there. Glad I avoid all of that.