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An animated job

SINGAPORE — When Kendal Cronkhite signed up as the art director for the animated movie Antz back in 1996, little did she know things would change so much in the world of animation.

SINGAPORE — When Kendal Cronkhite signed up as the art director for the animated movie Antz back in 1996, little did she know things would change so much in the world of animation.

Back then, things were very different, shared the Canadian production designer for DreamWorks Animation. “Everything was so unknown then. We were all just trying stuff, making lots of mistakes and having breakthroughs too. We had to build every tool from scratch. Now we have processes and tools that have been put through the ringer, so we can rely on these things to work,” said Cronkhite in an email interview. “Of course, our movie-making is not just about the technology. It’s about great storytelling. We are always pushing ourselves and the technology to make better films. It continues to be a great challenge every day.”

Well, visitors to the ongoing DreamWorks Animation: The Exhibition at the ArtScience Museum can immerse themselves in two decades’ worth of changes for the big animation company responsible for franchises such as Madagascar, Kung Fu Panda and How To Train Your Dragon. Curated by the Australian Centre For The Moving Image in collaboration with DreamWorks, it features the company’s entire catalogue of 31 films and more than 400 displays, which include drawings, storyboards, maquettes, behind-the-scenes footage and even reconstructions of DreamWorks’ real-life workspaces and interactive features.

As a production designer, Cronkhite is in charge of deciding how a film looks, from the environments and characters to the colour palette and the lighting. Since her Antz days, she has worked on all three Madagascar films and is currently busy with the upcoming film Trolls, which is based on the lovable Troll dolls and features Anna Kendrick, Jason Schwartzman and Chloe Grace Moretz.

Before DreamWorks, Cronkhite cut her teeth on Tim Burton’s Nightmare Before Christmas and James And The Giant Peach for Disney. “Nightmare was my first film and it was the film that created a life-long passion for animation,” she recalled, adding that she considers the third Madagascar instalment, Europe’s Most Wanted, as the best film she has made to date.

Cronkhite, who reckons the next big thing would be virtual reality, is upbeat about the state of animation and its place in the movie world. “Everyone watches animation now. I don’t know if it’s because our generation and those after us grew up on cartoons or whether it’s the advances in technology, but it’s great,” she said. “Now the blend between live action and animation is starting to blur with films like Gravity, where most of the film is CG animation. Amazing.”

DreamWorks Animation: The Exhibition is on at ArtScience Museum. For more information, visit http://www.marinabaysands.com/ArtScienceMuseum

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