Ralph Eggleston
Art Director
Pixar Animation Studios
San Francisco, CA USA
“Start with character and everything else will follow.”
Videos
By Roadtrip NationRalph Eggleston
Milestones
My road in life has been direct.
Always wanted to do film animation; gravitated towards Disney animation, especially the film Cinderella.
One of his favorite toys was a hand-crank projector-he'd look at films frame by frame to better understand the process.
Heard about CalArts' animation major when he was in sixth grade and says "that was it," locked in on that goal.
Worked for a variety of studios before being hired by Pixar; one of his first Pixar projects was art directing Toy Story.
Views each different film as its own "graduate course," he puts about four years worth of research and work into one subject.
Some of his "research" is unconventional-hung out in trash dumps, on cruise ships for Wall-E.
Says that the reward for all of the weird work he puts into a movie is seeing an audience's reaction, hearing what people think.
Urges students to find an interest, then find out as much as they can about it; simultaneously try to experience as much of the world as possible.
Keep following my journey
Education
High School
Bachelor
Animation, Interactive Technology, Video Graphics and Special Effects
California College of the Arts
Animation, Interactive Technology, Video Graphics and Special Effects
California College of the Arts
Career
Art Director
I was Art Director on "The Incredibles" and "Up," and Production Designer on "Wall-E."
Career Roadmap
My work combines:
My work combines:
Art
Film
Being Creative
Interviewed By
Challenge the Status Quo
The road-trippers head to Skywalker Ranch, where Star Wars sound designer Ben Burtt recounts driving cross-country to California twice before his dreams of being a sound designer beat back his fear of change; plus Pixar animator Ralph Eggleston on getting beyond the world you inhabit and going deeper into what interests you, and Janice Levenhagen-Seeley of ChickTech on challenging the status quo.
