Conclusion

Before I started this project, I knew very little about women in the animation industry. I was familiar with the types of animation, animation studios, and some specific animators (all of whom were men), but the women who work in this field seemed more hidden from view. It took actual research and reading for me …

Retta Scott

Retta Scott was an animator in the 30’s and 40’s in 2D animation at Walt Disney Studios. She was born Omak, Washington but attended high school in Seattle. After graduating, she received multiple scholarships, one from the Seattle Art & Music Foundation. She also received a scholarship to attend the Chouinard Art Institute, so she …

Nora Twomey and The Breadwinner

Nora Twomey is an Irish animator, director, screenwriter, and voice actress. She partly owns Cartoon Saloon, which is an animation studio in Ireland. Some of her more well known films are The Secret of Kells and The Breadwinner. Before attending Ballyfermont College, she actually worked in a factory doing manual labor. After graduating, she took …

Lotte Reiniger

Lotte Reiniger is one of the most pioneering women animation has ever seen. She was born in Germany in 1899. As a child, she was fascinated by the Chinese art of paper cutting and silhouette puppetry. Young Reiniger would often put on puppet shows for her family. When she was older, her love for cinema …

Domee Shi

Domee Shi is a Chinese-born Canadian Pixar storyboard artist and director. She worked on Inside Out (2015), Incredibles 2 (2018), and Toy Story 4 (2019). She also directed the 2018 Pixar short Bao, which won an Academy Award for Best Short Film that year. She was the first woman to direct a short film for …

Director Brenda Chapman

As far as recognition goes, Brenda Chapman has been awarded many “firsts”. She is both the first woman to direct an animated film for a major studio (The Prince of Egypt) and the first woman to win the Academy Award for Best Animated Film (Brave). Her journey began at Lincoln College where she studied art …

Purpose Statement

My name is Caro Holden, and I am a student studying Creative Writing at Truman State University. All my life I have enjoyed watching cartoons and animated films. There’s something about this genre that allows for a more elastic creativity in a way that live action can’t quite tap into. This semester, I have a …