DNEG Feature Animation has appointed two new senior creative hires to bolster its leadership team. Ted Ty joins as global head of character animation based in Montreal, while Archie Donato relocates from Los Angeles to join the team as VFX supervisor on a major new project in London.
DNEG Feature Animation is currently in production on a number of high-profile animated projects, including animated musical feature Under the Boardwalk for Paramount Animation, and is in development on the very first animated adaptation of The Great Gatsby with Oscar-winning director William Joyce.
These new hires follow the appointment of former Skydance executive David Prescott, who joined the team last year as sr. VP of creative production.
Ty joins DNEG Feature Animation with over 25 years of experience and a deep understanding of both 2D and 3D animation. Ty started his career at Walt Disney Animation where he worked as a 2D animator under the mentorship of animation legends such as Mark Henn, Ruben Aquino and James Baxter on animated features such as Mulan and Lilo & Stitch. Following a move to DreamWorks, he contributed to major 3D animated features such as Puss in Boots, How To Train Your Dragon 2 and Rise of the Guardians.
Ty is a noted and prolific animation instructor, having taught animation masterclasses at CalArts, CTNX Expo, DreamWorks, SCAD, Pixel Quebec and iAnimate.net. He is also a master teacher at YoungArts Foundation. His most recent work was as head of animation and co-director of animated action-comedy feature Fireheart.
VFX supervisor Donato brings a cinematic perspective and a background in live action filmmaking to his new role for DNEG Feature Animation, as well as experience at ILM, Digital Domain, Rhythm & Hues and 17 years at DreamWorks Animation. During his time at DreamWorks, Donato contributed to many of the studio’s biggest films, most notably as CG Lead on Kung Fu Panda, Megamind, Monsters vs Aliens and Shrek Forever After, lighting supervisor on Rise of the Guardians and CG supervisor on Mr. Peabody & Sherman. Most recently, Donato has turned his talents to VFX supervision for episodic content on shows like Home Before Dark for Apple TV+, Messiah for Netflix and The Loudest Voice for Showtime.
