Five Filipina Animators and the Women Who Inspired Them
As a full-service agency in the Philippines, we at Fizzbuzz Inc. get up every day to collaborate with our clients and partners on unique design and digital marketing solutions. When we’re not developing mobile and web apps, building brand identities, or producing content, we’re bringing ideas to life in 2D, 3D, and stop motion using great tools like Toon Boom. With our constant exposure to the amazing world of animation, we’ve fostered an appreciation for the art form—and the people on the other side of the screen who make it possible.
Ever since the quarantine began, we’ve not only binge-watched animated films and shows but also written about them. Aside from taking us down memory lane, our research turned up some interesting behind-the-scenes facts. There’s an especially cool one about Coco, the Pixar tearjerker about eleven-year-old Miguel and his dream of becoming a great musician like his idol Ernesto de la Cruz. Did you know that Gini Cruz-Santos, the head of the film’s animation team, is the studio’s first female supervising animator and a Filipina? Talk about an idol!
We were so inspired that we decided to ask our own women in animation about their careers. The road they’ve chosen to tread makes them un poco loco at times, but they can say that passion and perseverance certainly pay off.
Clare Marie Sanchez – Stop Motion Animator
Who is your female animator role model?
Charlotte “Lotte” Reiniger was an inspiring female animator. She was the pioneer of silhouette animation (stop-motion using cut-outs) and was also noted for devising the first form of a multi-plane camera.
What about her work inspired you?
While The Adventures of Prince Achmed (1926) was the only feature film she made (and is the oldest surviving animated feature film recorded), she was never mundane with what she made. One could see how elaborate her character cutouts were, as she relied on their gestures rather than facial expressions to express their emotions. Her commitment to her animation goes beyond professionalism especially at a time when cinema, much less animation, was still in its early stages. It was her perseverance and dedication to her work despite being unknown for so long that makes her a great inspiration to me.
What are the challenges you’ve faced while pursuing a career in animation?
Cinema is one of those occupations where the work behind the film is unseen by the general public and animation has the added stigma of being “made for kids” even though this medium has limitless expressive potential. Perhaps because of this, clients often think animation is easy that they give limited production time or make last-minute decisions.
What lessons have you learned that you wish to impart to young women wanting to pursue animation?
Gender has nothing to do with how productive you are, but there are still ups and downs. To young ladies who have decided to work in animation, be patient, and persevere. As a member of the creative field, you have to keep your passion dear and use it to keep on improving. Also, never neglect to care for yourself.
Johanna Kaye Boncodin – 3D Generalist
Who is your female animator role model?
Josie Trinidad and Gini Cruz-Santos are two of my biggest inspirations.
What about her work inspired you?
Growing up, I didn’t see a lot of women working in the animation industry. I was really inspired when I learned these Filipina artists were part of the best animation studio in the world. Some of the well-known feature films they made are A Bug’s Life, Toy Story, Ratatouille, Zootopia, and Wreck-It Ralph.
What are the challenges you’ve faced while pursuing a career in animation?
Finding the right company that will help you achieve and grow as an artist is definitely a challenge you’ll face when you start your career. Clients tend to take advantage of beginning artists, especially here in the Philippines. That’s why it’s important to work in a company that values you and your work.
What lessons have you learned that you wish to impart to young women wanting to pursue animation?
Being in a male-dominated field, you should always be confident with your skills. Gender has nothing to do with what you can and cannot do as an artist. Always work smart and do your best. It’s also okay to make mistakes because this is how you learn. And lastly, never give up, take a break, and have fun!
Deborah Karen Tudtud – Creative Director
Who is your female animator role model?
Lotte Reiniger is one of my female role models in animation.
What about her work inspired you?
I admire her unique style and vision. I hope to develop a unique animation style of my own in the near future.
What are the challenges you’ve faced while pursuing a career in animation?
The first and most significant challenge I faced in pursuing a career in animation is starting that career.
Over a decade ago, it was very difficult to find a school in Cebu City that could teach animation. I’ve always loved cartoons, but I didn’t know how to become an animator. In college, I took up Nursing and was miserable. I truly appreciate those who are brave enough to be front liners and be in the medical field. Unfortunately, Nursing wasn’t my calling. So I shifted to Fine Arts, which was the closest I could get to something animation-related.
I was already working as a children’s book illustrator when I decided to study abroad, to follow my dreams and to learn how to make my drawings move and come to life. After studying animation, I kept working at different animation studios and eventually became a member of the Fizzbuzz family as a 2D and stop motion animator. Each project has its challenges but nothing that we can’t solve as a team!
What lessons have you learned that you wish to impart to young women wanting to pursue animation?
Draw a lot. Do your own thing. Do what you love. Then be good at it! Don’t take up a career that you can’t imagine doing for the rest of your life. You just gotta take that first step and maintain that momentum. Never stop learning because animation is an ever-evolving art form. Be versatile and be open to all styles, medium, and software. Oh, and take breaks! Don’t break your back! I learned that the hard way!
Bin Espina – Stop Motion Animation Fabricator
Who is your female animator role model?
Rebecca Sugar instantly came to mind.
What about her work inspired you?
My impression is mostly from her series, Steven Universe. I was captured by how deeply she thought of her characters and how elaborately she built the world while framing it as a light kids’ show. I felt tricked and I love that.
What are the challenges you’ve faced while pursuing a career in animation?
A job in animation nearby wasn’t always available. However, you can always set yourself up ahead when the opportunity does arrive through your hobbies.
What lessons have you learned that you wish to impart to young women wanting to pursue animation?
You can try to emulate your role models and you can try to fit into expected narratives but you also have to allow your own background and identity to dictate (or sneak into 😂) your work. Also, attend online and offline workshops. Get Skillshare! Get artbooks! Join art communities online!
Carlyn Ceniza – Creative Lead and Director
Who is your female animator role model?
There are two women in animation whose work I admire and follow: storyboard artist Sabrina Cotugno and Walt Disney story artist Lissa Treiman.
What about their work inspired you?
Sabrina Cotugno worked on Gravity Falls and Star vs. The Forces of Evil. I like her comedic timing and dynamic but still easy-to-read action sequences. This is also evident in her webcomic The Glass Scientists which is the result of her obsession with Victorian scientific romances such as Frankenstein and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.
I came across Lissa Treiman’s art when I discovered a comic called Giant Days. She drew the first few issues and since the comic is written like a sitcom, where the dialogue provides the narrative, her expressive style of drawing really made the characters stand out. She made them emote with their whole bodies, wobbly arms and all! This expressiveness is something I try to achieve in my own work.
What are the challenges you’ve faced while pursuing a career in animation?
What isn’t often taught about animation is how to deal with people. Those people could be the client, your boss, your team, or other animators at an overseas film festival who all seem very confident and intimidating. I’m not good with people. But making a cartoon is a team effort so, in order to keep doing what I love, I’ve had to continuously learn (very slowly and with many embarrassing mistakes) to deal with my social awkwardness and be a good teammate so that the rest of my teammates can also keep doing what they love.
What lessons have you learned that you wish to impart to young women wanting to pursue animation?
First of all, don’t live in a vacuum and don’t wait for inspiration to strike. Let yourself be open to all the things you like and don’t like (it’s okay to not like things), and then understand why those things work or don’t work for you. Everything is connected and everything is a rich resource for your art. As creatives and especially as animators, we use inspiration as our fuel so learn how to motivate yourself for the long haul that will be your animation career and keep being inspired.
Second of all, be a good teammate. While it’s important for you to stay inspired, it’s equally important to inspire the people who are working on that project with you. Be kind, be patient, acknowledge everyone’s effort, and learn from each other.