Walt Disney Animation Studios Panel "Creating Magic at Disney Animation"
Friday, June 2 - 1:00 PM PT
Private Event
Open to badge holders only
Location: Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel
Join us for a panel discussion featuring some of Walt Disney Animation's best talent.
Moderator
Natalia Adame Mendoza, Production Coordinator
Natalia Adame Mendoza is a production coordinator at Walt Disney Animation Studios. Joining the studio in early 2020 as a production assistant, Mendoza supported the sweatbox team and the stereo team on “Raya and the Last Dragon,” and then went on “Encanto” for the Animation department where she says she enjoyed “exploring all the cultural nuances of Colombia and its people” as the animators worked to “portray the characters in the most honest way.” She is currently the production coordinator for animation for Disney Animation’s “Wish.”Calling both Saltillo, Coahuila and Monterrey, Nuevo León her hometowns, Mendoza spent more than 20 years of her life in Mexico. She attended Prepa La Salle at the Colegio Ignacio Zaragoza before studying international marketing at the Universidad de Monterrey. She worked at ABC Entertainment prior to joining the studio.
Speakers
Juan Pablo- Reyes, Co- Producer at Walt Disney Animation Studios
Juan Pablo- Reyes Lancaster Jones (Co-Producer) has been working in creative development at Walt Disney Animation Studios since 2018, and has served as a senior creative
development executive working on a variety of feature films, shorts and animated content for theatrical, streaming, television and other media. For the recent Disney Animation features
“Strange World” and “Encanto,” he helped shepherd the films from their earliest stages of
development, working with the filmmakers to find and develop the stories while also providing cultural support and writing the Art of Strange World and Art of Encanto books. Prior to joining Disney Animation, he worked in creative development for Amazon Studios over a two-year period, where he helped to develop several animated series including “Costume Quest,” “Niko and the Sword of Light” and “Little Big Awesome.” He also was involved in the development of live-action drama shows for Latin America originals.
Born and raised in Guadalajara, Mexico, Reyes always wanted to work in the arts and
storytelling, and remembers being influenced by his childhood viewings of such Disney
Animation classics as “Beauty and the Beast” and “Sleeping Beauty.” After graduating with a BS
degree from Tecnologico de Monterey, he worked for several years in corporate engineering
and ran a contemporary art magazine before deciding to pursue his dreams in the entertainment
industry. He went on to study film and television production and received his Master of Fine Arts
degree in 2015 from the University of Southern California’s prestigious Peter Stark Producing
Program (where he focused on creative producing and development, while also producing
several live-action and animated short films).
Reyes has been an active volunteer over the years in such organizations as LatinX in
Animation/Latino Film Institute, and is a leader for Disney’s LatinX Affinity Group.
Albert Ramirez, Production Manager on Walt Disney Animation's upcoming animated film Wish.
Albert V. Ramirez (Production Manager - Wish) has worked in the animation industry for more than 23 years in both film and television. Raised in Pomona, California, Ramirez received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Entertainment and Animation from California State University Fullerton. He began his journey with Disney at the Disneyland Resort before joining production management as an assistant on the animated short “Tangled Ever After.” Ramirez continued his career at Walt Disney Animation Studios supporting various productions including “Wreck-it Ralph,” “Big Hero 6,” “Zootopia,” “Frozen,” “Frozen 2,” and more. Ramirez was the Associate Producer for the animated featurette, “Olaf’s Frozen Adventure,”. He was the Senior Production Supervisor on “Ralph Breaks the Internet,” and took on the role of Production Manager for “Raya and the Last Dragon,” and 2023’s fall release “Wish.”
Jasmine Reed, Production Supervisor on Wish
Jasmine Gonzalez Reed(Production Supervisor - Wish) first joined
Walt Disney Animation Studios in 2012 as a production assistant on Oscar®-
winning film “Frozen” for both the environments and marketing teams. She
continued on and became a production coordinator on “Moana,” “Ralph Breaks the
Internet,” and “Frozen 2,” supporting four different departments. As production
supervisor for editorial on “Encanto”, Reed joined the film very early on to support
the directors, producers, and editors for each screening within the studio through
the final film. She also was part of Familia, a group of Disney Animation
employees who served as a cultural resource on the film.
Raised in Chicago, Illinois, Reed spent 18 years in her hometown and grew up
with a love of classic animated films. “They were always there for me growing up
as a safe place to imagine and be inspired. As I learned more about animation, I
wanted to help make someone else’s favorite movie.”
The Latino Film Institute is an educational organization and all networking opportunities during LALIFF are for educational purposes only.
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