Eighteen former student Vizzers help "Up" soar

Former visualization students from Texas A&M University made major contributions to "Up," the Walt Disney Pictures and Pixar Animation Studios summer smash that received the Oscar for best Animated Feature Film from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences on March 7. In addition to winning the animation statuette, “Up” was also nominated for the best film award, the only feature ever to compete in both categories. "Up" additionally took home the Oscar for Best Original Score and was nominated for Sound Editing and Best Original Screenplay.

Prior to Sunday night's gala "Up" had already enjoyed critical acclaim, garnering a Golden Globe from the Hollywood Foreign Press Association on January 17 for Best Animated Feature Film.

The Balloon Adventure
"Up" follows the tale of 78-year-old balloon salesman Carl Fredricksen, who fulfills his lifelong dream of a great adventure when he ties thousands of balloons to his house and flies away to the wilds of South America.

What he doesn't realize until it's too late is that an overly optimistic 8-year-old Wilderness Explorer named Russell has stowed away on the trip.

Aggies Team "Up"
Six former visualization students had leadership roles in creating the film: Jean-Claude Kalache ’93, director of photography/lighting; Gary Bruins, effects supervisor; John Halstead ’97, sets supervisor; Robert Moyer ’03, character shading and groom lead, Eric Andraos ’02, sets materials lead; and Mitch Kopelman ’94, technical lighting lead.

Also contributing to the film, a critical success that led box office receipts in its opening weekend with a $68 million gross, were Christina Garcia ’97 and P. Antonio Piedra ’04, set dressing artists, Patrick James, a matte paint technician, and Landon Gray ’05, a sets technical developer.

Helping with the film’s lighting were Angelique Reisch and Kim Ross, key lighting artists, and Don Bui ’06, a shot lighting artist.

In the effects department, Jon Reisch ’02 contributed as a development and effects artist, and Chris Chapman ’95 and Keith Daniel Klohn ’93 were effects artists.

Sue Maatouk-Kalache ’94 provided production support, and Eric Peden ’04 was on the rendering pipeline group team.

Pixar’s Investment in Aggies
In addition to hiring visualization graduates, Pixar supports the Texas A&M program through visiting artist lectures, one-on-one reviews of student work, and scholarships for current students given by former students who work at Pixar with matching funds from the studio.

The program, created in response to clear indications that digital visualization was going to play an important role in digital communication, began as the Visualization Laboratory in 1988 in the College of Architecture. The Department of Visualization was established in January 2008 and in Fall 2009 the department began offering a Bachelor of Science in Visualization degree.

Click here to visit the Web site for Texas A&M’s Department of Visualization.

For more information about how you can support the College of Architecture, contact Larry Zuber, senior director of development, at (800) 392-3310 or (979) 845-0939.