header image

[Sign Up Now] to Receive Our FREE Daily SCVTV-SCVNews Digest by E-Mail

Inside
Weather


 
Calendar
Today in
S.C.V. History
March 28
1934 - Bouquet Canyon Reservoir, replacement for ill-fated St. Francis Dam & reservoir, begins to fill with water [story]
Bouquet Reservoir


morgankelly2The family-friendly animated film “Free Birds,” which opened in theaters Nov. 1, has an artistic Santa Clarita Valley connection.

Morgan Kelly, son of R.J. Kelly, of Canyon Country, and Jolli Bernier of Sleepy Valley, worked on “Free Birds” as a character animator.

“This is Reel FX’s first film so there is a lot of anticipation,” said Kelly.Reggie, voiced by Owen Wilson, left, and Jake, voiced by Woody Harrelson, in a scene from the animated film “Free Birds.” Courtesy Relativity Media.

Kelly was born in Van Nuys, but grew up Canyon Country. He is a 1996 graduate of Canyon High School.

“My parents owned a horse ranch off Sierra Highway when I was growing up,” he said. Kelly said his parents divorced when he was a child and they both remarried.

Kelly’s career in animation has included some of the most famous animated movies in the last 10 years including “Shrek 2,” “How to Train Your Dragon” and “Madagascar.”

Among his other film credits are “Over the Hedge,” “Bee Movie,” “Monsters Vs. Aliens,” “MegaMind,” “Puss In Boots,” “Madagascar 3” and “Turbo.”

Kelly spent nearly 10 years as a character animator at DreamWorks.

He was hired by Reel FX in March to work on “Free Birds.”

A 2003 graduate of the character animation department of California Institute of the Arts in Valencia, Kelly always knew he wanted to be an artist.

“I’ve been drawing since I was a little kid,” he said. “I remember drawing on the walls, which I wasn’t suppose to do.”

His favorite classes in school, while growing up in the SCV, were art classes.

Kelly said he was fortunate to be mentored by his older step-brother, Eric Pigors, of Valencia, who worked as an animator at the Walt Disney Company.

“He was excited that he had a younger stepbrother who was interested in drawing, so he became a mentor to me,” said Kelly. “He worked at Disney during the resurgence of animation at the company, when they made ‘Little Mermaid’ and ‘Lion King.’”

Kelly said Pigors was an important and positive influence in his life.

“I was able to go to Disney and see the studio and how they worked there,” he said. “I would see all the artists’ crazy desks and the drawings all over the walls.”

FREE BIRDSHis parents were also encouraging to the young Kelly.

“Both of my parents were very supportive of my following an art career,” he said.

Kelly said his goal was always to attend CalArts.

“Growing up in the Santa Clarita Valley I knew about CalArts and I always wanted to go there,” he said. “There was no place else I wanted to go.”

Morgan Kelly worked as a character animator on "Real Birds" for Reel FX. Photo by Michele E. Buttelman.Kelly’s dream to earn at degree at CalArts was put to the test when he was denied admission to the CalArts animation program three times.

Failing to earn a spot at CalArts after graduating high school Kelly took art classes at College of the Canyons, Otis College of Art and Design in Santa Moncia, Art Center of Pasadena and private art classes.

He worked on his portfolio, attempting to earn admission to CalArts.

After he was denied a second time by CalArts Kelly said he was “frustrated.”

“I knew CalArts was hard to get into because the student body is small and they accept students from all over the world,” he said. “There’s a lot of competition.”

Kelly continued to work on his portfolio with an emphasis on figure drawing.

“I really wanted to go to the best animation school and CalArts is renowned for its animation program,” he said.

He obtained a meeting with a dean at CalArts and was told his portfolio was “great.”

“He told me to go ahead and submit it,” Kelly said. “I felt really positive. Then I got another rejection letter, I couldn’t believe it.”

After being denied for a third time Kelly refused to take “no” for an answer and arranged another meeting with CalArts officials.

“The dean was surprised and suggested we walked down to the animation department and find out what was going on, but the head of the department was out so the dean suggested I leave my portfolio and he would follow up,” Kelly said.

Three days later Kelly received his long coveted letter of admission to the CalArts program.

Kelly spent four years at CalArts.

“It is so expensive to attend CalArts I tried to graduate in three years,” he said.

However, the effort became overwhelming, and officials at the school felt Kelly would benefit from attending the fourth year.

“I was fortunate to be offered free tuition and housing for that fourth year,” he said.

His decision to remain at CalArts for the fourth year would result in Kelly earning a job at DreamWorks Animation Studios after graduation.

“In my fourth year I was able to make a short animated film that got me hired at DreamWorks,” he said. “I don’t know if I would have had that opportunity if I had graduated after three years. I don’t know that I would have that showpiece in my reel.”

Kelly’s film was shown at an end-of-the-year screening at CalArts called “The Producers’ Show.”

“Every student wants to get their film in the show because they know the studios will attend the screening and see their work,” said Kelly.

Kelly was hired at DreamWorks right after graduation despite the company’s policy of only hiring artists with a minimum of five years experience in the animation industry.

“They saw my computer animation film and the company was just starting multiple computer animation projects,” he said. “My film was unusual because it was computer animation when most people were still doing hand drawn animation. It’s what got me hired at DreamWorks.”

After his struggle to get into CalArts it was gratifying to Kelly to be offered a position on the faculty of the character animation department.

He taught computer animation classes at the school from 2007 to 2011.

“It was cool to go back to CalArts and to be back on the campus,” he said. “It is interesting now to see some of my students being hired at DreamWorks and even at Reel FX.”

Kelly said the animation industry, like most industries in the United States, is seeing significant change.

“There are fewer staff animator positions,” he said. “People are now being hired just to work on a specific project.”

Kelly said there is also more competition among computer animation artists.

“There are more places teaching computer animation than when I went to school,” he said. “There are now online schools, too.”

Kelly, who has also worked six years as a mentor and instructor at AnimationMentor, said he advises artists who seek to follow in his footsteps to follow their “passion.”

“It’s important to focus on becoming the best artist you can, to learn from others and to always keep creating,” he said. “If you do that, then opportunities will present themselves to you.”

Kelly also advises students to never “burn your bridges. You never know where your next job might come from.”Morgan Kelly, left, mentors an aspiring animator. Photo by Michele E. Buttelman.

In addition to his work in animation Kelly also creates “art for myself,” he said.

His work has been displayed in gallery shows in Los Angeles and San Francisco.

“It’s good for your head and your soul to create work for yourself,” he said. “I still sketch a lot. When I get together with friends from CalArts, or work, we’ll meet at a restaurant and usually we all have our sketchbooks on the table.”

Kelly is currently working on Reel FX’s second feature, “Book of Life,” directed by Jorge Gutierrez.

“This is Reel FX’s second release and will come out in October of next year,” he said.

Kelly’s father is well-known SCV resident R.J. Kelly who has served on the board of directors of the Castaic Lake Water Agency since in 2003.

“Free Birds,” a Relativity Media release, is rated PG for “some action/peril and rude humor.”

The film is about two turkeys from opposite sides of the tracks who try to put aside their differences when they team up to travel back in time to change the course of history in an effort to get turkey off the holiday menu.

The film has a running time of 91 minutes and will be shown at the Edwards Canyon Country and Edwards Valencia theaters.

Comment On This Story
COMMENT POLICY: We welcome comments from individuals and businesses. All comments are moderated. Comments are subject to rejection if they are vulgar, combative, or in poor taste.
REAL NAMES ONLY: All posters must use their real individual or business name. This applies equally to Twitter account holders who use a nickname.

0 Comments

You can be the first one to leave a comment.

Leave a Comment


ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT LINKS
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT NEWS
Friday, Mar 22, 2024
The Canyon Theatre Guild will open the musical "Xanadu" on Saturday, March 23 in Old Town Newhall. The show will run through April 27.
Friday, Mar 22, 2024
Robert Morgan Fisher will perform "A Night of Narrative Song" on Thursday, April 4, at 7 p.m. The show will be performed at The MAIN, 24266 Main St.,t Santa Clarita, CA 91321.
Friday, Mar 22, 2024
The MAIN Presents GO Jazz Big Band on Friday, March 29, at 8 p.m. Tickets are $30. A number of professional players make the Santa Clarita Valley home and since 2011 the GO Jazz Big Band has been their launch pad.
Friday, Mar 15, 2024
Olive Branch Theatricals presents "Done to Death" on Friday, Saturday and Sunday March 15-17 and March 22-22 at The MAIN in Old Town Newhall.
Thursday, Mar 14, 2024
Auditions for "The Play that Goes Wrong" and "Neil Simon's Come Blown Your Horn" will be held at the Canyon Theatre Guild in Old Town Newhall.
Latest Additions to SCVNews.com
Los Angeles County Public Works is updating the Los Angeles County Bicycle Master Plan.
April 16: Public Works Virtual Community Meeting for Updating Bicycle Master Plan
College of the Canyons mens golf got back on track during its return to conference play on Monday, carding a five-man score of 370 to top the eight-team field at Brookside Golf Course and maintain its unblemished conference mark.
Cougars Win Again, Keep Conference Streak
Los Angeles County Treasurer and Tax Collector, reminds property owners that the second installment of the 2023-24 Annual Secured Property Taxes becomes  delinquent if not received by 5 p.m. Pacific Time or United States Postal Service postmarked on or before Wednesday, April 10, 2024.
County Treasurer Reminds Property Owners of April 10 Due Date
Local nonprofit Fostering Youth Independence is seeking “Allies” to support Santa Clarita youth who are aging out of the L.A. County foster care system.
April 16: FYI Seeks Volunteers To Pair With Local Foster Youth
The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health today unveiled the latest L.A. County Health Survey, which gathers vital data on health behaviors, conditions, neighborhood settings, and the needs of L.A .County residents, informing future public health policies and programs.
Public Health Unveils the 2023 L.A. County Health Survey Findings
Due to the projected rain forecast, Eggstravaganza will now be held indoors at the Canyon Country Community Center beginning promptly at 10 a.m. on March 30.
March 30: Eggstravaganza Now Being Held Indoors at Canyon Country Community Center
To support the mental health of California's young people, the California Department of Public Health awarded $25 million to 28 tribal and community-based organizations across the state.
California Announces $25 Million in Awards for Youth Mental Health
The College of the Canyons Athletic Department will host a dedication ceremony to unveil the Michele Jenkins Softball Team Room in honor of the longtime board member and ardent softball program supporter’s nearly 40 years of service to the district.
April 16: COC to Host Michele Jenkins Team Room Dedication Ceremony
PFLAG Santa Clarita has announced the establishment of the Peggy and Jeff Stabile PFLAG SCV Scholarship. The scholarship will provide financial assistance to LGBTQIA+ students pursuing higher education and committed to advocating for LGBTQIA+ rights and promoting diversity and inclusion.
PFLAG SCV Announces Stabile PFLAG Scholarship
1934 - Bouquet Canyon Reservoir, replacement for ill-fated St. Francis Dam & reservoir, begins to fill with water [story]
Bouquet Reservoir
The California Department of Public Health launched the “Never a Bother” campaign, a youth suicide prevention public awareness and outreach campaign for youth, young adults, and their parents, caregivers, and allies.
California Launches New Youth Suicide Prevention Campaign
The Santa Clarita Master Chorale invites the community to "Let the Sunshine In," a delightful evening of food, wine and song at the annual Cabaret & Cabernet fundraising benefit.
April 20: Santa Clarita Master Chorale’s Cabaret, Cabernet Fundraiser
The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health cautions residents who are planning to visit the below Los Angeles County beaches to avoid swimming, surfing, and playing in ocean waters:
March 27 Ocean Water Warning
As an integral ingredient necessary to help the Santa Clarita Valley to flourish, feedback from the business community is the secret sauce for achieving great things.
SCVEDC Asks For the Business Community’s Opinion on Santa Clarita
Raise your heart rate while raising funds for the Santa Clarita Sister Cities Dollars-for-Desks campaign to provide school desks for students in Sariaya, Santa Clarita's Sister City in the Philippines.
April 13: Sister Cities Zumba-thon Fundraiser
Remo, Inc. is is the world's leading manufacturer and developer of synthetic drumheads and shells. They’ve been in business for 60 years
SCVEDC Company Spotlight: Drumming Up Big Business with Remo, Inc.
California State Assemblywoman Pilar Schiavo (D-Chatsworth) and Assemblyman James Ramos (D-Highland) have introduced AB 3074 the "School or athletic team names: California Racial Mascots Act."
Schiavo Introduces Bill to Prohibit ‘Derogatory’ School Mascot Names
Los Angeles County’s Justice, Care and Opportunities Department  in collaboration with Local Initiatives Support Corporation Los Angeles is proud to announce the 2nd Annual Pitch Competition for the cohorts of JCOD's Incubation Academy.
March 28: JCOD Incubation Academy Helps Grassroots Non-Profits For the Second Year
Children’s Bureau is seeking foster families and now offers two virtual ways for individuals and/or couples to learn how to help children in foster care while reunifying with birth families or how to provide legal permanency by adoption.
April 18: Children’s Bureau Hosts Virtual Orientation
The Sunburst track was constructed in 1887 by the Southern Pacific Railroad and was a part of the main line running between San Francisco and Los Angeles.
Enjoy Spring With a Ride On The Sunburst Track
California State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond hosted a Personal Finance Summit today where he announced his support for Assembly Bill 2927 (McCarty), legislation that would require a personal finance education course for California high school graduation.
State Superintendent Announces Support for Personal Finance Graduation Requirement
1847 - Probable birth date of Pico Canyon oil driller Charles Alexander Mentry [story]
C.A. Mentry
The first Music Jam Session at The MAIN was held on Thursday, Feb. 22 and was a hit. Come out and join in for the next one on Thursday, March 28 7 p.m.-9 p.m.
March 28: The MAIN to Host Musicians’ Jam Session
SCVNews.com