Oscar-nominated animation director Chris Bailey has joined visual effects studio Cinesite Hollywood in the newly created role of director of animation. Prior to joining Cinesite, Bailey was director of animation at Dream Quest Images and supervised animation for such features as INSPECTOR GADGET, MIGHTY JOE YOUNG and HOCUS POCUS. He was employed at Walt Disney Studios as an animator from the mid-1980s to the early '90s, where he worked on many high-profile features including HERCULES, THE LION KING and THE LITTLE MERMAID. While at Disney, Bailey also directed theme park films including IT'S TOUGH TO BE A BUG for Disney's California Adventure Park and Disney's Animal Kingdom. "My experience at Disney was an important part of my education," Bailey said. "I learned that animation was more than a series of moving drawings, it was about combining acting, staging and drawing to create believable characters." As director of animation at Cinesite, Bailey will head up the expansion of the company's 3D character animation portfolio.
