There's a renaissance in this art form that might not happen again in my lifetime. I wanted to be part of that. He inspires people. He inspires me. He is the master teacher of animation of the last 20 years.
Every company struggles to grow talent.
But Hollywood animators face a talent shortage of the first order. The runaway success of Disney's animated features has persuaded more and more companies, from established giants like Warner Bros. to high-powered newcomers like DreamWorks, to enter the business. That's a problem, because feature animation is extraordinarily labor intensive. It took a team of 600 Disney animators three years to create The Hunchback of Notre Dame. There are, quite simply, not enough great animators to go around.