By Graciela Becerra
Features Editor
gbecerr1@jccc.edu
Matthias Lechner, art director of environments for the upcoming film “Zootopia” will give a one-hour behind-the-scenes animation presentation and Q&A at the college on Thursday, March 3.
Lechner, who has previously worked on projects including “Escape from Planet Earth,” was responsible for developing the style of the film’s environments and sets. He credits the movie “The Jungle Book” for inspiring him to pursue animation and design.
The film takes place in the made-up animal-inhabited city of Zootopia, in which animals have become civilized beings who live and interact with one another.
Lechner and the design team at Disney had to create a range of environments for the animals, including rain forests, deserts and icy arctic worlds. They also had to develop ways in which the animals would approach building houses, cars and cities. The project was a designer’s dream, according to Lechner.
The presentation will take place at 10 a.m. in the Hudson Auditorium and anyone can attend as long as they RSVP by emailing their name to alliedimkc@gmail.com and include “JCCC” in the subject line. A confirmation must be presented at the door for admittance.
Zootopia will be released in theaters on March 4. For more information on Lechner, visit http://www.matthiaslechner.com/. For more information on the film, visit http://movies.disney.com/zootopia.
You can view the trailer for the film here: