Seneca celebrates alumni involved in 2016 Oscar-winner Inside Out

Seneca Animation grads contribute to Best Animated Feature film

TORONTO, Feb. 29, 2016 /CNW/ - The Seneca community is celebrating today as two of the College's alumni contributed to Inside Out, which won an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature last night.

Seneca Animation grads Deanna Marsigliese and Graham Finley, both of whom work at Pixar Animation Studios in California, contributed to the animated film.

"We're very proud to have the talents and impressive work of Seneca graduates featured in Oscar-winning films," said Mark Jones, Chair of Seneca's School of Creative Arts and Animation. "Deanna and Graham are shining examples of Seneca's significant presence in Hollywood and the international animation industry."

Inside Out takes viewers into the mind of young Riley, a little girl whose family moves from Minnesota to San Francisco. Moviegoers meet five personified emotions – Joy, Sadness, Fear, Anger and Disgust – as they try to help Riley adjust to her new home.

Marsigliese graduated from Seneca in 2005 then taught character animation and design at the College. She was involved in conceptualizing several of the main characters in Inside Out before Pixar moved her to California to continue work on the film. Marsigliese then worked with modelers to design characters in 3D, which included collaborating with costumer designers, and laying the 'blueprints' for many of the tertiary background characters.

Marsigliese said her years of teaching at Seneca kept her skills fresh and up-to-date, which allowed her to jump into a character design role on major motion pictures, including the upcoming films Toy Story 4 and The Incredibles 2. She also credits her studies at Seneca for giving her an understanding of computer graphics (CG) skills.

"My time at Seneca gave me a foundation in CG that I apply at work every day," she said. "That knowledge helps me to better communicate with the talented modeling time, who build our characters into reality."

Seneca's eight-month 3D Animation graduate certificate helps students build career potential as accomplished studio animators by combining creativity and technical skill with knowledge of motion theory, timing, storytelling and design.

Seneca's School of Creative Arts and Animation is ranked among Canada's top training programs for animation and special effects, and has been at the forefront of developing Canadian talent for more than a decade. Seneca's Animation Art Centre was also recently named one of the top ten animation schools in the world.

With campuses in Toronto, York Region and Peterborough, Seneca offers degrees, diplomas, certificates and graduate programs renowned for their quality and respected by employers. It is one of the largest comprehensive colleges in Canada, offering nearly 300 full-time, part-time and online programs. Combining the highest academic standards with work-integrated and applied learning, expert teaching faculty and the latest technology ensure Seneca graduates are career-ready.

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SOURCE Seneca College

Lisa Pires, Media Relations Specialist, Seneca College, 416-491-5050 ext. 77018, [email protected]