Veteran animation director returns, bringing his extensive feature and 3D animation experience to studio’s growing creative team.
Framestore has announced the hire of Chris Hurtt as animation supervisor. Hurtt comes to the VFX studio having worked most recently at ILM on high-profile titles such as Ready Player One, Disney's Aladdin and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.
Hurtt was recruited straight out of college by Walt Disney Feature Animation, where he learned from traditional Disney animators at both the Florida and Burbank studios while working on titles such as Hercules, Dinosaur and Fantasia 2000.
He followed his stint at Disney with a nine-year tenure at Sony Pictures Imageworks, where he progressed from the role of senior animator to animation director, helping to establish the studio’s feature animation division. He then moved from L.A. to London, working for a range of studios that included Framestore (Beauty and the Beast, Paddington), MPC (The Jungle Book), DNEG (Bourne Legacy) and ILM.
“Coming back to Framestore has been great,” Hurtt shared. “I’ve reconnected with old friends and met some fantastic new talent, and it’s been a blast comparing the new, purpose-built studio in Chancery Lane to our old Soho haunt. In some ways it feels like the company has grown immeasurably in the short time I’ve been away, but at heart there’s still the same unique creative culture that keeps drawing people back.”
“I’m pleased to be welcoming Chris back to Framestore - his mix of feature animation and modern 3D expertise makes him a fantastic fit for our growing team,” added Framestore global director of animation, Michael Eames. “We’re well known for the stunning live-action adaptations and nuanced, character-driven titles we’ve worked on over the past few years, and with exciting projects like Tom & Jerry, this shows absolutely no sign of abating.”
Source: Framestore
