LightBox Expo Coming to Pasadena

Running October 27-29, the 3-day event celebrates artists and creators behind acclaimed films, animation, games, TV shows, comics, and illustrations and features panels, talks, and presentations by industry leaders, including director Sam Fell, Aardman Animation co-founder Peter Lord, directors Nick Bruno and Troy Quane, and NYT Bestselling Graphic Novel author ND Stevenson.

LightBox Expo, a celebration of visual arts and a gathering place for entertainment industry artists, comes to Pasadena Convention Center October 27-29. The three-day event celebrates artists and creators behind acclaimed films, animation, games, TV shows, comics and illustrations and features an impressive range of artists, including:

Chelsea Li and Adi Granov - Marvel Studios character designers
Jeff Rowe – director, TMNT: Mutant Mayhem
ND Stevenson - bestselling graphic novelist and Nimona creator
LySandra Vuong – author of webcomic “Covenant”
Yoichi Nishikawa - Studio Ghibli painter
Christian Alzmann - ILM senior art director (The Mandalorian, Rogue One).

LightBox Expo is the work of character designer and illustrator Bobby Chiu (Disney’s Alice in Wonderland) and event organizer and filmmaker Jim Demonakos, who created the event to unite the best artists in animation, illustration, live-action, and games under one roof.

“We’re excited to present educational panels throughout the show that allow new and upcoming artists to hear about pathways into the industry,” said. “In addition, much of the programming allows artists of all levels to learn new tips, tricks, and techniques to up their art game, making it the perfect place to come learn no matter where you are in your artistic journey.”

“LightBox Expo features over 600 artists, more than 200 panels and demos, plus over 300 creators in artist alley,” added Demonakos. “Attendees to this year’s event will be able to purchase plus toys of the LBX Mascots, a hoodie specifically designed to cater to traditional and digital artists, a selection of custom sketchbooks, and more!”

This year’s series of high-profile panels include:

Hatching A Plan

Director Sam Fell and Aardman Animation co-founder Peter Lord share secrets from behind the scenes of Aardman’s latest stop-motion feature, Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget.

Guts, Glory, Transformation and HEART

Directors Nick Bruno, Troy Quane, and author of the NYT Bestselling Graphic Novel, ND Stevenson, present a “Making Of” session sharing the process of bringing Nimona from graphic novel to the screen.

A Session with Character Design Legends

Learn about the creative process, unique insights, and the journey of character design evolution.

Panelists include character design legends Carter Goodrich, Peter de Seve, and Carlos Grangel, with Renee di Cherri moderating.

Collectively these artists influenced iconic animated films, including Ratatouille; Finding Nemo; Ice Age; Despicable Me; Corpse Bride; Hotel Transylvania; Shrek; The Incredibles; Madagascar; and The Prince of Egypt.

Creating the Spider-Verse

Sony Pictures Animation and Sony Pictures Imageworks designers Patrick O’Keefe (production designer) and Mike Lasker (VFX supervisor) discuss creating the worlds featured in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. This session focuses on artistic and technological innovations.

A Conversation with the Artists of Star Wars

Lucasfilm designers Christian Alzmann, Brian Matyas, and Benjamin Last share their creative journeys and how they conceptualize their ideas, collaborate with fellow creatives, and approach design challenges. They will be sharing stories about designing characters, droids, and vehicles.

The Concept Art Awards – the annual award ceremony recognizes and brings increased awareness of concept artists’ roles throughout the world of movies, television, and video games. Some of this year’s finalists include: