Stuart Sumida
Paleontologist
Dr Stuart Sumida is a palaeontologist at California State University. As a highly in-demand anatomical consultant for the entertainment industry, he has worked on more than 60 feature films. Titles that he has advised on include Beauty and the Beast, the first and last Harry Potter films, How to Train Your Dragon, Life of Pi, Lilo and Stitch, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, Ratatouille, Soul, The Lion King and many more.
Consulting for video game animators, he has worked on projects such as Horizon Zero Dawn, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, Strange World and Zootropolis. He has collaborated on several TV projects, developing animal characters for His Dark Materials and the children's television show Jane. He also helped develop Walt Disney World’s Expedition Everest attraction in Florida by acting as an anatomical and biomechanical consultant.
Events featuring Stuart Sumida
Animal anatomy for animators and VFX artists and its importance for creature construction
Stuart Sumida gives an overview of the animal and human anatomical lessons that have proven most useful over his career. He discusses the importance of the constructing real animals and people when creating fantastic creatures.
Bring along some paper and a pencil or tablet (or both) to join in.
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From dragons to strange worlds – the unexpected importance of the biological sciences in creature creation and world building
Stuart Sumida discusses the importance of reference to the characters of animation and digital visual effects. He talks about the importance of generating the suspension of disbelief required when placing fantastical creatures in believable environments. And the importance of understanding biological organisms and body systems in environmental world-building. Stuart documents this spectrum ranging from early career work to the flight physics of dragons to his most recent work on Disney’s Strange World.
Animex AVFX