Chris Landreth
Co-Founder and CCO of JALI Research, Academy Award-winning Animator and Director, Rigging Specialist, Educator, Writer
One of Canada’s most acclaimed and internationally celebrated animators, Chris Landreth originally planned on a career in engineering. After receiving his M.S. in Theoretical and Applied Mechanics from the University of Illinois, he worked as an engineer for three years in experimental research in fluid mechanics before making the leap to computer animation. In 1994, he joined the Canadian-based animation software company Alias (now Autodesk), as an in-house artist, where he tested software in-house before it was released to the public.
Chris's work was a driving force in developing Maya 1.0, in 1998. Maya is the most widely used animation software in the world, resulting in an Academy Award in 2003. During this period Chris directed The End (1995), and Bingo (1998). The End was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film, in 1996. Bingo earned a Canadian Genie Award in 1999, and was ranked 37th in the “100 Most Influential Moments in CG History” by CG World Magazine in 2003.
In 2004 Chris released Ryan, with the National Film Board of Canada, Copperheart Entertainment and Seneca College in Toronto. Ryan quickly became one of the most celebrated animated short films of all time. It pioneered a style Chris calls “Psychorealism”, using surreal CG imagery to show the psychology of its characters.
Ryan received the 2005 Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film, and over 60 other awards, including prizes at the Cannes Film Festival and Grand Prize at the 2004 Ottawa International Animation Festival.
In 2009, Chris released The Spine, again with the NFB, Copperheart and Seneca College. This film was nominated for a Canadian Genie award in 2010, and was one of “Canada's Top Ten Films” of the Toronto International Film Festival Group, in 2009.
Chris's latest film is Subconscious Password, a psychological exploration of how we remember the names of old friends. Subconscious Password premiered at the Annecy International Animation Festival, where it was awarded the Festival's grand prize, the Annecy Crystal, for Best Short Film.
Chris continues to be obsessed both with new techniques in CG, and new ways in telling stories with these techniques. He is an expert in facial animation and has developed a course called “Making Faces”, which he has taught at Dreamworks Animation, Seneca College, the University of Toronto and the Ecole George Melies in Paris.
Presenting: