From Toonz to Walt Disney, an insight into Chatrasal Singh’s inspiring journey in the animation field
We are so glad to see this fascinating journey of our protégé Mr Chatrasal Singh who has scaled new heights. You have made all of us at Toonz Media Group proud.
Everyone wants to live the life of their dreams, and Chatrasal Singh is one of the fortunate few who has been able to do so by obtaining a position at the Walt Disney Animation Studios. His passion and love for animation have propelled him to this position in his profession after almost 15 years of working on numerous feature films and TV shows in six different countries.
AnimationXpress got in touch with the enthusiastic animator, who hails from India, to gain a deeper understanding of his journey, challenges and much more.
Getting into the animation industry
Singh described how his decision to pursue a career in animation came about after his first visit to the Toonz studio in the 10th grade. In 2010, Singh also worked with Toonz for the first time as a professional. He stated, “I got the chance to work in a professional production atmosphere for a TV series, which provided my career with a valuable jump start. Singh’s parents didn’t have much knowledge about the scope of the animation industry, but they played a crucial role in his career by supporting his passion for animation and helping him out with his animation studies. Singh is grateful for the guidance and opportunities given by Toonz CEO Jayakumar which served as a solid foundation for his animation journey.
Due to Toonz’s approximately 25-year history in the industry, numerous people’s careers have been cultivated and launched thanks to them. One of the most well-known animation schools in India, Toonz Animation Academy has been able to lay a solid basis for both 2D and 3D animation thanks to the expertise of the instructors, who are both industry veterans and professionals. It has succeeded in attracting young talent from all throughout India over the years, and Singh is one such example. Singh learned about a number of animation departments and their roles in the production process at Toonz. Toonz’s well-organized departments and our work on a TV program called Jil Jil Genie, he claimed, “gave me an excellent notion about the complete production element, like how the show is put together.”
Journey post-Toonz
Singh was given the chance to work at DreamWorks Animation after Toonz, a well-known animation studio (DWA). Characters like Kung Fu Panda, Shrek, Puss in the Boots, and others are well-known thanks to the studio. Singh was able to develop his abilities at DWA and learn more about the 12 principles of animation, particularly the attraction of characters. Along with more than 20 other team members, he was hired to work on micro webisodes, and six months after starting at the studio, Singh was promoted to the role of lead animator on the program. “DreamWorks’ fast-paced growth trajectory and their infectious artistic culture made it a sheer delight to work there and it catapulted me to a fantastic height in my career,” the employee said.
Giving back to the community
Singh is currently located in the United States and has worked in over six different nations. He claims that despite the fact that he is still learning something new every day at Disney, he does have plans to help develop the Indian animation community and is considering mentoring Indian students. He noted that one significant distinction between the educational systems in India and the United States is that American students, in contrast to Indian students, have a wide range of alternatives for careers in animation following high school. Even though Indian students are receiving coaching from Americans through online classes, according to Singh, one-on-one mentoring is still urgently needed.
Singh’s goals include successfully managing a studio, adding to the workforce, producing original material, making it accessible globally, and gaining international popularity.
Last but not least, when asked about his future goals, Singh stated that he is now learning all of Disney’s filmmaking and storytelling techniques and that eventually, he hopes to produce his own short and feature films.