Watchcat at the World Animation Celebration

Last weekend, I was in Dallas,TX at a Portfolio Day event while Greg visited the World Animation Celebration festival in Culver City which our film Watchcat was in. I really would have preferred to go to this festival too, but Greg went to represent our film and hand out Watchcat postcards to as many people as he met along the way.

The festival was held at Sony Pictures Animation studio and was a great venue for portfolio viewing, meeting professionals in the animation industry and seeing a lot of animated films.

At a panel about Classic Disney animators, Greg ran into this classic, Nik Ranieri, Disney Animator of characters including Lumiere, Jafar, Meeko, Hades and Mother Gothel, just to name a few.

First of all, Greg doesn't know who people are in the animation world and he reported that at first, he felt like the festival was a very small event, unlike the CTN Expo. Greg said, " It felt like a small gathering of folks, but you felt very welcomed to all the events and I had a better  time than I thought I would."

Greg even got to meet Glen Keene, who I met years ago at Siggraph. There's Mike Cedeno, another famous Disney animator photobombing behind.

So while I was sitting in the Hilton Anatole in Dallas, TX, in this giant room waiting for arriving art students to show us their portfolios...

Greg was sitting in a crowded theater, listening to Glen Keane talk about his latest animation film entitled "Dear Basketball". Animated by Keane about Kobe Bryant's tribute to his sport.

Written by Kobe Bryant, animated by Glen Keane and a music score by John Williams.

Dear Basketball,

From the moment
I started rolling my dad’s tube socks
And shooting imaginary
Game-winning shots
In the Great Western Forum
I knew one thing was real:

I fell in love with you.

A love so deep I gave you my all — From my mind & body
To my spirit & soul.

As a six-year-old boy
Deeply in love with you
I never saw the end of the tunnel.
I only saw myself
Running out of one.

And so I ran. I ran up and down every court
After every loose ball for you.
You asked for my hustle
I gave you my heart
Because it came with so much more.

I played through the sweat and hurt Not because challenge called me
But because YOU called me.
I did everything for YOU
Because that’s what you do
When someone makes you feel as
Alive as you’ve made me feel.

You gave a six-year-old boy his Laker dream And I’ll always love you for it.
But I can’t love you obsessively for much longer.
This season is all I have left to give.
My heart can take the pounding
My mind can handle the grind
But my body knows it’s time to say goodbye.

And that’s OK. I’m ready to let you go.
I want you to know now
So we both can savor every moment we have left together.
The good and the bad.
We have given each other
All that we have. 

And we both know, no matter what I do next I’ll always be that kid
With the rolled up socks
Garbage can in the corner
:05 seconds on the clock
Ball in my hands.
5 … 4 … 3 … 2 … 1

Love you always, Kobe

In this 5 minute and 22 second film, Kobe Bryant narrates this emotional tribute about his life, career and love for Basketball. With amazing animation by Glen Keane and a music score by

John Williams, I am putting my money on this film animation short for this year's Oscars.

Thank you Mr. Keane!

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