Dream Jobs: Animator

Floyd Norman holds up Buzz Lightyear (left) and Mike Wazowski toys from the movies "Toy Story" and "Monsters, Inc" that

he worked on as an animator. Bryan Chan/Getty Images

Zach Parrish saw "Monsters, Inc." when he was 15. It was his first experience with an

animated movie. While watching the main character, Mike Wazowski, Parrish felt

something. He "suddenly realized there was an animator behind the screen creating those

feelings."

Parrish is an artist and head of animation for Disney, working to make characters in movies

such as "Wreck-It Ralph," "Tangled" and "Big Hero 6."

So, what goes into his job as an animator, exactly? "A lot of my work is to draw over other

people's pictures," he says. He tells other animators what to change about the faces and

bodies of different characters. "Most of our work involves drawing straight into the

computer." He says it is more like building than drawing.

Working As Animator Lifelong Dream

Parrish says he has always wanted to work in animating. "For example, when I was 7 years

old, a police officer came into school to talk about his job and after the talk our whole class

said, 'I want to be a police officer when I grow up!' Instead, I said, 'I want to make

cartoons!' Everyone looked at me like I had three heads."

By Charlotte Seager, The Guardian, adapted by Newsela staff on 10.19.16

Word Count 617

This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. 1

Animated movies are a competitive field, and Parrish says he was fortunate to get a break

right after college. He studied animating in school, and when he graduated, he got a one-

month apprenticeship with a company called Rhythm & Hues. They were working on the

"Alvin and the Chipmunks" movie at the time. After that, he was promoted to junior

animator, and continued to work and build his way up.

Parrish admits every artist has moments when they doubt themselves. "I've had many days

like that: times when you come home from work and think 'I should just quit.'" He said every

artist experiences those highs and lows, but he has never doubted his love for animating.

Deadlines And Challenges

Of course, like every job, there are deadlines and challenges, says Parrish. "As cheesy as

it sounds, the main thing I dislike about my job is that I don't get to work on everything." For

example, he didn't work on "Frozen" because he was busy with other movies at the time.

What advice does Parrish give to aspiring animators? "My main advice is to do a lot of it.

Keep trying." He tells people not to be afraid of failing, because as a student and even in

the real world, not everything you make will be good. "You're going to hit roadblocks. If you

do something bad you shouldn't quit. You have to push through that. We're all still

stumbling along the way." He said he did twice as much animating as a student so he

would have twice the chances to fail and learn from his mistakes.

Practice And Failure Key To Getting Ahead

Practice and failure is key to getting ahead in this field, adds Parrish. "On my website, I like

to show this by leaving my student work up for others to see. No one starts off as a lead

animator at Disney. I suspect even Disney's award-winning animator Glen Keane struggled

at the beginning." He says that with more and more people looking to get into the field, it is

becoming more competitive. "You have to push through that and keep going."

Ultimately, though, the struggles are worth it for the reward of seeing your movie on the big

screen. "It's awesome seeing your work shown to a crowd. When the audience laughs at

something animated, something you intended to be funny, it's amazing. You know that they

have connected with something you know isn't real. I'm creating that very magic I felt all

those years ago watching "Monsters, Inc.'"

This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. 2

Quiz

1 According to the article, what effect did seeing "Monsters, Inc." have on Zach Parrish?

(A) It made him want to be an animator who can create feelings in an audience.

(B) It made him want to be an animator on Disney films.

(C) It made him want to tell his classmates that he wanted to be a police officer.

(D) It made him want to learn how to draw on a computer.

2 Based on the information in the article, which of these statements is TRUE?

(A) Parrish's favorite film to work on was "Frozen."

(B) Parrish's first job was for a company that was developing the "Alvin and the

Chipmunks" movie.

(C) Parrish is still embarrassed by the earlier works he produced as a student.

(D) Parrish has a hard time sharing his work with others because he doesn't

always like what he creates.

3 Based on the article, why is practicing important to succeeding in animation?

(A) because it gives you more opportunities to learn from your mistakes

(B) because it gives you more samples of your work to show potential

employers

(C) because it shows people that you are good at animation

(D) because it sets an example for other people who also want to be animators

4 Which sentence from the article BEST supports the idea that animation is a difficult field to

work in?

(A) He tells other animators what to change about the faces and bodies of

different characters.

(B) He said every artist experiences those highs and lows, but he has never

doubted his love for animating.

(C) He tells people not to be afraid of failing, because as a student and even in

the real world, not everything you make will be good.

(D) He says that with more and more people looking to get into the field, it is

becoming more competitive.

This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. 3