In what has become an annual tradition at Annecy International Animated Film Festival, Walt Disney Animation Studios (WDAS) returns with a Bonlieu Theater presentation showcasing the Studios’ latest projects, presented by the filmmakers themselves. On Friday, June 14, Head of Animation Becky Bresee and Head of Effects Animation Marlon West take to the stage to give an inside look at the making of Frozen 2, and the directors of three new shorts—Just A Thought, directed by Brian Menz, Exchange Student, directed by Natalie Nourigat and Jing Hua, directed by Jerry Huynh—present their shorts in world premiere screenings at Annecy.

The shorts are part of Short Circuit, the Studios’ experimental program that began in 2016 where anyone at Walt Disney Animation Studios can pitch an idea and potentially be selected to create an original short film with the support of the Studio and their fellow artists. The goal of this innovative program is to take risks in both visual style and story, surface new voices at the Studio and experiment with new technical innovation. The program has so far given 20 Disney Animation artists the opportunity to create their own short, most averaging 2:00 minutes in length. Last year’s award-winning Disney Animation VR short, Cycles, directed by Jeff Gipson, was created within the i>Short Circuit program as well. The short films within i>Short Circuit will be available Spring of 2020 on Disney+ in the U.S., Disney’s upcoming direct-to-consumer streaming service.

Short Circuit Filmmaker Bios:

JERRY HUYNH (Director, “Jing Hua” – Flower in the Mirror)
Born in Pasadena, Calif., and raised primarily in Walnut, California, Huynh comes from a family of Chinese-Vietnamese refugees and drew upon his family roots and culture in telling this very personal story. He attended the University of California, Irvine, where he studied computer science and engineering, with a focus on computer graphics. Influenced at an early age by such memorable animated films as “Tarzan,” “The Iron Giant” and “The Incredibles,” Huynh came to Walt Disney Animation Sudios as an intern in 2011. He went on to work as a functional integrity test engineer at Western Digital and a software QA lead at Double Negative before returning to WDAS as a general TD (technical director). In that role, his credits include “Moana,” “Ralph Breaks the Internet” and the Studio’s 2020 feature release.

BRIAN MENZ (Director, “Just a Thought”)
Born in Rochester, New York, Menz fell in love with animation as a young boy and dreamed of being a Disney animator for as long as he can remember. He studied hand-drawn animation at Edinboro University of Pennsylvania and taught himself computer animation using a computer in his sister’s attic with the help of some friends. He came to Walt Disney Animation Studios in 2008 as an animator on “Bolt” and went on to work on such films as “Big Hero 6,” “Wreck-It Ralph,” “Frozen,” “Zootopia,” “Moana” and “Ralph Breaks the Internet.” He is currently serving as animation supervisor on the Studio’s 2020 feature release. Prior to working for Disney, Menz animated at Blue Sky Studios (“Ice Age: Continental Drift,” “Rio,” and more), Laika (“Coraline”) and DNA Productions (“Jimmy Neutron,” “The Ant Bully”). Inspired by his own awkward pre-teen memories and the newspaper comics he grew up loving, “Just a Thought” provided Menz with the opportunity of a lifetime to experiment and collaborate. Brian and his wife, Katie, have seven children, including son Jack, who provides the voice of the boy in his film.

NATALIE NOURIGAT (Director, “Exchange Student”)
A native of Portland, Ore., Nourigat joined Walt Disney Animation Studios in 2015 as a story apprentice, and has gone on to serve as a story assistant and story artist for “Ralph Breaks the Internet.” After graduating from the University of Oregon, she launched her professional career drawing comics (“Between Gears,” “I Moved to Los Angeles to Work in Animation,” “Deadpool” #250) and creating storyboards for commercials as well as for the popular web series “Bee and Puppycat.” As the director of “Exchange Student,” Nourigat has enjoyed learning to lead other artists, exploring how the production pipeline works and seeing the film enriched by each of the departments that touch it.